Pablo Picasso Leads Sotheby's $5.89m 'Works from the Modern Day Auction: Property from a Private Collection' in London

A work by Pablo Picasso was the headline sale at Sotheby's 'Works from the Modern Day Auction: Property from a Private Collection' on July 3 in London.

• The sale totaled $5.89m (GBP4.32m), meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 37 works sold totaling $5.89m.
• Estimates totaled: $4.33m (low) and $6.23m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 92% of the original 40 lots announced.

The star lot was: Pablo Picasso, Modèle dans l'atelier (1965), which sold for $901,300, 65% above its $545,900 low estimate. It has been traded 10 times in the past.

The outperformer sold for 204% above its low estimate. Pablo Picasso, Le Débardeur (1901), sold for $104,000 ($34,100 low estimate). It has been traded 5 times in the past.

• 19 works, or 51%, sold above their high estimate.
• 7 works, or 19%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 11 works, or 30%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

3 works were bought-in, including: Henri le Sidaner, Le Canal, neige (1901), estimated at $163,800 (low) to $245,700 (high). It has been traded 7 times 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Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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