![](data:image/svg+xml;utf8,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1" height="1366px" width="2048px"></svg>)
First Edition of “Artist’s Choice” Triples Its Estimate
All six works sold – four setting auction records – earning over $100,000 in donations to benefit six charities of the artists’ choosing.
T he inaugural edition of Artist’s Choice launched last week in Sotheby’s Contemporary Curated auction in New York. A program that allows artists and their galleries to sell new works directly at auction, this year’s presentation included six artworks in a range of media by a cross-section of today’s most pioneering artists. Not only did all six works sell, but each outperformed their estimates — and collectively earned over $100,000 in charitable donations.
The sequence produced a cumulative result of $919,800 US, nearly three times the presale high estimate. Four artist records were set: Kennedy Yanko ($176,400), Katherina Olschbaur ($88,200), Kevin Beasley ($69,300) and Todd Gray ($56,700). The series saw particular interest from collectors in Asia, with half of the works selling to the continent.
For each lot sold as part of the program, a total amount equal to 15 percent of the hammer price will be donated to an institution, charity or cause of the artist’s choosing. The donation will be evenly split between both parties: the artist will direct 7.5 percent of the hammer price, with Sotheby’s matching this amount out of its Buyer’s Premium. The full value of the donation will be made directly to the selected beneficiary by the artist.
Most notably, six incredible beneficiaries will receive donations directly from the artists who selected them this September: L9 Center for the Arts, selected by Kevin Beasley; Sedabuda School, selected by Todd Gray; Kilkenny Collective for Arts Talent, selected by Atsushi Kaga; Foster Pride, selected by Katherina Olschbaur; The Racial Imaginary Institute, selected by Vaughn Spann; and Free a Girl USA, selected by Kennedy Yanko.
