Beeple Leads Sotheby's, Online $798,000 'Digital Art Day Sale'

A work by Beeple was the headline sale at Sotheby's, Online 'Digital Art Day Sale' on August 22.

• The sale totaled $798,000, falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 57 works sold totaling $798,000.
• Estimates totaled: $872,000 (low) and $1.26m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 95% of the original 60 lots announced.

The star lot was: Beeple, MOTHER OF EVOLUTION (2022), which sold for $84,000, 5% above its $80,000 low estimate. It has been traded 3 times in the past.

The outperformer sold for 1040% above its low estimate. Jake, No Pressure (2021), sold for $2,280 ($200 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.

• 18 works, or 32%, sold above their high estimate.
• 20 works, or 35%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 19 works, or 33%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

3 works were bought-in, including: Dmitri Cherniak, Ringers #965 (2021), estimated at $70,000 (low) to $100,000 (high). It has been traded twice 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Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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