The only photograph on offer in Christie’s recent 21st Century Evening sale was a Helmut Newton big nude (a unique print made in the 1990s for gallery owner Rudolf Kicken), but it delivered on its special placement by setting a new auction record for the artist, at just over $2.3M. In the accompanying Post-War and Contemporary Art Day sale a few days later, the photographic results were similarly strong, with only one photo lot failing to sell. Across the two sales, the Total Sale Proceeds for photography came in above $6.5M, well above the top end of the aggregate pre-sale estimate ranges.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 31 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | $3364000 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | $5010000 |
| Total Lots Sold | 30 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 1 |
| Buy In % | 3.23% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | $6523800 |
Here is the breakdown (using our typical Low, Mid, and High definitions):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 3 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 3 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 0 |
| Low Buy In % | 0.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | $15000 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | $5670 |
| Mid Total Lots | 13 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 13 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 0 |
| Mid Buy In % | 0.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | $315000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | $398130 |
| Total High Lots | 15 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 14 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 1 |
| High Buy In % | 6.67% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | $4680000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | $6120000 |
The top photography lot by High estimate was lot 25B, Helmut Newton, “Big Nude III” (Variation), Paris, 1980/1990s, estimated at $800000-1200000; it was also the top photography outcome in the sale at $2340000 (image above, via Christie’s.)
76.67% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were a total of 5 positive surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (images above, via Christie’s):
Lot 318, Cy Twombly, Painting Detail (Roses), 2009, estimated at $10000-15000, sold at $50400
Lot 319, Cy Twombly, Painting Detail (Roses), 2009, estimated at $10000-15000, sold at $47880
Lot 320, Cy Twombly, Painting Detail (Roses), 2009, estimated at $10000-15000, sold at $40320
Lot 487, Matthew Barney, Cremaster 3: The Five Points of Fellowship, 2002, estimated at $10000-15000, sold at $35280
Lot 501, Andy Warhol, Untitled (Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts), c1977, estimated at $70000-100000, sold at $252000
The complete lot by lot results can be found here.
