Sotheby’s Greek art sells
‘The Disembarkation’ (above) by Constantinos Volanakis, one of Greece’s most important seascape painters of the 19th century, yesterday helped Sotheby’s realize 2.7 million pounds (or 3.87 million euros) at auction – its highest total for a Greek sale. This was the house’s third Greek sale and ‘provided a clear indication of growing demand for Greek 19th and 20th century paintings,’ Sotheby’s said. It said ‘strong competition across the board’ and fierce bidding drove prices above pre-sale estimates in many cases. Volanakis’s ‘Admiring the Ships’ (378,560 euros), ‘Bringing in the Catch’ (298,010 euros) and ‘The Disembarkation’ (233,580 euros) all exceeded expectations. Nikos Hadzikyriakos-Ghika’s ‘Interior with Still Life’ went for 112,190 euros, a record for one of his works at auction.
