Christie's Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale Totals $41.76m
3 min read · 19 May 2026
Le peintre et son modèle dans un paysage by Pablo Picasso sold for $3.37m. Image courtesy of Christie's
A work by Pablo Picasso was the headline sale at Christie's 'Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale' on May 19 in New York.
- The sale totaled $41.76m, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 151 works sold totaling $41.76m.
- Estimates totaled: $25.44m (low) and $38.61m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 92% of the original 164 lots announced.
The star lot was: Pablo Picasso, Le peintre et son modèle dans un paysage (1963), which sold for $3.37m, 12% above its $3m low estimate. It has been traded twice in the past.
Untitled by Bridget Tichenor sold for $838,200 (1297% above estimate). Image courtesy of Christie's
The outperformer sold for 1297% above its low estimate. Bridget Tichenor, Untitled (Undated), sold for $838,200 ($60,000 low estimate), setting a new auction record for the artist. It has been traded twice in the past.
- 102 works, or 68%, sold above their high estimate.
- 41 works, or 27%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 8 works, or 5%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Auction record
Bridget Tichenor's Untitled (Undated) surrealist painting sold for $838,200, beating her previous auction record by $435,000, a 100% rise.
Guaranteed sales
16 works were backed by guarantees, including: Marino Marini, Composizione-Miracolo (1956). It sold for $635,000, 27% above its $500,000 low estimate.. It has been traded 3 times in the past.
Works that did not sell
10 works were bought-in, including: Berthe Morisot, View of the Seine at Mézy (1890), estimated at $180,000 (low) to $250,000 (high). It has been traded 3 times in the past.
Withdrawn before the sale
3 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Winslow Homer, On the Beach, Cullercoats (1881), estimated at $600,000 (low) to $800,000 (high).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. 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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