Christie's Prints and Multiples Auction Totals $9.74m

A work by Roy Lichtenstein was the headline sale at Christie's 'Prints and Multiples' auction on April 14-15 in New York.

• The sale totaled $9.74m, meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 164 works sold totaling $9.74m.
• Estimates totaled: $6.81m (low) and $9.98m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 86% of the original 191 lots announced.

The star lot was: Roy Lichtenstein, Nude with Blue Hair, from Nudes (1994), which sold for $762,000, 90% above its $400,000 low estimate.

The outperformer sold for 509% above its low estimate. After M.C. Escher, Sphere with Fish (1972), sold for $6,096 ($1,000 low estimate).

• 103 works, or 63%, sold above their high estimate.
• 54 works, or 33%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 7 works, or 4%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

14 works were backed by guarantees, including: Roy Lichtenstein, Peace Through Chemistry Bronze (1970). It sold for $152,400, 154% above its $60,000 low estimate..

Works that did not sell

26 works were bought-in, including: Andy Warhol, Shadows I (1979), estimated at $200,000 (low) to $300,000 (high).

Withdrawn before the sale

1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Brice Marden, Etchings to Rexroth (1986), estimated at $50,000 (low) to $70,000 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.