A couple weeks back, the Artists for Haiti benefit auction racked in massive numbers to a standing room only, celebrity studded audience at Christie’s Rockefeller Center salesroom in New York. Organized by David Zwirner (ranked 4th on last years ArtReview “Power 100” list) and Ben Stiller, who has supported Haiti through his Stiller Foundation non-profit since the catastrophic earthquake, the charitable event brought together an inspired list of of contemporary art’s most important artists, such as Raymond Pettibon, Nate Lowman, Rudolf Stingel, Jasper Johns, Zuang Huan, Ed Ruscha, Paul McCarthy, and Jeff Koons. When the dust settled, the 27 works blew past the estimate of $7.5 to $10.5 million and raised a total $13,662,000 – including four world auction records and two works selling for over a million dollars – to benefit health and education initiatives in Haiti.
Check out the complete results, some additional perspective, and a selection of installation photos after the jump.
“Christie’s is thrilled with the excellent results and the four auction records for Adel Abdessemed ($350,000), Glenn Ligon ($450,000), Nate Lowman ($140,000), and Raymond Pettibon ($820,000), the works of art were of incredible quality and range, and highlight the generosity of the many artists who donated works,” said Amy Cappellazzo, Chairman, Post-War and Contemporary Development at Christie’s. The quality of the work and strength of the result was particularly compelling for Lowman. While still a relative newbie in the auction circuit with only a couple handfuls of listings since his 2009 debut, Birthday Cake Painting #2 nearly doubled his previous record of $80,455 achieved at Sotheby’s last year.
Yet the Pettibon sales were even more striking. Not only did the record result crush his previous high, Self-portrait as Goofy-Foot that sold for $650,000 at Sotheby’s in 2006, both of the paintings he contributed now sit at one and two on the list, the second – actually the first lot of the evening – selling for $760,000. In lockstep with the artist’s international esteem, his estimates have risen dramatically since that 2006 listing, when the piece achieved more than seven times the high estimate of a mere $90,000. Nevertheless, this time around both lots doubled their high estimates of $300,000, with New York private dealer Guy Bennett, former co-head of Christie’s Impressionist and Modern art department, picking up the record setting No Title (But the sand).
With so many lofty results and the bulk realizing well over their estimates, all participants – broker, dealer, artist, charity – will greatly benefit, collectors especially at this price threshold. As alluded to in our recent coverage of the MTV:REDFINE auction, winning bidders get a tax deduction on the amount paid over retail value – effectively the high estimate – of the work. Whereas these tax perks came into play at a much smaller scale there, they might very well have encouraged the big money players to dig even deeper and will unquestionably come in handy next tax season. Christie’s waiving their standard commission fee further bolstered the impressive results.
Jennifer Aniston will certainly make her CPA clear come tax season with her acquisition of Glenn Ligon’s Stranger #44 for $450,000, more than double the high estimate of $200,000. On the flipside, Ben Stiller, who scored a couple pieces, didn’t see much competition in his pursuit of Jeff Koons’ silkscreen on metal Bikini (Desert), ultimately paying $400,000, or $100,000 under the low estimate. Interestingly, erratic tennis star John McEnroe showed his appreciation for the arts – and HOV apparently – by winning a portrait of Jay-Z for $85,000, as well as bidding up to $240,000 on the Zhang Huan until conceding the piece to another bidder.
In the end, the overall money generated was impressive although it didn’t quite compare to that of the Bono and Damien Hirst organized (RED) Auction at Sotheby’s, which raised an amazing $42.6 million for AIDS relief in Africa. It also saw seventeen artist set new records at the time (ie. Banksy’s defaced Hist Spot painting). However, Zwirner deliberately limited the number of lots to maintain quality, so there was only about a third of the 72 lots at the (RED) Auction. Nevertheless, this appeared to be another case of a charity auction going very much right. The family members of the 230,000 that lost their lives or the 300,000 that were injured back in January of 2010 will certainly be better off. And the filthy rich with silly money can feel like they’re doing good, while simultaneously getting a piece of art (and a tax break) to boot. It’s a a win-win……win?!?
Auction Results
Raymond Pettibon (b. 1957)
No Title (From life to….)
acrylic, ink and pastel on paper
59½ x 80¼ in. (151.1 x 203.8 cm.)
Provenance
Courtesy of the artist and Regen Projects
Estimate
$200,000 – $300,000
Price Realized
$760,000
Nate Lowman (B. 1979)
Birthday Cake Painting #2
oil and alkyd on canvas
24 x 36 in. (61 x 91.4 cm.)
Provenance
Courtesy of the artist
Estimate
$40,000 – $60,000
Price Realized
$140,000
Francis Alÿs (b. 1959)
Provenance
Courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner
Estimate
$150,000 – $200,000
price realized
$300,000
Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010)
Untitled
bronze with silver nitrate patina
6¾ x 14½ x 12 in. (17.1 x 36.8 x 30.5 cm.)
Provenance
Courtesy of the Easton Foundation and Hauser & Wirth
Estimate
$150,000 – $200,000
Price Realized
$300,000
Chris Ofili (b. 1968)
Blue Smoke (Pipe Dreams)
oil on canvas
110¼ x 77¼ in. (280 x 196 cm.)
Provenance
Courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner
Estimate
$300,000 – $400,000
Price Realized
$420,000
Rudolf Stingel (b. 1956)
Untitled
oil and enamel on canvas
83 x 67 in. (210.8 x 170.2 cm.)
Provenance
Courtesy of the artist
Estimate
$400,000 – $600,000
Price Realized
$580,000
Luc Tuymans (b. 1958)
Deal-No Deal
oil on canvas
89 5/8 x 53 3/8 in. (227.7 x 135.5 cm.)
