Christie's Vanthournout Collection Day Sale Totals $11.48m
3 min read · 06 Mar 2026
IRON BABY by Antony Gormley sold for $644,800. Image courtesy of Christie's
A work by Antony Gormley was the headline sale at Christie's 'Modern Visionaries - The Roger and Josette Vanthournout Collection - Day Sale' on March 6 in London.
- The sale totaled $11.48m (GBP8.6m), exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 69 works sold totaling $11.48m.
- Estimates totaled: $7.64m (low) and $11.25m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 91% of the original 76 lots announced.
The star lot was: Antony Gormley, IRON BABY (1999), which sold for $644,800, 162% above its $245,500 low estimate. It has been traded 3 times in the past.
Confrontation by Alberto Magnelli sold for $296,900 (444% above estimate). Image courtesy of Christie's
The outperformer sold for 444% above its low estimate. Alberto Magnelli, Confrontation (1952), sold for $296,900 ($54,500 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.
- 41 works, or 60%, sold above their high estimate.
- 13 works, or 19%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 14 works, or 21%, sold below their low estimate.
- 1 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
No sales had a guarantee.
Works that did not sell
4 works were bought-in, including: Thomas Schutte, Beeren (Berries) (1991), estimated at $409,100 (low) to $681,800 (high). It has been traded once in the past.
Withdrawn before the sale
3 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: George Rickey, Four Open Rectangles Diagonal Joined Gyratory II (1988), estimated at $95,500 (low) to $136,400 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.
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