Christie's 20th/21st Century: Paris Evening Sale including Thinking Italian Totals $74.12m

A work by Lucio Fontana was the headline sale at Christie's '20th/21st Century: Paris Evening Sale including Thinking Italian' on October 22 in Paris.

• The sale totaled $74.12m (EUR66.01m), meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 71 works sold totaling $74.12m.
• Estimates totaled: $65.17m (low) and $93.45m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 85% of the original 84 lots announced.

The star lot was: Lucio Fontana, Spatial Concept, Midday in St. Mark's Square (1961), which sold for $7.65m, 24% above its $6.16m low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.

The outperformer sold for 348% above its low estimate. Frank Kupka, Nude in Black Stockings (1904), sold for $2.01m ($448,200 low estimate). It has been traded 3 times in the past.

• 35 works, or 50%, sold above their high estimate.
• 31 works, or 44%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 4 works, or 6%, sold below their low estimate.
• 1 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

22 works were backed by guarantees, including: Amedeo Modigliani, Minoutcha (1916). It sold for $6.97m, 24% above its $5.6m low estimate. It has been traded 15 times in the past.

Works that did not sell

7 works were bought-in, including: Alighiero e Boetti, Named Name (1973), estimated at $1.68m (low) to $2.24m (high). It has been traded 4 times in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

6 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Joan Mitchell, Sans titre (1957), estimated at $5.6m (low) to $7.84m (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.