Among the evening’s top lots were Alberto Giacometti’s craggy 1964 sculpture “Le Nez” , which sold for $78.4 million, above the $70 million estimate, and Mark Rothko’s luminous painting “No.
The sale, the first of two parts — the second one is scheduled for May — was closely watched as a test of an art market that is slowly emerging from the pandemic.
Among the major prizes was Andy Warhol’s haunting 1962 “Nine Marilyns,” a metallic silk-screen considered one of his best early serial images.
The Macklowe sale came on the heels of a strong showing of 21st-century works at Christie’s last week, where the market’s growing interest in female artists and artists of color was in evidence.
Given the absence of artists of color in Monday’s sale and the scarcity of women — just Agnes Martin and Tauba Auerbach were included — the auction to some symbolized a chapter from the past.