LONDON.- Sotheby’s series of Impressionist & Modern Art sales in London this week realised a combined total of £140,156,325 / $225,190,077 /€165,107,883 – surpassing the pre-sale estimate* for the series (£95,924,000 – £136,388,000). Helena Newman, Chairman, Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Europe, commented: “Over the course of the week’s charged sales, we have seen a hungry, collector driven market competing avidly for works of the highest calibre. The depth of bidding was remarkable: 920 buyers registered to participate in what proved to be an extremely spirited series of auctions, punctuated by a succession of newly established records. This ranks as the third-highest total ever for Sotheby’s series of Impressionist & Modern art sales and is a significant indicator of the vitality of this area of the market.” Commenting on the sales, Melanie Clore, Chairman, Sotheby’s Europe, said: “The top two prices this week for I