Andy Warhol Leads Phillips $5.29m 'Editions & Works on Paper' Auction in New York

A work by Andy Warhol was the headline sale at Phillips 'Editions & Works on Paper' auction on April 16-17 in New York.

• The sale totaled $5.29m, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 305 works sold totaling $5.29m.
• Estimates totaled: $3.05m (low) and $4.54m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 89% of the original 343 lots announced.

The star lot was: Andy Warhol, Moonwalk (1987), which sold for $463,500, 275% above its $120,000 low estimate.

The outperformer sold for 800% above its low estimate. Andy Warhol, Pear (1957), sold for $19,700 ($2,000 low estimate). It has been traded twice in the past.

• 163 works, or 53%, sold above their high estimate.
• 101 works, or 33%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 41 works, or 13%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

38 works were bought-in, including: Sam Francis, Untitled (1973), estimated at $25,000 (low) to $35,000 (high). It has been traded 3 times in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn

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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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