Victor Man Leads Christie's $12.75m 'Post-War to Present' Auction in London

A work by Victor Man was the headline sale at Christie's 'Post-War to Present' auction on June 26 in London.

• The sale totaled $12.75m (GBP9.3m), meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 81 works sold totaling $12.75m.
• Estimates totaled: $10.88m (low) and $16.22m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 82% of the original 99 lots announced.

The star lot was: Victor Man, The Chandler (2013), which sold for $967,800, 138% above its $406,200 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.

The outperformer sold for 665% above its low estimate. Raymond Pettibon, We Have Got To Go Up or Go Under (1997), sold for $103,700 ($13,500 low estimate). It has been traded 3 times in the past.

• 38 works, or 47%, sold above their high estimate.
• 34 works, or 42%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 9 works, or 11%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

5 works were backed by guarantees, including: Kaws, GONE (2020). It sold for $777,700, 14% above its $677,000 low estimate.. It has been traded once in the past.

Works that did not sell

15 works were bought-in, including: Richard Serra, Garden Arc (1986), estimated at $473,900 (low) to $744,700 (high). It has been traded once in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

3 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Cecily Brown, Untitled (2004) estimated at $406,200 (low) to $677,000 (high).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. 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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.