Auctions: Contemporary Art Evening and Day Sales, with the Valencia Collection, February 17 and 18, 2011 @Phillips London

Phillips seems to have lost the battle of the recent photography consigments, as its first offering of photography in 2011 is decidedly underwhelming. In contrast to the total photo value on offer at Sotheby's (roughly 3 million pounds) and Christie's (roughly 4 million pounds) earlier in the week in London, Phillips' sale is a distant third, hardly within shouting distance. Overall, there are a total of 29 lots of photography available across the three Phillips sales (none in the high end Evening sale), with a Total High Estimate for photography of £458000.

Here's the statistical breakdown:

Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including £5000): 3
Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of Low lots): £11000

Total Mid Lots (high estimate between £5000 and £25000): 21
Total Mid Estimate: £287000

Total High Lots (high estimate above £25000): 5
Total High Estimate: £160000

The top lot by High estimate is tied between two works: lot 298, Fischli and Weiss, Untitled (SAS and Concorde, NY), 1988/1989, image at right, middle, and lot 306, Marilyn Minter, Runs, 2005, image at right, bottom, both at £25000-35000. (Images via Phillips.)

Here is the very short list of the photographers who are represented by more than one lot in the three sales (with the number of lots in parentheses):

Marilyn Minter (3)
Vik Muniz (2)
Thomas Ruff (2)

(Lot 310, Jörg Sasse, 2075, 2003, at £4000-6000, image at right, top, via Phillips.)

The complete lot by lot catalogs can be found here (Evening), here (Day) and here (Valencia).
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Contemporary Art Evening Sale
February 17th
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Contemporary Art Day Sale
February 18th

Valencia Contemporary Art Collection
February 18th

Phillips De Pury & Company
Howick Place
London SW1P 1BB

Auction Results: Contemporary Art Evening and Day Sales, November 9 and 10, 2010 @Sotheby's

The positive run for contemporary photography continued at Sotheby's last week, with another set of sales results that topped their Total High Estimate. An Andreas Gursky print crossed the $2 million dollar threshold once again, for the second time this year. With an overall buy-in rate under 18% and more than two thirds of the photo lots that sold selling above their range, it was an excellent outcome all around, even with two out of the top three photo lots failing to find buyers.

The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):

Total Lots: 39
Pre Sale Low Total Estimate: $2999000
Pre Sale High Total Estimate: $4351000
Total Lots Sold: 32
Total Lots Bought In: 7
Buy In %: 17.95%
Total Sale Proceeds: $4412875

Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post, here):
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Low Total Lots: 0
Low Sold: NA
Low Bought In: NA
Buy In %: NA
Total Low Estimate: $0
Total Low Sold: NA

Mid Total Lots: 21
Mid Sold: 18
Mid Bought In: 3
Buy In %: 14.29%
Total Mid Estimate: $641000
Total Mid Sold: $713750

High Total Lots: 18
High Sold: 14
High Bought In: 4
Buy In %: 22.22%
Total High Estimate: $3710000
Total High Sold: $3699125

The top photography lot by High estimate was lot 8, Andreas Gursky, Frankfurt, 2007, at $1200000-1800000; it was also the top outcome of the two sales at $2098500. (Image at right, top, via Sotheby's.)

93.75% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range. There were a total of 2 surprises in these sales (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate):

Lot 417, Marilyn Minter, Twins, 2006, at $74500
Lot 419, Sharon Core, Cakes, 2004, at $80500

Complete lot by lot results can be found here (Evening) and here (Day).

Sotheby's
1334 York Avenue
New York, NY 10021

Auction Results: NOW, March 6, 2010 @Phillips New York

Last Saturday, Phillips began its 2010 series of themed sales with NOW: Art of the 21st Century. The top two photo lots failed to sell and the photo buy-in rate was up over 35%, together leading the total sale proceeds for photography to come in under the estimate range.

