Georges Hugnet Leads Sotheby's Online $501,400 'The Mallin Collection Part III' Auction

A work by Georges Hugnet was the headline sale at Sotheby's, Online 'A Life in Art: The Mallin Collection Part III' auction on June 20.

• The sale totaled $501,400, falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 145 works sold totaling $501,400.
• Estimates totaled: $533,800 (low) and $771,700 (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 99% of the original 147 lots announced.

The star lot was: Georges Hugnet, "Il faut bien oublier," dit le lynx rendu à liberté (1936), which sold for $38,100, 444% above its $7,000 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.

The outperformer sold for 1275% above its low estimate. Huma Bhabha, Untitled (2010), sold for $16,500 ($1,200 low estimate). It has not been traded before.

• 48 works, or 33%, sold above their high estimate.
• 24 works, or 17%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 73 works, or 50%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

2 works were bought-in, including: Man Ray, 'Cordier & Ekstrom' Wine Bottle (1973), estimated at $60,000 (low) to $80,000 (high). It has been traded once 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Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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