Aside from some unexpected strength in the low priced lots, there wasn’t much news to be found in Christie’s recent various owner Photographs sale in London. The overall Buy-In rate hovered in the mid-30s and there were a number of positive surprises, the two combining to deliver Total Sale Proceeds that settled into the middle of the aggregate pre-sale range.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 94 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | £1414000 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | £1991000 |
| Total Lots Sold | 62 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 32 |
| Buy In % | 34.04% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | £1661374 |
Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 21 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 20 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 1 |
| Low Buy In % | 4.76% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | £86000 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | £142125 |
| Mid Total Lots | 60 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 33 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 27 |
| Mid Buy In % | 45.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | £730000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | £531999 |
| Total High Lots | 13 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 9 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 4 |
| High Buy In % | 30.77% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | £1175000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | £987250 |
The top lot by High estimate was lot 72, Peter Beard, Heart Attack City, 1972/1998, estimated at £300000-400000 (image in preview post). It was also the top outcome of the sale at £434500.
98.39% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were 11 positive surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (image above via Christie’s):
Lot 8, Bert Stern, Twiggy, 1967, estimated at £1500-2500, sold at £5625
Lot 11, Helmut Newton, Self-portrait with Barbara Edwards, March, 1986, estimated at £3000-5000, sold at £10000
Lot 34, Shirin Neshat, Fervor Series, 2000, estimated at £12000-18000, sold at £47500
Lot 54, Irving Penn, Two fighting crickets, New York, July 12, 2005, estimated at £18000-25000, sold at £68500
Lot 61, Horst P. Horst, Round the Clock, 1987, estimated at £3000-5000, sold at £18125
Lot 63, William Klein, Hat + 5 Roses, Paris, Vogue, 1956/later, estimated at £3000-5000, sold at £10000
Lot 66, Francesco Scavullo, Janis Joplin, 1969, estimated at £1500-2500, sold at £16250
Lot 68, Bob Landry, Rita Hayworth, 1955, estimated at £1500-2500, sold at £7500
Lot 70, Bert Stern, Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra, 1962, estimated at £3000-5000, sold at £16250
Lot 71, Bert Stern, Marilyn Monroe, from ‘The Last Sitting’, 1969, estimated at £2000-3000, sold at £6250
Lot 86, Wolfgang Tillmans, Icestorm, 2001, estimated at £3000-5000, sold at £10000
The complete lot by lot results can be found here.
