![Lot 9. Andy Warhol (1928-1987) Triple Elvis [Ferus Type] signed, titled and dated 'elvis Andy Warhol 63' (on the reverse) silkscreen ink and silver paint on linen 82 x 69 in. (208.3 x 175.3 cm.) Painted in 1963. Estimate: approximately $65 million. Click on image to enlarge.](http://nordonart.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/9-warhol.jpg?w=600&h=720)
Lot 9. Andy Warhol (1928-1987) Triple Elvis [Ferus Type]
signed, titled and dated ‘elvis Andy Warhol 63′ (on the reverse)
silkscreen ink and silver paint on linen: 82 x 69 in. (208.3 x 175.3 cm.)
Painted in 1963.
Estimate: approximately $60 million. This lot sold for a hammer price of $73 million ($81,925,000 with fees).
Click on image to enlarge.
To insure success, many of Christie’s top estimated lots have third party guarantees including: Warhol’s Triple Elvis [Ferus Type] and Four Marlons; the Twombly so-called Blackboard painting, Untitled; de Kooning’s Clamdigger; Kline’s King Oliver; Lichtenstein’s Keds; Ryman’s Link; Doig’s Pine House (Rooms for Rent); Kippenberger’s Untitled; and others.
Auctioneer Jussi Pylkkanen opened the evening with Seth Prince’s Vintage Bomber, estimated at $50,000-70,000, which rocketed to hammer at $650,000 ($785,000 with fees), followed by Georg Baselitz’s Der Brückechor (The Brücke Chorus), estimated at $5-7 million, and carrying a third party guarantee, which made a comfortable $6.5 million ($7,445,000 with fees).
The first of the Richters, Untitled (687-4), estimated at $5-7 million, and carrying a third party guarantee, pushed along by $500,000 bid increments, made $8 million ($9,125,000 with fees), followed by, Lot 6 Robert Gober’s Three Urinals, estimated at $3.5-4.5 million, which hammered below estimate for $3 million ($3,525,000 with fees).
Lot 7 Christopher Wool’s Untitled [FOOL], estimated at $12-18 million, and carrying a third party guarantee, came in on the low side with a winning bid of $12.5 million ($14,165,000 with fees).Next up an early Kusama infinity net painting, White No. 28 from 1960, shot past its $2 million high estimate to make $6.2 million ($7,109,000 with fees).
The Warhol Triple Elvis [Ferus Type] opened at $48 million and quickly climbed to $62 million, then crept along at $1 million increments to sell to a telephone bidder for a hammer price $73 million ($81,925,000 with fees), a result met with applause. It was immediately followed by Warhols Four Marlons, which opened at $40 million and moved along to – at $50 million the auctioneer said he could sell the work – but bidding continued to final price of $62 million ($69,605,000 with fees), a result that received no applause (how quickly people become jaded).
Lot 10. Andy Warhol (1928-1987) Four Marlons
signed and dated ‘Andy Warhol 66′ (on the overlap)
silkscreen ink on unprimed linen: 81 x 65 in. (205.7 x 165.1 cm.)
Painted in 1966.
Estimate: approximately $60 million. This lot sold for a hammer price of $62 million ($69,605,000 with fees).
Lichtenstein’s Reflections on the Prom, estimate on request (it sold for $8.78 million in 2008), opened at $11 million and topped out at $19 million ($21,445,000 with fees), followed by Lot 13, Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills, 21 works with a combined estimate of $6-8 million and by sold by Mitch Rales, went slightly below the low estimate for $5.9 million ($6,773,000 with fees). Next up Andy Warhol’s Self-Portrait, estimated at $10-15 million, and carrying a third party guarantee, made the low estimate ($11,365,000 with fees).
Lot 15, Roy Lichtenstein’s Hot Dog from 1964, the first of the five works being sold by the Cy Twombly Foundation (there’s also a separate catalogue), nearly doubled its $2 million high estimate to make $3.8 million ($4,421,000 with fees). The next work from the Twombly Foundation, Lot 16, Andy Warhol’s Little Electric Chair, estimated at $3.5-5.5 million, hammered at $5.25 million ($6,045,000 with fees).
