Christie's First Open | Post-War & Contemporary Art Auction Totals $9.09m
3 min read · 21 Jul 2026
Study to Homage to the Square: Yellow Echo by Josef Albers sold for $355,600. Image courtesy of Christie's
A work by Josef Albers was the headline sale at Christie's 'First Open | Post-War & Contemporary Art' auction on July 1-17 in New York.
- The sale totaled $9.09m, meeting the pre-sale estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 239 works sold totaling $9.09m.
- Estimates totaled: $6.24m (low) and $9.27m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 86% of the original 279 lots announced.
The star lot was: Josef Albers, Study to Homage to the Square: Yellow Echo (1956), which sold for $355,600, 77% above its $200,000 low estimate. It has been traded twice in the past.
Paysage Aux Routes by Jean Dubuffet sold for $114,300 (662% above estimate). Image courtesy of Christie's
The outperformer sold for 662% above its low estimate. Jean Dubuffet, Paysage Aux Routes (1943), sold for $114,300 ($15,000 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.
- 111 works, or 46%, sold above their high estimate.
- 82 works, or 34%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 46 works, or 19%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
43 works were backed by guarantees, including: Frank Stella, Shãma 5.5X (1979). It sold for $254,000, 111% above its $120,000 low estimate.. It has been traded once in the past.
Works that did not sell
40 works were bought-in, including: Imi Knoebel, Canapé Monochrome Brun Olive (1990), estimated at $100,000 (low) to $150,000 (high). It has been traded 5 times 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Withdrawn before the sale
0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.
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