Phillips DUCHAMP & COMPANY, Curated by Francis M. Naumann Auction Totals $738,700

A work by Marcel Duchamp was the headline sale at Phillips 'DUCHAMP & COMPANY, Curated by Francis M. Naumann' auction on April 23 in New York.

• The sale totaled $738,700, falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 68 works sold totaling $738,700.
• Estimates totaled: $1.25m (low) and $1.72m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 62% of the original 110 lots announced.

The star lot was: Marcel Duchamp, Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2 (1937), which sold for $154,800, 158% above its $60,000 low estimate. It has been traded 3 times in the past.

The outperformer sold for 770% above its low estimate. Victor Obsatz, Portrait No. 29 (Double Exposure: Full Face and Profile) Portrait of Marcel Duchamp (1953), sold for $6,966 ($800 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.

• 22 works, or 32%, sold above their high estimate.
• 24 works, or 35%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 22 works, or 32%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

42 works were bought-in, including: Marcel Duchamp, De ou par Marcel Duchamp ou Rrose Sélavy (La Boîte-en-valise), série F (From or by Marcel Duchamp or Rrose Sélavy (The Box in a Valise) series F) (1935), estimated at $350,000 (low) to $450,000 (high). It has been traded twice in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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