Christie's ends run of auctions with solid bids

New York

TIME was when impressionist and modern works were the big news of the auction season, the ultimate trophy art. But as the Christie's sale on Thursday night attests, those stars have dimmed in the eyes of many of the world's major collectors.

Coming at the end of a two-week run of auctions, in an era when the art market is dominated by contemporary art, the auction on Thursday of what are known as Imps & Mods felt like a step into the past - and not only because many of the heads in the salesroom were grey and several of the chairs were empty.