Press | Phillips

Phillips’ New York Evening Sale of

20th Century & Contemporary Art Realizes $138.9 Million,

Among the Highest Sale Totals in Company History

Sale Led by Cy Twombly’s Bacchus Painting, with a New Auction Record Set for María Berrío

New York, 15 November 2022

Sale Total: $138,977,600 / £117,144,775 / €134,223,176

Lots Sold: 43 | Lots Offered: 44

Sold by Lot: 98% | Sold by Value: 99%

Jean-Paul Engelen, President, Americas, and Worldwide Co-Head of 20th Century & Contemporary Art, said, “At $138.9 million, tonight’s auction marks the third highest sale total in Phillips’ history. This is a particularly remarkable feat as our top three most successful sales were all set within the past year, making it all the more clear that Phillips is in the midst of an incomparable period of growth. We saw bidding from nearly 30 countries, with the sale selling 98% by lot, confirming a solid, international market for important works of 20th century and contemporary art. Leading the sale was Cy Twombly’s monumental Bacchus painting at $41.6 million, which saw strong interest, with bidding in the room and on the phones.”

Robert Manley, Deputy Chairman and Worldwide Co-Head of 20th Century & Contemporary Art, added, “While Phillips has cemented our reputation as the auction house for emerging artists, this sale has truly captured all of which we are capable. It is a result of our team’s relationships with the most important collectors around the globe, and our ability to juxtapose artists who are newer to the secondary market with time-tested 20th century masters. Marc Chagall’s recently restituted Le Père realized $7.4 million, while early Andy Warhol paintings from the Warhola Family collection saw strong international interest. We were also pleased to set a new record for María Berrío with her He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not realizing $1.6 million, three times the low estimate.”

Top Ten Lots

Lot	Description	Estimate	Price Achieved
8	Cy Twombly, Untitled, 2005	$35,000,000 - 45,000,000	$41,640,000
16	Mark Grotjahn, Untitled (Circus No. 12 Face 44.30), 2014	$8,000,000 - 12,000,000	$9,809,000
24	Jean-Michel Basquiat, To Repel Ghosts, 1985	$7,000,000 - 10,000,000	$7,862,500
17	Marc Chagall, Le Père, 1911	$6,000,000 - 8,000,000	$7,404,500
15	Mark Bradford, He Barked Just Like a Watchdog, 2011	$4,000,000 - 6,000,000	$4,870,000
28	Willem de Kooning, Untitled, 1977	$4,000,000 - 6,000,000	$4,870,000
7	Julie Mehretu, Tsunemasa (next to Kaija), 2014	$4,000,000 - 6,000,000	$4,386,000
9	René Magritte, Le météore, 1964	$4,000,000 - 6,000,000	$4,265,000
34	Alexander Calder, Petite croix, 1968	$3,500,000 - 4,500,000	$4,023,000
18	Marlene Dumas, Snow White in the Wrong Story, 1988	$3,500,000 - 4,500,000	$3,781,000

New Auction Record

Lot	Description	Estimate	Price Achieved
19	María Berrío, He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, 2015	$500,000 - 700,000	$1,603,000
	*previous record price: $1,562,500 set in 2022

Exchange Rate on 15 November 2022: US$1 = £0.842904, €0.96579, HK$7.821320

15 November 2022

Phillips’ New York Evening Sale of 20th Century & Contemporary Art Realizes $138.9 Million, Among the Highest Sale Totals in Company History