Several works by artists that defined the artistic movements of the 20th Century will be on offer at Christie’s 20th / 21st Century: London Evening Sale.

About 66% of the sale (from February 22 to 28) has never before been offered at auction. Exquisite paintings by Paul Cezanne and Vincent van Gogh have been treasured in two distinct collections, each for more than 100 years, while Alexander Calder’s The Ghost has remained in the same family collection since 1947.

Cecily Brown’s magnificent painting Make it Rain (2014, estimate: £3.5 million- £5.5 million) was first shown in Paris in 2014 and has remained in the same collection. Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s Jeune fille endormie 
(La dormeuse) (estimate: £2 million – £3 million) will be part of the sale.

Giovanna Bertazzoni, Vice Chairman, 20th / 21st Century Art Department, Christie’s, said: “Our dynamic London 20/21 sale series responds to and amplifies the defining themes of the market today. Offering exquisite collections, iconic works, and a strong representation of pioneering female artists who powerfully shaped the Surrealist movement, we have assembled a vibrant, diverse and celebratory group of works, the majority never seen at auction before.”

Meanwhile, The Art of the Surreal Evening Sale on February 28 presents Memory of a Surreal Journey: Property from an Important San Francisco Bay Area. This collection of 25 works showcases the magical interpretations of the world by artists including Leonora Carrington, Remedios Varo, Dorothea Tanning and Leonor Fini.

René Magritte’s lyrical gouache Le retour (1957, estimate: £4 million-6 million) presents a dream-like variation on one of the artist’s most poetic motifs: the oiseau de ciel, or ‘sky-bird’.