Phillips London Evening Sale Achieves White-Glove Result

Phillips closed the London evening auction series on March 2, 2023, with a 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale featuring 23 lots entirely focused on contemporary works. The sale achieved a white-glove result, with every lot sold, though bidding remained moderate without major surprises. The top lot was Willem de Kooning's 'No title' (1984) from the Marcel Brient collection, which sold for £6.065 million (including fees), below its £7 million low estimate. Another Brient lot, Gerhard Richter's 'Mathis', was withdrawn. Cecily Brown's 'Skulldiver II' (2006) sold for £2.226 million, above its high estimate. Banksy's 'Home Sweet Home' (2006) reached £1.742 million, and Anselm Kiefer's 'Walhalla' (2016) achieved £1.0765 million. John Chamberlain's 'Sparayed Myopia' (1988) sold for £1.379 million. Young artists like Ben Sledsens, Angela Heisch, and Danica Lundy far exceeded their high estimates. Caroline Walker's 'Threshold' (2014) set a new auction record at £927,100, far above its £150,000 low estimate, after a 15-minute bidding battle. Records were also set for Angela Heisch and Sarah Ball. Albert Oehlen's 'Ascension' (2001) sold for £1.0765 million. Phillips will next hold a 'New Now' auction in New York on March 8, focusing on ultra-contemporary art.