Auction: First Open Post-War and Contemporary Art, March 11, 2010 @Christie's New York

Christie's follows Sotheby's in the post-Armory run of low to medium range Contemporary Art sales in New York next week. There are a total of 169 lots on offer in this auction, with 22 lots of photography available, with a total High estimate for photography of $792000. (Catalog cover at right, via Christie's.)

Here's the statistical breakdown:

Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including $10000): 4

Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of Low lots): $35000

Total Mid Lots (high estimate between $10000 and $50000): 15

Total Mid Estimate: $397000

Total High Lots (high estimate above $50000): 3

Total High Estimate: $360000
.

There are three lots that are effectively tied for the top photography lot by High estimate. They are: lot 13, Cindy Sherman, Untitled #194, 1980, at $90000-120000; lot 17, Barbara Kruger, Untitled (Your every wish is our command), 1982, at $80000-120000 (image at right, via Christie's); and lot 105, Chuck Close, Nat (Five color studies), 1971, at $80000-120000. The Sherman image is from the History Portraits series; her hairy chested, long haired rogue is brilliantly unsettling (here).

The following is the list of photographers represented by more than one lot in this sale:

Matthew Barney (2)

Chuck Close (2)

Gabriel Orozco (2)

Thomas Ruff (2)

Cindy Sherman (2)

Thomas Struth (2)

The complete lot by lot catalog can be found here. The eCatalogue is here.

First Open Post-War and Contemporary Art

March 11th

Christie's

20 Rockefeller Plaza

New York, NY 10020