Artcurial Post-War & Contemporain Auction Totals $2.25m
3 min read · 19 Apr 2026
Soldier Dancing the Dance of the Airplanes by Robert Combas sold for $195,500. Image courtesy of Artcurial
A work by Robert Combas was the headline sale at Artcurial 'Post-War & Contemporain' auction on April 17 in Paris.
- The sale totaled $2.25m (EUR1.9m), meeting the pre-sale estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 62 works sold totaling $2.25m.
- Estimates totaled: $1.71m (low) and $2.55m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 77% of the original 81 lots announced.
The star lot was: Robert Combas, Soldier Dancing the Dance of the Airplanes (1983), which sold for $195,500, 177% above its $70,600 low estimate.
Untitled by Josef Sima sold for $56,300 (584% above estimate). Image courtesy of Artcurial
The outperformer sold for 584% above its low estimate. Josef Sima, Untitled (1957), sold for $56,300 ($8,233 low estimate).
- 38 works, or 61%, sold above their high estimate.
- 23 works, or 37%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 1 works, or 2%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
No sales had a guarantee.
Works that did not sell
17 works were bought-in, including: Robert Mapplethorpe, Thomas (1986), estimated at $58,800 (low) to $82,300 (high).
Withdrawn before the sale
2 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Emil Schumacher, Untitled (1958), estimated at $14,100 (low) to $21,200 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.
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