Šíma's monumental painting of the Earth was sold at auction for 60.5 million

Prague – The painting Earth by Josef Šíma was sold at auction in Prague yesterday for 60.48 million crowns, including the auction premium. This is a world auction record for this artist, stated Markéta Horešovská from the Kodl Gallery. The monumental work from 1960 ranks among the ten most expensive paintings sold at auctions in the Czech Republic. A total of nearly 340 million crowns worth of artworks were sold yesterday at Žofín, according to a press release from the Kodl Gallery. In addition to Šíma, authors like Josef Lada and Václav Špála also achieved auction records.

The oil painting Earth is the largest work painted by Šíma (1891-1971). It was offered at yesterday's auction with a starting price of ten million crowns. In the end, its price reached 50.4 million crowns excluding the auction premium.

The painting represents the peak of the artist's second creative phase, which he began after several years of silence in the 1950s. It is characterized by the distinctive features of Šíma’s post-war work, featuring delicate coloration, abstract form, and a profound metaphysical dimension. The piece was originally owned by the Parisian art collector and gallery owner Paul Facchetti.

A dominant part of the canvas features a vast beige area evoking a sandy or stony landscape, which smoothly transitions into a bluish sky. This color harmony creates the impression of an ethereal, dreamlike space where matter and emptiness intertwine in an effort to achieve unity.

The previous domestic and world record for Josef Šíma was held by a painting titled Egg (Balance, MZ or ML). In 2018, it was sold at auction in Prague for approximately 36 million crowns.

Šíma was not the only artist whose work was auctioned at yesterday's Kodl Gallery for a record price. The painting Harvest, for which the new owner paid 11.52 million crowns, surpassed the previous auction high of Otakar Kubín. A new record was also set by Josef Lada, whose work on paper entitled Hastrman found a new owner for 10.2 million crowns. Additionally, Václav Špála's painting Rapids on the Orlice was sold for a new author record of 13.2 million crowns.

The most expensive painting sold at auction in the Czech Republic is the oil painting by František Kupka titled Conception/Danae (Conception). It was sold this April at the Adolf Loos Apartment and Gallery for 126.5 million crowns, including the auction premium. Until then, the record for Czech auction houses was held by Bohumil Kubišta with his Old Prague Motif, which sold two years ago for 123.6 million crowns.