W hile the month is not yet over, July has already brought remarkable results in global Sotheby’s online auctions across the Contemporary art category. As a whole, Sotheby’s commands nearly 80% of the auction market for Contemporary Art online – and performance leads the field by every metric.
Sotheby's is the largest auctioneer of Contemporary Art online; not only do we sell significantly more lots than our competitors, but these lots also achieve a higher price point, with an average aggregate lot value that is nearly twice as high as our closest competitor. The July results attest to this:
- 479 Contemporary Art lots have sold so far in July, bringing a total of $20.6 million
- Over 1,000 bidders took part in the auctions, placing 5,151 bids – and resulting in 350 buyers
- 40 works sold above $100,000
Top 10 Contemporary Art Lots in July
Below, browse the month’s success across the globe in numbers.
Contemporary Art Online | New York
The Contemporary Art Online | New York auction achieved a record-breaking $6.7 million total aggregate sold – the highest ever for a Contemporary New York online auction. Far surpassing the pre-sale estimate, the auction was 180.9% sold by value. The auction attracted 537 bidders and 175 buyers for 206 lots. Of the buyers, 26.8% were new to Sotheby's.
Top Lots
Contemporary Curated | Milan
The second edition of Milan’s Contemporary Curated auction, led by guest curator, style icon and editor-at-large for Vogue Nippon Anna dello Russo, brought 209 bidders from 29 countries to vie for 94 lots. Underscoring the success of the curated auction format, the sale realized 1.9 million EUR total aggregate – nearly double the pre-auction estimate – with 192.5% sold by value. Of the buyers, 33.8% were new to Sotheby's.
Top Lots
Contemporary Curated | Paris
194 bidders from 31 countries drove the Contemporary Curated auction in Paris to a total of 3,043,252 EUR, 166% of the presale low estimate. More than one third of the buyers in the sale, which was curated by design duo Coperni, were new to Sotheby’s. Le Nez Tombant, a historical sculpture by Jean Dubuffet, led the sale, becoming the most expensive Contemporary Artwork to be sold online in Paris.
Top Results
Contemporary Art Day Auction | London
On the strength of works by Banksy, Warhol and other giants of Contemporary Art, 19 works soared past the £100,000 mark, bringing the sale total to more than £5.8 million. Bids came in from 27 countries and 18% of bidders were new to Sotheby’s.
Top Results
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