Sotheby's Contemporary Realism Auction Totals $524,700

A work by Pavel Sokolov-Skalia was the headline sale at Sotheby's 'Contemporary Realism: Important 21st Century Works' auction on July 18-27 in New York.

• The sale totaled $524,700, falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 31 works sold totaling $524,700.
• Estimates totaled: $624,500 (low) and $885,500 (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 70% of the original 44 lots announced.

The star lot was: Pavel Sokolov-Skalia, Watching the Dance (2024), which sold for $66,000, 10% above its $60,000 low estimate. It has not been traded before.

The outperformer sold for 312% above its low estimate. Gaby Nighan, Midnight in a Perfect World (2024), sold for $16,500 ($4,000 low estimate). It has not been traded before.

• 7 works, or 23%, sold above their high estimate.
• 24 works, or 77%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 0 works, or 0%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

13 works were bought-in, including: Wesley Wofford, Harriet Tubman - The Beacon of Hope (2022), estimated at $60,000 (low) to $80,000 (high). It has not been traded before.

Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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