Auction Results: Photography, December 3, 2021 @Lempertz

The results from the Photography sale at Lempertz in Cologne last week were generally uneventful. A T. Lux Feininger image of a Bauhaus band secured the top spot in the sale, and a handful of lower priced positive surprises added to the tally. But an overall Buy-In rate over 42% softened the numbers, leading to Total Sale Proceeds of roughly €220K, below the aggregate pre-sale high estimate.

The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):

Summary Statistics
Total Lots 119
Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate NA
Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate €308500
Total Lots Sold 69
Total Lots Bought In 50
Buy In % 42.02%
Total Sale Proceeds €221450

Here is the breakdown (using our typical Low, Mid, and High definitions):

Detailed Breakdown
Low Total Lots 116
Total Low Lots Sold 67
Total Low Lots Bought In 49
Low Buy In % 42.24%
Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots €283500
Total Proceeds from Low Lots €205825
Mid Total Lots 3
Total Mid Lots Sold 2
Total Mid Lots Bought In 1
Mid Buy In % 33.33%
Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots €25000
Total Proceeds from Mid Lots €15625
Total High Lots 0
Total High Lots Sold NA
Total High Lots Bought In NA
High Buy In % NA
Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots €0
Total Proceeds from High Lots €0

The top lot by High estimate was lot 531, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Mexico, 1934/later, estimated at €7000-9000; it sold at €6875, but it was no the top outcome of the sale. That honor went to lot 508, T. Lux Feininger, Mitglieder der Bauhaus-Kapelle mit Oskar Schlemmer, Dessau, c1928, estimated at €5000-6000, sold at €13750 (image above via Lempertz).

81.16% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range, and there were a total of 6 positive surprises in the sales (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (images above, via Lempertz):

Lot 506, Guglielmo (Wilhelm) Plüschow, Untitled, c1900, estimated at €1200-1500, sold at €6500

Lot 507, Wilhelm von Gloeden, Untitled, c1895, estimated at €1200-1500, sold at €4250

Lot 508, T. Lux Feininger, Mitglieder der Bauhaus-Kapelle mit Oskar Schlemmer, Dessau, c1928, estimated at €5000-6000, sold at €13750

Lot 512, Anonymous, Untitled (Bauhaus Dessau), 1928, estimated at €2000-2500, sold at €8125

Lot 513, Herbert List, Schatten der Säulen des Poseidontempels, Kap Sounion, 1937, estimated at €1200-1500, sold at €6500

Lot 537, Lev Borodulin, Parade, Moscow, 1956/later, estimated at €1200-1500, sold at €3125

The complete lot by lot results can be found here.

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Read more about: Guglielmo (Wilhelm) Plüschow, Herbert List, Lev Borodulin, T. Lux Feininger, Wilhelm von Gloeden, Kunsthaus Lempertz

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