Christie's Tom Wesselman American Beauty Auction Totals $1.14m

A work by Tom Wesselmann was the headline sale at Christie's 'American Beauty: Tom Wesselmann Online' auction on July 1-17 in New York.

• The sale totaled $1.14m, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 30 works sold totaling $1.14m.
• Estimates totaled: $631,000 (low) and $945,000 (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 100%, so a white-glove sale.

The star lot was: Tom Wesselmann, Bedroom Face with Lichtenstein (3-D) (1989), which sold for $444,500, 122% above its $200,000 low estimate. It has been traded twice in the past.

The outperformer sold for 344% above its low estimate. Tom Wesselmann, Bedroom Nude, from Bedroom Portfolio (1978), sold for $17,800 ($4,000 low estimate).

• 18 works, or 60%, sold above their high estimate.
• 7 works, or 23%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 5 works, or 17%, 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Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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