Breton auction breaks records - Front Page - Surrealist Andre Breton's estate

Art in America, June, 2003 by David Ebony

Latter-day and would-be Surrealists protesting the auction of more than 5,500 art works and collectibles from Andre Breton's estate set off stink bombs at one of the auction previews held in early April at the Hotel Drouot-Richelieu in Paris. The protestors had hoped that the French government or a cultural institution would step in to stop the sale and preserve the Paris home and collection of the poet who died in 1966 [see "Artworld," Feb. '03]. However, the 11-day auction, Apr. 7-17, proceeded as planned. In the end, the French auction firm handling the event, CalmelsCohen, came out smelling like a rose, pulling in a total of $50.1 million (46 million euros), far above the $32.6-million (30 million euros) presale estimate. Final prices quoted here include the auction-house commission of 17 percent on the first $100,000 and 10 percent on anything above.

Purchasing works for various state museums, the French government was one of the principal buyers at the auction. Exercising a French law allowing it to acquire an auction lot for the top price bid, the state bought 335 of the 4,100 lots offered. Many of the pieces auctioned were personalized items, including art works, books and objects by Breton's friends and members of the Surrealist group he helped found, including Ernst, Man Ray, Dali, Magritte, Duchamp, Meret Oppenheim, Wifredo Lam and Diego Rivera. Also sold were Breton's extensive tribal art holdings, plus many of his own art works, manuscripts and early editions of his numerous books.

The two top lots, Woman, a 1927 painted-wood relief by Jean Arp, and Joan Miro's 1924 painting The Trap, brought $3 million each. Setting a new auction record for the artist, the Arp was acquired by the French government, which also spent $1.6 million for Man Ray's 1920 painting Impossibilite Dancer/Danger. Both works will enter the collection of the Musee National d'Art Moderne at the Centre Georges Pompidou. Francis Picabia's 1925 Lovers (After the Rain) sold for $2 million; it was purchased by the state for the Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. The government also purchased some of Breton's key manuscripts, including Arcane 17 (1944), which sold for $925,000. A first edition of Breton's landmark What Is Surrealism? (1936) realized $300,000; the author's copy contains an original drawing by Magritte.

Among other auction highlights, Yves Tanguy's 1931 painting L'Armoire de Protee garnered $1.3 million, and Hans Bellmer's photo La Poupee brought $235,000, an auction record for the artist.