The results from Christie’s single artist/single owner sale of the work of Berenice Abbott during Paris Photo were generally divided into two buckets – the middle priced (and more recognizable) lots which performed decently well, and the lower priced (and lesser known) lots which languished a bit. Overall, the Buy-In rate came in under 25% and the Total Sale Proceeds successfully fell squarely into the middle of the pre-sale range.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 67 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | €390000 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | €559000 |
| Total Lots Sold | 51 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 16 |
| Buy In % | 23.88% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | €463500 |
Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 40 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 27 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 13 |
| Low Buy In % | 32.50% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | €246000 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | €146000 |
| Mid Total Lots | 27 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 24 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 3 |
| Mid Buy In % | 11.11% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | €313000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | €317500 |
| Total High Lots | 0 |
| Total High Lots Sold | NA |
| Total High Lots Bought In | NA |
| High Buy In % | NA |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | €0 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | NA |
The top lot by High estimate was tied between three lots: lot 201, Berenice Abbott, Murray Hill Hotel, 112 Park Avenue, Manhattan, 1935, lot 227, Berenice Abbott, Midtown Manhattan, 1932, and lot 258, Berenice Abbott, George Washington Bridge, 129th Street and Riverside Drive, Manhattan, January 17, 1936, all estimated at €15000-20000; Murray Hill Hotel was the top outcome of the sale at €27500, while Midtown Manhattan sold for €13750 and George Washington Bridge sold for €15000.
Only 68.63% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there was only 1 surprise in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate):
Lot 224, Berenice Abbott, Cedar Street from William, Manhattan, 1936, estimated at €5000-7000, sold at €16250 (image above, left, via Christie’s)
Complete lot by lot results can be found here.
