The George Michael Collection Evening Auction was held on 14 March 2019 at Christie’s in London. Here is a summary of the results:
- A total of 60 lots (the Eva Rothschild piece was withdrawn) were sold generating a total of £9,264,000 with proceeds going to extend George Michael’s extraordinary philanthropic legacy.
- Looking at the hammer prices, a total of 37 lots exceeded the high estimate, while 12 lots fell below the estimated range. 11 lots ended within the estimates.
- Jim Lambie’s ‘Careless Whisper’ had the biggest percentage differential from its estimated price, ending 678% over its high estimate. The work was estimated to sell for only about
£12,000 – £18,000 but ended the auction with a hammer price of £140,000. - Tracey ‘George Loves Kenny’ ended with an outstanding hammer price of £280,000, which is about 367% over its estimated price of £40,000 – £60,000.
- The most expensive piece of the auction was Damien Hirst’s ‘The Incomplete Truth,’ which fetched £750,000 at the evening auction. The price, however, is below 25% its estimated price. His other work, the ‘Saint Sebastian, Exquisite Pain’ was a close second at £720,000, though short by 28% of its estimated amount.
- Mat Collishaw’s ‘Burnt Almonds, Heinrich & Eva’ got the lowest bid of the night with only £2,800, which is 44% below its estimate of £5,000- £7,000.
Scroll the table horizontally to check how much the works have sold.
Price realized = sales totals are hammer price plus buyer’s premium and are reported net of applicable taxes and fees.
Hammer price = the price at which an item is sold at auction.
| Lot # | Artist | Tile | Estimate | Price Realized | Hammer Price | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antony Gormley (b. 1950) | Another Time III | 180,000 - 250,000 | £431,250 | £350,000 | 40% over high estimate |
| 2 | Tracey Emin (b. 1963) | Hurricane | 120,000 - 180,000 | £431,250 | £350,000 | 94% over high estimate |
| 3 | Tracey Emin (b. 1963) | I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW | 40,000 - 60,000 | £150,000 | £120,000 | 100% over high estimate |
| 4 | Bridget Riley (b. 1931) | Songbird | 400,000 - 600,000 | £791,250 | £650,000 | 8% over high estimate |
| 5 | Damien Hirst (b. 1965) | The Incomplete Truth | 1,000,000 - 1,500,000 | £911,250 | £750,000 | 25% below low estimate |
| 6 | Tracey Emin (b. 1963) | Drunk to the Bottom of My Soul | 180,000 - 250,000 | £275,000 | £220,000 | within estimate |
| 7 | Tim Noble & Sue Webster (b. 1966 & b. 1967) | fuckingbeautiful (Snow White) | 40,000 - 60,000 | £93,750 | £75,000 | 25% over high estimate |
| 8 | Rebecca Warren (b. 1965) | K | 120,000 - 180,000 | £299,250 | £240,000 | 33% over high estimate |
| 9 | Thomas Houseago (b. 1972) | Portrait | 40,000 - 60,000 | £68,750 | £55,000 | within estimate |
| 10 | Jim Lambie (b. 1964) | Careless Whisper | 12,000 - 18,000 | £175,000 | £140,000 | 678% over high estimate |
| 11 | Michael Craig-Martin (b. 1941) | Untitled (SEX) | 40,000 - 60,000 | £125,000 | £100,000 | 67% over high estimate |
| 12 | Cecily Brown (b. 1969) | Untitled | 350,000 - 550,000 | £791,250 | £650,000 | 18% over high estimate |
| 13 | Damien Hirst (b. 1965) | Saint Sebastian, Exquisite Pain | 1,000,000 - 1,500,000 | £875,250 | £720,000 | 28% below low estimate |
| 14 | Jake and Dinos Chapman (b. 1966 & b. 1962) | Platinum Joey | 15,000 - 20,000 | £30,000 | £24,000 | 20% over high estimate |
| 15 | Tracey Emin (b. 1963) | FUCK OFF AND DIE YOU SLAG | 30,000 - 50,000 | £87,500 | £70,000 | 49% over high estimate |
| 16 | Wolfgang Tillmans (b. 1968) | Urgency XII | 150,000 - 250,000 | £299,250 | £240,000 | within estimate |
| 17 | Gilbert & George (b. 1943 & b. 1942) | Shadow Blind | 70,000 - 100,000 | £72,500 | £58,000 | 17% below low estimate |
