The results of the recent photography sale at Kunsthaus Lempertz mixed the good with the bad. On the plus side there were plenty of positive surprises, including a vintage Albert Renger-Patzsch tree image that soared to more than four times its high estimate. On the minus side, the two vintage Diane Arbus prints headlining the sale both failed to find buyers and the overall Buy-In rate was more than 44%. When the dust finally settled, the Total Sale Proceeds fell somewhere in the middle.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 202 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | NA |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | €683100 |
| Total Lots Sold | 113 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 89 |
| Buy In % | 44.06% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | €405672 |
Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 192 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 109 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 83 |
| Low Buy In % | 43.23% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | €359100 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | €226492 |
| Mid Total Lots | 8 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 4 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 4 |
| Mid Buy In % | 50.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | €104000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | €179180 |
| Total High Lots | 2 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 0 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 2 |
| High Buy In % | 100.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | €220000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | €0 |
The top lot by High estimate was lot 131, Diane Arbus, A widow in her bedroom, NYC, 1963, estimated at €100000-150000; it did not sell. The top outcome of the sale was lot 33, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Das Baumchen, 1929, estimated at €20000-30000, sold at €136400. (image in preview post)
76.11% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were a total of 10 surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (images above, via Lempertz):
Lot 18, Max Baur, Blick vom Staatstheater, Berlin, 1930s, estimated at €1000, sold at €2232
Lot 31, Alfred Ehrhardt, Windverwehte Fussstapfen am Steilhang der Düne, Kurische Nehrung, 1936, estimated at €1000, sold at €2728
Lot 33, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Das Baumchen, 1929, estimated at €20000-30000, sold at €136400 (image in preview post)
Lot 39, August Sander, Künstlerportraits (7), 1924-1928/1986, estimated at €1000, sold at €4960
Lot 83, Ludwig Windstosser, Komposition mit Schallplatten, c1955, estimated at €2000, sold at €4712
Lot 91, Chargesheimer, Untitled, 1950s, estimated at €1500-2000, sold at €4464
Lot 92, Chargesheimer, Untitled, 1950s, estimated at €2000-2500, sold at €6200
Lot 137, John Dominis, Steve McQueen aims a pistol in his living room, California, 1963/2015, estimated at €1200, sold at €2852
Lot 143, Joel Meyerowitz, Untitled (from the series: Porch, Provincetown), 1977, estimated at €1500, sold at €4216
Lot 145, Elliott Erwitt, Florida Keys, 1968/1974, estimated at €1000, sold at €2356
Complete lot by lot results can be found here.
