The March 16 all-time Israeli record breaking sale made Rivka Sacher's gamble in moving the Tel Aviv auction house to New York worthwhile.
By MEIR RONNEN
Sotheby's Tel Aviv was over the moon last Friday when it added up its latest sale in Manhattan, a record-breaking $6,075,460. Several years ago, Rivka Sacher, the founding director of the Tel Aviv auction house, took a calculated risk in moving its Israeli sale to New York. The results were rewarding, but the March 16 sale set an all-time Israeli record that will be very hard to beat. A number of the Israeli and international Jewish lots doubled their rosiest estimates.
Some 76% of the 201 lots were sold. Top lot was an early Reuven Rubin of Mt. Scopus which doubled its estimate at a record $419,200. Another early Rubin, The Road to Jerusalem, Ein Karem, 1925, soared to $329,600. Other later Rubins neared $80,000. A Mordecai Ardon went for an astonishing $318,400 and another for $180,000 but another Ardon failed. An early David Reeb Camel/Time, seemingly overpriced at $20,000, went up to an amazing $69,000.
A 1978 Zaritsky abstraction went for an expected $180,000. A Reismanish portrait by Michael Gross went for $18,000. Two cabbages painted by Avigdor Arikha in 1973 tripled their estimate at $66,000.
The non-Israeli lots sold for $1.5m., led by two Chagalls that went for $374,400 and $318,400. A lovely little Lesser Ury of a woman in a Berlin cafe passed its estimates at $120,000.
MONTEFIORE'S LATEST Tel Aviv auction took in a little under $1m. with only 121 of the 267 lots sold. Best performer was Marc Chagall's flower piece which made $115,000. Moise Kisling's flowers did well at $86,250 and Avigdor Arikha's Red and Black Umbrellas, 2000, reached $75,900. Ludwig Blum's Bomberg-influenced view of Jerusalem, 1928, brought an expected $55,200. Marcel Janco's Rosh Pina, c. 1944, went for $34,500; and an early and uncharacteristic vase of flowers, 1938, by Arieh Aroch, brought a fine $28,750.
A Joseph Israel's Motherhood brought $29,900 and Abel Pann's A Praying Jew, circa 1910, went for $25,300.