Keeping Score on Aaron Garber-Maikovska

The market for Aaron Garber-Maikovska’s tall gestural works has been some of the sensation leading into 2016. Well, maybe less a sensation than a strong flavor of the month. Unlike previous blow-ups, his prices have achieved healthy high five-figure sums but not turned into a frenzy. 

In London, four works made solid sales. But just a few weeks later, another four works came on the market. Phillips sold the first (above, left) for $30,000 or just around the low estimate. Considering the estimates were set to attract bidders, that was a dark omen for the rest of the week. When Sotheby’s followed with a substantially stronger but still “out of the money” sale for $60,000 (above, middle left), it looked that the market for this young painter had satisfied the buyers.

Then Christie’s presented two different works with estimates suggesting that one (far right) was more desirable than the other. But both works sold for the same $93,750 which is firmly in the range of prices his market has been hoping for.

All told, Garber-Maikovska will live to see another sales cycle, no doubt.