3 min read · 08 Apr 2024
Fruit still life by Karel Appel sold for $32,600. Image courtesy of Artcurial
A work by Karel Appel was the headline sale at Artcurial 'Art Contemporain' auction on April 5 in Paris.
The star lot was: Karel Appel, *Fruit still life * (1978), which sold for $32,600, 67% above its $19,500 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.
The outperformer sold for 1,000% above its low estimate. Constant, Untitled (1963), sold for $12,800 ($1,084 low estimate). The work by Constant Anton Nieuwenhuys, better known as Constant, has not been traded before.
Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed
No sales had a guarantee.
62 works were bought-in, including: Jacques de la Villegle, Rue de la Maison Blanche (1987), estimated at $16,300 (low) to $27,100 (high). It has been traded twice in the past.
7 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Constant, Untitled (Undated) estimated at $3,252 (low) to $5,421 (high).
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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.