Andre Brasilier Leads Sotheby's, Online $979,700 'Modern Discoveries' Auction

A work by Andre Brasilier was the headline sale at Sotheby's, Online 'Modern Discoveries' auction on May 9.

• The sale totaled $979,700, meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 54 works sold totaling $979,700.
• Estimates totaled: $730,800 (low) and $1.17m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 89% of the original 61 lots announced.

The star lot was: Andre Brasilier, La vallée de la Muze (1988), which sold for $89,400, 150% above its $33,300 low estimate. It has not been traded before.

The outperformer sold for 400% above its low estimate. Lin Xi, Your Name, My Surname (2024), sold for $14,600 ($2,559 low estimate). It has not been traded before.

• 18 works, or 33%, sold above their high estimate.
• 28 works, or 52%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 8 works, or 15%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

6 works were bought-in, including: Andre Brasilier, Village du Tardenois (1966), estimated at $35,800 (low) to $61,400 (high).

Withdrawn before the sale

1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Nguyen Gia Tri, Village in the forest (1952) estimated at $19,200 (low) to $38,400 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.