Paris (France) - Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr's Post-War and Contemporary Art auction in Paris on 4 June 2026 was led by a major historical work by Frank Stella (1936 to 2024), created in 1967 and entitled Costa Mesa. This piece stood as a cornerstone of the distinguished Cluzel Collection, exemplifying the collectors' early and discerning engagement with the pioneers of Minimal art. Exhibited at the Templon Gallery in 1981 and held in the same collection for nearly 50 years, this spectacular and imposing alkyd on canvas sold for €1,863,400.
The Cluzel Collection sale brought together 35 American and European paintings, and achieved a total of €2.9 million, offering a rare opportunity to acquire early and fresh to the market works assembled with remarkable vision and connoisseurship.
The sale made a total of more than €5.2 million with 75% of lots sold (99% by value).
Arnaud Cornette de Saint Cyr, President of Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr, commented: "Over more than 50 years, Claude and Grazyna Cluzel have assembled an exceptional collection of contemporary works, ranging from the greatest names in Minimalist art such as Kenneth Noland which sold for €178,200 to the most demanding French artists, as well as the optical magic of Jesús Rafael Soto which achieved €203,600. We are delighted by the results. We saw a particularly high level of interest and bidding from new clients (25%), including a significant number from USA and Europe. This sale was a tribute to the keen eye of Claude and Grazyna Cluzel."
Giacomo Balsamo, Deputy Chairman Post-war and Contemporary Art at Bonhams, added: "We are absolutely delighted with the results of today's sale and particularly pleased to have achieved such exceptional prices for works by Michelangelo Pistoletto and Carla Accardi. These outstanding results reflect the enduring strength of the market for post-war and contemporary Italian art, as well as the continued appreciation among collectors for artists whose vision and innovation have had a profound impact on the international art landscape. The remarkable enthusiasm shown throughout the sale, both in the room and from bidders participating remotely from around the world, demonstrates the global appeal of these artists and the confidence collectors continue to place in works of the highest quality and provenance. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to our consignors for entrusting us with these important works and to the many collectors whose participation made today's auction such a success."
Minimal art was particularly well represented within the collection, with works by Carl Andre, Sol Le Witt, Kenneth Noland, whose practices emphasize geometry, repetition, and a disciplined use of color. A 1976 work by Kenneth Noland (1924 to 2010) entitled Wayward Red achieved €178,200 more than three times its pre-sale estimate of €50,000 to 70,000. A remarkable example of a white-painted metal structures by Sol Le Witt (1928-2007), conceived by the artist in 1972, sold for €152,800.
Among the European artists collected by the Cluzels, Composition by Georges Mathieu (1921-2012) was a 1961 oil on canvas, acquired by Claude Cluzel in a Paris auction in 1965. It sold for €102,000.
The optical artist Jesús Rafael Soto (1923-2005) was also represented in this collection with a 1966 work entitled Espace virtuel gris et noir, acquired in 1974 by Claude Cluzel and remained in his collection ever since. It sold for €203,600.
Other highlights of the sale included:
• Michelangelo Pistoletto (born 1933), Attesa n.5, 1962-1973, silkscreen on mirror-polished stainless steel. From an important private Italian collection, this work was an outstanding example of the artist's series Quadri Specchianti, or Mirror Paintings, a body of work the artist first embarked upon in the early 1960s and which has since come to define his artistic legacy. It sold for €381,400.
• Painted in 1961, Arancio-blu by Carla Accardi (1924-2014) marks a pivotal moment in Accardi's production: the shift from monochrome to color. Bright, fluorescent hues were chosen for their intensity, carrying the same striking force as her earlier black and white compositions while deepening her exploration of the relation between interlocking positive and negative spaces. It sold for €152,800.
• Ettore Spalletti (1940-2019), Paesaggio, 15 (en quatre parties), 2016, color impasto on panels sold for €127,400.
• Lee Ufan (born 1936), Relatum, 1978 is a sculpture that creates a dialogue between the natural stones (a material the artist has used since 1960) and Corten steel plates, thereby bringing nature and industrial society into resonance. It sold for €178,200.
• Antoni Tàpies (1923-2012), Empreintes de pieds sur du sable, 1972 sold for €121,050. A friend of philosophers and writers, the artist founded the avant-garde movement and journal Dau al Set with the poet Joan Brossa; the trace, the sign and the symbol being central to his work, on the cusp of figuration and abstraction.
(Press Release)
