Mark Rothko painting, $75.1 million, Sotheby's

Mark Rothko painting, $75.1 million, Sotheby’s

Gavels ‘n’ Paddles
Recent Auction Results From Near & Far
By Ken Hall

A majestic oil on canvas painting from 1954 by Mark Rothko, titled No. 1 (Royal Red and Blue), measuring 113 ¾ inches by 67 ½ inches and one of eight works hand-selected by the artist for his landmark solo show of the same year, sold for $75.1 million at a Contemporary Art Evening Sale held Nov. 13 by Sotheby’s in New York City. Also, Jackson Pollock’s Number 4, 1951 went for $40.4 million (a new world auction record for the artist); and Willem de Kooning’s Abstraction (1949) hit $19.7 million. Prices include a 12 percent buyer’s premium.