Francis Bacon, Two Studies for a Self-Portrait (1970), via Sotheby’s

Just as Frieze closes its doors on a week of contemporary sales, the New York auction houses are opening theirs for a second week of major U.S. market activity.  Spreading the offerings across a marathon series of sales in the coming days, the New York spring/summer auctions will mark the last test of buyer interest before the summer recess. (more…)

Piero Manzoni, Achrome (1958), via Phillips

The week of Contemporary Sales is now underway in London, after Phillips concluded its first major auction of 2016, its “20th Century and Contemporary Art,” to uneven results this past evening, seeing 9 of 43 lots going unsold, and a final total of £24,590,500.  Sales were decidedly reluctant this evening, despite the sale’s strong sell through this evening.  Many works lingered at low estimate, or only achieved the low with the added premium and fees, a note that underscores realistic estimates set by Phillips, but perhaps a far less rabid buying market.

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Gerhard Richter, Abstraktes Bild (1990), via Sotheby’s

Taking up the second week of London’s early-year, marquee auctions, the Post-War and Contemporary Evening Sales are set to get underway this week with a trio of offerings that will again test the health and enthusiasm of the market in the face of what many have called a “cooling off.” (more…)

Willem de Kooning, Untitled XXVIII (1977), via Phillips

Sales resumed for New York’s fall auction weeks yesterday evening, as a Sunday sale at Phillips combined early 20th Century works and contemporary artists in a brisk sale that began strong but stumbled towards the later half of the sale, as 9 of 52 lots ultimately went unsold, achieving a final tally of $66.9 million (just within estimate). (more…)

Amedeo Modigliani, Paulette Jourdain (circa 1919). All photos by Rae Wang for Art Observed.

A marathon auction calendar is set to open in New York this week, bringing a massive trove of premier works to the city’s top auction houses.  With 7 major sales over the course of the next week and a half, spectators can expect an almost unprecedented number of high value works changing hands, with major records already forecasted to fall during the proceedings at Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips. (more…)

Cy Twombly, Untitled (2006), via Phillips

The sales have concluded tonight at Phillips London, as the auction house capped a procedural yet impressively consistent outing, seeing a white glove sale where all 36 lots sucessfully found a buyer, bringing a final total tally of nearly £32 million for the night. (more…)

Agnes Martin, Untitled (1999-2000), via Sotheby’s

With the opening days of the Frieze art fair in London also come the annual fall auctions at Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips, launching another season of marquee sales at the auction houses.  Starting on October 14th, one day after the fair opens its doors for the VIP viewing, the sales will offer a second opportunity for collectors to vie for top works. (more…)

Phillips has announced a non-selling exhibition of works by Barbara Hepworth next summer in London, organized by Andrew Bonacina, the chief curator at the Hepworth Wakefield in Yorkshire.  The show “will serve to show the strength and importance of our collection to a wider audience”, says Simon Wallis, the gallery director. (more…)

Phillips is expanding its focus to include Modern Art, the Art Newspaper reports, specifically focusing on early 20th century work with ties to the contemporary.  “For a long time now, collectors have been buying across the 20th century. I want to flesh out Phillip’s presence in that market without losing our traditional focus on cutting-edge contemporary,” says Phillips head Edward Dolman. (more…)

Phillips and Ebay have announced a new partnership to improve the auction house’s live online auctions.  The partnership begins with a sale online September 17th.  “We’re excited to partner with such a well-respected international auction house specializing in contemporary art, underscoring our commitment in the art and collectibles space,” says Linda Campbell, divisional merchandise manager for Art & Collectibles at eBay. “Founded over 200 years ago, Phillips is a dynamic auction house that sells some of the world’s most important contemporary works of art, which we’re thrilled to make more accessible to our global eBay community and Phillips clients alike.”  (more…)

Both Sotheby’s and Phillips have announced major steps this to strengthen their respective business plans, with Phillips appointing a new worldwide head of 20th century art, Hugues Joffre, and Sotheby’s announcing its previously reported first office in India.   (more…)

Three former Christie’s employees; Jean-Paul Engelen, Hugues Joffre, and the auction house’s former deputy chairman of postwar and contemporary art in New York, Robert Manley, have all joined Phillips this week.  The move follows a strong outing by the New York-based auction house this past spring, and continued aggressive approaches to contend with Sotheby’s and Christie’s. (more…)

Francis Bacon, Seated Woman (1961), via Phillips

The Phillips Contemporary Evening sale has concluded, bringing to a close a week full of fireworks and smashed records with a relatively lackluster sales event that saw several impressive sales, countered by a number of less than exceptional performances.  Of the sale’s 71 lots, 14 went unsold, and few others managed to surpass high estimates, bringing the final sales tally to a respectable $97,100,000.   (more…)

