This summer on the 28^th of July Sotheby’s London will present a one-off auction and exhibition that spans over half a millennium of art history. From Rembrandt, also known as ‘the first modern painter to Richter, who has earned his position as one of today’s greatest contemporary painters. The sale will offer the very best from Old Masters, Impressionist & Modern Art, Modern & Post-War British Art and Contemporary Art. You will be able to ‘travel’ through the time starting from the Italian Renaissance and the Dutch Golden Age, to the revolutionary birth of Modernism, and the invasion of Pop Art and Post-modern Abstraction.

The sale is led by a remarkable Rembrandt self-portrait, and this arresting work is where the starting point of a 500 years of art history journey begins for the visitors. Some may argue but it is considered as one of the artist’s finest creations, this work sets the scene for an auction filled with masterful examples of portraiture though different periods of time. The work is joined by a number of portraits from masters of the genre, including Pablo Picasso’s Femme Torso, self-portrait by Louise Bourgeois, Ben Nicholson’s 1933, Girl in a Mirror, an intimate study of Barbara Hepworth at the beginning of their relationship, and the Reclining Head of J.Y.M, painted in 1972 by Frank Auerbach.

Portraiture is not the only embracement that is up for a sale at the auction, in addition the sale encompasses a number of outstanding landscapes from the European Old Masters, through to contemporary painting such as Gerhard Richter’s monumental Wolken, a clouds reminiscent of J.M.W. Turner’s investigations in to every-changing skies. The cross-category nature of the sale allows for thematic threads to emerge, at the end we arrive at Gustav Bauerfeind’s enigmatic Orientalist opus Jerusalem, From the Mount of Olives at Sunrise, via Bernardo Bellotto’s Dresden cityscape.

Our clients must note that due to government guidelines around coronavirus, The auction house Sotheby’s have limited attendance capacity for this auction. Admission to this auction is by ticket only. If you would like to request a ticket to attend the auction in person, please contact our team.

Full Exhibition 12 – 28 July 2020

Monday – Sunday 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

10:00 AM – 3:00 PM Public Opening

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM By Appointment Only