ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Sotheby's New York Spring Sales Reach $267.3 Million

market-auction · 2026-04-26

On May 13, 2024, Sotheby's spring auctions in New York amassed a total of $267.3 million from two events, The Now and Contemporary Evening Auction, exceeding the pre-sale estimate of $241.8–$350.4 million. This represented a 30% rise compared to 2023, although there was a decline in bidding for high-value pieces. The Now Evening Auction achieved $32.7 million by selling 16 out of 18 lots, highlighted by Kerry James Marshall's Vignette #6 (2005) at $7.48 million and Lucy Bull's 16:10 (2020), which set a record at $1.81 million. The Contemporary Evening Auction reached $234.6 million, with Francis Bacon's Portrait of George Dyer Crouching (1966) leading at $27.74 million. Female artists accounted for 42% of lots in the main auction and 70% in The Now.

Key facts

  • Sotheby's New York spring sales on May 13, 2024, totaled $267.3 million.
  • The Now Evening Auction sold 16 of 18 lots for $32.7 million.
  • Kerry James Marshall's Vignette #6 (2005) sold for $7.48 million.
  • Lucy Bull's 16:10 (2020) set an auction record at $1.81 million.
  • Francis Bacon's Portrait of George Dyer Crouching (1966) sold for $27.74 million.
  • Lucio Fontana's Concetto Spaziale, La fine di Dio (1964) sold for nearly $23 million.
  • Warhol-Basquiat collaboration Untitled (1984) sold for $19.37 million.
  • Female artists comprised 42% of lots in the main sale and 70% in The Now.

Entities

Artists

  • Andy Warhol
  • Jean-Michel Basquiat
  • Joan Mitchell
  • Frank Stella
  • Cecily Brown
  • Kerry James Marshall
  • Jaquelin Humphries
  • Avery Singer
  • Lucy Bull
  • Jeffrey Gibson
  • Francis Bacon
  • George Dyer
  • Lucio Fontana
  • Faith Ringgold
  • Alice Neel
  • Gerard Malanga
  • Yayoi Kusama
  • Alice Denney

Institutions

  • Sotheby's
  • Royal Academy of London
  • Rachofsky Collection
  • Fondation Louis Vuitton
  • Artribune

Locations

  • New York
  • Upper East Side
  • United States
  • London
  • Venice

Sources