Mai Trung Thu Leads Artcurial $2.39m 'Impressionniste & Moderne' Auction in Paris

A work by Mai Trung Thu was the headline sale at Artcurial 'Impressionniste & Moderne' auction on June 5 in Paris.

• The sale totaled $2.39m, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 168 works sold totaling $2.39m.
• Estimates totaled: $1.62m (low) and $2.36m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 74% of the original 227 lots announced.

The star lot was: Mai Trung Thu, Le balcon - 1945 (1945), which sold for $142,600, 31% above its $108,800 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.

The outperformer sold for 600% above its low estimate. Jean Fautrier, Composition - 1928 (1928), sold for $9,980 ($1,303 low estimate). It has not been traded before.

• 114 works, or 70%, sold above their high estimate.
• 48 works, or 29%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 1 works, or 1%, sold below their low estimate.
• 5 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

59 works were bought-in, including: Andre Masson, Le royaume de la peur - 1962 (1962), estimated at $27,200 (low) to $38,000 (high). It has not been traded before.

Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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