The collection of Henri Matisse's granddaughter, Jacqueline Matisse Monnier, who died in 2021, combines the success factors of name prestige and the origin of the works coming directly from the respective artists.
For the 78 lots - five remained unsold - more than 40 million euros were brought in with the premium at Christie's in Paris: almost double the expectation.
The 29 works by Henri Matisse alone achieved 13.7 million euros, including many drawings, most of which were sold far in excess of the estimate.
The graceful pen and ink portrait that the modern master made of his granddaughter in 1947 under the title “Jaky” tripled the expectation of 40,000 to 60,000 euros with 170,000 euros).
The oil painting "Nymphe et faune rouge" from 1939 with its sensual bodies and Mediterranean colors was awarded the highest price of the auction;
it changed hands at 4.3 million euros (estimate 1.8 to 2.2 million euros).
The large-format screen print on linen "Océanie, le ciel" doubled the estimate (1.2/1.8 million) at 3.3 million euros.
However, three small bronze busts by Henri Matisse did not find any response and were returned unsold.
Jacqueline Matisse Monnier was the daughter of the well-known New York art dealer Pierre Matisse.
Her mother Alexina "Teeny" Sattler married Marcel Duchamp in her second marriage.
One of the famous reproductions of Leonardo's "Mona Lisa" that was "improved" ("readymade rectifié") with a painted beard is included with Duchamp's book "Propos et Souvenirs" and, at 800,000 euros, met the upper expectation.
A “boîte-en-valise” by the inventor of conceptual art climbed to 250,000 euros (120,000/180,000).
The collection also reflects the numerous artist friendships within the family association.
A bidding war raised Yves Klein's work "Monochrome bleu (IKB 183)" to 2.4 million euros (1/1.5 million).
A “clothes stand with an owl” by Diego Giacometti achieved a surprising result of 1.8 million euros (500,000/700,000).
The gorgeous turquoise-blue Hippo bathtub by François-Xavier Lalanne, on the other hand, did not far exceed its estimate at 875,000 euros.
The price for the original top lot was also disappointing: Alberto Giacometti's "Petit buste d'homme", estimated at 3 to 5 million euros, ended up at 2.5 million euros.