Peter Hujar Leads Sotheby's $1.99m 'Photographs' Online Auction

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Peter Hujar Leads Sotheby's $1.99m 'Photographs' Online Auction

3 min read  ·  19 Oct 2024

David Wojnarowicz Reclining (II) by Peter Hujar sold for $228,000.
Image courtesy of Sotheby's, Online

David Wojnarowicz Reclining (II) by Peter Hujar sold for $228,000. Image courtesy of Sotheby's, Online

A work by Peter Hujar was the headline sale at Sotheby's, Online 'Photographs' auction on October 17.

  • The sale totaled $1.99m, falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

  • 86 works sold totaling $1.99m.
  • Estimates totaled: $2.33m (low) and $3.5m (high), excluding premiums.
  • The sell-through rate was 72% of the original 120 lots announced.

The star lot was: Peter Hujar, David Wojnarowicz Reclining (II) (1981), which sold for $228,000, 355% above its $50,000 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.

The outperformer sold for 1820% above its low estimate. Robert Capa, Pablo Picasso and Françoise Gilot (Undated), sold for $38,400 ($2,000 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

  • 24 works, or 28%, sold above their high estimate.
  • 33 works, or 38%, sold within their low and high estimate.
  • 28 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

34 works were bought-in, including: Alfred Stieglitz, Camera Work: A Photographic Quarterly (complete) (Undated), estimated at $120,000 (low) to $180,000 (high).

Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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