Christie's Post-War to Present Auction Totals $13.48m
3 min read · 25 Jun 2026
The Haunter by Cecily Brown sold for $3.69m. Image courtesy of Christie's
A work by Cecily Brown, which had a guarantee, was the headline sale at Christie's 'Post-War to Present' auction on June 25 in London.
- The sale totaled $13.48m (GBP10.22m), meeting the pre-sale estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 64 works sold totaling $13.48m.
- Estimates totaled: $12.36m (low) and $17.58m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 76% of the original 84 lots announced.
The star lot was: Cecily Brown, The Haunter (2010), which sold for $3.69m, 25% above its $2.94m low estimate. The work was backed by a guarantee. It has been traded once in the past.
Still Life by Nicolas Party sold for $276,500 (416% above estimate). Image courtesy of Christie's
The outperformer sold for 416% above its low estimate. Nicolas Party, Still Life (2014), sold for $276,500 ($53,500 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.
- 28 works, or 44%, sold above their high estimate.
- 27 works, or 42%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 9 works, or 14%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
3 works were backed by guarantees, including: Gunther Uecker, Cut Soul (1984). It sold for $703,800, 5% above its $669,200 low estimate.. It has been traded once in the past.
Works that did not sell
15 works were bought-in, including: Christo, L’Arc de Triomphe Wrapped (Project for Paris) Place de l’Etoile – Charles de Gaulle (2020), estimated at $535,400 (low) to $803,100 (high). It has not been traded before.
Withdrawn before the sale
5 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Tracey Emin, The Shower (2019), estimated at $401,500 (low) to $669,200 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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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