Arman Leads Artcurial $3.3m Post-War & Contemporain Auction

A work by Arman was the headline sale at Artcurial 'Post-War & Contemporain' auction on December 10 in Paris.

• The sale totaled $3.27m (EUR2.81m), meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 148 works sold totaling $3.27m.
• Estimates totaled: $2.75m (low) and $3.97m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 79% of the original 187 lots announced.

The star lot was: Arman, Baroquial II (2000), which sold for $129,700, 85% above its $69,900 low estimate.

The outperformer sold for 553% above its low estimate. Louis Cane, Nude with Blue Hands (1983), sold for $38,000 ($5,821 low estimate).

• 88 works, or 60%, sold above their high estimate.
• 58 works, or 39%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 1 works, or 1%, sold below their low estimate.
• 1 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

37 works were bought-in, including: Robert Combas, Signature with Leg Hair (1984), estimated at $93,100 (low) to $139,700 (high).

Withdrawn before the sale

2 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Jesus Rafael Soto, Untitled (Undated) estimated at $34,900 (low) to $58,200 (high).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. Estimates, sale prices and totals are converted into US dollars. 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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.