The results from the recent Photographies sale at Paris (online) were largely uneventful. The top lot Helmut Newton print didn’t sell (so a Robert Mapplethorpe self-portrait took the top lot honors), but the combination of a respectable overall Buy-In rate of 20% and a few positive surprises led to Total Sale Proceeds (of roughly €890K) that fell just below 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 | 65 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | €933000 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | €1324000 |
| Total Lots Sold | 52 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 13 |
| Buy In % | 20.00% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | €894222 |
Here is the breakdown (using our typical Low, Mid, and High definitions). Given recent currency fluctuations, we have once again re-adapted our local currency thresholds to match roughly $10000 and $50000 break points between categories.
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 26 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 23 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 3 |
| Low Buy In % | 11.54% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | €189000 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | €223272 |
| Mid Total Lots | 33 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 26 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 7 |
| Mid Buy In % | 21.21% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | €685000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | €498330 |
| Total High Lots | 6 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 3 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 3 |
| High Buy In % | 50.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | €450000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | €172620 |
The top lot by High estimate was lot 25, Helmut Newton, Roselyne at Arcangues, 1975, estimated at €90000-110000; it did not sell. The top outcome of the sale was lot 9, Robert Mapplethorpe, Self-portrait, 1985, estimated at €60000-80000, sold at €75600 (image above, via Christie’s).
98.08% 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) (images above, via Christie’s):
Lot 2, Adam Fuss, Untitled (Sunflower), 1993, estimated at €4000-6000, sold at €18900
Lot 5, Nan Goldin, French Chris on convertible, NYC, 1979, estimated at €6000-8000, sold at €18900
Lot 52, Peter Beard, Hunting Cheetahs on the Taru Desert, Kenya (for ‘The End of the Game’), 1960/1997, estimated at €6000-8000, sold at €18900
Lot 66, Bruce Weber, Lisa Marie, Palm Beach, 1986, estimated at €2000-3000, sold at €6930
Complete lot by lot results can be found here.
