Auction Results: Contemporary Curated, September 27, 2017 @Sotheby’s

Led by a Wolfgang Tillmans waterfall image that soared to over 3X its high estimate, the photography available in Sotheby’s recent Contemporary Curated sale in New York performed well. The overall photo Buy-In rate was very low (just over 10%), and there were a handful of positive surprises to add to the momentum. When all the numbers were counted, the Total Sale Proceeds for photography fell solidly above the aggregate pre-sale high estimate.

The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):

Summary Statistics
Total Lots 38
Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate $638400
Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate $897200
Total Lots Sold 34
Total Lots Bought In 4
Buy In % 10.53%
Total Sale Proceeds $1008375

Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post):

Detailed Breakdown
Low Total Lots 15
Total Low Lots Sold 15
Total Low Lots Bought In 0
Low Buy In % 0.00%
Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots $72200
Total Proceeds from Low Lots $112625
Mid Total Lots 17
Total Mid Lots Sold 14
Total Mid Lots Bought In 3
Mid Buy In % 17.65%
Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots $415000
Total Proceeds from Mid Lots $333750
Total High Lots 6
Total High Lots Sold 5
Total High Lots Bought In 1
High Buy In % 16.67%
Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots $410000
Total Proceeds from High Lots $562000

The top lot by High estimate was lot 212, Wolfgang Tillmans, Iguazu, 2010, estimated at $70000-90000 (image in preview post); it was also the top photography outcome in the sale at $324500.

82.35% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were 5 positive surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (images above via Sotheby’s):

Lot 212, Wolfgang Tillmans, Iguazu, 2010, estimated at $70000-90000, sold at $324500

Lot 236, Louise Lawler, Statue Before Painting, Perseus with Head of Medusa, Canova, 1983, estimated at $2500-3000, sold at $7500

Lot 238, Louise Lawler, Civilian, 2010, estimated at $5000-7000, sold at $22500

Lot 345, Roman Signer, Santis and Bodensee, 1975, estimated at $800-1200, sold at $6000

Lot 346, Roman Signer, Lauten Auf Dem Fluss, 1986, estimated at $600-800, sold at $4375

The complete lot by lot results can be found here.

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Read more about: Louise Lawler, Roman Signer, Sotheby's

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