An overall Buy-In rate of nearly 50% dampened the results of Sotheby’s recent Magnificent Nudes online sale in Paris. While prints by Bill Brandt and André Kertész faltered in particular, the lack of enthusiasm was widespread. A few positive surprises helped matters, but the Total Sale Proceeds (of roughly €320K) came in below the low end of the aggregate pre-sale estimate range.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 52 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | €350500 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | €524500 |
| Total Lots Sold | 27 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 25 |
| Buy In % | 48.08% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | €319875 |
Here is the breakdown (using our typical Low, Mid, and High definitions):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 30 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 17 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 13 |
| Low Buy In % | 43.33% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | €158500 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | €113000 |
| Mid Total Lots | 20 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 8 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 12 |
| Mid Buy In % | 60.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | €261000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | €113125 |
| Total High Lots | 2 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 2 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 0 |
| High Buy In % | 0.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | €105000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | €93750 |
The top lot by High estimate was lot 10, Helmut Newton, The Arielle Portfolio I-X, Montecarlo, 1982, estimated at €35000-55000; it was also the top outcome of the sale at €50000 (image above, via Sotheby’s).
96.30% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were a total of 4 surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (images above, via Sotheby’s):
Lot 13, Robert Mapplethorpe, Sonia Resika, 1988/1989, estimated at €4000-6000, sold at €13750
Lot 22, Helmut Newton, Couple Reflected in Mirror, 1989, estimated at €6000-8000, sold at €21250
Lot 47, Bert Stern, Marilyn Nude on the Bed (from The Last Sitting for Vogue), 1962/2013, estimated at €3000-5000, sold at €10625
Lot 50, Michel Comte, Carla Bruni (Safe Sex Campaign), 1993, estimated at €2000-3000, sold at €7500
Complete lot by lot results can be found here.
