Ansel Adams' Aspens Leads Sotheby's $4.57m 'Photographs from the Meredith Collection' Auction in New York
3 min read · 17 Oct 2024
'Aspens, Northern New Mexico' (Vertical) by Ansel Adams sold for $720,000. Image courtesy of Sotheby's
'Aspens, Northern New Mexico' (Vertical) by Ansel Adams was the headline lot at Sotheby's 'Ansel Adams: A Legacy | Photographs from the Meredith Collection' auction on October 16 in New York.
- The sale totaled $4.57m, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 96 works sold totaling $4.57m.
- Estimates totaled: $1.77m (low) and $2.8m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 100%, so a white-glove sale.
The star lot was: Ansel Adams, 'Aspens, Northern New Mexico' (Vertical) (Undated), which sold for $720,000, 380% above its $150,000 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.
The outperformer sold for 560% above its low estimate. Ansel Adams, ‘Forest, Yosemite Valley (Yosemite National Park)’ (Undated), sold for $66,000 ($10,000 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.
Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed
- 74 works, or 77%, sold above their high estimate.
- 15 works, or 16%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 7 works, or 7%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
No sales had a guarantee.
Works that did not sell
0 works were bought-in.
Withdrawn before the sale
0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.