Provenance
Courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner
Estimate
$600,000 – $800,000
Price Realized
$1,150,000
Adel Abdessemed (b. 1971)
mappamonde-olive
printed steel
diameter: 118½ in. (301 cm.)
Provenance
Courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner
Estimate
$150,000 – $200,000
Price Realized
$350,000
James Rosenquist (b. 1933)
The Richest Person Gazing at the Universe Through a Hubcap
diptych–oil on canvas
68 x 136 in. (172.7 x 345.4 cm.)
Provenance
Courtesy of the artist and Acquavella Galleries
Estimate
$600,000 – $800,000
Price Realized
$550,000
Lot 9
Neo Rauch (b. 1960)
Chor
oil on canvas
118 1/8 x 86 5/8 in. (300 x 220 cm.)
Provenance
Courtesy of the artist, Galerie EIGEN + ART, and David Zwirner
Estimate
$600,000 – $800,000
Price Realized
$900,000
Glenn Ligon (b. 1960)
Stranger #44
oil, charcoal and graphite on canvas
72¼ x 60 1/8 in. (183.5 x 152.7 cm.)
Provenance
Courtesy of the artist
Estimate
$150,000 – $200,000
Price Realized
$450,000
Lot 11
Dan Flavin (1933-1996)
monument for V. Tatlin
cool white fluorescent light
height: 96 in. (244 cm)
Provenance
Courtesy of the Estate of Dan Flavin and David Zwirner
Estimate
$800,000 – $1,200,000
Price Realized
$950,000
Cecily Brown (b. 1969)
You Can’t Make This Up
oil on canvas
55 x 77 in. (139.7 x 195.5 cm.)
Provenance
Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian Gallery
Estimate
$400,000 – $500,000
Price Realized
$790,000
Jasper Johns (b. 1930)
Untitled
ink on plastic
20 3/8 x 34¼ in. (51.8 x 87 cm.)
Provenance
Courtesy of the artist and Matthew Marks Gallery
Estimate
$500,000 – $600,000
Price Realized
$470,000
Raymond Pettibon (b. 1957)
No Title (But the sand…)
acrylic, ink and pastel on paper
79½ x 126½ in. (201.9 x 321.3 cm.)
Provenance
Courtesy of the artist and Regen Projects
Estimate
$300,000 – $500,000
Price Realized
$820,000
Jeff Koons (b. 1955)
Bikini (Desert)
silkscreen on stainless steel with mirror polished edges
56 x 90 x 1.75 in. (142.2 x 228.6 x 4.4 cm.)
Provenance
Courtesy of the artist
Estimate
$500,000 – $700,000
Price Realized
$400,000
Marlene Dumas (b. 1953)
My moeder voor sy my moeder was (My mother before she became my mother)
oil on canvas
78¾ x 39 3/8 in. (200 x 100 cm.)
Provenance
Courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner
Estimate
$600,000 – $800,000
Price Realized
$2,000,000
Karin Mamma Andersson (b. 1962)
Night Guest
oil on panel
43 3/8 x 43 3/8 in. (110 x 110 cm.)
Estimate
$200,000 – $300,000
Price Realized
$380,000
Ed Ruscha (b. 1937)
Pick, Pan, Shovel #7
graphite and footprints on paper
22 x 30 in. (56 x 76.2 cm.)
Estimate
$50,000 – $75,000
Price Realized
$42,000
Urs Fischer (b. 1973)
Tomorrow
milled aluminum panel, acrylic primer, gesso, acrylic ink, acrylic silkscreen medium, and acrylic paint
96 x 72 in. (243.8 x 182.9 cm.)
Provenance
Courtesy of the artist
Estimate
$300,000 – $400,000
Price Realized
$920,000
Zhang Huan (b. 1965)
Chinese Flag No. 1
ash on canvas
63 x 99 in. (160 x 251.5 cm.)
Provenance
Courtesy of the artist and Pace Gallery
Estimate
$100,000 – $150,000
Price Realized
$250,000
Cindy Sherman (B. 1954)
Untitled
color photograph
45 5/8 x 25¾ in. (105.7 x 65.4 cm.)
Estimate
$60,000 – $80,000
Price Realized
$60,000
Elizabeth Peyton (b. 1965)
Jay-Z, Glastonbury 2008
colored pencil and pastel on paper
8 5/8 x 6 in. (21.9 x 15.2 cm.)
Provenance
Courtesy of the artist
Estimate
$50,000 – $70,000
Price realized
$85,000
Paul McCarthy (b. 1945)
Mountaineer Hummel (Puck Penisssss)
Inkjet print, oil stick, and glue on paper
82 x 42 in. (208.3 x 106.7 cm.)
Provenance
Courtesy of the artist and Hauser & Wirth
Estimate
$250,000 – $350,000
Price Realized
$240,000
Kelley Walker (b. 1969)
Untitled
four-color process silkscreen with acrylic ink on canvas
96 x 2½ in. (243.8 x 6.4 cm.)
Provenance
Courtesy of the artist and Paula Cooper Gallery
Estimate
$40,000 – $60,000
Price Realized
$80,000
Chuck Close (b. 1940)
Self-Portrait
screenprint in colors
image: 68 x 52¼ in. (172.7 x 132.7 cm.)
sheet: 74½ x 57¾ in. (189.2 x 146.7 cm.)
Provenance
Courtesy of the artist and The Pace Gallery
Estimate
$70,000 – $100,000
Price Realized
$75,000
Martin Kippenberger (1953-1997)
Kippenblinky
wood, metal, resin, smoking utensils, light bulb and electric wiring
68 x 15½ x 15½ in. (172.7 x 39.4 x 39.4 cm.)
Estimate
$100,000 – $150,000
Price Realized
$200,000
