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Salvador Dali Leads Sotheby's $25.04m 'Surrealism and its Legacy' Auction in Paris

3 min read  ·  18 Oct 2024

Rose méditative by Salvador Dali sold for $4.23m.
Image courtesy of Sotheby's

Rose méditative by Salvador Dali sold for $4.23m. Image courtesy of Sotheby's

A work by Salvador Dali was the headline sale at Sotheby's 'Surrealism and its Legacy' auction on October 18 in Paris.

  • The sale totaled $25.04m (EUR23.07m), exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

  • 26 works sold totaling $25.04m.
  • Estimates totaled: $15.67m (low) and $22.78m (high), excluding premiums.
  • The sell-through rate was 100%, so a white-glove sale.

The star lot was: Salvador Dali, Rose méditative (1958), which sold for $4.23m, 450% above its $768,700 low estimate. It has been traded 4 times in the past.

The outperformer sold for 493% above its low estimate. Frantisek Muzika, Larva VIII (1967), sold for $260,500 ($43,900 low estimate). It has been traded twice in the past.

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

  • 17 works, or 65%, sold above their high estimate.
  • 8 works, or 31%, sold within their low and high estimate.
  • 1 works, or 4%, sold below their low estimate.
  • 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

8 works were backed by guarantees, including: Rene Magritte, La Leçon de choses (1947). It sold for $4.17m, 8% above its $3.84m low estimate.. It has been traded 8 times in the past.

Works that did not sell

0 works were bought-in.

Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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