With no photography lots in the Evening portion of Christie’s recent Post War and Contemporary Art auctions in London, the Day sale offerings were left to carry the photographic load. Led by a two-part work by John Baldessari, the Total Sale Proceeds (for photography) found their way to the upper end of the aggregate pre-sale estimate range. One of the positive surprises in the sale came from a print by Khadija Saye, who died in the recent Grenfell Tower fire.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 13 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | £772000 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | £1190000 |
| Total Lots Sold | 11 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 2 |
| Buy In % | 15.38% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | £1009500 |
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 | MA |
| 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 | 4 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 0 |
| Mid Buy In % | 0.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | £65000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | £123750 |
| Total High Lots | 9 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 7 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 2 |
| High Buy In % | 22.22% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | £1125000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | £885750 |
The top photography lot by High estimate was lot 225, John Baldessari, Animal (Orange) Descending Upon Kneeling Figure (Green), 1990, estimated at £300000-500000; it was also the top photography outcome of the sales at £344750 (image above, via Christie’s).
100.00% of the photo lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were 2 positive surprises in the sales (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (images above, via Christie’s):
Lot 267, Wolfgang Tillmans, Mental Picture #1, 2000, estimated at £15000-20000, sold at £52500
Lot 275, Khadija Saye, Nak Bejjen (from the series Dwelling: in the space we breathe), 2017, estimated at £10000-15000, sold at £43750
Complete lot by lot results can be found here (Evening) and here (Day).
