All posts tagged: 20thCentury

In Ukraine, a Divisive 20th-Century Hero Comes Home

In Ukraine, a Divisive 20th-Century Hero Comes Home

Published by Sam Flores

With a Ukrainian military honor guard standing ramrod straight beside his coffin, Andriy Melnyk, a leader of a Ukrainian nationalist movement who died six decades ago — and who has been no less divisive after death than in life — lay in state in Kyiv before his reburial on Sunday. President Volodymyr Zelensky provided full state honors for the ritual, signaling a deep shift in Ukrainian politics after Russia’s invasion in 2022. Before then, Mr. Zelensky had kept nationalist politics at arm’s length; in the reburial, he embraced them. The remains of the long-dead World War II-era Ukrainian leader were exhumed in Luxembourg, where he had been buried after dying in exile in 1964, and returned to Ukraine. There was none of the raw grief of today’s war funerals. Melnyk led one of two factions of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, including through a period of alignment with the Nazi army during its occupation of Ukraine, which was one of the bloodiest chapters of World War II. The Soviet Union signed a nonaggression pact with …

Sotheby’s Paris Notches M. in 20th-Century Sale, Led by M. Monet

Sotheby’s Paris Notches $41M. in 20th-Century Sale, Led by $12M. Monet

Published by José Betancourt

Two paintings by French Impressionist Claude Monet led a Sotheby’s Paris sale of modern and contemporary art on Thursday that racked up €35 million ($41 million). That figure is up more than 84 percent on the equivalent sale from last year and exceeds the pre-sale estimate of €22.4–€32.1 million ($26.6–$37.8 million). The total was the house’s second-highest ever in France for a sale in the category. Nearly 63 percent of lots sold above their high estimates, and 66 percent of lots were making their auction debut.  “Today’s results mark a defining moment for Sotheby’s and for Paris more widely,” Thomas Bompard, co-head of modern and contemporary art, Sotheby’s Paris, said in a statement. “From the extraordinary Monet prices achieved, to the electric atmosphere and spirited bidding that animated a packed saleroom, the auction captured a market alive with confidence as collectors from around the world leaned in, competed, and ultimately turned their eyes once again to Paris.” Related Articles The sale was led by Monet’s Vétheuil, effet du matin (1901), which, at €10.2 million ($12.1 …