Drawn from the collection of actor Richard Gere, there were more unexpected photographic rarities on offer at this single collector sale at Christie’s last week than in most online sales. A powerhouse František Drtikol nude from 1926 took the top lot honors (at roughly $350K), and with an overall Buy-In rate under 25% and a number of positive surprises, the Total Sale Proceeds (of roughly $2.4M) generally met expectations, coming in squarely 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 | 139 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | $2064400 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | $3095300 |
| Total Lots Sold | 106 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 33 |
| Buy In % | 23.74% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | $2422350 |
Here is the breakdown (using our typical Low, Mid, and High definitions):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 70 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 51 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 19 |
| Low Buy In % | 27.14% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | $443300 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | $430290 |
| Mid Total Lots | 58 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 48 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 10 |
| Mid Buy In % | 17.24% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | $1152000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | $1008000 |
| Total High Lots | 11 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 7 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 4 |
| High Buy In % | 36.36% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | $1500000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | $984060 |
The top lot by High estimate was lot 138, Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia O’Keeffe, 1918, estimated at $300000-500000; it sold at $302400. The top outcome of the sale was lot 118, František Drtikol, Temná vlna (The Dark Wave), 1926, estimated at $100000-150000, sold at $352800 (image above, via Christie’s.)
100.00% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were a total of 12 positive surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (images above, via Christie’s):
Lot 110, Sally Mann, Shiva at Whistle Creek, 1992, estimated at $12000-18000, sold at $37800
Lot 118, František Drtikol, Temná vlna (The Dark Wave), 1926, estimated at $100000-150000, sold at $352800
Lot 126, Diane Arbus, Audience with projection booth, N.Y.C., 1958, estimated at $15000-20000, sold at $75600
Lot 129, Diane Arbus, Mr. Peanut in Times Square, N.Y. C., 1956, estimated at $6000-8000, sold at $75600
Lot 136, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Sale of Gold in the Last Days of the Kuomintang, Shanghai, China, 1949/later, estimated at $10000-15000, sold at $30240
Lot 145, Clarence John Laughlin, House of the Past, 1947, estimated at $2000-3000, sold at $6300
Lot 154, Horst P. Horst, Male Nude with Hand Behind Buttocks, 1952/later, estimated at $5000-7000, sold at $16380
Lot 166, Edward Steichen, The model and the mask, 1906, estimated at $600-800, sold at $2394
Lot 175, Robert Mapplethorpe, Tulips, (Just to Thank You), 1987, estimated at $5000-7000, sold at $22680
Lot 205, Sally Mann, Jessie at 9, 1991, estimated at $10000-15000, sold at $40320
Lot 223, Various Artists, Thirteen Images of Circus People, 1920s, estimated at $500-1000, sold at $2772
Lot 236, Edward Curtis, The Storm, Apache, 1906, estimated at $7000-9000, sold at $25200
The complete lot by lot results can be found here.
