Auction Results: The Odyssey of Collecting: Photographs from Joy of Giving Something Foundation Evening and Day Sales, April 3 and 4, 2017 @Phillips

The results from Phillips’ recent single collector sale from Howard Stein’s Joy of Giving Something Foundation were certainly solid, but perhaps not as overly frothy as expected, given the vintage rarities available from both the 19th and 20th centuries. The mid-priced lots fared the best and there were plenty of positive surprises across the sessions, but there was a bit of softness at the top, with one of the top lot Moholy-Nagy prints failing to sell and a few additional six figure lots also passing. Overall, the Total Sale Proceeds reached almost $6.4M, settling right into the midpoint of the aggregate pre-sale estimate range.

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

Summary Statistics
Total Lots 228
Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate $5407000
Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate $7950000
Total Lots Sold 191
Total Lots Bought In 37
Buy In % 16.23%
Total Sale Proceeds $6386675

Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post):

Detailed Breakdown
Low Total Lots 53
Total Low Lots Sold 44
Total Low Lots Bought In 9
Low Buy In % 16.98%
Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots $408000
Total Proceeds from Low Lots $389800
Mid Total Lots 129
Total Mid Lots Sold 117
Total Mid Lots Bought In 12
Mid Buy In % 9.30%
Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots $3222000
Total Proceeds from Mid Lots $3380625
Total High Lots 46
Total High Lots Sold 30
Total High Lots Bought In 16
High Buy In % 34.78%
Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots $4320000
Total Proceeds from High Lots $2616250

The top lot by High estimate was tied between two lots: lot 8, László Moholy-Nagy, Photogram studies for Goerz (negative and positive), 1925, and lot 10, László Moholy-Nagy, Photogram, 1922, each estimated at $150000-250000. Lot 8 was the top outcome of the sales at $212500, while lot 10 did not sell (images in preview post).

80.10% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were a total of 20 positive surprises in the sales (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (images above via Phillips):

Lot 6, Willi Ruge, Berlin Fallschirmspringer from I Photograph Myself During a Parachute Jump, 1931, estimated at $20000-30000, sold at $65000 (image in preview post)

Lot 11, Josef Sudek, The Third Courtyard of Prague Castle, 1947, estimated at $20000-30000, sold at $61250

Lot 32, Félix Teynard, Karnak (Thèbes), Palais – Salle Hypostyle – Vue Transversale Prise du Point K, 1851-1852, estimated at $30000-50000, sold at $105000

Lot 37, Bill Brandt, Francis Bacon, Primrose Hill, 1963, estimated at $10000-15000, sold at $40000

Lot 43, Roy DeCarava, Catsup Bottles, Table and Coat, New York, 1952, estimated at $7000-9000, sold at $20000

Lot 58, Bill Brandt, East Sussex Coast, 1959, estimated at $10000-15000, sold at $32500

Lot 59, Constantin Brancusi, (Bois) Group Mobile (L’Enfant au monde), 1917, estimated at $40000-60000, sold at $125000

Lot 79, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Self Portrait, 1905, estimated at $20000-30000 sold at $93750

Lot 80, Robert Demachy, Frederick Holland Day, c1900-1920, estimated at $20000-30000 sold at $68750

Lot 102, John Beasley Greene, Dakkeh, Salle de Thot, 1854, estimated at $15000-25000, sold at $56250

Lot 103, James Anderson, View of Rome from the French Academy, Monte Pincio, c1850-1865, estimated at $8000-12000, sold at $32500

Lot 104, Captain Linnaeus Tripe, The Causeway Across Vaigai River, Madura, 1858, estimated at $8000-12000, sold at $25000

Lot 123, Benjamin Brecknell Turner, Trees (Pepperharrow Park), c1853, estimated at $25000-35000, sold at $162500

Lot 129, William Bell, Perched Rock, Rocker Creek, Arizona, 1872, estimated at $10000-15000, sold at $43750

Lot 132, Claude-Joseph Désiré Charnay, Raharla, Minister to the Queen, 1863, estimated at $10000-15000, sold at $32500

Lot 135, Julia Margaret Cameron, Sir John Herschel, 1867, estimated at $20000-30000, sold at $112500

Lot 141, Dora Maar, Untitled (double-exposed portrait), c1936, estimated at $20000-30000, sold at $100000

Lot 169, W. Eugene Smith, Thelonious Monk Rehearsing in the Loft, 1959, estimated at $7000-9000, sold at $30000

Lot 192, Peter Hujar, Susan Sontag, 1975, estimated at $10000-15000, sold at $30000

Lot 193, Peter Hujar, Cow with Straw in its Mouth, 1978, estimated at $6000-8000, sold at $16250

The complete lot by lot results can be found here (Evening) and here (Day).

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Read more about: Alvin Langdon Coburn, Benjamin Brecknell Turner, Bill Brandt, Claude-Joseph Désiré Charnay, Constantin Brancusi, Dora Maar, Félix Teynard, James Anderson, John Beasley Greene, Josef Sudek, Julia Margaret Cameron, Linnaeus Tripe, Peter Hujar, Robert Demachy, Roy DeCarava, W. Eugene Smith, Willi Ruge, William Bell, Phillips

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