Christie's $162.6M Sale Led by Judd Record, Richter Candle

Christie's 21st century evening sale on May 20, 2026, achieved $162.6 million with fees, just above the low estimate of $129 million. The sale featured 42 lots with a 95% sell-through rate, including works from the estate of dealer Marian Goodman and the Henry S. McNeil collection. Donald Judd's untitled plexiglass and copper stack sculpture set a new auction record for a Judd stack at $12.8 million. Richard Artschwager's Two-Part Invention (1967) sold for $635,000, over six times its high estimate. Carl Andre's 66 Copper-Carbon Corner fetched $1.1 million against a $500,000 high estimate. Gerhard Richter's Kerze (Candle) (1982) sold for $35 million, the fourth-highest price for the artist. The sale also included a Jean-Michel Basquiat painting Asbestos at $6.5 million. Several works by established names sold below estimates, including Eric Fischl's The Pizza Eater at $300,000 and Jeff Koons' pornographic silkscreen at $254,000. The sale total was 42% higher than last May's equivalent sale and the highest for a 21st century evening sale at Christie's New York in five years.