The great Twombly so-called Blackboard painting Untitled from 1970 opened at $24 million and moved steadily past it’s $55 million high estimate to an astonishing $62 million ($69,605,00 with fees), shattering the artist’s record at auction The Wall Street Journal’s Kelly Crow tweeted that bidders from Mexico, China, London and the US vied for the work.
Lot 20. Cy Twombly (1928-2011) Untitled
signed and dated ‘Cy Twombly 1970′ (on the reverse)
oil based house paint and wax crayon on canvas: 61 1/4 x 74 3/4 in. (155.5 x 190 cm.)
Executed in 1970.
Estimate: $35-55 million. This lot sold for a hammer price of $62 million ($69,605,00 with fees).
Lot 21. Willem de Kooning (1904-1997) Clamdigger
incised with signature ‘de Kooning’ and stamped with number ‘AP’ (on the right foot); incised with date and initials ‘1972 D.C’ (lower center)
bronze: 59 1/2 x 29 5/8 x 23 3/4 in. (151.1 x 75.2 x 60.3 cm.)
Executed in 1972. This work is artist’s proof number one from an edition of seven plus three artist’s proofs.
Estimate: $25-35 million. this lot sold for a hammer price of $26 million ($29,285,000 with fees).
de Kooning’s Clamdigger (above) opened at $18 million and hammered just above the low estimate for $26 million ($29,285,000 with fees), while Franz Kline’s King Oliver, came in just below the low estimate for $23.5 million ($26,485,000 with fees). This was followed by Lot 24, de Kooning’s Untitled XXIV, from 1982 and estimated at $9-12 million, which went easily over its high estimate to make $15.5 million ($17,525,000 with fees), then Lot 25, Roy Lichtenstein’s Landscape with Figures, estimated at $15-20 million, and carrying a third party guarantee, that made $16 million ($18,085,000 with fees). Warhol’s Five Deaths on Orange, from 1963 and estimated at $8-12 million, and carrying a third party guarantee, landed in the middle of its estimate at $10 million (11,365,000 with fees).
Lot 23. Franz Kline (1910-1962) King Oliver
signed and dated ‘FRANZ KLINE 58′ (on the reverse)
oil on canvas: 99 x 77 1/2 in. (251.4 x 196.8 cm.)
Painted in 1958.
Estimate: $25-35 million. This lot sold for a hammer price of $23.5 million ($26,485,000 with fees).
Lot 28, Roy Lichtenstein’s Sunrise, from 1965 and estimated at $12-18 million, hammered of $14.5 million ($16,405,000 with fees) to the same buyer as the Cy Twombly Blackboard painting. An early Andy Warhol Small Campbell’s Soup Can (Chili Beef), from 1962 estimated at $6.5-8.5 million, and carrying a third party guarantee, made the low estimate ($7,445,000 with fees). The Ruscha opened at $11 million and there was a dogfight that took it all past its $20 million high estimate to hammer at $27 million ($30,405,000 with fees).
Lot 30. Ed Ruscha (b. 1937) Smash
signed and dated ‘3 / 1963 E. RUSCHA’ (on the stretcher)
oil on canvas: 71 3/4 x 67 in. (182.2 x 170.1 cm.)
Painted in 1963.
Estimate: $15-20 million. This lot sold for a hammer price of $27 million ( $30,405,000 with fees).
Click on image to enlarge.
Lot 32. Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) Keds
signed and dated ‘rf Lichtenstein ’61’ (on the reverse)
oil and graphite on canvas: 48 1/8 x 34 1/4 in. (122.2 x 86.9 cm.)
Painted in 1961.
Estimate on Request. Bidding on this lot stopped at $19 million and it failed to sell).
Click on image to enlarge.
Lichtenstein’s Keds (above) opened at $16 million and failed to sell at $19 million (the chatter of incredulity in the salesroom was audible). Lot 33, Jeff Koons’ Pink Panther, estimated at $8-12 million, attracted considerable attention landing at $14 million ($15,845,000 with fees). Ryman’s Link (below), opened at a healthy $6 million and moved handily to a solid $10 million ($11,365,000 with fees).
