Christie's Impressionist and Modern Art Day and Works on Paper Sale Totals $16.06m

A work by Theo van Rysselberghe was the headline sale at Christie's 'Impressionist and Modern Art Day and Works on Paper Sale' on October 16 in London.

• The sale totaled $16.06m (GBP12.12m), meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 132 works sold totaling $16.06m.
• Estimates totaled: $14.43m (low) and $21.37m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 79% of the original 168 lots announced.

The star lot was: Theo van Rysselberghe, Jeune fille au chapeau de paille (1901), which sold for $932,700, 134% above its $397,400 low estimate. It has been traded twice in the past.

The outperformer sold for 710% above its low estimate. Pablo Picasso, Portrait with Wheat Ears and Flowers (1954), sold for $32,200 ($3,974 low estimate). It has been traded twice in the past.

• 79 works, or 60%, sold above their high estimate.
• 44 works, or 33%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 9 works, or 7%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

1 work was backed by a guarantee: Alfred Kubin, Die Schlange (1900). It was bought-in. It has been traded twice in the past.

Works that did not sell

33 works were bought-in, including: Alfred Kubin, Die Schlange (1900), estimated at $463,600 (low) to $728,600 (high). It has been traded twice in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

3 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Paul Klee, Die Citadelle (1929), estimated at $463,600 (low) to $728,600 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.