Painting by highest-rated Romanian painter Adrian Ghenie sells for EUR 1.5 mln

An untitled painting created in 2019 by Adrian Ghenie, the highest-rated Romanian painter, was sold at auction on Tuesday evening in London by Sotheby's auction house for a final sum of approximately EUR 1.5 million, according to Profit.ro.

The large-scale artwork, measuring 2.3 x 1.7 meters, is part of the artist's recent explorations into more organic expressions, while retaining the self-referential, historical, and plastic references that have made him renowned and appreciated. The artwork was acquired from the Nicodim Gallery in Los Angeles, founded in 2006 by Romanian-born artist Mihai Nicodim. The gallery also has a branch in Bucharest.

Estimated to be worth between GBP 1 million and GBP 1.5 million, Ghenie's piece started with a price of GBP 850,000, but it was sold to a telephone bidder from the United States for GBP 1.1 million, with the difference up to GBP 1.25 million consisting of taxes and fees.

Another work titled "Figure on the Beach," also created in 2019 by Adrian Ghenie, was sold in an auction in April at Sotheby’s Hong Kong for a final sum of HKD 19.8 million, equivalent to EUR 2.3 million.

In May of last year, an oil on canvas painting made in 2016 by Adrian Ghenie and titled "Degenerate Art" set an auction record for the Romanian artist at Sotheby's. The painting was sold on May 19 for USD 9.28 million, after being estimated to be worth between USD 7 million and USD 10 million.

The same month, just a week later, but this time in Hong Kong, Ghenie's artwork "Pie Fight Interior 12" was sold at auction for the sum of USD 10.3 million, setting a new record for the artist.

(Photo source: Adrian Ghenie on Facebook)