John Minton Leads Christie's $6.46m Modern British and Irish Day Sale

A work by John Minton was the headline sale at Christie's 'Modern British and Irish Art Day Sale' on March 19 in London.

• The sale totaled $6.46m (GBP4.84m), meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 118 works sold totaling $6.46m.
• Estimates totaled: $4.35m (low) and $6.48m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 85% of the original 139 lots announced.

The star lot was: John Minton, Spencer Churchill (1952), which sold for $271,400, 409% above its $53,200 low estimate. It has not been traded before.

The outperformer sold for 409% above its low estimate. John Minton, Spencer Churchill (1952), sold for $271,400 ($53,200 low estimate). It has not been traded before.

• 73 works, or 62%, sold above their high estimate.
• 44 works, or 37%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 1 works, or 1%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

20 works were bought-in, including: Barry Flanagan, Acrobat on Pyramid (2000), estimated at $106,400 (low) to $159,700 (high). It has not been traded before.

Withdrawn before the sale

1 work was withdrawn before the sale: William Turnbull, Leda (1982), estimated at $53,200 (low) to $79,800 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.