On Tuesday night in London, Sotheby’s sale of Impressionist and Modern Art saw a new world auction record established for a sculpture by Edgar Degas when Petite danseuse de quatorze ans, from the collection of Sir John Madejskis, old to a private Asian collector for £13.3 million. The sculpture, an icon of Impressionist Art, was pursued by three bidders and the price realised is more than double what it made when it last appeared at auction in 2004; Sir John had purchased the work at Sotheby’s London in February 2004 for £5 million. The sculpture was the top-selling lot in a sale that realised an overall total of £32.6 million.

In addition to the record price for the Degas sculpture, the sale also saw Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s Strassenszene (Street Scene) achieve £5.4 million; Joan Miro’s Femmes et oiseaux dans la nuit command £2 million; and Oskar Kokoschka’s recently restituted view of Istanbul sell for £1.4 million.

Furthermore, the sale was 76 per cent sold by lot, a figure which represents the highest sell-through rate for a sale in this category at Sotheby’s since last summer.

Commenting on the sale, Melanie Clore, co-chairman, Impressionist & Modern Art, Sotheby’s Worldwide, said: “This evening’s sale was the first test of the market in this field this year and we’re delighted that the strategy we employed in assembling a tightly edited sale achieved the highest sell-through rate since last summer – 76 per cent sold by lot. In addition, we’re extremely pleased with the new world auction record price established for a Degas sculpture of £13.3 million, an excellent price given that the same sculpture sold in 2004 for £5 million. This is clear evidence that the market continues to respond to quality and rarity.”