Childe Hassam Leads Christie's $46m Impressionist & Modern Sale

A work by Childe Hassam was the headline sale at Christie's 'Impressionist & Modern Art Day Sale' on November 18 in New York.

• The sale totaled $46.35m, meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 198 works sold totaling $46.35m.
• Estimates totaled: $38.34m (low) and $57.39m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 86% of the original 229 lots announced.

The star lot was: Childe Hassam, The Flower Seller (1894), which sold for $2.15m, 114% above its $1m low estimate. It has been traded 5 times in the past.

The outperformer sold for 814% above its low estimate. Imre Szobotka, A Muzsikus (1914), sold for $228,600 ($25,000 low estimate). It has been traded twice in the past.

• 102 works, or 52%, sold above their high estimate.
• 75 works, or 38%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 21 works, or 11%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

84 works were backed by guarantees, including: Robert Delaunay, Portrait de Jean Metzinger (1906). It sold for $2.03m, 35% above its $1.5m low estimate.. It has been traded twice in the past.

Works that did not sell

26 works were bought-in, including: Mary Cassatt, Woman wearing a black and green bonnet, sewing (1889), estimated at $800,000 (low) to $1.2m (high). It has been traded 5 times in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

5 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Camille Pissarro, Rue Rémy, Auvers-sur-Oise (1873) estimated at $800,000 (low) to $1.2m (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.