The various owner photography sale at Christie’s in Paris last week generally performed to expectations. The top lot Richard Avedon print (a portrait of Marilyn Monroe) found a buyer, and there were more than a handful of positive surprises to pump up the numbers, including works by Brancusi, Testino, Lindbergh, and others. When the dust settled, the overall Buy-In rate came in below 20%, and the Total Sale Proceeds fell in the middle of the aggregate pre-sale estimate range.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 143 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | €2392000 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | €3503000 |
| Total Lots Sold | 115 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 28 |
| Buy In % | 19.58% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | €2821875 |
Here is the breakdown (using our typical Low, Mid, and High definitions):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 37 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 35 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 2 |
| Low Buy In % | 5.41% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | €218000 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | €270625 |
| Mid Total Lots | 85 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 66 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 19 |
| Mid Buy In % | 22.35% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | €1440000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | €1269000 |
| Total High Lots | 21 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 14 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 7 |
| High Buy In % | 33.33% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | €1845000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | €1282250 |
The top lot by High estimate was lot 22, Richard Avedon, Marilyn Monroe, actress, New York city, May 6, 1957, 1957/1980, estimated at €300000-500000. It was also the top outcome of the sale at €346000 (image above, via Christie’s).
92.17% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were a total of 8 surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (images above, via Christie’s):
Lot 29, Pierre et Gilles, Le Penseur, Jean-Christophe Blin, 2009, estimated at €10000-15000, sold at €30000
Lot 30, Mario Testino, Gisele Bündchen, Naples, Pirelli Calendar, 2000/2008, estimated at €15000-20000, sold at €43750
Lot 47, Peter Lindbergh, Cindy Crawford, Tatjana Patitz, Helena Christensen, Linda Evangelista, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Karen Mulder, Stephanie Seymour, American Vogue, Brooklyn, New York, 1991, estimated at €8000-10000, sold at €22500
Lot 57, Constantin Brancusi, Le Coq, La Muse Endormie, 1924, estimated at €50000-70000, sold at €187500
Lot 117, Jean-Baptiste Huynh, Vietnam – Main 1, 1996, estimated at €3000-4000, sold at €27500
Lot 118, Jean-Baptiste Huynh, Mâchoire de cachalot, 2006, estimated at €3000-4000, sold at €23750
Lot 128, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Museum of Modern Art, New York, États-Unis, 1965/1970, estimated at €5000-7000, sold at €23750
Lot 143, Elliott Erwitt, California Kiss, 1955/later, estimated at €5000-7000, sold at €15000
Complete lot by lot results can be found here.
