Apr 23, 2026

Warhol, Wiggen and Marakatt-Labba – Highlights from Contemporary Art & Design

Contemporary Art & Design – the largest live auction in the Nordic region for contemporary art and design – offered this season an exciting mix of Swedish and international artists and designers.

Among the highlights of the two auction days were the spectacular sale of Andy Warhol’s Scandinavian Beauty II for a final price of SEK 16.8 million, and new world records for Ulla Wiggen and Britta Marakatt-Labba.

Scandinavian Beauty II

The painting Scandinavian Beauty II by Andy Warhol from 1977 was one of the major highlights of the auction and sold for a final price of SEK 16.8 million. The work, which had an estimate of SEK 10–12 million, was offered at auction for the first time and has a unique Swedish connection. The anonymous Scandinavian beauty came to know Warhol during a visit to Stockholm in 1976, which later resulted in two works. Its sister piece, Scandinavian Beauty, was sold at a notable auction at Bukowskis in 2011, achieving a final price of SEK 12.1 million.

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World records for Ulla Wiggen and Britta Marakatt-Labba

The Swedish section boasted million-krona results for a sculpture by Lena Cronqvist, the mixed-media work "The Coachman" (Kusken) by Jockum Nordström, and the painting "Runtom trappa" by Rolf Hanson. However, two artists stood out in particular.

Ulla Wiggen exceeded expectations with the work "Ett andetag" from 1969, which, after lively bidding in the room, was hammered down at a final price of SEK 958,000. This surpassed Wiggen’s previous auction record at Bukowskis from autumn 2025.

Britta Marakatt-Labba, recently noted for her participation in the Venice Biennale and an exhibition at Moderna Museet, also attracted strong international bidding for one of her embroideries. The final price reached SEK 286,000, setting a new world record for the artist.

The Design Department

The Design department presented a strong selection of both Swedish and international designers, with figures such as Mats Theselius, John Kandell, Jonas Bohlin, Paolo Pallucco and Shiro Kuramata in focus.

Among the Swedish highlights were the armchair "Concrete "and the cabinet "Slottsbacken" by Jonas Bohlin, as well as the desk "Bilbao" by Bengt Rosenström, alongside unique studio design pieces by Nick Ross, David Taylor and Klara Knutsson.

The auction also recorded high final prices for international names such as Mario Bellini, Christophe Delcourt, Paolo Pallucco and Shiro Kuramata, as well as for the sculpture "Recycled Nr. 1" by Kiki Kogelnik.