Ed Ruscha Leads Phillips $945,300 Editions & Works on Paper Auction

A work by Ed Ruscha was the headline sale at Phillips 'Editions & Works on Paper' auction on February 7 in New York.

• The sale totaled $945,300, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 137 works sold totaling $945,300.
• Estimates totaled: $574,500 (low) and $882,500 (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 91% of the original 151 lots announced.

The star lot was: Ed Ruscha, Cheese Mold Standard with Olive (1969), which sold for $109,600, 82% above its $60,000 low estimate.

The outperformer sold for 1190% above its low estimate. Andy Warhol, 25 Cats Name[d] Sam and One Blue Pussy: cover (1954), sold for $10,300 ($800 low estimate).

• 76 works, or 55%, sold above their high estimate.
• 46 works, or 34%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 15 works, or 11%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

14 works were bought-in, including: Javier Calleja, Second Chance Always (2021), estimated at $7,000 (low) to $10,000 (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Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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