Phillips and Sotheby's New York auctions hit record totals with Bacon, Lichtenstein, and US Constitution
On November 17, 2021, Phillips set a new auction record with a total of $137.9 million during its contemporary art evening sale, managing to sell 44 out of 46 lots. The highest-selling piece was Francis Bacon's Pope with Owls (1958), which fetched $33 million. Other significant sales featured Joan Mitchell's Untitled (1992) at $11.87 million, Georgia O'Keeffe's Crab's Claw Ginger Hawaii at $7.748 million, and Jean-Michel Basquiat's Untitled (The Door) (1984) at $8.5495 million. Additionally, Raymond Pettibon's No Title (Let him come) (2011) achieved a record price of $3.418 million. Phillips is set to conduct its next auction in Hong Kong on November 30. The following day, Sotheby's hosted a three-part sale that included Yoshitomo Nara's Nice to See You Again (1996) at $15.4308 million and a first printing of the US Constitution, which sold for $43.173 million.
Key facts
- Phillips achieved $137.9 million total, its highest ever, on November 17, 2021.
- Francis Bacon's Pope with Owls (1958) sold for $33 million via third-party guarantee.
- Joan Mitchell's Untitled (1992) sold for $11.87 million.
- Raymond Pettibon set a record with No Title (Let him come) (2011) at $3.418 million.
- Kwesi Botchway's Green Sofa (2020) sold for $214,200, far above its $30,000 estimate.
- Sotheby's The Now sale saw Lisa Brice's No Bare Back, after Embah (2017) sell for $3.166 million.
- Roy Lichtenstein's Two Paintings: Craig… (1983) led Sotheby's Contemporary Art Evening Sale at $20.3715 million.
- A first printing of the US Constitution sold for $43.173 million at Sotheby's.
- Yoshitomo Nara's Nice to See You Again (1996) sold for $15.4308 million at Sotheby's.
- Christopher Wool's Untitled (1995) spray enamel on aluminum sold for $13.19025 million.
Entities
Artists
- Francis Bacon
- Diego Velázquez
- Georgia O'Keeffe
- Joan Mitchell
- Cecily Brown
- Amy Sherald
- Michelle Obama
- Jean-Michel Basquiat
- Pierre Bonnard
- Raymond Pettibon
- Shara Hughes
- Emily Mae Smith
- Avery Singer
- Jadé Fadojutimi
- Ewa Juszkiewicz
- Kwesi Botchway
- Lisa Brice
- Toyin Ojih Odutola
- Flora Yukhnovich
- Yoshitomo Nara
- Mark Bradford
- Jonas Wood
- Rashid Johnson
- Matthew Wong
- Roy Lichtenstein
- Ed Ruscha
- Christopher Wool
- Piero Manzoni
- Alighiero Boetti
- Lucio Fontana
- Antonio Mirabelli
Institutions
- Phillips
- Sotheby's
- Dorothy Tapper Goldman Foundation
- Artribune
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Hong Kong
- Hawaii
- Japan
- Nigeria
- Ghana
- Italy
- London
- United Kingdom