Weakness among the top lots and an overall Buy-In rate over 49% muted the results of the recent photography sale at Ader in Paris. Both of the top loots failed to sell, so the top outcome honors dropped to an overpainted print by William Klein. While there were a handful of positive surprises, the Total Sale Proceeds (of roughly €440K) fell well below the low end of the aggregate pre-sale estimate range.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 334 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | €654700 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | €939100 |
| Total Lots Sold | 170 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 164 |
| Buy In % | 49.10% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | €439946 |
Here is the breakdown (using our typical Low, Mid, and High definitions):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 325 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 168 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 157 |
| Low Buy In % | 48.31% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | €681100 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | €397046 |
| Mid Total Lots | 7 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 2 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 5 |
| Mid Buy In % | 71.43% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | €138000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | €42900 |
| Total High Lots | 2 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 0 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 2 |
| High Buy In % | 100.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | €120000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | €0 |
The top lot by High estimate was tied between tow lots, each estimated at €40000-60000: lot 18, Gustave Le Gray, Memories of the Châlons camp to General Manèque (album with 33 prints), 1857, and lot 239, Robert Mapplethorpe, Portfolio X (13 prints), 1977-1978/1978; neither lot found a buyer. The top outcome of the sale was lot 204, William Klein, Gun 1, New York, 1954/1996, estimated at €20000-30000, sold at €26000 (image above, via Ader).
98.82% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were a total of 8 positive surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate)(images above, via Ader):
Lot 57, Étienne-Jules Marey, Study of air movements, 1901, estimated at €1000-1500, sold at €5460
Lot 62, Edward King Tenison, Patio de Comares. Patio de la Acequia. Alhambra of Granada, Spain (2 prints), c1850-1852, estimated at €800-1200, sold at €3900
Lot 91, John Beasley Greene, Ottoman mosque, Cairo, c1854-1855, estimated at €1000-1500, sold at €7410
Lot 102, Chas E. Brown and unidentified photographers, Rwanda, Great Lakes region (123 prints), c1910, estimated at €1000-1500, sold at €3250
Lot 117, Emma Bardac, Claude Debussy on the balcony, Pourville, 1904, estimated at €600-800, sold at €2600
Lot 123, Germaine Krull – Emmanuel Sougez – Egidio Scaioni – Séeberger Frères – Florence Henri – Madame d’Ora – Luigi Diaz – Géo Blanc – Henri Manuel – Thérèse Bonney – Henryka Philip and others, Jacques Heim catalogs for 1932 (two volumes), 1932, estimated at €3000-4000, sold at €8450
Lot 145, Edward Weston, Nude on Sand [Charis Wilson, 1936] for Lou Stoumen’s documentary The Naked Eye, 1936/1956, estimated at €800-1200, sold at €4550
Lot 297, Robert Cumming, The ball was haphazardly left at the foot of the stairs. And later, if again haphazardly, kicked over to the base of the folding screen (two prints), 1974, estimated at €1500-2000, sold at €5200
Complete lot by lot results can be found here.
