Christie’s to Offer Two Landscapes by Lucian Freud in London
3 min
Two landscapes by Lucian Freud previously in the collection of British businessman and philanthropist Simon Sainsbury will be offered next month at Christie’s in London, the auction house announced Friday.
Separately, Sotheby’s released additional highlights of its upcoming Masters Week in New York, including an over 400-year-old Anthony Van Dyke painting, A Sketch for Saint Jerome, that was found in a farm shed in the late 20th century in New York. The auction house expects to bring in more than US$100 million from across nine sales running now until early February.
Christie’s sale of the two Freud landscapes will take place on the evening of Feb. 28 in London. Offered by the same private collector, both paintings were formerly in the collection of Sainsbury, whose family founded Sainsbury’s, the second largest chain of supermarkets in the U.K. Upon his death in 2006 at the age of 76, Sainsbury bequeathed the majority of his art collection, estimated to be worth £100 million at the time, to the National Gallery and the Tate Gallery in London.
One of the paintings, Scillonian Beachscape from 1945-46, will make its first public appearance on the market since 1974 and has a presale estimate of between £3.5 million and £5.5 million (US$4.3 million and US$6.8 million). Depicting a dreamlike coastal scene in lush, sun-drenched color, it was inspired by Freud’s visit to the Isles of Scilly and directly based on his drawing, Untitled, which sold for £138,600 at Christie’s in London last October.
The other, Garden from the Window, depicts the artist’s garden at 138 Kensington Church Street. It was first unveiled at the Tate in London in 2002, and its debut auction at Christie’s is expected to fetch £2.5 million and £3.5 million.
“Lucian Freud, revered as one of the greatest painters of the 20th century, continually returned to the natural world as a source of rich inspiration throughout his career. This lifelong fascination is perfectly encapsulated in these two exquisite paintings which offer viewers insight into both his early and late life,” Tessa Lord, acting head of department of Post-War and contemporary art at Christie’s London, said in a news release.
The National Gallery in London has recently organized a centenary retrospective “Lucian Freud: New Perspectives,” which will move to Thyssen-Bornemisza Museo Nacional in Madrid in February.
Freud’s auction record was set by his painting large interior w11 (after watteau), 1981-83, from the collection of Paul Allen. It sold for US$86.3 million last November at Christie’s in New York.
Meanshile, t Sotheby’s, its first major sale of the year will be its Masters Week in New York, which is expected to bring in more than US$100 million across nine sales that will run through early February.
The sales will be led by 10 Baroque masterpieces from the collection of Mark Fisch, a real estate developer and a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and his ex-wife, Rachel Davidson, a former New Jersey judge. The two filed for divorce last year. Highlighting the collection, to be auctioned next Thursday, is a 1609 Rubens masterpiece, Salome Presented with The Severed Head of Saint John the Baptist, with an estimate of between US$25 million and US$35 million.
The sales also include The One, a new format sale featuring one-of-a-kind objects throughout history. This sale will be led by Kobe Bryant’s Lakers jersey with a high estimate of US$7 million, and a Princess Diana’s dress, with a presale estimate between US$80,000 and US$120,000.
A Sketch for Saint Jerome from 1615-18 by Anthony Van Dyck that was discovered in the late 20th century in a farm shed in Kinderhook, N.Y., will be offered in the region of US$2 million and US$3 million. A portion of proceeds from the sale will benefit the Albert B. Roberts Foundation, which supports artists and other creatives.
Roberts, a collector of “lost” pieces, purchased the sketch for US$600. Soon afterwards, the sketch was recognized by art historian Susan J. Barnes as a “surprisingly well preserved” autograph work by Van Dyck, according to Sotheby’s.
He died in August 2021 at the age of 89.
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The pandemic-fuelled love affair with casual footwear is fading, with Bank of America warning the downturn shows no sign of easing.
The pandemic-fuelled love affair with casual footwear is fading, with Bank of America warning the downturn shows no sign of easing.
2 minThe boom in casual footware ushered in by the pandemic has ended, a potential problem for companies such as Adidas that benefited from the shift to less formal clothing, Bank of America says.
The casual footwear business has been on the ropes since mid-2023 as people began returning to office.
Analyst Thierry Cota wrote that while most downcycles have lasted one to two years over the past two decades or so, the current one is different.
It “shows no sign of abating” and there is “no turning point in sight,” he said.
Adidas and Nike alone account for almost 60% of revenue in the casual footwear industry, Cota estimated, so the sector’s slower growth could be especially painful for them as opposed to brands that have a stronger performance-shoe segment. Adidas may just have it worse than Nike.
Cota downgraded Adidas stock to Underperform from Buy on Tuesday and slashed his target for the stock price to €160 (about $187) from €213. He doesn’t have a rating for Nike stock.
Shares of Adidas listed on the German stock exchange fell 4.5% Tuesday to €162.25. Nike stock was down 1.2%.
Adidas didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cota sees trouble for Adidas both in the short and long term.
Adidas’ lifestyle segment, which includes the Gazelles and Sambas brands, has been one of the company’s fastest-growing business, but there are signs growth is waning.
Lifestyle sales increased at a 10% annual pace in Adidas’ third quarter, down from 13% in the second quarter.
The analyst now predicts Adidas’ organic sales will grow by a 5% annual rate starting in 2027, down from his prior forecast of 7.5%.
The slower revenue growth will likewise weigh on profitability, Cota said, predicting that margins on earnings before interest and taxes will decline back toward the company’s long-term average after several quarters of outperforming. That could result in a cut to earnings per share.
Adidas stock had a rough 2025. Shares shed 33% in the past 12 months, weighed down by investor concerns over how tariffs, slowing demand, and increased competition would affect revenue growth.
Nike stock fell 9% throughout the period, reflecting both the company’s struggles with demand and optimism over a turnaround plan CEO Elliott Hill rolled out in late 2024.
Investors’ confidence has faded following Nike’s December earnings report, which suggested that a sustained recovery is still several quarters away. Just how many remains anyone’s guess.
But if Adidas’ challenges continue, as Cota believes they will, it could open up some space for Nike to claw back any market share it lost to its rival.
Investors should keep in mind, however, that the field has grown increasingly crowded in the past five years. Upstarts such as On Holding and Hoka also present a formidable challenge to the sector’s legacy brands.
Shares of On and Deckers Outdoor , Hoka’s parent company, fell 11% and 48%, respectively, in 2025, but analysts are upbeat about both companies’ fundamentals as the new year begins.
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