Auctions: Contemporary Art Day and Evening Sales, October 17, 2009 @Phillips London

Phillips has the final slot in the high speed Contemporary Art auction run in London, with Day and Evening sales this coming Saturday. Among the big three, Phillips is delivering the largest number of photo lots (54) and the largest total High estimate (£1373500) across its two sales. (Catalog covers at right, via Phillips.)

Here's the breakdown:

Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including £5000): 9
Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of Low lots): £31500

Total Mid Lots (high estimate between £5000 and £25000): 29
Total Mid Estimate: £372000

Total High Lots (high estimate above £25000): 16
Total High Estimate: £970000

The top lot by High estimate is lot 18, Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still #8, 1978, at £100000-150000.

Here's a short list of the photographers who are represented by more than one photo lot in the two sales (with the number of lots in parentheses):

Vik Muniz (7)
Florian Maier-Aichen (4)
Thomas Ruff (4)
Vanessa Beecroft (3)
Nan Goldin (3)
Cindy Sherman (3)
Wolfgang Tillmans (3)
Bernd and Hilla Becher (2)
Philip-Lorca DiCorcia (2)
Louise Lawler (2)
Paul McCarthy (2)

In these two sales, the best fit for our collection would be lot 286, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Krefeldn Hafen, 1979 at £8000-12000. Although outside our collecting parameters, the Cindy Sherman film still (the top lot across the two auctions) is pretty amazing.

The complete lot by lot catalogs can be found here (Day) and here (Evening).

Contemporary Art Day Sale
October 17th

Contemporary Art Evening Sale
October 17th

Phillips De Pury & Company
Howick Place
London SW1P 1BB