Manoucher Yektai Leads Christie's Online $4m '20th/21st Century Art' Auction

A work by Manoucher Yektai was the headline sale at Christie's Online '20th/21st Century Art' auction on December 10.

• The sale totaled $4.02m (EUR3.81m), meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 176 works sold totaling $4.02m.
• Estimates totaled: $3.08m (low) and $4.52m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 82% of the original 215 lots announced.

The star lot was: Manoucher Yektai, Sans titre (1961), which sold for $225,900, 330% above its $52,500 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.

The outperformer sold for 1007% above its low estimate. Achille-Emile Othon Friesz, Vue de la falaise, Normandie (1905), sold for $46,500 ($4,200 low estimate). It has been traded twice in the past.

• 89 works, or 51%, sold above their high estimate.
• 57 works, or 32%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 30 works, or 17%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

39 works were bought-in, including: Pier Paolo Calzolari, Sans titre (1987), estimated at $63,000 (low) to $84,000 (high). It has been traded twice in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn

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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.