What’s On at Christies in Paris – October 2025

by Jacqueline A. O'Neill · October 6, 2025

Modern Effervescence: Christies at the Time of Art Basel Paris

This October, as Paris once again becomes the epicenter of the art world, Christies presents a masterpiece by Yves Klein: the largest monochrome ever painted by the artist. An encounter with the sublime, this exceptional canvas returns to Paris for the first time since its creation 64 years ago.

The season opens with the remarkable collection of a discerning couple, assembled in the 1960s. Highlights include major figures of modern art and the Surrealist avant-gardes, including Signac, Bonnard, Vuillard, Lam, Schiele, Ernst, Magritte, Szafran and Gnoli.

The Avant-garde(s) including Thinking Italian sale will reveal previously unseen works: a magnificent 1953 landscape by Nicolas de Staël; two canvases by Jean Dubuffet from the 1960s and 70s, including one from the Hourloupe cycle originally from the Galerie Jeanne Bucher; an exceptional 1960 painting by Pierre Soulages; a sculpture by Jean Arp from MoMA; and a major portrait by Auguste Renoir.

The Modern Art and Contemporary Art sale will feature a remarkable group of sculptures by Rembrandt Bugatti, and the rediscovery of Édouard Manet’s first plein-air painting, alongside Dubuffet, Baselitz, Riopelle, Fontana, Castellani, Schifano and Boetti.

Finally, the online Books and Manuscripts sale will showcase Maeght publications by Bacon, Miró, Tàpies and Chillida, previously in the collection of Susy and Daniel Lelong, Paris.