On November 19th, Christie’s 21st century evening sale in New York brought in $123.58 million, breaking auction records for three women artists: Olga de Amaral, Firelei Báez, and Joan Brown. (All prices include fees).
Báez’s Untitled (Colonization in America, Visual History Wall Map, Prepared by Civic Education Service) (2021) sold for $1.11 million, more than five times its high estimate of $200,000. This broke the artist record, set earlier in the day at Phillips, when Daughter of Revolutions (2014) sold for $645,000.
Before yesterday, her auction record was set in 2024, when Josephine Judas GOAT (it does not disturb me to accept that there are places where my identity is obscure to me, and the fact that it amazes you does not mean I relinquish it) (2017) sold for $567,000 at Christie’s New York. Baez is currently the subject of a traveling exhibition at MCA Chicago, which opened on November 15th. The eponymous show, organized by ICA Boston, first opened at the Des Moines Art Center and ran from June 14th to September 21st
De Amaral’s Pueblo H (2011) sold for $3.12 million, more than five times its high estimate of $600,000. This beat the artist’s previous auction record, which was set by Imagen perdida 27 (1997) when it sold for $1.16 million at Phillips in New York in May.
Meanwhile, Brown’s After Alcatraz Swim #2 (1975) sold for $596,000. Her previous auction record was set by The Kiss (1976), which sold for $475,000 at Tajan in 2023.
The top sale of the night was Christopher Wool’s Untitled (RIOT) (1990), which sold for $19.84 million. This work is a rare example from Wool’s 75 word paintings to feature blue enamel rather than black.
The sale also featured 19 works from the collection of Chicago-based collectors Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson, which collectively sold for $49.22 million. The top lot of their collection was Andy Warhol’s The Last Supper (1986), which sold for $8.12 million.
In addition to the record-breaking sales, the evening also featured other seven-digit results for works by women artists that exceeded pre-sale estimates. Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Still #13 (1978) sold for $2.27 million, three times above its high estimate of $700,000. Agnes Martin’s Untitled #12 (1989) sold for $6.05 million, flying past its $5 million high estimate. Amy Sherald’s A Clear Unspoken Granted Magic (2017) sold for $4.1 million, jumping ahead of its $3 million high estimate.
“With spirited participation from start to finish, tonight’s sale was an undeniable signal of the strong market for quality works from the post-war and contemporary eras,” said Kathryn Widing, head of 21st-century evening sales at Christie’s.
