THE RESULTS ARE IN: Phillips de Pury’s NOW Sale

6th March ’10

Phillips de Pury & Company
New York

Phillips de Pury & Company’s latest themed sale, NOW: Art of the 21st Century, took place on the 6th of March in New York with interesting results. These themed sales from Phillips offer a varied alternative to traditional auctions that focus on one particular medium, and the results are proving to be as mixed as the lots up for grabs.

Overall only 172 lots were sold out of the available 287, bringing in a total of $1,315,431 including the buyers premium. While this total is not very impressive, the design lots faired particularly well.

Out of the 21 design pieces for sale 16 sold, 5 of which went for well above their pre-sale estimates. Included among these was the top earner of the entire sale, Eva Hild’s ‘Komplex’ sculpture, 2004, which brought in an astounding $50,000, nearly six times its pre-sale estimate of $8,000-$12,000.

Other highlights include Philippe Morel’s ‘Best Test 1-400’ or ‘Computational’ chair, 2004, which sold for $23,750 (pre-sale estimate $12,000-$18,000), and a pair of ‘Skeleton’ stools by Alex Roskin, which sold for $10,625 (pre-sale estimate $4,000-$6,000).

The sale was not a record-breaker by any means, but it gave connisseurs a unique and relaxed opportunity to acquire works from both established and emerging artists and designers. From the lots that sold, it is clear that collectors are not taking any risks and are interested in the real quality of the designs rather than merely the noteriety of the designers.

For more information, please visit www.phillipsdepury.com