The photography included in Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art sale last week in London didn’t offer much in the way of notable outcomes. With a Buy-In rate near 35% and Total Sale Proceeds that fell below the pre-sale range, uneventful is perhaps the best way to characterize this early season warm up.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 43 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | £309100 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | £463400 |
| Total Lots Sold | 28 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 15 |
| Buy In % | 34.88% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | £274875 |
Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 17 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 14 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 3 |
| Low Buy In % | 17.65% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | £56400 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | £66375 |
| Mid Total Lots | 22 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 11 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 11 |
| Mid Buy In % | 50.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | £237000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | £85000 |
| Total High Lots | 4 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 3 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 1 |
| High Buy In % | 25.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | £170000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | £123500 |
The top lot by High estimate was lot 15, Helena Almeida, Pintura Habitada, 1976, at £40000-60000; it sold for £47475. The top outcome of the sale was lot 76, Andreas Gursky, Untitled X, 1999, estimated at £30000-50000, sold at £52275.
85.71% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range, and there were a total of 4 surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate):
Lot 123, Wolfgang Tillmans, Dunst I, 2004, estimated at £1500-2000, sold at £5250
Lot 126, Steven Shearer, Kaleidoscope, 2001, estimated at £3000-5000, sold at £11875 (image above, right, via Christie’s)
Lot 170, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Brent Booth, 21 Years Old, Des Moines, Iowa, $30, 1991-1992, estimated at £3000-5000, sold at £13750 (image above, middle, via Christie’s)
Lot 173, Andreas Gursky, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Angler, 1989, estimated at £3000-5000, sold at £16250 (image above, left, via Christie’s)
Complete lot by lot results can be found here.
