Auction Watch: Helen Frankenthaler and David Hockney Top Performers in Christie’s Print Sale
Book Of Clouds © Helen Frankenthaler 2007
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Christie’s New York October Prints and Multiples sale was driven by leading results from Helen Frankenthaler, performing on par with established male contemporaries. This sale followed successful October prints and editions auctions at Phillips and Sotheby’s, slightly surpassing their hammer totals at $6 million and highlighting the continued strength in this season’s print market.
Christie’s live Prints and Multiples sale on Friday, October 25th, at Rockefeller Plaza achieved a hammer total of $6 million, edging past Phillips' Editions and Works on Paper sale, which closed at $5.4 million. While American Pop dominated at Phillips, showcasing strong market interest, Christie’s offered a wider array of works, achieving notable results with Abstract Post-War and Modern pieces. Highlights included standout performances by Pablo Picasso, the sale’s top performer, as well as works by Willem de Kooning and Vija Celmins. This mix contributed both variety and energy to Christie’s overall success, underlining the demand for a broader spectrum of blue-chip art in the current market.
Christie's Prints and Multiples Sale, October 2023/2024 © MyArtBroker The sale reached a hammer total just above $6 million, falling slightly short of the presale low estimate by only 3%. Although there were impressive results, approximately 20% of the lots remained unsold, resulting in a 79% sell-through rate. Compared to the same sale last year, which featured 226 lots, this year’s auction saw a 14% decrease in total hammer value with 182 lots. While overall figures were down, there was also a decrease in works that sold below estimates or went unsold, reflecting a positive market sentiment, which suggests a sustained level of buying interest in the market.
Here are the highlights:
Helen Frankenthaler’s Print Market Demand and Growth
While it is not uncommon for print sales to feature predominantly male blue chip artists, Christie’s sale included several standout works by American Post-War artist Helen Frankenthaler. Though Frankenthaler began her printmaking journey in 1961, her print market has recently seen notable growth, with a remarkable 457% year-on-year increase in 2022, reflecting rising interest and demand in this medium of her work. This enthusiasm was evident when Book Of Clouds–a multimedia piece with hand-colouring, in a limited edition of 30 plus twelve artist proofs–achieved $214,200 with fees, surpassing its $150,000 high estimate and ranking among the top lots of the sale. Additionally, Frankenthaler’s screenprint Flirt, a dedication proof, outperformed its $15,000 high estimate, with a sale of $27,720.
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David Hockney Market Trends: Increasing Scarcity of Arrival of Spring Works in 2024
David Hockney was another top performer in the sale, contributing significantly by volume with 14 works, of which eleven sold. Among the highest-selling lots was a piece from The Arrival of Spring series. Despite their rarity this year, demand for these prints has not declined; rather, collectors may be holding onto them, anticipating more favourable market conditions. In 2023, 21 prints from the series circulated in the market, but in 2024, this sale marked only the eighth to come to auction.
The Arrival of Spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire in 2011 (twenty eleven) - 30 March 2011, an edition of 25, made its second auction appearance and set a new benchmark value, achieving $327,600 with fees. Another notable record came from Hotel Acatlán: Two Weeks Later, a regular edition, surpassing the previous record set by an artist proof (AP) in 2022, achieving $176,400 with fees.
Two potentially trending Hockney works were two digital iPad self-portrait prints, Self Portrait, 20 March 2012 and Self Portrait, 14 March 2012, which sold for $52,920 and $50,400 with fees, respectively–each exceeding their high estimates. These works are relatively new to the market, and their high performance highlights ongoing collector interest in Hockney’s digital explorations.
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Andy Warhol’s Double Mickey Mouse Leads And Chicken Noodle Soup Can Sets New Record
Andy Warhol’s presence in Christie’s sale was underscored by high-value lots featuring his most iconic imagery and several new auction records. Reflecting strong collector confidence in recognisable works, a regular edition of Chicken Noodle Soup set a new record, achieving $107,100 with fees, an impressive 78% above its $60,000 presale estimate, while a unique Flowers proof sold for $176,400, surpassing its $120,000 estimate. Warhol’s Double Mickey Mouse ranked as the sale’s second-highest lot, meeting expectations with a final price of $630,000. Demonstrating current market trends, Warhol’s Cowboys and Indians series also performed well, with Northwest Coast Mask setting a new record at $40,320 with fees, surpassing its previous high of £28,643 (GBP) from December 2020, and Indian Head Nickel achieving $94,500 against a $70,000 estimate.
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Roy Lichtenstein’s Bull Series Sets New Auction Records
This year’s print auctions have highlighted the range within Roy Lichtenstein's print portfolio, one of the most active by volume among American Pop artists. Just as collectors may be holding back Hockney’s Arrival of Spring prints, perhaps awaiting more favourable market conditions, collector's might also be holding onto Lichtenstein’s most coveted Nudes series. In this sale, Christie’s showcased Lichtenstein's complete set of his Bulls Series from the 1970s in various edition numbers. This iconic set sold for $107,100, comfortably above its $80,000 presale estimate, illustrating demand, though collectors still favour sets with matching edition numbers. Additionally, a single print from the series, Bull IV, set a new auction record, selling for $21,420 and surpassing the previous high of £14,381 (GBP) set in 2017.
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Keith Haring Sets New Record
We’re closely tracking Keith Haring’s print market, which has shown a slight volume increase compared to the same period last year. Notable performances at Christie’s sale suggest a possible uplift in the average selling price for Haring’s prints, reflecting continued confidence in the blue chip segment. In this sale, the complete set of Chocolate Buddha sold for $63,000, and USA 19-82 achieved a new record at $44,100 with fees, surpassing its previous record of £31,816 set in 2021.
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Ed Ruscha More Than Doubles High Estimate
American Pop and Post-War artist Ed Ruscha remains a staple in the market, offering intriguing diversification opportunities in challenging economic times. Christie’s offered several Ruscha prints, including Girls from the World series which set a new auction record, achieving $27,720 with fees, far surpassing its $10,000 high estimate.
Overall, Christie’s sale demonstrated solid performance. Although the final figures came in below the presale estimate and under last year’s totals, it underscores a broader narrative. Auction houses are adapting their strategies and adjusting estimates to reflect current conditions. Notably, many works exceeded or met their expected values, an encouraging sign amid today’s landscape. For more detailed market insights on the October print sale, review our report on Phillips’ Editions and Works on Paper sale.
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