Phillips’ “New Now” auction brought in $5.5 million last night in New York. The sale was led by an untitled work by Wade Guyton from 2007, which sold for $241,300 more than three times the low estimate of $70,000 (all prices include taxes). In the evening there was a 72% sale rate by lot, with 149 of the 208 lots on offer finding buyers.
“It was wonderful to see the great depth of international bidding at our New York ‘New Now’ sale, with nearly 50 countries participating by phone, online and in the saleroom,” said Avery Semjen, associate specialist at Phillips & Phillips. head of evening sales. “Bidding from all corners of the world led to a particularly impressive exhibition of works by post-war and contemporary masters including Andy Warhol, Shara Hughes, Richard Mayhew and Ghada Amer.”
The top five lots from the sale were:
- by Wade Guyton Without a title (2007) sold for $241,300.
- by Shara Hughes Lillypad Palace (2016) sold for $234,950.
- Andy Warhol’s Heaven and hell are in the same breath (positive) (1985–86) sold for $222,250.
- Sam Gilliam New Orleans (1979) sold for $190,500.
- by Sterling Ruby SP183 (2011) sold for $165,100.
The sale achieved two auction records for the following artists:
- for Sarah Lee Moon in the Sea (2022), which sold for $16,510.
- For Diana Al-Hadid Mob mentality (2014), which sold for $69,850.