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SA-born Marlene Dumas smashes record for living female artist with R246m painting

Home » SA-born Marlene Dumas smashes record for living female artist with R246m painting Cape Town-born Marlene Dumas has set a new auction record, becoming the most expensive living female artist. Image: Wikimedia Commons Cape Town-born Marlene Dumas has set a new auction record, becoming the most expensive living female artist after her 1997 painting Miss January sold for $13.6 million (R246 million) at Christie's on Wednesday night. The artwork, a last-minute consignment from the Rubell Family Collection, had been estimated between $12 million and $18 million, with a third-party guarantee in place. Marlene Dumas's Miss January (1997) sold for $13.6 million, including fees. Image: Christie's Bidding opened at $9 million and quickly escalated, with the hammer coming down at $11.5 million (before fees), prompting applause in the saleroom. With fees, the final price reached $13.6 million. The winning bid came from an anonymous telephone buyer. The large-scale portrait revisits themes deeply personal to Dumas, now 71. It draws inspiration from Miss World , the first known drawing she created at age 10, and connects to her earlier works such as the 1988 Misinterpreted – widely seen as a self-portrait – and her 1992 survey exhibition Miss Interpreted at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. This sale surpasses the previous record for a living female artist, held by Jenny Saville, whose Propped (1992) fetched £9.5 million ($12.4 million) at Sotheby's London in 2018. Before this auction, Dumas's highest price was $6.33 million, achieved in 2008 for The Visitor (1995) at Sotheby's London. While her market has remained steady, only a handful of her works have crossed the $1 million mark in recent years. Between 2022 and 2024, 15 Dumas works were sold at auction, but only five exceeded $1 million, and just two surpassed their high estimates. The sale was also notable due to the rarity of deaccessions from the Rubell Family Collection, one of the most prominent in the world. According to past statements, the Rubells have sold fewer than 20 pieces out of more than 5 000 collected over five decades. Miss January was previously displayed at their private museum in Miami during Art Basel in December. Dumas's historic result reaffirms her global significance and places her firmly at the top of the contemporary art market. Title Low Est. High Est. Price W/Fees Sale date Love your Neighbor $5,500,000 $7,500,000 $5,879,500 Nov '23 After the Kiss $2,427,184 $3,640,776 $3,719,660 Oct '23 Snow White in the Wrong Story $3,500,000 $4,500,000 $3,781,000 Nov '22 Cathedral $2,847,159 $3,623,657 $4,057,202 Feb '20 Magdalena (Underwear and Bedtime Stories) $3,000,000 $4,000,000 $3,615,000 Nov '17 De gele vingers van de kunstenaar [The yellow fingers of the artist] $2,200,000 $2,800,000 $3,615,000 Nov '17 Colorfields $2,500,000 $3,500,000 $4,170,000 May '17 Red Head $2,000,000 $3,000,000 $3,250,000 May '16 The visitor $1,594,260 $2,391,391 $6,331,706 Jul '08 The Teacher (Sub a) $651,283 $837,365 $3,349,460 Feb '05 Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news. Follow us on Facebook for the latest breaking news, polls - and more!