The overall photo results at the Photography and Contemporary Art sales at Lempertz in Cologne last week were largely uneventful. The top lot Helmut Newton nude found a buyer within its estimate range, but the overall Buy-In rate for photography crept above 38%. Even with several lower priced positive surprises to balance some of the passed lots, the Total Sale Proceeds for photography (of roughly €520K) fell below the aggregate pre-sale low estimate.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 258 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | €670800 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | €878300 |
| Total Lots Sold | 159 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 99 |
| Buy In % | 38.37% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | €521262 |
Here is the breakdown (using our typical Low, Mid, and High definitions):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 240 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 148 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 92 |
| Low Buy In % | 38.33% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | €476300 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | €288792 |
| Mid Total Lots | 16 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 9 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 7 |
| Mid Buy In % | 43.75% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | €252000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | €112770 |
| Total High Lots | 2 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 2 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 0 |
| High Buy In % | 0.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | €150000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | €119700 |
The top lot by High estimate was lot 790, Helmut Newton, Tied-up Torso (Henrietta Ficellée), Ramatuelle, 1980/1981, estimated at €60000-80000; it was also the top photography outcome of the sales at €69300 (image above, via Lempertz.)
71.07% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range, and there were 9 positive surprises in the sales (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (images above, via Lempertz):
Lot 603, Wilhelm von Gloeden, Untitled, c1900, estimated at €800-1000, sold at €3780
Lot 608, Edward Steichen, The Pool, 1899, estimated at €600-800, sold at €1890
Lot 609, Edward Steichen, Moonlight: The Pond, 1904, estimated at €800-1000, sold at €2394
Lot 622, T. Lux Feininger, Der Bau als Bühne, Bauhaus Dessau, 1927, estimated at €4000-5000, sold at €11970
Lot 646, Leni Riefenstahl, Ausklang, 1936/c2000, estimated at €1500-2000, sold at €4032
Lot 726, Ara Güler, Beyoglu, Istanbul, 1955/later, estimated at €1200-1500, sold at €3024
Lot 729, Ara Güler, Istanbul, 1954/later, estimated at €1200-1500, sold at €3276
Lot 736, Will McBride, Mike with Mentor at the School, 1962, estimated at €800-1000, sold at €2142
Lot 801, Jürgen Klauke, Annährungsakrobatik, 1996/2000, estimated at €800-1000, sold at €2016
The complete lot by lot results can be found here (Photography), here (Contemporary Art Evening), and here (Contemporary Art Day).
