Man Ray's Hollywood Painting Leads Christie's $5.08m Marion Meyer Collection Auction in Paris
3 min read · 12 Apr 2024
All's Well That Ends Well by Man Ray sold for $283,300. Image courtesy of Christie's
A 1948 painting by Man Ray was the headline sale at Christie's 'Man Ray dans la collection Marion Meyer' auction on April 11 in Paris.
- The sale totaled $5.08m, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 179 works sold totaling $5.08m.
- Estimates totaled: $2.69m (low) and $3.98m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 93% of the original 193 lots announced.
The star lot was: Man Ray, All's Well That Ends Well (1948), which sold for $283,300, 150% above its $107,100 low estimate. It has been traded 5 times in the past.
The outperformer sold for 1,600% above its low estimate. Man Ray, Boîte d'allumettes (1955), sold for $9,442 ($535 low estimate). It has not been traded before.
A talking point was: Man Ray, Chess set (1962), which sold for $216,300, 900% above the low estimate. Executed between 1962 and 1966 in an edition of 50 plus 5 artist's proofs. The work has not been traded before.
Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed
- 84 works, or 47%, sold above their high estimate.
- 36 works, or 20%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 59 works, or 33%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
No sales had a guarantee.
Works that did not sell
1 work was bought-in: Man Ray, Sans titre (Rayographie), 1924 (1924), estimated at $32,100 (low) to $53,500 (high). It has been traded twice in the past.
Withdrawn before the sale
13 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Man Ray, Nusch nue (Facile), 1935 (1960) estimated at $12,800 (low) to $19,300 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.