The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):

Total Lots: 80
Pre Sale Low Total Estimate: $403900
Pre Sale High Total Estimate: $569900
Total Lots Sold: 50
Total Lots Bought In: 30
Buy In %: 37.50%
Total Sale Proceeds: $364251

Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post, here):

Low Total Lots: 66
Low Sold: 41
Low Bought In: 25
Buy In %: 37.88%

Total Low Estimate: $276900
Total Low Sold: $192376

Mid Total Lots: 14
Mid Sold: 9
Mid Bought In: 5
Buy In %: 35.71%
Total Mid Estimate: $293000
Total Mid Sold: $171875

High Total Lots: 0
High Sold: NA
High Bought In: NA
Buy In %: NA
Total High Estimate: $0
Total High Sold: NA

The top lots by High estimate were lot 205, Olafur Eliasson, Nine Works: Landscapes, 1995, and lot 158, Paul Pfeiffer, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse 10, 2004, 2004, both at $30000-40000; both of these lots failed to sell. The top outcome of the sale was lot 129, Marilyn Minter, Sparks, 2002, at $47500 (image at right, via Phillips).

84.00% of the lots that sold had proceeds above or in the estimate range. There were a total of four surprises in this sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate):

Lot 12, Vik Muniz, Gummy Bears, 2002, at $13125

Lot 129, Marilyn Minter, Sparks, 2002, at $47500

Lot 130, Ryan McGinley, Laura (Thunderstorm), 2007, at $8125

Lot 131, Paul Rusconi, Untitled (Blue Kate), 2007, at $20000

Complete lot by lot results can be found here.

Phillips De Pury & Company
450 West 15th Street
New York, NY 10011

Marilyn Minter, Green Pink Caviar @Salon 94 Freemans

JTF (just the facts): A total of 8 works on view: 5 paintings, 2 photographs and 1 video. The photographs are c-prints, made in 2008 and 2009, 86x60, unframed and loosely binder clipped to the walls. The paintings are enamel on metal, in various sizes from 40x20 to 108x180, and unframed. All are hung in a single room gallery, with one painting hiding behind the corner of the partition. (Installation shot of the photographs, at right.)

Comments/Context: Marilyn Minter's show of new work at Salon 94 Freemans continues to explore a style that has made her images instantly recognizable from across a room: photographs and hyper real paintings that walk the fine line between over-the-top fabulous and more than a little disturbing, creating just enough tension to keep us looking. In this set of works, sensuous mouths, lips, tongues and fingers variously push and smear cake decorations (sparkly silver balls, pink flaked sugar, and unidentified goo tinted with food coloring) and bubble gum across glass plates, the pictures and videos taken from underneath, capturing watery swirls, squishes and distortions in gorgeous close-up. While the photographs are hauntingly crisp and clear, the paintings have a slightly more airbrushed, commercial feel, the subtle hint of cheesiness somehow matching the subject matter. The video Green Pink Caviar is currently being shown on the huge MTV billboard in Times Square; a smaller version runs in the gallery. It's a little like watching a car crash; unsettling but nevertheless oddly engrossing.

Collector's POV: Not surprisingly, I think Minter's photographs are far more successful than her paintings; the real life detail captured by the lens makes the images all the more mesmerizing. And while Minter's works don't fit into our collection at all, I continue to be impressed with the uniqueness of her voice as an artist; no one else's work looks like this, and my guess is that some of her images will likely age quite well (there always seems to be a place for decadence). The two photographs in this show are priced at $32000, in editions of 3 plus 2 APs. Two of the paintings are not for sale; the other three are priced at $55000, $70000, and $130000 respectively. A copy of the limited edition video is available on DVD for $40. A handful of Minter's photographs have started to appear at auction in past couple of years, ranging in price between $10000 and $55000, usually in editions of 3, 5 or 7.

Rating: * (1 star) GOOD (rating system described here)

Transit Hub:

• Green Pink Caviar website, with trailer (here)
• SFMOMA solo show, 2005 (here)
• Reviews: ArtObserved (here), New York (here)

Marilyn Minter, Green Pink Caviar
Through June 13th

Salon 94 Freemans
1 Freeman Alley
New York, NY 10002