Works by Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Joan Mitchell, and other stars of the 20th-century South Fork art community achieved some of the highest bids in Phillips auction house's live sale of prints and multiples in Southampton on Saturday.
Roy Lichtenstein's "Nude Reading," from his "Nudes" series, achieved a world record for the edition at $225,800, with a pre-sale estimate of $100,000 to $150,000. It was also the highest-grossing print in the sale. All prices include a buyer's premium, the value of which depends on the value of the sale.
An Andy Warhol print, "Liz," of the actress Elizabeth Taylor, was the third highest sale at $81,900, with an estimate of $50,000 to $70,000. Warhol's print of "Howdy Doody," from his "Myths" series, was the sixth highest sale at $47,880.
A Picasso portrait of his second wife, Jacqueline, had the second highest value sale at $138,600.
Joan Mitchell's "Trees II" also broke a record for the edition with a sales price of $50,400, above its high estimate of $30,000. Its sale was the fifth highest price in the auction.
Kelly Troester and Cary Leibowitz, the worldwide co-heads of editions and deputy chairpersons, Americas, said in a statement that bidders in the salesroom were raising their paddles "alongside bidders from nearly 40 other countries online and on the phone banks, all vying for blue-chip examples of 20th-century and contemporary prints and multiples."
They said the sale's success was based on the strong market for this category of works. "We were also pleased to present 19 works new to market and set 30 auction records for iconic works by Lichtenstein, Johns, Stella, Thiebaud, Calder, LeWitt, Warhol, Steir, and more."
A new exhibition of work by Kenny Scharf, which will be sold privately, will open this weekend and remain on view through July.