ABOVE: detail from Paul Signac’s Les Andelys, les laveuses (1886). The piece sold in June to an unknown but obviously wealthy Ukrainian collector for £3,648,000 as part of a one-night binge of bidding that peaked at £12 million.

The Art Newspaper reported yesterday that a previously unknown Ukrainian collector purchased approximately £12 million worth of art all in one go at Sotheby’s Impressionist and Modern Art sale on June 20, setting off speculation as to who the mysterious stranger could be. For most of us, having someone to do our bidding is a figure of speech; in this case, the Ukrainian, working remotely with paddle LO22, had a Swiss bidder doing the dirty work on the floor.

The apparent newness of this collector is the most interesting part, it seems, with “art advisor” Daniella Luxembourg quoted as saying that there are very few such buyers at the top end of the pay scale, so that even one more entering the scene can change the rules of the game for everyone else. How exactly The Art Newspaper knows that this Ukrainian character is new when they don’t know his or her identity is a mystery, but nevertheless, it certainly spiced things up at Sotheby’s in June.

LINK: The Art Newspaper > New Ukrainian buyer spends £12 million on Modern paintings