Fall Auction results a mixed bag
With the heart of fall auction season underway, the results are mixed at best. In the painting world for the venerable impressionists and modern masters, significant works have gone untouched. Of course 35 million dollars is nothing to sneeze at – perhaps the potential allergies of Van Gogh’s hay fields is the reason Sotheby’s missed the mark last week. The possible reason for the 20 works that did not sell could be the shift in buyer preferences toward contemporary works.
On the photography front, GALLERY M artists faired well. Margaret Bourke-White’s NBC Transmission tower sold well above it’s estimate of $15,000 to $18,000 with the final $46,600! Andreas Feininger’s Photojournalist went above the auction estimate of $25,000 to $35,000 and finished at Christie’s “realized” price of $43000. On Nov 12, Alfred Eisenstaedt’s Ice Skating Waiter sold for $14,500 at Sothebys London while earlier in October the New York City photography auction was lightly attended and yielded an excellent buying opportunity for a complete underpricing of Alfred’s works.
