Phillips takes top honors in the battle for consignments this season, with the most aggregate value (and the most lots) on offer of the three major auction houses. Led by an Andreas Gursky cityscape diptych, and fortified by additional contemporary crossovers from Richard Prince, Thomas Struth, Cindy Sherman, and others, the sale leans heavily toward more recent photography, with a more modest set of vintage works relegated to the afternoon session. Overall, there are a total of 264 lots available in the sale, with a Total High Estimate of $6470000.
Here’s the statistical breakdown:
| Preview Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including $10000) | 99 |
| Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of low lots) | $692000 |
| Total Mid Lots (high estimate between $10000 and $50000) | 140 |
| Total Mid Estimate | $3113000 |
| Total High Lots (high estimate above $50000) | 25 |
| Total High Estimate | $2665000 |
The top lot by High estimate is lot 48, Andreas Gursky, Athens, 1995/later, estimated at $250000-350000 (image above, via Phillips).
Here’s the complete list of photographers with five or more lots in the sale, along with the number of lots on offer:
| Multiple Lots For Sale | |
|---|---|
| Vik Muniz | 10 |
| Walker Evans | 8 |
| Hiroshi Sugimoto | 8 |
| Richard Avedon | 7 |
| Robert Frank | 7 |
| Nan Goldin | 7 |
| Helmut Newton | 7 |
| Berenice Abbott | 5 |
| Bill Brandt | 5 |
| Loretta Lux | 5 |
| Irving Penn | 5 |
| Thomas Struth | 5 |
Other lots of interest include (images above, via Phillips):
Lot 8, Lee Friedlander, New York City, 1963, estimated at $15000-20000
Lot 30, Richard Avedon, Peggy Daniels, cashier, Giddings, TX, May 7, 1981/1985, estimated at $80000-120000
Lot 47, Thomas Ruff, Portrat (A. Giese), 1989, estimated at $30000-50000
Lot 80, Richard Prince, Untitled (Cowboy), 1993, estimated at $200000-300000
Lot 99, Thomas Ruff, JPEG NY06, 2004, estimated at $80000-120000
Lot 141, Laurie Simmons, Walking Camera (Jimmy the Camera), 1987, estimated at $30000-40000
Lot 232, Vik Muniz, Audrey Hepburn from Pictures of Diamonds, 2005, estimated at $50000-70000
Lot 242, Richard Avedon, The Beatles, 1967, estimated at $120000-180000
The complete lot by lot catalog can be found here.
