Christie's sets global spring sale for July 10

Christie's announced Friday that its 20th Century spring auctions this year will take place in four different cities on the same day in July because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Its marquee New York sales, a highlight of the sales calendar, will be squeezed into July 10 rather than stretched over several days as usual.

The "relay-style" global auction will kick off with sales in Hong Kong, then in Paris and London before culminating in America's cultural capital.

Bidding will take place online, over the phone and in-person in those cities where social distancing rules allow it.

The sale replaces New York's international 20th Century auctions, which had already been pushed back from mid-May to the end of June due to the health crisis.

American artist Roy Lichtenstein's "Nude with Joyous Painting" (1994) is included in the New York part of the sale and is estimated at $30 million.

Another highlight is set to be Pablo Picasso's "Version F" of his "Les femmes d'Alger" series, which is pegged at around $25 million.

© 2020 AFP