Art Market Monitor

Global Coverage ~ Unique Analysis

  • AMMpro
  • AMM Fantasy Collecting Game
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us

Swann's African American Results

October 9, 2009 by Marion Maneker

Lot 78: Barkley Hendricks; Bid 'Em In/Slave; $60-90,000Swann’s African American art sale went well. They brought in $1,354,400 for all the lots and a  sell through was a much stronger 80% with 97 of the 116 lots finding buyers. Better market or better sale management? (see our answer after the jump.)

Well, they found buyers for their top lots with Elizabeth Catlett‘s Homage to My Black Sisters making $288,000 with premium. That’s pretty close to the top estimate. John Biggers‘s Shotguns went for $216,000. Barkley L. Hendricks found a buyer for Bid ‘Em In/Slave at $144,000. That’s a healthy margin over the high estimate. Other notable prices were $84,000 for a Jacob Lawrence work called the Legend of John Brown. And Norman Lewis‘s Sinister Doings by Gaslight was worth $78,000 to someone.

More detailed results can be found here.

Here’s our chart of the last two sales. It shows a nice improvement primarily from Swann’s taking better control of their sale and reducing the number of lots on offer by 31%. The lots sold only dropped 15%, so Swann buttressed their numbers by excluding more of the marginal works. That helped the sell-through jump to 80% and the average price rise by 25% even though the overall sale value was only up 7%. Well done, Swann.

Swann Afr Am Results

More from Art Market Monitor

  • Hermitage of Afr-Am Art BurnsHermitage of Afr-Am Art Burns
  • Elizabeth Catlett, Hughie Lee Smith Lead Swann African-American Sale in OctoberElizabeth Catlett, Hughie Lee Smith Lead Swann African-American Sale in October
  • Swann African-American Art = $4.5mSwann African-American Art = $4.5m
  • Beauford Delaney, Jacob Lawrence, Norman Lewis, Charles White and Elizabeth Catlett Lead Swann African-American Art SaleBeauford Delaney, Jacob Lawrence, Norman Lewis, Charles White and Elizabeth Catlett Lead Swann African-American Art Sale
  • Swann African American = $2.7mSwann African American = $2.7m
  • Barkley Hendricks Big Week at Sotheby’sBarkley Hendricks Big Week at Sotheby’s

Filed Under: Auction Results Tagged With: African American, Featured

About Marion Maneker

Want to get Art Market Monitor‘s posts sent to you in our email? Sign up below by clicking on the Subscribe button.

Top Posts

  • After Pandemic’s Rapid Change, Sotheby’s Has 8 Predictions for 2021
  • Keith Haring’s 1989 Retrospect Comes to Sotheby’s London Prints Sale
  • Tony Podesta's Secret Art Buying
  • Four of Picasso's Women Valued at $28m Come to Christie's from Rose-Walters Collection
  • Norman Rockwell's Not Gay. But Is He a Great Artist?
  • A Season of Improvisation: Fall 2020 New York Modern and Contemporary Art Auction Analysis
  • Roy Lichtenstein’s Top Ten Auction Prices
  • Phillips Includes $2.5m Norman Rockwell Painting in November Evening Sale
  • Eric de Rothschild Explains Why He Sold His Family's Rembrandts
  • Tracey Emin Neon Lights Up Sotheby's 'Contemporary Showcase' Pop-Up
  • About Us/ Contact
  • Podcast
  • AMMpro
  • Newsletter
  • FAQ

twitterfacebooksoundcloud
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
California Privacy Rights
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Advertise on Art Market Monitor