The new 2021 auction season for photography began last week, with a single artist sale at Bonhams featuring the work of Ruth Orkin. Organized to celebrate the centennial of her birth, the offerings were mostly later prints, including an oversized print of her now iconic American Girl in Florence, Italy. That print took the top lot honors, and with a few positive surprises, the sale overcame a decently high Buy-In rate (of nearly 39%) to tally up Total Sale Proceeds (of roughly $175K) that fell at the low end of aggregate pre-sale estimate range.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 54 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | $172700 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | $251100 |
| Total Lots Sold | 33 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 21 |
| Buy In % | 38.89% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | $176353 |
Here is the breakdown (using our typical Low, Mid, and High definitions):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 51 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 32 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 19 |
| Low Buy In % | 37.25% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | $181100 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | $123541 |
| Mid Total Lots | 3 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 1 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 2 |
| Mid Buy In % | 66.67% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | $70000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | $52812 |
| Total High Lots | 0 |
| Total High Lots Sold | NA |
| Total High Lots Bought In | NA |
| High Buy In % | NA |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | $0 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | $0 |
The top lot by High estimate was lot 49, Ruth Orkin, American Girl in Florence, Italy, 1951/later, estimated at $20000-30000. It was also the top outcome of the sale at $52812 (image above, via Bonhams.)
81.82% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were 3 positive surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (images above, via Bonhams):
Lot 26, Ruth Orkin, Albert Einstein, Princeton Luncheon, New Jersey, 1953/later, estimated at $3000-5000, sold at $11475
Lot 42, Ruth Orkin, Man in Rain, West 88th Street, New York City, 1952/later, estimated at $1500-2000, sold at $8287
Lot 54, Ruth Orkin, Ruth Orkin’s Nikon F camera (1955) and camera bag, 1955, estimated at 500-700, sold at $1402
The complete lot by lot results can be found here.
