Led by a Cindy Sherman film still, the photography included in Sotheby’s recent Contemporary Art auctions in London performed well. With the help of the top lot Andreas Gursky triptych which also found a buyer, the Total Sale Proceeds for photography fell 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 | 20 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | £1883000 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | £2866000 |
| Total Lots Sold | 14 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 6 |
| Buy In % | 30.00% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | £2674375 |
Here is the breakdown (using our usual Low, Mid, and High price tier definitions):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 1 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 1 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 0 |
| Low Buy In % | 0.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | £3000 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | £6250 |
| Mid Total Lots | 7 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 5 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 2 |
| Mid Buy In % | 28.57% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | £73000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | £65625 |
| Total High Lots | 12 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 8 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 4 |
| High Buy In % | 33.33% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | £2790000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | £2602500 |
The top photography lot by High estimate was lot 37, Andreas Gursky, James Bond Island I, II, & III, 2007, estimated at £600000-800000; it sold at £670000. The top photography outcome of the sales was lot 8, Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still #21A, 1978, estimated at £450000-650000, sold at £946000 (image above, via Sotheby’s).
100.00% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were a total of 2 positive surprises in the sales (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (images above, via Sotheby’s):
Lot 238, Wolfgang Tillmans, Paper Drop (Spring), 2011/2016, estimated at £6000-8000, sold at £21250
Lot 246, Mike Kelley, Why I Got Into Art (Vaseline Muses) No. 23, 1989, estimated at £2000-3000, sold at £6250
The complete lot by lot results can be found here (Evening) and here (Day).
