The parade of Peter Beard prints in Christie’s recent various owner Photographs sale in London held up well, pushing the Total Sale Proceeds for the auction solidly into the middle of the pre-sale estimate range. With an overall Buy-In rate under 30% and a number of positive surprises, the sale easily met expectations.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 108 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | £1159000 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | £1678000 |
| Total Lots Sold | 76 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 32 |
| Buy In % | 29.63% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | £1485375 |
Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 13 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 11 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 2 |
| Low Buy In % | 15.38% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | £51000 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | £65125 |
| Mid Total Lots | 75 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 52 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 23 |
| Mid Buy In % | 30.67% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | £827000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | £722900 |
| Total High Lots | 20 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 13 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 7 |
| High Buy In % | 35.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | £800000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | £697350 |
The top lot by High estimate was lot 19, Peter Beard, Giraffes in mirage on the Taru Desert, Kenya for the End of the Game, June 1960, 1960/1997, at £50000-70000; it sold for £85875. The top outcome of the sale was lot 25, Peter Beard, Tsavo National Park, founded April Fool’s Day, 1948, 1968/1997, estimated at £40000-60000, sold at £103875.
97.37% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above their estimate. There were a total of nine surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate):
Lot 1, Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Nude on beach, California, 1948/1988, estimated at £5000-7000, sold at £16250
Lot 2, Javier Vallhonrat, Inner edge, the Possessed Space, 1991, estimated at £2000-3000, sold at £10000
Lot 8, Helmut Newton, Henrietta, beginning of the Big Nudes, Vogue Studio, Paris, 1981, estimated at £6000-8000, sold at £22500
Lot 15, Horst P. Horst, Narcissus, O.B., N.Y., 1992, estimated at £8000-12000, sold at £27500
Lot 30, Andy Warhol, Self-portrait, 1986, estimated at £10000-15000, sold at £30000 (image at right, bottom, via Christie’s)
Lot 43, Josef Koudelka, Spain, 1979/later, estimated at £4000-6000, sold at £14375 (image at right, middle, via Christie’s)
Lot 78, Francesca Woodman, Untitled, Providence, Rhode Island, 1977/2008, estimated at £3000-5000, sold at £13750
Lot 89, Nick Brandt, Elephant group on bare earth, Amboseli, 2008, estimated at £15000-20000, sold at £55875
Lot 93, Marcus Lyon, Exodus VI, West Lamma Channel, South China Sea, 2011, estimated at £5000-7000, sold at £52275 (image at right, top, via Christie’s)
Complete lot by lot results can be found here.
