Auction Results: Photographie, June 10, 2011 @Van Ham

The recent photography sale at Van Ham in Cologne didn't provide much in the way of fireworks. While there were a number of positive surprises (led by several prints by Albert Renger-Patzsch), they weren't enough to overcome a Buy-In rate over 55%. Overall, the Total Sale Proceeds fell well below the pre-sale estimate. (Van Ham does not provide an estimate range in many cases, just a single estimate number, so this figure is used as the High estimate in our calculations).
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The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):

Total Lots: 398
Pre Sale High Total Estimate: 793380€
Total Lots Sold: 172
Total Lots Bought In: 226
Buy In %: 56.78%
Total Sale Proceeds: 472228€

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

Low Total Lots: 383
Low Sold: 165
Low Bought In: 218
Buy In %: 56.92%
Total Low Estimate: 626380€
Total Low Sold: 344578€

Mid Total Lots: 15
Mid Sold: 7
Mid Bought In: 8
Buy In %: 53.33%
Total Mid Estimate: 167000€
Total Mid Sold: 127650€

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

The top lot by High estimate was lot 1146, Floris Neusüss, Sabine, 1961, at 16000-18000€; it did not sell. The top outcome of the sale was lot 1112, Jürgen Klauke, Konfrontation, 1977, at 41400€. (image at right, middle, via Van Ham)

71.51% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate. There were a total of 18 surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate):

Lot 1038, Max Burchartz, Lotte (Auge), 1928/1980, at 2760€
Lot 1045, Chargesheimer, Il Suono, 1950, at 2760€ (image at right, bottom, via Van Ham)
Lot 1054, Walter Dexel, Neue Wege der Photographie, 1928, at 6325€
Lot 1112, Jürgen Klauke, Konfrontation, 1977, at 41400€ (image at right, middle, via Van Ham)
Lot 1153, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Bergmannshauser in Essen-Stoppenberg, 1929, at 21850€
Lot 1158, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Eichenkamp bei Wamel, 1945, at 5520€
Lot 1159, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Schwarzwald. Elbingswald im Regen, 1940, at 8625€ (image at right, top, via Van Ham)
Lot 1160, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Winter, 1950, at 3450€
Lot 1187, August Sander, Soldaten der englischen Besatzungstruppen, 1924, at 2040€
Lot 1220, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Time Exposed, 1991, at 13800€
Lot 1222, Unbekannt, Action, 1970, at 3795€
Lot 1283, Karl Hugo Schmolz, Kolner Dom, 1947, at 2300€
Lot 1288, Eddie Adams, Execution in Saigon, 1968, at 1140€
Lot 1304, Felix Bonfils, Naher Osten, 1870s, at 2040€
Lot 1347, Heinirch Kuhn, Waschetrocknerin in den Dunen, 1906, at 1200€
Lot 1348, Heinrich Kuhn, Hamburger Hafen, 1911, at 1320€
Lot 1389, Nick Ut, South Vietnam War Napalm Bombing, 1972/1978, at 4025€
Lot 1390, George West & Son, Segelyachten, 1890s, at 516€

Complete lot by lot results can be found here.

Van Ham Kunstauktionen
Schönhauser Straße 10 - 16
D - 50968 Köln

Auctions: Photography and Contemporary Art, May 30 and June 1, 2011 @Lempertz

Kunsthaus Lempertz has both a various owner Photography sale and a Contemporary Art sale (that includes a handful of photography lots) coming up in Cologne next week. As usual, it's the typical mix of generally lower priced European material we've come to expect. Overall, there are a total of 214 lots of photography on offer across the two sales, with a Total High Estimate of 540550€.
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Here's the breakdown:

Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including 7500€): 204
Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of Low lots): 315550€

Total Mid Lots (high estimate between 7500€ and 35000€): 7
Total Mid Estimate: 105000€

Total High Lots (high estimate above 35000€): 3
Total High Estimate: 120000€

The top lot by High estimate is tied between three lots. Two of the lots are groups of 4 winding tower prints by Bernd and Hilla Becher (each individual image titled by location): lot 508 from 1974-1978, and lot 509 from 1966-1968. The third is lot 590, Andreas Gursky, Furkapass, 1989. Each of the lots is estimated at 30000-40000€.

