The photography included in the powerhouse Emily Fisher Landau Collection sales at Sotheby’s last week in New York performed admirably, aside from the top photo lot Barbara Kruger print which failed to sell. Everything else on offer (photographically that is) found a buyer, with 5 positive surprises jumping up to even higher heights. When the scales balanced out, the Total Sale Proceeds for photography (of roughly $1.47M) fell in the middle of the aggregate pre-sale estimate range.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 16 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | $1230000 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | $1827000 |
| Total Lots Sold | 15 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 1 |
| Buy In % | 6.25% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | $1473200 |
Here is the breakdown (using our usual Low, Mid, and High price tier definitions):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 1 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 1 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 0 |
| Low Buy In % | 0.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | $10000 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | $48260 |
| Mid Total Lots | 7 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 7 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 0 |
| Mid Buy In % | 0.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | $227000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | $443230 |
| Total High Lots | 8 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 7 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 1 |
| High Buy In % | 12.50% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | $1590000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | $981710 |
The top photography lot by High estimate was lot 143, Barbara Kruger, Heart (Do I have to give up me to be loved by you), 1988, estimated at $400000-600000; it did not sell. The top photography outcome in the sale was lot 142, John Baldessari, Duck/Bird/Midget/Man (in Top Hat and Cane), 1988, estimated at $250000-350000, sold at $368300 (image above, via Sotheby’s.)
86.67% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were a total of 5 positive photographic surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (images above, via Sotheby’s):
Lot 118, Cy Twombly, Tulips (III) (six prints), 1993, estimated at $50000-70000, sold at $165100
Lot 156, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Selected works (23 portraits), 1982-1992, estimated at $7000-10000, sold at $48260
Lot 162, Hiroshi Sugimoto, North Atlantic Ocean, Cape Breton Island, 1996, estimated at $20000-30000, sold at $139700
Lot 164, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Avalon Theatre, Catalina Island, 1993, estimated at $15000-25000, sold at $50800
Lot 165, Gregory Crewdson, Untitled (Brief Encounter), 2006, estimated at $30000-50000, sold at $101600
The complete lot by lot results can be found here.
