These Recent Auction Lots Had the Art and Design Worlds Buzzing

Alberto Giacometti, Chandelier for Peter Watson (circa 1946–49)

Sold at Christie’s London (February 28)

This unique bronze piece, commissioned for the Bloomsbury offices of the celebrated but short-lived literary magazine Horizon, was discovered in a London antiques shop in the 1960s by the late British painter John Craxton. Recognizing it as an example of Alberto Giacometti’s handiwork, he acquired it for £250 and displayed it in his Hampstead, England, home for close to 50 years. The only work of design in an evening sale of 20th- and 21st-century art, it commanded £2.9 million ($3.6 million).

Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider (1962)

Sold by Gooding & Company, Amelia Island (March 2–3)

In a two-day sale that netted over $72 million, the star lot was this one-of-a-kind convertible sports car, which brought $18 million, making it the most expensive automobile ever sold at the annual Amelia Island Auctions, off Florida’s Atlantic Coast. With swanky coachwork by Scaglietti, this model is the only Spider Ferrari made in Azzurro Metallizzato, a distinctive metallic aquamarine shade.

Wassily Kandinsky, Murnau mit Kirche II (1910)

Sold at Sotheby’s London (March 1)

Fresh to the market after restitution to the descendants of a German Jewish family by the Van Abbemuseum in the Netherlands, this masterpiece captures a pivotal moment in Wassily Kandinsky’s development. Inspired by his time in the scenic Bavarian town of Murnau and the avant-garde artists he encountered during his European travels, the painting—which achieved £37.2 million ($44.9 million)—demonstrates Kandinsky’s budding use of vibrant color and experimentation with forms to achieve his signature style of evocative abstractions.

Patek Philippe, Reference 2526 (circa 1955)

Sold at Sotheby’s New York (March 7)

Originally purchased by Andy Warhol from Serpico y Laino in Caracas, Venezuela, this timepiece was among a collection of nearly 100 watches offered at Sotheby’s 1988 sale of the artist’s estate and sold then for $5,500. Adding to its cachet, the piece, which fetched $101,600, incorporates a rare eggshell-colored enamel dial, a pristine 18K-rose-gold casing, and signatures of the watchmaker and luxury retailer.

A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2023 Summer Issue under the headline “On the Block.” Subscribe to the magazine.