Press | Phillips

10 September 2026

PHILLIPS CELEBRATES MODERN & CONTEMPORARY ART ACROSS EUROPE THIS OCTOBER WITH SALES IN LONDON AND PARIS

PHILLIPS CELEBRATES MODERN & CONTEMPORARY ART ACROSS EUROPE THIS OCTOBER WITH SALES IN LONDON AND PARIS

 

Following the Frieze Week sales in London, Phillips brings a focused Modern & Contemporary Art and Design offering to Paris during Art Basel Paris, with the expanded Autumn Season led by works from the Collection of Marcel Brient

 

From the Collection of Marcel Brient, Paris

Joan Miró

Painting, 1930

Estimate: €350,000–550,000

 

LONDON & PARIS – 10 SEPTEMBER 2026 – This October, Phillips celebrates Modern & Contemporary Art across Europe with a dynamic programme of sales in London and Paris, both headlined by exceptional works from the Collection of Marcel Brient, Paris. The October programme spans Phillips’ highly anticipated Modern & Contemporary Art sales during Frieze Week on 15 and 17 October in London, followed by a dedicated Vente Art Moderne & Contemporain et Design at Galerie Aveline on 21 October, presented during Art Basel Paris.

 

India Phillips, Managing Director, Modern & Contemporary Art, Europe, said, “October represents a particularly exciting moment for Modern & Contemporary Art at Phillips, as we celebrate this category across London and Paris with a series of auctions led by works from the Collection of Marcel Brient. Phillips is uniquely positioned through our global network of Contemporary collectors to respond to the growing appetite for historical Modernism, bringing these works into dialogue with cutting-edge Contemporary art. Paris is the cradle of Modern art, and we're excited to bring our global client base to one of the world’s most important and historic art markets. To do so in our 230th anniversary year reflects both our heritage and our continued commitment to investing in Europe.”

 

LONDON: Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale, 15 October

Phillips’ Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale in London will be led by Gerhard Richter’s Mathis, 1983, from the esteemed  Collection of Marcel Brient. One of the most important and illuminating collections of Contemporary art and design, the collection has been built by Marcel Brient over several decades. Mathis dates from a pivotal moment in Richter’s practice, as he moved beyond the monochromatic photorealism of the 1960s  towards more improvisational, acid-coloured compositions and complex surface textures. Acquired by Brient around 25 years ago, Mathis has remained a centrepiece of the collection and is the first and structurally most complex of four abstract canvases titled after people: Mathis, Martha, Marian and Maria.

 

Further highlights include several works by David Hockney from a  Prestigious British Collection and a painting from an Exceptional  Private Art Collection, alongside Salvador Dalí’s El torrent de la  Jorneta, 1923 (estimate: £400,000–600,000).

 

 

Gerhard Richter

Mathis, 1983

Estimate: £6,000,000–8,000,000

 

PARIS: Vente Art Moderne & Contemporain et Design, 21 October

The Paris sale and exhibition form the second chapter of Phillips’ European autumn Modern & Contemporary Art season. Taking place at Galerie Aveline in Paris’ 8th arrondissement, just moments from Art Basel Paris at the Grand Palais, the sale will be led by work from the Collection of Marcel Brient, Paris, alongside further works with a particular focus on Modernism. On view from 17 to 21 October, the exhibition will also feature a selection of works available through Phillips’ Private Sales, as well as highlights from the upcoming New York Modern & Contemporary Art and Design auctions, and the Geneva Watches and Jewels auctions, creating a cross-category destination for collectors visiting Paris

 

Among the highlights from the Collection of Marcel Brient is Joan Miró’s Painting,  1930, realised during an important period in the artist’s practice, when he was developing the highly individual visual language that would establish his position at the forefront of European Modernism. Further highlights include Georges Mathieu’s Attila à Torcello, 1961 (estimate: €120,000–180,000), an example of the artist’s gestural approach to abstraction; Jean-Paul Riopelle’s Untitled, 1954 (estimate: €200,000–300,000), reflecting the expressive, richly textured abstraction for which he is known; and Lucio Fontana’s Concetto spaziale, 1968 (estimate: €450,000–550,000), exemplifying his groundbreaking exploration of space, surface and the nature of the canvas.

 

 Lucio Fontana

Concetto spaziale, 1968

Estimate: €450,000–550,000

 

The October programme forms part of a landmark year for Phillips as it celebrates its 230th anniversary. Founded in London in 1796, Phillips has spent more than two centuries championing innovation, discovery and the artists and movements that have shaped the history of collecting. This milestone provides a fitting backdrop to an October programme centred on Modern & Contemporary Art, a field fundamental to Phillips’ identity and continued engagement with collectors around the world.

 

LONDON

Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale

Auction: Thursday 15 October, 5pm BST

Auction viewing: 8 to 15 October

Click here for more information: https://www.phillips.com/auction/UK011026

 

Modern & Contemporary Art Sale

Auction: Saturday 17 October, 1pm BST

Auction viewing: 8 to 17 October

Click here for more information: https://www.phillips.com/auction/UK011126

 

PARIS
Vente Art Moderne & Contemporain et Design

Auction: Wednesday 21 October, 4pm CEST

Auction viewing: 17 to 21 October  

Location: Galerie Aveline, 94 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris, France

Click here for more information: https://www.phillips.com/auction/FR010126