You're reading: Big art auctions coming up in London in February

Next week the world's two biggest auction houses, Christie's and Sotheby's, kick off a busy February schedule of London sales that will put the recent surge in art market prices to the test.

Following are the pre-sale estimates for the series of auctions covering impressionist, modern, post-war, contemporary and surreal works.

(Last year’s comparative figures from the corresponding 2010 auctions, where appropriate, include the buyer’s premium, while pre-sale estimates do not.)

Christie’s:

Feb. 9: Impressionist and modern evening sale London

– 54.7-81.0 million pounds (66.7 million in 2010)

Feb. 9 – Surreal evening sale

– 19.2-28.1 million pounds (10.1 million in 2010)

Feb. 10 – Impressionist and modern day sale

– 9.2-13.3 million pounds (10.7 million in 2010)

Feb. 10 – Impressionist and modern works on paper

– 6.0-8.5 million pounds (7.0 million in 2010)

Feb. 16 – Post-war and contemporary evening sale

– 36.0-51.9 million pounds (39.1 million in 2010)

Feb. 17 – Post-war and contemporary day sale

– 10.2-14.5 million pounds (11.7 million in 2010)

Sotheby’s:

Feb. 8 – Impressionist and modern evening sale

– 55.6-79.3 million pounds (146.8 million in 2010)

Feb. 9 – Impressionist and modern day sale

– 16.9-23.6 million pounds (17.6 million in 2010)

Feb. 10 – "Looking Closely" private collection sale

– 39.3-55.0 million pounds (n/a)

Feb. 15 – Post-war and contemporary evening sale

– 30.7-43.4 million pounds (54.0 million in 2010)

Feb. 16 – Post-war and contemporary day sale

– 9.9-14.0 million pounds (11.8 million in 2010)