Sotheby's 'Modernités' sale in Paris closed on October 23 with a total of $43.43 million (EUR38.62 million), meeting its pre-sale estimate, according to data compiled by HENI. Seven in ten lots sold above their low estimates, with works by Frantisek Kupka and Alberto Giacometti among those that outran expectations.

The result landed in the middle of a crowded Paris auction week. Just one day earlier, Sotheby's had staged its record-breaking Schlumberger collection sale 'Le Temps Retrouvé,' the evening that saw Claude Monet's 'Iris' (1924-25) sell for €50 million to become the most expensive artwork ever auctioned in France. The Modernités total, while far smaller, pointed to steady demand for modern art beyond the headline-grabbing trophy lots.

Christie's held a competing day sale in Paris the same day: its 'Art Contemporain - Vente du Jour' auction totaled $13.48 million, with 73% of lots beating their low estimates, led by works from Alexander Calder and Anselm Kiefer. Between them, the two day sales painted a picture of a functional, price-sensitive Paris market running in parallel with the evening-sale spectacle.

For a house navigating a week defined by record prices and protest-disrupted fairs — Art Basel Paris closed its edition early the same week — a day sale that met its estimate and cleared 70% of lots above their lows counts as an orderly result. The strength was broad rather than concentrated: no single lot defined the evening, but the sell-through pattern suggests consignors' reserves were set with discipline and buyers were willing to chase well-priced modern works.