“Sleeping Nymph”, third most expensive Grigorescu sold at auction

Nicolae Grigorescu’s 1865-1873 oil on canvas ”Sleeping Nymph”, nicknamed ‘The Great Nude’, has been sold for €330,000 through Artmark, after having been estimated at €100,000-200,000.

The work comes from the collection of former banker Ernest Goodwin, director of the Banque du Roumanie in the early 20th century (despite its name, a Turkish-owned bank of the Ottoman Empire, based in London) and was exhibited at the 1889 International and Universal Exhibition at the Palais du Champ de Mars, Paris.

Nicolae Grigorescu painted only ten nudes, with the exception of studio sketches during his academic studies. ‘Sleeping Nymph’ was one of the favorite paintings of the great artist of Romanian Romanticism.

In the winter auction organised by Artmark on 12 December 2024, Nicolae Grigorescu’s oil on canvas ‘Peasant Girl Resting’, oil on canvas, sold from €90,000 and fetched €365,000. This represents not only the artist’s national record, but also the highest price for which a work has been sold at auction in Romania. The previous record was also held by a painting signed by Nicolae Grigorescu, ‘Peasant Girl in a White Beret’, sold in 2018, also at Artmark, for €340,000.

Another Grigorescu, the oil on wood “Portrait of a Jew”, dated 1880, sold for €24,000, which was within the original estimate.

Țuculescu, Luchian, and Tonitza

The Spring Auction took place on 20 March and included 188 lots, works signed by Romanian art masters – classics and moderns, painters, and sculptors.

The second most valuable lot was ‘Privirea strămoșilor’ (1960 – 1962), oil on canvas by Ion Țuculescu. After receiving a maximum estimate of €50,000, the work was sold for €99,000.

‘Ulcior cu tufănele’ (1910 – 1914), oil on cardboard by Ștefan Luchian, was sold for €50,000, the minimum estimate the painting received.

Among others, works by Nicolae Tonitza, Theodor Pallady, Sabin Bălașa, Eustațiu Stoenescu, and Corneliu Baba were sold for between €34,000 and €19,000.