London – Milieu jaune by Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) was the top lot at Bonhams’ Impressionist and Modern Art sale on Thursday 19 October at New Bond Street, London. The work, which had been in the same important private collection for more than 30 years, achieved £1,076,900. It was once owned by Hilla von Rebay, co-founder and first director of the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
Ruth Woodbridge, Head of Bonhams Impressionist and Modern Art in London, commented: “Kandinsky’s Parisian works are amongst some of his most sought after, and Milieu jaune boasted particularly impressive provenance – having been in the collection of Hilla von Rebay. We’re delighted it captured the imagination of collectors.”
Milieu jaune was created in 1934 at the outset of Kandinsky’s prolific Paris period. Kandinsky had previously encouraged his students at the Bauhaus to fuse science, technology and nature in their approaches to art and design, and in Paris in the 1930s, Kandinsky developed a fascination with the illustrations of scientific journals. In his studio at Neuilly-sur-Seine, he generated a body of work that explored the complexity of form and nature. Milieu jaune presented the viewer with a celestial vision.
Other highlights of the sale included:
- Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), Paysage du Midi. Sold for £267,100.
- Marc Chagall (1887-1985), Étude pour ‘Commedia dell’arte’. Sold for £102,000.
- Max Liebermann (1847-1935), Enkelin und Kinderfrau auf der Gartenbank. Sold for £74,060.
- Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Femme nue s’essuyant. Sold for £63,900.
