Sotheby’s Mod & Cont British = £10.6m

Here’s Sotheby’s press release on their British Art sale last week:

Sotheby’s Modern & Post-War British Art Evening and Day Sales on 13 – 14 June brought a combined total of £10,659,875 (est. £7,268,500-10,885,500), with a sell-through rate of 75.9% and half of the lots selling for above their high estimates.

Highlighting the sale were two sculptures by Dame Barbara Hepworth, which were consigned for sale by the school that helped launch her on the path to success and realised a combined total of £2,230,000.

One of the most significant works of art from WWI to ever come to auction, CRW Nevinson’s Troops Resting sold for a record £473,000 (est. £150,000-250,000).

A further highlight was Near Malu Kata Evening, Katatjuta (The Olgas) – an extremely rare and monumental painting of Australia by Michael Andrews, one of the most influential British painters of the post-war period, which sold for a record £1,265,000 (est. £500,000-700,000).

• The majority of buying came from the traditional markets, but there was also active buying from Asia and Latin America
• Approximately 10% of buyers were new to Sotheby’s
• 10% of the buying was through our online platform.