Alex Israel Leads Phillips $1.61m 'Modern & Contemporary Art: Online Auction, New York' in New York

A work by Alex Israel was the headline sale at Phillips 'Modern & Contemporary Art: Online Auction, New York' on June 26 in New York.

• The sale totaled $1.61m, meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 162 works sold totaling $1.61m.
• Estimates totaled: $1.19m (low) and $1.76m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 91% of the original 179 lots announced.

The star lot was: Alex Israel, Self Portrait (2013), which sold for $101,600, 225% above its $30,000 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.

The outperformer sold for 700% above its low estimate. Yu Nishimura, a man's work (2017), sold for $40,600 ($5,000 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.

• 60 works, or 37%, sold above their high estimate.
• 61 works, or 38%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 41 works, or 25%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

15 works were bought-in, including: Sean Landers, Cerberus Today (1999), estimated at $25,000 (low) to $35,000 (high). It has been traded once in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

2 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Keita Morimoto, City Noise (2022) estimated at $4,000 (low) to $6,000 (high).

Terms and definitions

All results include the fees and premiums added to the price of a work of art when the auctioneer's hammer falls. Sale prices are compared to the auction house’s low estimate, which do not include premiums.

Guarantees: Sometimes an auction house guarantees to pay a seller for a work, regardless of whether the bidding reaches the reserve price, a figure that is typically confidential.

Bought-in: If there are no bids for a work, or if bidding falls short of the reserve price, the lot is unsold or “bought-in”.

Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.

Premiums: Typically a sliding-scale of charges paid in addition to the hammer price by the buyer, plus any other fees.