Richard Prince Leads Sotheby's $18.53m Barbara Gladstone Collection Auction in New York

A work by Richard Prince, which had a guarantee, was the headline sale at Sotheby's 'Selections from The Collection of Barbara Gladstone' auction on May 15 in New York.

• The sale totaled $18.53m, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

The works came from the estate of the New York gallerist, who died in 2024, aged 89.

Snapshot of the sale

• 12 works sold totaling $18.53m.
• Estimates totaled: $11.93m (low) and $17.17m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 100%, so a white-glove sale.

The star lot was: Richard Prince, Man Crazy Nurse (2002), which sold for $3.97m, its estimated price. The work was backed by a guarantee. It has been traded once in the past.

The outperformer sold for 283% above its low estimate. Andy Warhol, Flowers (1964), sold for $3.83m ($1m low estimate). It has been traded 7 times in the past.

• 9 works, or 75%, sold above their high estimate.
• 2 works, or 17%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 1 works, or 8%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

1 work was backed by a guarantee: Richard Prince, Man Crazy Nurse (2002). It sold for $3.97m, its estimated price. It has been traded once in the past.

Record sales

Carroll Dunham's Bathers Seventeen (Black Hole) (2011) sold for $762,000, a new auction record for the artist and a 28% rise.

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Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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