Lot 34. Robert Ryman (b. 1930) Link
signed, titled and dated ‘RYMAN 02 “LINK”‘ (on the overlap)
oil on linen with four steel fasteners and four six-sided bolts: 76 x 72 in. (193 x 182.9 cm.)
Painted in 2002.
Estimate: $8-12 million. This lot sold for a hammer price of $10 million ($11,365,000 with fees).
Lot 35, Judd’s brass and green Plexiglas stack sculpture, Untitled (Bernstein 93-1), estimated at $7-9 million, sold below estimate for $6.5 million ($7,445,000 with fees).
Lot 36. Peter Doig (b. 1959) Pine House (Rooms for Rent)
signed twice, inscribed, titled and dated ‘PETER DOIG JUL. AUG. SEPT. 94 Doig PINE HOUSE (ROOMS FOR RENT) Rooming house in Cobourg ‘Christmas Flowers” (on the reverse)
oil on canvas: 70 x 90 3/4 in. (180 x 230.5 cm.)
Painted in 1994.
Estimate on request. This lot sold for a hammer price of $16 million ($18,805,000 with fees).
The Doig (above), opened at $12 million and hammered to a new record for the of $16 million ($18,085,000 with fees). The Richter (below) sold close to its $30 million high estimate for $28 million ($31,525,000 with fees), followed immediately by Lot 38, Richter’s Demo (848-3), estimated at $7-10 million, and carrying a third party guarantee, which made the low estimate ($8,005,000 with fees).
Lot 37. Gerhard Richter (b. 1932) Abstraktes Bild (648-3)
signed, numbered and dated ‘Richter 1987 648-3′ (on the reverse)
oil on canvas: 88 3/4 x 78 3/4 in. (225.4 x 200 cm.)
Painted in 1987.
Estimate: $20-30 million. This lot sold for a hammer price of $28 million ($31,252,000 with fees).
Lot 40.Martin Kippenberger (1953-1997) Untitled
oil on canvas: 95 1/4 x 79 3/8 in. (241.9 x 201.6 cm.)
Painted in 1988.
Estimate: $15-20 million. This lot sold for a hammer price of $20 million ($22,565,000 with fees).
Lot 42. Jeff Koons (B. 1955) Balloon Monkey (Orange)
signed and dated ‘Jeff Koons 2006-2013′ (on the underside of the head)
mirror-polished stainless steel with transparent color coating: 150 x 235 x 126 in. (381 x 596.9 x 320 cm.)
Executed in 2006-2013. This work is one of five unique versions (Blue, Magenta, Orange, Red, Yellow).
Estimate: $20-30 million. This lot sold for a hammer price of $23 million ($25,925,000 with fees).
Lot 45. Francis Bacon (1909-1992) Seated Figure
oil on canvas: 60 1/8 x 47 in. (152.8 x 119.5 cm.)
Painted in 1960.
Estimate: $40-60 million. This lot sold for a hammer price of $40 million ($44,965,00 with fees)>
Click on image to enlarge.
Lot 43, Richter’s Abstraktes Bild (774-4), estimated at $14-18 million, sold for $15 million ($16,965,000 with fees), followed by Lot 44, de Kooning’s Untitled III, estimated at $12-18 million, and carrying a third party guarantee, that finished just above the low estimate at $13 million ($14,725,000 with fees). The Bacon only just made its low estimate amid tepid interest ($44,965,000 with fees). Lot 51, Lucian Freud’s 2001 double portrait Julie and Martin, estimated at $15-20 million, and carrying a third party guarantee, only made the low estimate ($16,965,000 with fees).
Lot 62, Richard Prince’s Nurse on Trial, estimated at $5-7 million, and carrying a third party guarantee, also only made its low estimate ($5,765,000 with fees), followed by Lot 63, Lucian Freud’s 1970 Waste Ground, Paddington, estimated at $6-9 million, which hammered for $6.8 million ($7,781,000 with fees).
