Auctions | June 9, 2015

Records Shattered at Heritage Auctions’ Modern & Contemporary Art

DALLAS—Andy Warhol’s Moonwalk, 1987, direct from the private collection of moonwalker Buzz Aldrin, shattered its previous $111,873 record to sell for $173,000 following interest by 22 bidders in Heritage Auctions’ $4+ million Modern & Contemporary Art Auction in Dallas May 30 in Dallas.

“In some cases, single lots saw action by more than a dozen bidders each—and nearly two dozen bidders for select works,” said Frank Hettig, Director of Modern & Contemporary Art at Heritage Auctions. “Bidders come to our Modern and Contemporary Art auctions with high expectations and we were thrilled to meet and exceed them this season.”

Fierce bidding on HA.com prior to the sale pushed Ed Ruscha’s 1983 classic 99% Angel, 1% Devil above the high estimate prior to the live auction; and a dozen phone bidders drove the price to $341,000.

The $4 million auction set numerous artist auction records such as David Michael Bates, as The Texas Queen, 1982, sold for $221,000 and surpassing the previous record by more than $114,000. Piero Dorazio’s Another Way, 1965, saw interest by 27 bidders who pushed the sale price to $149,000 against a $30,000-$50,000 estimate.

Toshimatsu Imai’s acclaimed abstract Untitled, 1962, was offered for the first time at public auction after spending its life in a private collection. The artwork sold for $161,000 against a $20,000-$30,000 estimate.

Additional highlights include, Andy Warhol’s Ingrid Bergman: With Hat, 1983, which realized $75,000 and Garbage Drawing #26, 1988, by Mike Kelley - from a private California collection - which hammered for $60,000, three times its estimate. 

Heritage Auctions is the largest auction house founded in the United States and the world’s third largest, with annual sales of more than $900 million, and 900,000+ online bidder members. For more information about Heritage Auctions, and to join and receive access to a complete record of prices realized, with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit HA.com.

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