A print by celebrated Catalan artist Ramon Casas y Carbó set a new auction record on Wednesday, 9 April, at Roseberys’ Prints & Multiples sale, fetching £20,992, well above its pre-sale estimate of £3,000–£5,000. The print, which sold to a buyer in Barcelona, Casas’ hometown, marks the highest price ever achieved for a print by the artist.*

The work is a variation of Casas’ most iconic image, Decadent Young Woman, After the Dance (1899), originally rendered in oil and now housed in the Museum of Montserrat. This particular version was created as a poster for the influential Catalan youth magazine Pèl y Ploma, a Spanish counterpart to Britain’s The Yellow Book, which is depicted in the original oil painting.

A pioneer of Catalan modernisme, the Spanish equivalent of Art Nouveau, Casas was a prolific painter and draftsman, central to the avant-garde scenes of both Paris and Barcelona at the turn of the 20th century. Often hailed as the leader of the young Catalan school of painting, he played a pivotal role in shaping the artistic milieu of his time, influencing the young Pablo Picasso by introducing him to Impressionism and Symbolism.

Casas also founded the influential art journals Forma and Pèl & Ploma, publishing countless illustrations—many of them portraits of leading intellectuals of the era.

“This print by Casas y Carbó is a defining image of decadence, articulating a specific sense of ennui, but also speaking to a radical adoption of print and poster making by fin de siècle artists,” said Ed Plackett, Head of Prints & Multiples at Roseberys. “Casas is a clear precursor of the next generation of Barcelonian printmakers, including Picasso. This sale speaks to a renewed interest in turn of the century printmaking and I am delighted that the picture has returned to Barcelona, Casas’ home.”

 

Other highlights from the sale included:

 

Andy Warhol’s Chanel, from Ads, 1985, a screenprint that realised a price of  £169,240.

Warhol’s Consommé (Beef), from Campbell's Soup I, 1968, which sold for £44,440.

  • Bob Dylan’s Motel Pool, 2008, signed in pencil, which sold for £19,680.