The results of Sotheby’s Paris Photo photographs sale were generally mixed, with a handful of top lots finding buyers offset by an overall Buy-In rate for the entire auction near 45%. This unevenness led to Total Sale Proceeds that just covered the low end of the pre-sale estimate range.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 126 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | €2161000 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | €3009000 |
| Total Lots Sold | 71 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 55 |
| Buy In % | 43.65% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | €2175725 |
Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 39 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 20 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 19 |
| Low Buy In % | 48.72% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | €241000 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | €192400 |
| Mid Total Lots | 71 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 41 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 30 |
| Mid Buy In % | 42.25% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | €1323000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | €841625 |
| Total High Lots | 16 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 10 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 6 |
| High Buy In % | 37.50% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | €1445000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | €1141700 |
The top lot by High estimate was lot 77, Irving Penn, Mouth (for L’Oreal), New York, 1986/1992, estimated at €150000-200000; it was also the top outcome of the sale at €289500.
91.55% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were a total of 5 surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate):
Lot 10, Constatin Brancusi, Autoportraits avec chien, 1925, estimated at €4000-6000, sold at €39900
Lot 72, William Klein, Fat Ladies Club, Paris, 1990, estimated at €3000-5000, sold at €12500 (image above, left, via Sotheby’s)
Lot 78, Patrick Demarchelier, Christy, New York, 1990/1996, estimated at €10000-15000, sold at €35000
Lot 93, Vito Acconci, Documentation: Reach, 1969/1980, estimated at €6000-8000, sold at €16250 (image above, middle, via Sotheby’s)
Lot 115, Izima Kaoru, Sato Yasue Wears John Galliano, 2000/2006, estimated at €4000-6000, sold at €12500
Complete lot by lot results can be found here.
