At Christie's evening sale, 24 works were sold and 24 did not find buyers.

There was an air of curiosity at Christie's last night as the first big evening sale of the spring got under way.

It was the first time work by either artist had been offered in an important evening sale, and both prices were records.

Art dating from the 1970's to the present went into a separate evening sale of contemporary art.

This was only his second important evening sale, and his inexperience showed.

In contrast, Sotheby's entire evening sale of Impressionist works two years ago totaled only $18 million.

Sotheby's, however, has kept to its traditional lineup, with an evening sale of Impressionist and modern art on May 13.

The evening sale is expected to total $48 million to $62.5 million.

Not Now Sotheby's has abandoned its plans to hold a second evening sale of contemporary art in May.

The remainder of Christie's evening sale was a more erratic affair.