Here's the list of photographers who are represented by four or more lots in the two sales (with the number of lots in parentheses):

Albert Renger-Patzsch (7)
Umbo (5)
Lucia Moholy (4)
August Sander (4)
Toni Schneiders (4)
Jock Sturges (4)

(Lot 38, Umbo, Unheimliche Strasse, 1928/1975, at 2500€, at right, top, lot 42, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Gemeiner Lowenzahn. Samenstand, 1925-1929, at 3000-4000€, at right, bottom, and lot 193, Tatsumi Orimoto, Untitled from Tire Tube Communication: Mama and Neighbours, 1996, at 1500€, at right, middle, all via Lempertz.)

The complete lot by lot online catalogs can be found here (Photography) and here (Contemporary Art).

Photography
May 30th

Contemporary Art
June 1st

Kunsthaus Lempertz
Neumarkt 3
D-50667 Köln

Auction: Photographie, May 26, 2011 @Villa Grisebach

Villa Grisebach has its various owner photographs sale in Berlin later this week, with a typical selection of European material (both vintage and contemporary) on offer. Overall, there are a total of 190 lots available in this sale, with a Total High Estimate of 673500€.

Here's the statistical breakdown:
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Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including 7500€): 176
Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of Low lots): 442500€

Total Mid Lots (high estimate between 7500€ and 35000€): 14
Total Mid Estimate: 231000€

Total High Lots (high estimate above 35000€): 0
Total High Estimate: NA

The top lot by High estimate is lot 1409, Oskar Schlemmer/Kurt Bryner, Zwei Alben mit Photographien der familie Schlemmer und Freunden, 1937-1940, at 25000-30000€.

Here is the list of the photographers who are represented by three or more lots in the sale (with the number of lots in parentheses):

Helmar Lerski (8)
Thomas Ruff (4)
Thomas Struth (4)
Herbert Tobias (4)
Aenne Biermann (3)
Ilse Bing (3)
Robert Doisneau (3)
Gisele Freund (3)
Hosrt P. Horst (3)
Germaine Krull (3)
Arnold Newman (3)
Martin Parr (3)
Leni Riefenstahl (3)
Michael Ruetz (3)
Stephen Shore (3)
Hiroshi Sugimoto (3)
Paul Wolff (3)

(Lot 1364, Germaine Krull, Tour d'Eiffel, Paris, 1928, at 3000-4000€, image at right, top, lot 1398 Albert Renger-Patzsch, Zechenturme, Turmforderung (Zeche Grimberg, Bergkamen), 1950, at 2000-3000€, image at right, bottom, and Lot 1439, Thomas Demand, Wurstplatte, 1995, at 3000-4000€, at right, middle; all via Villa Grisebach.)

The complete lot by lot catalog can be found here.

Photographie
May 26th
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Villa Grisebach Auktionen
Fasanenstraße 25
D-10719 Berlin

Auction: Photographs, May 18, 2011 @Bloomsbury London

Bloomsbury's upcoming Photographs sale in London next week continues the house's pattern of gathering a broad variety of lower end and lesser known vintage material, much of it European. Most of the lots have a high estimate of £2000 or lower, so bargain hunting will be the norm. Overall, there are a total of 225 lots on offer, with a Total High Estimate of £405750.

Here's the breakdown:

Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including £5000): 207
Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of Low lots): £254750

Total Mid Lots (high estimate between £5000 and £25000): 18
Total Mid Estimate: £151000

Total High Lots (high estimate above £25000): 0
Total High Estimate: NA

The top lot by High estimate is lot 125, Irving Penn, Five Dahomey Girls, One Standing, 1967/1974, at £10000-15000.

Here is a short list of the photographers who are represented by four or more lots in the sale (with the number of lots in parentheses):

Eugene Atget (5)
Walker Evans (5)
George Rodger (5)
Cecil Beaton (4)
Edouard Boubat (4)
Bob Carlos Clarke (4)
Frank Horvat (4)
Yoshiyuki Iwase (4)

The complete lot by lot catalog can be found here.

(Lot 67, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Petals of the Echinopsishybride, 1928, at £1000-1500, at right, middle, lot 79, Bill Brandt, East Sussex Coast, 1957/1960, at £3000-4000, at right, top, and lot 112, Berenice Abbott, Canyon: Broadway and Exchange Place, 1936, at £9000-12000, at right, bottom, all via Bloomsbury.)

Photographs
May 18th

Bloomsbury Auctions
24 Maddox Street
Mayfair
London WS1 1PP

Auctions: Photographie and Selection from an American Collection, December 8, 2010 @Van Ham

Van Ham has has both a various owner Photographs sale and a single owner collection sale in Cologne later this week. The two sessions have a generous selection of lower end material, with plenty of work by Becher students (Gursky, Struth, Ruff, Höfer, Nieweg, Sasse, Ronkholz et al) and from the 1950s subjective photography movement (Schneiders, Keetman, Lauterwasser et al), and as usual, there are large groups of prints from Albert Renger-Patzsch and August Sander. Overall, there are a total of 443 lots on offer in this sale (across both sessions), with a Total High Estimate of 1120800€.

