Phillips Modern & Contemporary Art Auction Totals $834,300
3 min read · 04 Jun 2026
Cardplayers by Mernet Larsen sold for $46,100. Image courtesy of Phillips
A work by Mernet Larsen was the headline sale at Phillips 'Modern & Contemporary Art: Online Auction, Hong Kong' on May 20-June 3 in Hong Kong.
- The sale totaled $834,300 (HKD6.54m), meeting the pre-sale estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 101 works sold totaling $834,300.
- Estimates totaled: $798,700 (low) and $1.29m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 77% of the original 131 lots announced.
The star lot was: Mernet Larsen, Cardplayers (2013), which sold for $46,100, 324% above its $10,900 low estimate. It has not been traded before.
Untitled by Nigel Howlett sold for $12,300 (866% above estimate). Image courtesy of Phillips
The outperformer sold for 866% above its low estimate. Nigel Howlett, Untitled (2024), sold for $12,300 ($1,277 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.
- 35 works, or 35%, sold above their high estimate.
- 33 works, or 33%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 33 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
29 works were bought-in, including: Miwa Komatsu, Many World Crossings in Area 21 (2023), estimated at $35,700 (low) to $57,400 (high). It has been traded once in the past.
Withdrawn before the sale
1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Louis Vuitton x Park Seo-Bo, Limited Edition Calfskin ArtyCapucines Silver Hardware (2022), estimated at $6,383 (low) to $10,200 (high).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. Estimates, sale prices and totals are converted into US dollars. 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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.
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