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Art Basel 2025 registers numerous million-dollar sales on first day

Numerous sales in the millions on the first day of Art Basel 2025
Numerous sales in the millions on the first day of Art Basel 2025 Keystone-SDA

Galleries at the prestigious Art Basel fair in Switzerland have registered numerous million-dollar sales on the first preview day on June 17.

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This year’s list of sales on the first day was topped by a painting by British artist David Hockney, which sold for between $13-17 million (CHF10.6 million-14 million).

The work entitled Mid November Tunnel from 2006, offered by Annely Juda Fine Art in London, went to a private collection, according to the Art Basel Sales Report, which lists galleries’ transactions.

One of the most successful galleries was once again the Zurich gallery Hauser & Wirth. It announced seven million-dollar sales, including two paintings by Mark Bradfort for $3.5 million each, two paintings by George Condo for $2.45 million each, and a sculpture by Louise Bourgeois for $1 million.

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Georg Baselitz is currently one of the most sought-after artists. The Salzburg gallery Thaddaeus Ropac sold works by the German artist for $1.8 million and $1.2 million, respectively. White Cube from London received €2.2 million for a Baselitz painting.

Meanwhile, a work by his compatriot, Gerhard Richter, went for $6.8 million at the David Zwirner Gallery in New York. The same gallery sold a sculpture by the American artist Ruth Asawa, who died in 2013, for $9.5 million.

Translated from German by DeepL/sb

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