Out of the gate, Amy Sherald’s The Bathers shattered previous auction records more than tenfold to achieve a remarkable $4,265,00, nearly 30 times the presale estimate with nearly 15 minutes of bidding. Titus Kaphar’s Veil achieved $365,400, five times its presale estimate, and Matthew Wong’s Before Night Falls achieved $1,252,100, more than tripling the presale estimate; demonstrating Phillips continuing strength in emerging artists markets.
Hockney’s Nichols Canyon sold for a ground-breaking $41,067,500, setting a record for a landscape by the artist -- this price caliber is typically reserved for his figurative works but the rarity and truly exceptional nature of this landscape has shattered that notion. Clyfford Still’s remarkable PH-407, which achieved $18,442,500, is a rare monumental work from his Maryland period, and it’s one of only a few dozen works by the artist to remain in private hands. Basquiat’s Portrait of A-One AKA King sold for $11,500,000, marking the first time this work has come to market in 30 years. The painting is an exemplary work from the apex of Basquiat’s career, painted in 1982 when he was producing important works of art. We set a world record for Kehinde Wiley’s Portrait of Mickalene Thomas, the Coyote, achieving $378,000, tripling the presale estimate while Mickalene Thomas’ I’ve Been Good To Me, achieved $901,200, quadrupling the presale estimate for the work.”
