Download the HENI News app

Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Leads Christie's $9.4m 'Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale' in London

3 min read  ·  10 Oct 2024

Alsener Landschaft by Karl Schmidt-rottluff sold for $725,000.
Image courtesy of Christie's

Alsener Landschaft by Karl Schmidt-rottluff sold for $725,000. Image courtesy of Christie's

A work by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff was the headline sale at Christie's 'Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale' on October 10 in London.

  • The sale totaled $9.4m (GBP7.18m), meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

  • 71 works sold totaling $9.4m.
  • Estimates totaled: $9.01m (low) and $13.72m (high), excluding premiums.
  • The sell-through rate was 76% of the original 93 lots announced.

The star lot was: Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Alsener Landschaft (1906), which sold for $725,000, 35% above its $535,600 low estimate. It has not been traded before.

The outperformer sold for 1783% above its low estimate. Marc Chagall, Nu et animal (1946), sold for $74,100 ($3,936 low estimate). It has not been traded before.

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

  • 34 works, or 48%, sold above their high estimate.
  • 30 works, or 42%, 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

21 works were bought-in, including: Edgar Degas, Cheval marchant au pas relevé (Undated), estimated at $334,800 (low) to $468,700 (high). It has been traded 7 times in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Marc Chagall, Le coq au peintre ou Esquisse pour Le coq (1949) estimated at $535,600 (low) to $803,400 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.