PARIS.- In a packed saleroom Sotheby’s Paris Evening Auction of Contemporary Art soared above estimate to bring a total of €11, 282,250/$ 15,098,358 (est. € 6,600,000- 9,370,000/ $ 8,832,384 / 12,539,309). There was competitive bidding throughout; all of the lots found buyers and three-quarters of the lots sold above their high estimates. Commenting on his first evening sale as Director of Sotheby’s Contemporary Art department in Paris, Stefano Moreni said: “Our presale strategy of sourcing works of high quality and distinguished provenance attracted collectors from all around the world and brought in many new buyers. Five of the ten top works were competed for by multiple bidders and achieved prices which doubled their high pre-sale estimates.” There was strong competition for an iconic work from a key period of Pierre Soulages’ career, Peinture 195 x 130cm – 3 December 1956, a monu