Auction Results: Photographs, April 4, 2019 @Phillips

Helmut Newton’s Sie Kommen, Paris (Dressed and Naked) diptych was the top lot at Phillips recent various owner Photographs auction, and its sale at $1820000 was not only a positive surprise (given its pre-sale estimate of $600000-800000), it also effectively pulled the sale up on its back and carried it home. The rest of the auction generally performed to expectations, with a Buy-In rate at just under 25%. When the dust settled, the Total Sale Proceeds tallied up at just over $5M, a notch above the top end of the aggregate pre-sale estimate range.

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

Summary Statistics
Total Lots 195
Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate $3465500
Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate $4950500
Total Lots Sold 148
Total Lots Bought In 47
Buy In % 24.10%
Total Sale Proceeds $5033250

Here is the breakdown (using our typical Low, Mid, and High definitions):

Detailed Breakdown
Low Total Lots 63
Total Low Lots Sold 52
Total Low Lots Bought In 11
Low Buy In % 17.46%
Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots $446500
Total Proceeds from Low Lots $389625
Mid Total Lots 114
Total Mid Lots Sold 84
Total Mid Lots Bought In 30
Mid Buy In % 26.32%
Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots $2259000
Total Proceeds from Mid Lots $1793625
Total High Lots 18
Total High Lots Sold 12
Total High Lots Bought In 6
High Buy In % 33.33%
Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots $2245000
Total Proceeds from High Lots $2850000

The top lot by High estimate was lot 85, Helmut Newton, Sie Kommen, Paris (Dressed and Naked), 1981, estimated at $600000-800000; it was also the top outcome of the sale at $1820000 (image above via Phillips).

89.86% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were a total of 9 positive surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (images above via Phillips):

Lot 61, Sally Mann, The New Mothers, 1989, estimated at $20000-30000, sold at $62500

Lot 67, Sally Mann, Untitled from Deep South, 1998, estimated at $10000-15000, sold at $32500

Lot 80, Robert Mapplethorpe, Skull + Crossbones, 1983, estimated at $8000-12000, sold at $27500

Lot 85, Helmut Newton, Sie Kommen, Paris (Dressed and Naked), 1981, estimated at $600000-800000, sold at $1820000

Lot 116, Richard Misrach, Stonehenge #1, 1976, estimated at $9000-12000, sold at $26250

Lot 131, Diane Arbus, Two Ladies Walking in Central Park, NYC, 1962, estimated at $8000-12000, sold at $25000

Lot 136, Charles Moore, Dogs Used by Birmingham, Alabama, Cops to Quell Negro Race Riots, 1963, estimated at $15000-25000, sold at $62500

Lot 141, Robert Frank, US 285 New Mexico, 1956/1960s, estimated at $25000-35000, sold at $187500

Lot 191, Emil Otto Hoppé, Germany Brunner Mond Chemical Workers, 1928, estimated at $3000-5000, sold at $10625

The complete lot by lot results can be found here.

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Read more about: Charles Moore, Diane Arbus, E.O. Hoppé, Helmut Newton, Richard Misrach, Robert Frank, Robert Mapplethorpe, Sally Mann, Phillips

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