Victor Servranckx Leads Christie's $8.21m 'Art Impressionniste & Moderne' Auction in Paris

A work by Victor Servranckx was the headline sale at Christie's 'Art Impressionniste & Moderne' auction on April 10 in Paris.

• The sale totaled $8.21m, meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 152 works sold totaling $8.21m.
• Estimates totaled: $5.94m (low) and $8.68m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 83% of the original 183 lots announced.

The star lot was: Victor Servranckx, Opus 8, Construction mécanique ou L’Usine de papiers peints (1922), which sold for $437,600, 300% above its $108,400 low estimate. This is an auction record for the Belgian artist. It has been traded twice in the past.

The outperformer sold for 900% above its low estimate. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Cavalier (recto); Manœuvre militaire et études de cheval (verso) (Undated), sold for $10,900 ($1,084 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.

• 95 works, or 62%, sold above their high estimate.
• 40 works, or 26%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 17 works, or 11%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

26 works were bought-in, including: Marc Chagall, Fête du village pour les mariés (recto); Le peintre et son couple (verso) (1983), estimated at $238,500 (low) to $303,600 (high). It has been traded twice in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

5 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Maurice Denis, Portrait de Marthe et Maurice (1896) estimated at $216,800 (low) to $325,200 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.