Phillips New Now auction proved itself to be a staple of the auction calendar this week, mixing work by emerging and established artists in a successful sale. Highlights included works by Yayoi Kusama, George Condo, KAWS, and Cindy Sherman, among others. With over 250 lots offered, the auction expected to realize over $5 million, and made $6.4 million. Bidders from over forty countries drove prices up, leading to record-breaking sales.
The top sale was Yayoi Kusama’s Butterfly, which sold for $375,00, more than double its low estimate. Works by KAWS did extremely well. An untitled canvas piece sold for $200,000, double its low estimate of $100,000. His four-foot Companions series were extremely popular, selling for easily double or triple the lowest estimated. One Companion set a new record, selling for $150,000 against an estimate of $25,000.