Joan Mitchell Leads Christie's $10.54m 'Art contemporain' Auction in Paris

A work by Joan Mitchell was the headline sale at Christie's 'Art contemporain' auction on June 7 in Paris.

• The sale totaled $10.54m, meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 67 works sold totaling $10.54m.
• Estimates totaled: $8.83m (low) and $13.04m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 80% of the original 84 lots announced.

The star lot was: Joan Mitchell, Sans titre (1959), which sold for $796,000, 21% above its $652,500 low estimate. It has been traded twice in the past.

The outperformer sold for 400% above its low estimate. Marcello lo Giudice, Eden Antarctic (2022), sold for $164,700 ($32,600 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.

• 27 works, or 40%, sold above their high estimate.
• 33 works, or 49%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 7 works, or 10%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

17 works were bought-in, including: Per Kirkeby, Sans titre (2010), estimated at $413,200 (low) to $489,300 (high). It has been traded once 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Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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