There weren’t many photographs included in Christie’s recent Post-War and Contemporary Art Day sale in London, but those that were available performed well. A two-panel John Baldessari overpainted work from 1990 took the top lot honors. With an overall Buy-In rate for photography of roughly 12%, even though there were no positive surprises, the Total Sale Proceeds for photography came in at just over £700K, near the top end of the aggregate pre-sale estimate range.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 8 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | £550000 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | £833000 |
| Total Lots Sold | 7 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 1 |
| Buy In % | 12.50% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | £726250 |
Here is the breakdown (using our usual Low, Mid, and High price tier definitions):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 0 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | NA |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | NA |
| Low Buy In % | NA |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | £0 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | £0 |
| Mid Total Lots | 4 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 3 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 1 |
| Mid Buy In % | 25.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | £83000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | £46250 |
| Total High Lots | 4 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 4 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 0 |
| High Buy In % | 0.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | £750000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | £680000 |
The top photography lot by High estimate was lot 424, John Baldessari, Dining Scene (Two Greys) with Disruption at Source (Red, Yellow, Blue), 1990, estimated at £250000-350000. It was also the top photography outcome of the sale at £312500 (image above, via Christie’s).
71.43% of the photo lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were no positive surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate).
Complete lot by lot results can be found here.
