Sothebys Mid-Season Prints Results

Sotheby’s New York, sale of Mid-Season Prints achieved a total of $2,130,088, well above its high estimate ($1,437,200). Many works in this sale far exceeded their high estimates in extended bidding. Ellsworth Kelly’s Red/Blue (est. $2,500/3,500) sold for $64,000, nearly twenty times its high estimate. Joan Miró’s Le Lézard aux Plumes d’Or (est. $22/28,000) sold for $49,000, nearly double its high estimate. Other strong prices were achieved by Roy Lichtenstein’s Art Critic, $46,000 (est. $10/15,000); Andy Warhol’s Mao, $43,000 (est. $10/14,000); Pablo Picasso’s Buste de Femme, $25,000 (est. $4/6,000); and Pablo Picasso’s Femme à la Source, $25,000 (est. $12/18,000).

Sale Results

Sale N08344
Mid-Season Prints 26SEP 07
Grand Total (Including Buyer’s Premium): $2,130,088 (£1,055,910) Exchange Rate: 0.50
Sold by Lot: 88.6% Lots Offered: 299
Sold by Value: 94.8% Lots Sold / Unsold: 265 / 34

Please note all prices include buyer’s premium. Sale session totals are net aggregate figures plus premiums. Sotheby’s buyer’s premium is 25% of the hammer price on the first $20,000, 20% of the hammer price up to and including $500,000, and 12% thereafter on each lot.

Mary Bartow, Head of the Print department, said, “We are very happy with today’s results, which included some extraordinary prices. We saw extended bidding throughout the sale, which led to strong sold percentages by lot and value, indicating a very healthy market overall for this collecting category. Following this mid-season sale, we look orward to our annual fall Print sale on November 1 and 2.”

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