Christie's Photographs Auction Totals $4.56m
3 min read · 20 Apr 2026
Ginkgo Leaves, New York by Irving Penn sold for $355,600. Image courtesy of Christie's
A work by Irving Penn was the headline sale at Christie's 'Photographs' auction on April 3-17 in New York.
- The sale totaled $4.56m, falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 226 works sold totaling $4.56m.
- Estimates totaled: $4.75m (low) and $6.95m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 75% of the original 302 lots announced.
The star lot was: Irving Penn, Ginkgo Leaves, New York (1990), which sold for $355,600, 42% above its $250,000 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.
Nan in Stuyvesant Park, NYC by David Armstrong sold for $19,100 (852% above estimate). Image courtesy of Christie's
The outperformer sold for 852% above its low estimate. David Armstrong, Nan in Stuyvesant Park, NYC (1991), sold for $19,100 ($2,000 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.
- 79 works, or 35%, sold above their high estimate.
- 79 works, or 35%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 68 works, or 30%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
No sales had a guarantee.
Works that did not sell
75 works were bought-in, including: Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia O'Keeffe—Torso (1918), estimated at $250,000 (low) to $350,000 (high). It has been traded 3 times in the past.
Withdrawn before the sale
1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Nan Goldin, Pink sky from airplane (2000), estimated at $8,000 (low) to $12,000 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.
Get the HENI News Daily Art Digest delivered to your inbox