Sotheby’s Evening of Contemporary Art Sales Total $186.1m
*31% Increase on November 2024*
Trailblazing Women Collectors Take Center Stage at Sotheby’s New York:
“White Glove” Evening Auctions for Barbara Gladstone & Daniella Luxembourg
Spirited Bidding Across Both Sales
Lichtenstein Goes Off With a BANG:
Works from the Estate of Dorothy and Roy Lichtenstein are 100% Sold & Surpass High Estimate
“Daniella Luxembourg and Barbara Gladstone were each trailblazers in their own right, yet united at the forefront of the cutting edge of contemporary art. Their stories offer two complementary, yet singular narratives that shaped the art world in profound and lasting ways”
Key Facts & Figures:
Combined Total for the Evening: $186.1m - towards top estimate (est. $141.5-204.9m)
31% increase on November 2024’s Contemporary Evening sale offerings (which include the Contemporary lots offered as part of the Sydell Miller collection)
Gladstone + Luxembourg 100% sold; 96% sold by lot across all three sales
Competitive bidding throughout (see below), and plenty of room action
Strong participation from the US:
Around two thirds of registrants in Luxembourg and Gladstone were from the US
Fresh to market works comprised more than 67% of the overall sale total
Records: Michael Armitage ($2.4m), Carroll Dunham ($762,500), Ernst Yohji Jäger ($190,500), Claes Oldenburg (for a Light Switch) ($1.9m)
Still to come: Sotheby’s Contemporary Day Auction at 9:00 AM ET
Selections from the Collection of Barbara Gladstone: $18.5m (est. $11.9-17.2m) - 100% sold
75% of works sold above their high estimate
Im Spazio: Works from the Collection of Daniella Luxembourg: $40.4m (est. $28.3-41.1m) - 100% sold
60% of works sold above their high estimate; average lot value $2.7m
The Now and Contemporary Evening Auction: $127.1m (est. $101.4-146.6m)
13% increase on the equivalent sale last November ($112.3m)
93% sold by lot
Depth of bidding across bidders
8 bidders: Michelangelo Pistoletto
6 bidders: Yu Nishimura
5 bidders: Raymond Pettibon, Carroll Dunham, Lucio Fontana [Luxembourg, Lot 1], Andy Warhol [Lot 124]
4 bidders: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol [Gladstone, Lot 10], Alighiero Boetti, Thomas Schütte, Pino Pascalli, Gerhard Richter, Richard Prince
A Snapshot of the Sales:
The Now and Contemporary
- Works from the collection of Dorothy and Roy Lichtenstein were 100% sold, totaling $29m - exceeding the $25m high estimate for the group of 9 works
- Reflections: Art from his celebrated Reflections series reached $5.5m
- Stretcher Frame with Cross Bars III sold to applause after achieving an above-estimate $4.9m (est. $2.5-3.5m)
- Works from the collection of Dorothy and Roy Lichtenstein were 100% sold, totaling $29m - exceeding the $25m high estimate for the group of 9 works
- Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Untitled, 1981: $16.4m, chased by 4 bidders for almost 6 minutes - second highest price for a work on paper by the artist (est. $10-15m)
- Ed Ruscha’s That Was Then This Is Now, 1989: $7.8m (est. $7-10m)
- Danielle Mckinney’s Stand Still, 2023: $279,000 - more than 4X times the high estimate ($40,000-60,000)
- Andy Warhol’s Flowers (lot 124), 1964: $4.1m (est. $1-1.5m) - 5 bidders
Selections from the Collection of Barbara Gladstone
"Barbara Gladstone was a bold, visionary force in the art world. These works from her personal collection embody her avant-garde spirit and intellectual rigor. The strong results are a reflection not only of the significance of these works, but her discerning eye. Collectors clearly saw the same magic in these works that Barbara saw in them – and helped the world see too.”
- Richard Prince, Man Crazy Nurse: $4m (est. $4-6m) (lot 5)
- Debuted in the landmark 2003 Nurse Paintings exhibition at Barbara Gladstone Gallery
- Thomas Schutte, Roter Frauenkopf: $698,500 - more than double its high estimate (est. $200,000 - $300,000) (lot 2)
- On Kawara, AUG. 8 1975: $635,000 (est. $300,000 - $400,000) (lot 3)
- Andy Warhol, Flowers: $3,832,000 - more than double its high estimate (est. $1-1.5m) (lot 10)
- Only one of four known examples from the famed series
Im Spazio: The Collection of Daniella Luxembourg
"It has truly been an honour to bring such extraordinary works by 20th century Italian and American masters to the market this season, and it was made even more special by the exceptional results realised in our saleroom. The spirited bidding and strong demand we saw for these works simply reaffirms their enduring appeal and impact today.”
"The exceptional results are a reflection of Daniella Luxembourg’s foresight and belief in these radical artists, and her early support which undoubtedly helped shape their market.”
- Lucio Fontana’s Concetto spaziale, La fine di Dio, 1963: $14.5m (est. $12-18m) (lot 6)
- Michelangelo Pistoletto’s Maria nuda, 1969: $3.4m - 5x the price it realised when it last sold at auction in 2004. Pursued by 8 bidders before selling to a European collector (est. $1-1.5m)
- Claes Oldenburg's Soft Switches: $1.9m - a record for a "Light Switch" by the artist (est. $1-1.5m)
Works Speaking to the Moment:
- Michaelangelo Pistoletto, Maria nuda $3.4m [Im Spazio] (est. $1-1.5m)
- Artist will debut a monumental work at Egypt’s pyramids
- Michaelangelo Pistoletto, Maria nuda $3.4m [Im Spazio] (est. $1-1.5m)
- Michael Armitage, Mpektoni, $2.4m (est. $2-3m)
- Solo exhibition at David Zwirner New York
- Michael Armitage, Mpektoni, $2.4m (est. $2-3m)
- Rashid Johnson, Two Standing Broken Men, $1.8m (est. $800,000-1,200,000)
- Major mid-career survey at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
- Rashid Johnson, Two Standing Broken Men, $1.8m (est. $800,000-1,200,000)
- Jack Whitten, Alpha Group III, $1.1m (est. $600,000-800,000)
- Subject of a retrospective exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art, New York
- Jack Whitten, Alpha Group III, $1.1m (est. $600,000-800,000)
- Thomas Schütte, Roter Frauenkopf, $698,500 (est. $200-300,000)
- Recently honored with his major mid-career retrospective at MoMA New York from 2024-25
- Thomas Schütte, Roter Frauenkopf, $698,500 (est. $200-300,000)
- Yu Nishimura, across the place, $406,400 (est. $50,00-70,000)
- First solo exhibition with David Zwirner on view until June
- Yu Nishimura, across the place, $406,400 (est. $50,00-70,000)
Sotheby's Communications Team
Adrienne DeGisi | Adrienne.DeGisi@sothebys.com
Alicia Stockley | Alicia.Stockley@sothebys.com
Zoe Malliaros | Zoe.Malliaros@sothebys.com
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*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium. Prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer’s premium and are net of any fees paid to the purchaser where the purchaser provided an irrevocable bid.
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