Following up on the claims for serious market contention made by new chief Edward Dolman, Phillips has landed a major private collection for sale in the coming months, valued at nearly $35 million.  The works, which include a Brice Marden estimated at $8 million to $12 million, and a Ed Ruscha valued at $2 to $3 million, will be sold at the auction house’s Contemporary Evening sale in May, with some others being reserved for a special photography sale.  “They were interested in art of their time,” says advisor Allan Schwartzman, who helped build the collection. “There is a lot of abstract work and work where the imaging is involved with the natural world.” (more…)

The New York Times profiles Edward Dolman, current head of Phillips, and his mission to turn the smaller auction house into a perennial competitor with Sotheby’s and Christie’s in the field of Contemporary Art.  “The trouble is the old business model services all collecting categories, and that puts stress on the cost base of these companies,” Dolman says.  “Christie’s and Sotheby’s are almost like institutions that are struggling to provide a broad range of services across tastes, age groups and art forms. This is difficult to sustain.” (more…)

Mark Bradford, Biting the Book (2013), via Phillips

Following a pair of major auctions the previous evenings, the Phillips Contemporary and Evening Sale in London has concluded the first Contemporary market week of the year, capping a 30-lot sale at the auction house’s new 30 Berkeley Square to the final result of £17.7 million, with only five of the works going unsold.

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Christopher Wool, Untitled (1990), via Phillips

Last night, Phillips wrapped its Contemporary Evening Sale in London, corresponding with the opening days of Frieze London, and setting the stage for the fall season of auctions in both the British capital and New York. Phillips kicked the week off with a moderate sale, featuring a few impressive achievers alongside a number of more subdued sales marks, achieving a final sales total of £14.9 million for the 47 lot sale. (more…)

Phillips Auctioneers has appointed Edward Dolman as its new chairman and chief executive officer. Dolman comes to Phillips after three years as the executive director and acting chief executive of the Qatar Museums Authority in addition to 27 years working at Christie’s, during which time he rose to the rank of chairman and CEO. As chairman of Phillips, Dolman follows in the steps of Simon de Pury, who left the position in late 2012 after selling control of the auction house to the Mercury Group, a Russian luxury goods distributor. With the help of funding from the Mercury Group, Dolman plans to recruit talent that will help Phillips prosper as it relocates to new, large headquarters in London.  (more…)

An article in the New York Times reports on a recent wave of high-profile announcements from some of the world’s most prominent auction houses in attempt to gain the upper hand in the upcoming fall sale season. Among these announcements is the news that Sotheby’s will partner with eBay while Christie’s will expand with a house in Shanghai and Phillips de Pury will unveil a impressive new space in Mayfair. While these announcements might project an attractive appearance of prosperity and growth, the article contrasts them against the inherent instability of public sales, comparing the auction market to a “Baked Alaska dessert — firm and shiny on the top, but soft in the middle and on the bottom.” (more…)

Mark Rothko, Untitled (Red, Blue, Orange) (1955) which sold for $50,000,000 at Phillips, via Art Observed

The Phillips Contemporary Evening Sale has concluded, wrapping up what has been a whirlwind week of contemporary art sales with a briskly-paced, 49-lot sale that achieved moderately strong results, while twelve works were either withdrawn or went unsold. (more…)

Longtime auction market veteran Edward Dolman is returning from a three year stint at the Qatar Museums Authority to head Phillips, the perennial third-place auction house, and to challenge the long-running dominance of Sotheby’s and Christie’s.  “It’s certainly been tried before,” he said in a telephone interview with the New York Times. “I’ve always thought it would be good for everyone to offer clients more options, especially with the significant growth in the number of collectors there are now from all over the world.”    (more…)

The New York Times reports on Christie’s auctioneer Loic Gouzer’s new evening auction event, focusing on contemporary and emerging artists.  Gouzer’s first auction of the project, to be held on May 12th in New York, will compete with Phillips Auction House’s contemporary sale on the same night, and features work from Richard Prince, Wade Guyton and Cady Noland.  “When I look at the quality and the buzz,” Gouzer says, “I think people will want to be there.” (more…)

The proceedings at Phillips with Alexander Gilkes at the rostrum, via Aubrey Roemer for Art Observed

Last night, Phillips auction house held their Contemporary Art Evening Sale art, in a packed salesroom. The sale exhibited a strong lead into the week of Contemporary art auctions, with 84% of lots selling by value, and 88% selling by lot. The 40 lots sold for a combined total of $68 million, including premiums, against an estimate of $65 – 97 million.

Kazuo Shiraga, Keishizoku (1961), via Ben Richards for Art Observed (more…)

Oscar Murillo, Untitled (2012), via Phillips

The Phillips Contemporary Art Evening Sale wrapped tonight in London, kicking off another edition of Frieze week auctions in the British capital. Running efficiently through the 38 lot auction, the first in the week’s three nights of sales achieved strong, if not expectable results.  With the events of Frieze week as a major draw for collectors around the world, Phillips had little problem finding new buyers for all but 6 of the works on sale, with 10 lots selling well above their maximum estimates.

Tauba Auerbach, Untitled (Fold) (2011), via Phillips (more…)