Christie's Art Contemporain Auction Totals $10.8m
3 min read · 16 Apr 2026
T1980-K5 by Hans Hartung sold for $523,700. Image courtesy of Christie's
A work by Hans Hartung, which had a guarantee, was the headline sale at Christie's 'Art Contemporain' auction on April 16 in Paris.
- The sale totaled $10.8m (EUR9.17m), meeting the pre-sale estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 80 works sold totaling $10.8m.
- Estimates totaled: $7.75m (low) and $11.24m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 81% of the original 99 lots announced.
The star lot was: Hans Hartung, T1980-K5 (1980), which sold for $523,700, 126% above its $231,300 low estimate. The work was backed by a guarantee. It has been traded once in the past.
Feeling Fine by Xevi Solà Serra sold for $56,900 (602% above estimate). Image courtesy of Christie's
The outperformer sold for 602% above its low estimate. Xevi Solà Serra, Feeling Fine (2023), sold for $56,900 ($8,097 low estimate). It has not been traded before.
- 41 works, or 51%, sold above their high estimate.
- 30 works, or 38%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 9 works, or 11%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
2 works were backed by guarantees, including: Hans Hartung, T1976-R42 (1976). It sold for $104,700, 9% below its $115,700 low estimate.. It has been traded once in the past.
Works that did not sell
16 works were bought-in, including: Magdalena Abakanowicz, Group of Three Figures (2009), estimated at $173,500 (low) to $231,300 (high). It has been traded 5 times in the past.
Withdrawn before the sale
3 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Alfonso Ossorio, Untitled (1957), estimated at $115,700 (low) to $173,500 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.
Get the HENI News Daily Art Digest delivered to your inbox