It was largely a lackluster outing for the photography included in the Post-War and Contemporary Art Online sale at Christie’s in London last week. The only real excitement came in the form of a vintage Nan Goldin print, which more than tripled its high estimate. Otherwise, more than 56% of the lots that sold did so below their estimate ranges, so even with a decent overall Buy-In rate for photography (under 15%), the Total Sales Proceeds for photography (of roughly £185K) tallied up at just above 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 | 27 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | £173150 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | £262750 |
| Total Lots Sold | 23 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 4 |
| Buy In % | 14.81% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | £187833 |
Here is the breakdown (using our usual Low, Mid, and High price tier definitions):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 17 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 15 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 2 |
| Low Buy In % | 11.76% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | £81750 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | £48641 |
| Mid Total Lots | 9 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 7 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 2 |
| Mid Buy In % | 22.22% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | £131000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | £113792 |
| Total High Lots | 1 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 1 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 0 |
| High Buy In % | 0.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | £50000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | £25400 |
The top photography lot by High estimate was lot 847, Kelley Walker, Black Star Press, 2005, estimated at £30000-50000; it sold at £25400, but it was not the top photography outcome of the sale. That honor went to lot 846, Nan Goldin, Robert and Greer on the Bed, 1982, estimated at £8000-12000, sold at £38100 (image above, via Christie’s).
Just 43.48% of the photo lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there was just 1 positive surprise in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate), which was the same Goldin print that took the top lot honors.
Complete lot by lot results can be found here.