Here's the breakdown:

Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including 7500€): 424
Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of Low lots): 804800€

Total Mid Lots (high estimate between 7500€ and 35000€): 17
Total Mid Estimate: 231000€

Total High Lots (high estimate above 35000€): 2
Total High Estimate: 85000€

The top lot by High estimate is lot 1046A, Andreas Gursky, Cairo (General View), 1992, at 35000-45000€.

Here is the list of the photographers who are represented by five or more lots in the sale (with the number of lots in parentheses):

Albert Renger-Patzsch (20)
Karl Hugo Schmölz (11)
Robert Doisneau (10)
August Sander (10)
Harold Edgerton (9)
Elliott Erwitt (7)
Andreas Gursky (7)
Henri Cartier-Bresson (6)
Peter Keetman (6)
George Platt Lynes (6)
Paul Wolff & Alfred Tritschler (5)
Candida Höfer (5)
Inge Morath (5)

(Lot 1415, Edward Steichen, An Apple, a Boulder, a Mountain, 1921, at 30000-40000€ , at right, top, lot 1400, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Ruhrchemie, 1933-1934, at 2000-3000€, at right, middle, and lot 1224, Siegfried Lauterwasser, Eisen, 1950s, at 800€, at right, bottom, all via Van Ham.)

The complete lot by lot catalog for both sessions can be found here.

Photographie
December 8th

Selection from an American Collection
December 8th

Van Ham Kunstauktionen
Schönhauser Straße 10 - 16
D - 50968 Köln

Auction Results: Photographie, June 16, 2010 @Van Ham

The results from the various owner photography sale at Van Ham in Cologne were generally uneventful. 32 lots were withdrawn from the auction, so I've recalculated the statistical measurements on the reduced totals, as if the missing lots had never been on offer in the first place. Vintage August Sander portraits were the best performers in the sale. Overall, the Total Sale Proceeds missed the estimate by a decent margin. (Van Ham does not provide an estimate range in most cases, just a single estimate number, so this figure is used as the High estimate in our calculations).

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

Total Lots: 259

Pre Sale High Total Estimate: 445750€

Total Lots Sold: 180

Total Lots Bought In: 79

Buy In %: 30.50%

Total Sale Proceeds: 364338€

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

Low Total Lots: 252

Low Sold: 177

Low Bought In: 75

Buy In %: 29.76%

Total Low Estimate: 365750€

Total Low Sold: 309963€

Mid Total Lots: 7

Mid Sold: 3

Mid Bought In: 4

Buy In %: 57.14%

Total Mid Estimate: 80000€

Total Mid Sold: 54375€

High Total Lots: 0

High Sold: NA

High Bought In: NA

Buy In %: NA

Total High Estimate: 0€

Total High Sold: NA

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The top lot by High estimate was lot 17, Erwin Blumenfeld, Blumenfeld Color (portfolio), 1984, at 18000-20000€; it did not sell. The top outcome of the sale was lot 126, August Sander, Sänger u. Schauspieler, 1928, at 52500€. (Image at right, top, via Van Ham.)
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83.89% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate. There were a total of 11 surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate):

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Lot 84, Karim Saab, Foto Anschlag, 1988, at 7500€
Lot 86, Erich Kukies, Der Verkauf einer Seele bringt in keinem Fall genug, 2009, at 3625€

Lot 88, Georges Leuzinger, Rio de Janiero, 1865, at 6625€

Lot 95, Richard Petersen, Dresden 1945/Blick vom Rathausturm, 1945, at 3000€

Lot 101, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Das Bäumchen, 1929, at 32500€ (Image at right, bottom, via Van Ham.)

Lot 107, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Waldschlag, 1957, at 3750€

Lot 125, August Sander, Der Hausarzt, 1906, at 6250€

Lot 126, August Sander, Sänger u. Schauspieler, 1928, at 52500€

Lot 127, August Sander, Junglehrer, 1928, at 13750€

Lot 130, August Sander, Winkeladvokat, 1952, at 35000€

Lot 260, Hilmar Pabel, Dresden, 1949, at 1625€

Complete lot by lot results can be found here.

Van Ham Kunstauktionen
Schönhauser Straße 10 - 16
D - 50968 Köln