Press Release
Milford, CT, USA, May 23, 2025 — Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers hosted their annual Spring Fine Art Auction on Thursday, May 8th at 6pm Eastern time. The auction included 168 lots of quality paintings, drawings, prints, and sculpture. The sale totaled $2.1 million and was 85 percent sold.
Leading the auction was a rare, early portrait by Cuban artist Wifredo Lam. It sold for $266,700 (including buyer’s premium). The portrait was well-documented in the catalogue raisonné and other publications and had been in a private collection for nearly 50 years.
Dated 1939, Personnage No. 2 was painted the same year the artist met Pablo Picasso. Picasso referred to Lam as a “lost cousin” and the two artists inspired each other. There was international attention on this lot and several telephone bidders. It ultimately sold online to a prominent private collector of Latin American art.
The diverse auction included artworks from all around the world. The second-leading lot in the sale was by the Indian Surrealist Master, Bikash Bhattacharjee. Collectors in both India and New York competed for this painting that ultimately sold for $100,000.
An international audience followed the sale driving strong prices for Luciano Ventrone (Italian, 1942-2021), Natura Morta, sold for $37,500; Le Pho (Vietnamese, 1907-2002), Floral Still Life, 18 inches by 21 inches, sold for $47,375; Maximilien Luce (French, 1858-1941), Rolleboise, Bord de Riviere, sold for $28,625; and Edward Seago (British, 1910-1974), Harbour Cafes: Ostend, sold for $18,000.
Shannon’s will host their fall auction on Thursday, October 30th, and they invite quality consignments year-round. For more information and the full results of the May 8th auction, visit shannons.com or follow them on social media.
