The photography included in the various modern and contemporary art sales at Van Ham in Cologne last week generally met expectations. The overall Buy-In rate for photography hovered just over 20%, and with the top lot Wolfgang Tillmans abstraction finding a buyer above its estimate range, the Total Sale Proceeds for photography (of roughly €805K) came in 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 | 23 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | €647000 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | €942000 |
| Total Lots Sold | 18 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 5 |
| Buy In % | 21.74% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | €804936 |
Here is the breakdown (using our typical Low, Mid, and High definitions):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 7 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 6 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 1 |
| Low Buy In % | 14.29% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | €54000 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | €53856 |
| Mid Total Lots | 11 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 9 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 2 |
| Mid Buy In % | 18.18% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | €328000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | €295680 |
| Total High Lots | 5 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 3 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 2 |
| High Buy In % | 40.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | €560000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | €455400 |
The top photography lot by High estimate was lot 399, Wolfgang Tillmans, Mental Picture #52, 2000, estimated at €150000-200000; it was also the top photography outcome of the sales was at €356400 (image above via Van Ham.)
100.00% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate, and there were a total of 2 positive surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (images above, via Van Ham):
Lot 168, Gerhard Richter, Kerze, n.d., estimated at €20000-30000, sold at €63360
Lot 399A, Wolfgang Tillmans, paper drop, Oranienplatz, f, 2019, estimated at €12000-18000, sold at €39600
Complete lot by lot results can be found here.
