New York –May 12, 2023, Christie’s New York embarked on the second consecutive day of 20th and 21st Century Spring Marquee Week art auctions with the Post-War & Contemporary Art Day Sale beginning live at 10AM. The excitement was palpable in the packed Rockefeller Center saleroom, with lively and spirited bidding from clients in the room, online, and on the telephones throughout the morning and afternoon. In total, the sale achieved $80,449,990 selling 90% by lot, 92% by value, and 114% hammer against low estimate. Combined with the successful sale of the S.I. Newhouse Collection and the 20th Century Evening Sale on Thursday, May 11, this sale brought the running total of the week to $587,021,590.
The top lot of the sale was Number 28, 1949, a fantastic canvas by Jackson Pollock from the collection of Ann and Gordon Getty. The painting far exceeded its high estimate of $4,000,000 to sell for $6,705,000 –the second highest price ever seen in a Day sale. Two additional prime examples of Abstract Expressionism each surpassed their high estimates to establish the second and third highest prices in the auction; Untitled by Joan Mitchell sold for $5,132,000, and Genuine Blue by Helen Frankenthaler sold for $3,317,000.
The sale offered works from a number of estates and private collections, highlighted by:
- The Collection of Nicole Emmerich Teweles making $9,994,930
- The Alan and Dorothy Press Collection totaling $7,095,790
- The Collection of Jacques and Emy Cohenca realizing $816,480
A wide range of artists spanning genres throughout the 20th and 21st Centuries saw exceptional prices. Robert Longo’s Study of Eric sold for $441,000 against a low estimate of $25,000; Bob Thompson’s Meeting Man sold for $327,600, establishing the highest price for the artist in this scale; and Spencer Lewis’s Untitled achieved $113,400 – the second highest price for the artist. Set List Focus by Jenna Gribbon saw an extraordinary result; with 14 active bidders, the example sold for $403,200—more than ten times the low estimate— and established a new record for Gribbon. The sale also included one digital artwork, Midwest by Grant Yun, comprising a physical work and an NFT, that sold above its high estimate for $107,100.
Records:
- Maysha Mohamedi, Too Young to Go Steady sold for $107,100
- Jenna Gribbon, Set List Focus sold for $403,200
- Jesse Mockrin, The Pursuit sold for $113,400
- Shona McAndrew, Jade sold for $23,940
- Alvin Armstrong, Ball Isn’t Life sold for $15,120
- Santiago Calatrava, Untitled (Nude) sold for $6,300
- David Hockney, Caribbean Tea Time sold for $378,000 (record for the edition)
- Hilary Pecis, Scrabble Board sold for $44,100 (record for a work on paper)
- Piero Dorazio, Untitled sold for $8,190 (record for a ceramic work)
Spring Marquee Week Sales continue tomorrow, May 13 with the Impressionist and Modern Works on Paper Sale live at 10AM.
