The oil-on-canvas entered the auction with an initial estimate between €100,000 and €200,000. The bidding process was intense, lasting nearly 30 minutes, during which the value of the artwork rose spectacularly and deservedly. This sale breaks the relatively recent (2018) record for Nicolae Grigorescu’s Peasant Girl with a White Kerchief, which sold for €340,000, setting a new benchmark for 2024. It is also an artist record, making this the best-selling Nicolae Grigorescu painting in Romania.
In addition to three other works, all sold, Nicolae Grigorescu was the leading artist of the evening, with total sales exceeding €550,000.
Another highlight of the evening came from a work straddling the boundaries of all fine arts: Concert at the Athenaeum (Conducted by George Enescu), painted by Eustațiu Stoenescu in 1946 and depicting the 1937 Wagner concerts at the Romanian Athenaeum. This piece sold for €47,500, setting a new record for the artist. It surpasses Stoenescu’s previous record set in 2012 for The Lamp from Drăghiceni, sold at €36,000. Notably, the new record was achieved starting from a modest opening price of just €7,000. The painting is a rare masterpiece, distinguished by its execution and subject. The horizontal composition skillfully captures the atmosphere of a grand gala concert, with George Enescu commanding the spotlight as he dynamically conducts the Romanian Philharmonic’s large orchestra.
With a total of nearly €1,375,000 and an adjudication rate of approximately 80%, the event marked the best winter auction in the past five years. This success reflects the passion of Romanian and international collectors for significant art, as well as the robustness and liquidity of the Romanian art market.
Remarkably, live buyers, either present in the room or bidding via telephone, dominated the evening, accounting for 66% of sales, while online buyers made up 34%—highlighting the attention given to the exceptional selection curated for Artmark’s Winter Auction. In terms of value, the Winter Auction 2024 achieved an average of 95% of the maximum estimates, consolidating an upward trend in the Romanian important art market and confirming the maturation of a market that continues to attract an increasing number of collectors and investors.