Sotheby's Photographs Part II Auction Totals $1.7m

A work by Helmut Newton was the headline sale at Sotheby's 'Photographs Part II' auction on October 1-9 in New York.

• The sale totaled $1.7m, falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 96 works sold totaling $1.7m.
• Estimates totaled: $1.82m (low) and $2.71m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 63% of the original 152 lots announced.

The star lot was: Helmut Newton, Nude and Police Dog, St Tropez (1975), which sold for $89,600, 28% above its $70,000 low estimate. It has been traded twice in the past.

The outperformer sold for 905% above its low estimate. Taryn Simon, Agreement to develop Park Hyatt St. Kitts under the St. Kitts & Nevis Citizenship by Investment Program. Dubai, United Arab Emirates, July 16, 2012 (2015), sold for $70,400 ($7,000 low estimate).

• 25 works, or 26%, sold above their high estimate.
• 39 works, or 41%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 32 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

55 works were bought-in, including: Danny Lyon, Civil Rights Master Portfolio, 1962-1964 (2010), estimated at $50,000 (low) to $70,000 (high).

Withdrawn before the sale

1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Michal Rovner, Shift II and III (2000), estimated at $8,000 (low) to $12,000 (high).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. 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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.