While there were no photography lots in the evening sale and the photography offerings were generally thin across the board, the photography that was included in Sotheby’s recent Contemporary Art auctions in London largely performed to expectations. A layered John Baldessari work was the top photography outcome of the sale, and the Total Sale Proceeds for photography (£800K) came in near the top end of the aggregate pre-sale estimate range.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 8 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | £598000 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | £847000 |
| Total Lots Sold | 6 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 2 |
| Buy In % | 25.00% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | £800000 |
Here is the breakdown (using our usual Low, Mid, and High price tier definitions):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 0 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | NA |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | NA |
| Low Buy In % | NA |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | £0 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | £0 |
| Mid Total Lots | 4 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 2 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 2 |
| Mid Buy In % | 50.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | £62000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | £72500 |
| Total High Lots | 4 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 4 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 0 |
| High Buy In % | 0.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | £785000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | £727500 |
The top photography lot by High estimate was lot 163, Anselm Kiefer, Des Meeres und der Liebe Wellen, 2011, estimated at £200000-300000; it sold at £237500. The top photography outcome of the sales was lot 189, John Baldessari, The Overlap Series: Street Scene and Reclining Person (With Shoes), 2000, estimated at £180000-250000, sold at £275000 (image above, via Sotheby’s).
100.00% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there was just 1 positive surprise in the sales (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (image above, via Sotheby’s):
Lot 220A, Gerhard Richter, Haggadah (P2), 2014, estimated at £10000-15000, sold at £50000
The complete lot by lot results can be found here (Evening) and here (Day).
