On February 3, 2010, Sotheby's London sold Alberto Giacometti's bronze L'Homme qui marche I in its Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale. The auction catalogue identifies the sale date and the lot, while contemporary reports recorded the result as roughly 65 million pounds, or about $104 million, after only minutes of bidding. The cast, edition 2/6, had been consigned by Commerzbank after its acquisition of Dresdner Bank, and its estimate had been far lower than the final price. The sale made the lean, striding figure one of the defining market icons of postwar sculpture and briefly the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction.
The result accelerated the market revaluation of modern sculpture and helped make Giacometti a benchmark for trophy-level auction prices.
