Auction Results: Modern & Contemporary Evening, Contemporary Day Auctions, June 24, and 25, 2025 @Sotheby’s London

Sotheby’s pushed the bar for the top photography lot of 2025 still higher in its recent Modern and Contemporary Art sales in London, with an early Man Ray print of Noire et blanche that fetched £2115000 (or just over $2.9M.) The rest of the photography on offer (in the day sale) also performed decently well, with positive surprises from Francesca Woodman and David Hockney. When the dust settled, the Total Sale Proceeds for photography (of roughly £2.78M) topped the high end of the aggregate pre-sale estimate range.

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

Summary Statistics
Total Lots 11
Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate £1951000
Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate £2654000
Total Lots Sold 9
Total Lots Bought In 2
Buy In % 18.18%
Total Sale Proceeds £2777956

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 5
Total Mid Lots Sold 4
Total Mid Lots Bought In 1
Mid Buy In % 20.00%
Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots £109000
Total Proceeds from Mid Lots £119126
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 £2545000
Total Proceeds from High Lots £2658830

The top photography lot by High estimate was lot 15, Man Ray, Noire et blanche, 1926/1935, estimated at £1500000-2000000; it was also the top photography outcome of the sales at £2114000 (image above, via Sotheby’s).

88.89% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were a total of two positive surprises in the sales (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate)(images above, via Sotheby’s):

Lot 356, Francesca Woodman, From Space², Providence, Rhode Island, 1976/posthumous, estimated at £8000-12000, sold at £44450

Lot 422, David Hockney, George, Blanche, Celia, Albert and Percy, London, 1983, estimated at £8000-12000, sold at £24130

The complete lot by lot results can be found here (Modern & Contemporary Evening) and here (Contemporary Day).

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Read more about: David Hockney, Francesca Woodman, Man Ray, Sotheby's

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