Overview
- Next week’s New York sales are unusually inventory-rich, with 27 lots estimated above $10 million and Christie’s fielding 80 works on Monday night.
- Auction totals are projected by experts to top about $1.4 billion, a roughly 50% increase from last year, as Sotheby’s CEO cites very strong demand and improved supply.
- Advisers describe a top-heavy season, with the $2 million to $5 million bracket expected to be the hardest to place given the specific works on offer.
- Several pieces bought in 2022 are back with lower expectations, including Louis Fratino, Emily Mae Smith, and Salman Toor works from Christie’s Hong Kong, and Steve Parrino’s Screw Ball now estimated at $300,000–$500,000 after a near $1 million 2020 result.
- Avery Singer’s The Great Muses carries a new $600,000–$800,000 estimate as a 2022 Hong Kong sale listed at roughly $3 million is disputed; withdrawn and recycled consignments are also resurfacing, from Maurizio Cattelan’s Daddy Daddy at Phillips to estate-driven offerings from Leonard Lauder, the Pritzkers, and the late Joel Shapiro.