2.4M for Rik Wouters Portrait: Belgian CASA Record
- an art collection featuring 150 works owned by Belgian entrepreneurs Joris Onsa and Suzanne Govaerts was recently auctioned at Christie's in Paris.the collection's value was previously estimated to...
- A significant portion of the collection comprised art by Rik Wouters.the couple possessed 13 paintings and works on paper by the Fauvist artist.
- The Flemish Community previously acquired Red Curtains by Wouters from the UNEA-Govaerts collection for 1.8 million euros.
Art Collection Auction realizes Expectations in Paris
an art collection featuring 150 works owned by Belgian entrepreneurs Joris Onsa and Suzanne Govaerts was recently auctioned at Christie’s in Paris.the collection’s value was previously estimated to be between 7 million and 12 million euros. The sale concluded at 10 million euros, landing within the anticipated range.
A significant portion of the collection comprised art by Rik Wouters.the couple possessed 13 paintings and works on paper by the Fauvist artist. Reflections,
a portrait of Wouters’ wife Nel from 1912, was a highly anticipated oil painting. Estimated between 500,000 and 700,000 euros, it surpassed expectations, eventually selling for 2.4 million euros, setting a new record for the artist. In total, the Wouters pieces garnered 4.2 million euros.
The Flemish Community previously acquired Red Curtains
by Wouters from the UNEA-Govaerts collection for 1.8 million euros. This piece has been on the master list since 2007.
Collection Origins
Karel Govaerts initiated the art collection. In 1925,he established the Fort company,initially specializing in dairy products but later achieving renown for its coffee brand. His daughter, Suzanne, and her husband, Joris Onzea, assumed control of the company in 1962. Together, they founded the interior design chain Casa, which they sold to Blokker in 1988. Antiquarian and interior architect Axel Vervoordt advised them on organizing their villa in Itegem.
Reflecting Vervoordt’s style, the collection encompassed diverse artistic periods, spanning approximately 3,000 years of art history. It included ancient Egyptian art, African statues, Eastern artifacts, and contemporary art by Lucio Fontana and Yves Klein. Farmenbruiloft
by Pieter Brueghel the Younger,an old master estimated between 1.5 million and 2.5 million euros, did not sell. A painting by Adriaen Isenbrant was also unsold. Of Lens
by Abel Grimmer, however, fetched 504,000 euros.
Besides the rik Wouters painting,two other distinct artworks were top sellers at the auction. Spatial concept, Expected,
a piece characteristic of Lucio Fontana’s work from the 1960s, sold for 1.06 million euros. An Egyptian granite head of Sekhmet realized 819,000 euros. A Roman marble torso of Venus from the first century garnered 315,000 euros.