While art sales have been taking place online for years, for auction houses, closing in-person sales and viewings is still a leap into the unknown. Sotheby’s London tested the waters this week with their Contemporary Curated auction, and hopefully, the success of their sale is an indication of a still vital market.
With sales totaling $6,401,127, 88 percent of the lots offered were sold, making it the highest total ever achieved for an online sale at Sotheby’s. The top lot was George Condo’s 2005 Antipodal Reunion, which sold for $1,299,753. The large canvas references Pablo Picasso’s The Bathers from 1918, playing on the great artist’s work in Condo’s typical cartoonish style.
