The COVID-rearranged fall auction season for photography got started earlier this week with a various owner Photographs auction at Phillips in London. The results were surprisingly strong, given the circumstances. The top lot Richard Avedon print of Brigitte Bardot found a buyer within its estimate range, and was then quickly bested by a Mario Testino print of Kate Moss. With a low overall Buy-In rate (under 14%) and a number of positive surprises, the Total Sale Proceeds (of just over £2.7M) came in near the top of the aggregate pre-sale estimate range.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 173 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | £1952500 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | £2839700 |
| Total Lots Sold | 149 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 24 |
| Buy In % | 13.87% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | £2705563 |
Here is the breakdown (using our typical Low, Mid, and High definitions):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 46 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 40 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 6 |
| Low Buy In % | 13.04% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | £180700 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | £161938 |
| Mid Total Lots | 100 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 87 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 13 |
| Mid Buy In % | 13.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | £1049000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | £1129875 |
| Total High Lots | 27 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 22 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 5 |
| High Buy In % | 18.52% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | £1610000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | £1413750 |
The top lot by High estimate was lot 75, Richard Avedon, Brigitte Bardot, hair by Alexandre, Paris, January 27, 1959, estimated at £180000-220000; it sold for £212500. The top outcome of the sale was lot 76, Mario Testino, Exposed, Kate Moss, London, 2008, estimated at £80000-120000, sold at £225000 (image above, via Phillips).
89.93% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were a total of 11 positive surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (images above via Phillips):
Lot 1, Zanele Muholi, Zodwa, Paris from Somnyama Ngonyama, 2014, estimated at £10000-15000, sold at £35000
Lot 8, Yoo Hyun Mi, Earth No. 1 from Still Life, 2007, estimated at £5000-7000, sold at £22500
Lot 9, Eiji Ohashi, Roadside Lights #016, 2016, estimated at £10000-15000, sold at £33750
Lot 82, Terry O’Neill, Brigitte Bardot, Spain, 1971/later, estimated at £7000-9000, sold at £22500
Lot 83, Terry O’Neill, Audrey Hepburn with dove, St. Tropez, 1967/later, estimated at £7000-9000, sold at £25000
Lot 104, Martin Schoeller, Angelina with Blood, 2003, estimated at £7000-9000, sold at £25000
Lot 133, Ikko Narahara, Shadow of car driving through desert, Arizona, from Where Time Has Vanished, 1971/1976, estimated at £5000/7000, sold at £15000
Lot 141, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Tyrrhenian Sea, Priano, 1994, estimated at £12000-18000, sold at £37500
Lot 142, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Time Exposed, 1991, estimated at £8000-12000, sold at £30000
Lot 162, Brett Weston, Underwater Nude, 1981, estimated at £2000-3000, sold at £6000
Lot 167, Terry O’Neill, David Bowie, Diamond Dogs, London, 1974/later, estimated at £2000-3000, sold at £6875
The complete lot by lot results can be found here.