| 18 | Tracey Emin (b. 1963) | When I Think About Sex I Think about Men- Women, Dogs, Lions, Group Sex (And I Love You All) | 40,000 - 60,000 | £85,000 | £68,000 | 13% over high estimate |
| 19 | Sarah Lucas (b. 1962) | Selfish in Bed I | 5,000 - 7,000 | £15,000 | £12,000 | 71% over high estimate |
| 20 | Angus Fairhurst (1966-2008) | A Couple of Differences Between Thinking and Feeling II | 30,000 - 50,000 | £118,750 | £95,000 | 90% over high estimate |
| 21 | Mat Collishaw (b. 1966) | Burnt Almonds, Heinrich & Eva | 5,000 - 7,000 | £3,500 | £2,800 | 44% below low estimate |
| 22 | Damien Hirst (b. 1965) | Saint Bartholomew | 250,000 - 350,000 | £250,000 | £200,000 | 20% below low estimate |
| 23 | Sarah Lucas (b. 1962) | New Religion (violet) | 40,000 - 60,000 | £37,500 | £30,000 | 25% below low estimate |
| 24 | Rachel Howard (b. 1969) | Red Painting | 20,000 - 30,000 | £25,000 | £20,000 | within estimate |
| 25 | Sam Taylor-Johnson (b. 1967) | Soliloquy VIII | 15,000 - 20,000 | £26,250 | £21,000 | 5% over high estimate |
| 26 | Michael Craig-Martin (b. 1941) | Untitled (GOD) | 18,000 - 25,000 | £40,000 | £32,000 | 28% over high estimate |
| 27 | Tracey Emin (b. 1963) | Reincarnation VI | 15,000 - 20,000 | £56,250 | £45,000 | 125% over high estimate |
| 28 | Angus Fairhurst (1966-2008) | Fata Morgana | 10,000 - 15,000 | £45,000 | £36,000 | 140% over high estimate |
| 29 | Harland Miller (b. 1964) | Incurable Romantic Seeks Dirty Filthy Whore | 30,000 - 50,000 | £237,500 | £190,000 | 280% over high estimate |
| 30 | Damien Hirst (b. 1965) | Incorruptible Crown | 300,000 - 400,000 | £371,250 | £300,000 | within estimate |
| 31 | Adam McEwen (b. 1965) | (i) Jeff (ii) Nicole (iii) Macaulay (iv) Bill (v) Rod (vi) Marilyn (vii) Malcolm | 30,000 - 50,000 | £50,000 | £40,000 | within estimate |
| 32 | Damien Hirst (b. 1965) | The Immaculate Heart?Sacred | 120,000 - 180,000 | £323,250 | £260,000 | 44% over high estimate |
| 33 | Toby Ziegler (b. 1972) | Victorian Water Mains (4th Version) | 20,000 - 30,000 | £28,750 | £23,000 | within estimate |
| 34 | Tim Noble & Sue Webster (b. 1966 & b. 1967) | Dirty Narcissus | 18,000 - 22,000 | £22,500 | £18,000 | within estimate |
| 35 | Gilbert & George (b. 1943 & b. 1942) | Eight | 70,000 - 100,000 | £56,250 | £45,000 | 36% below low estimate |
| 36 | James White (b. 1967) | Relationships II | 7,000 - 10,000 | £22,500 | £18,000 | over high estimate |
| 37 | Eva Rothschild (b. 1972) | Motivator | 8,000 - 12,000 | Withdrawn | ||
| 38 | Marc Quinn (b. 1964) | Spherical Morphology | 12,000 - 18,000 | £16,250 | £13,000 | within estimate |
| 39 | Richard Long (b. 1940) | Green Slate Spiral | 60,000 - 80,000 | £106,250 | £85,000 | over high estimate |
| 40 | Tracey Emin (b. 1963) | Outside Myself (Monument Valley) | 6,000 - 8,000 | £23,750 | £19,000 | over high estimate |
| 41 | Sam Taylor-Johnson (b. 1967) | After Van Halen | 10,000 - 15,000 | £22,500 | £18,000 | over high estimate |
| 42 | Darren Almond (b. 1971) | Six Months Later | 10,000 - 15,000 | £17,500 | £14,000 | within estimate |
| 43 | Gary Hume (b. 1962) | In the Park | 40,000 - 60,000 | £81,250 | £65,000 | 8% over high estimate |
| 44 | Andy Warhol (1928-1987) | Child with Kite | 40,000 - 60,000 | £47,500 | £38,000 | 5% below low estimate |
| 45 | Chris Ofili (b. 1968) | Untitled | 6,000 - 8,000 | £25,000 | £20,000 | 150% over high estimate |
| 46 | Mary McCartney (b. 1969) | Tracey as Frida | 3,000 - 5,000 | £22,500 | £18,000 | 260% over high estimate |
| 47 | Tracey Emin (b. 1963) | George Loves Kenny | 40,000 - 60,000 | £347,250 | £280,000 | 367% over high estimate |
| 48 | David Bailey (b. 1938) | Damien Hirst | 2,000 - 3,000 | £5,000 | £4,000 | 33% over high estimate |
| 49 | Damien Hirst (b. 1965) | Bitterness | 80,000 - 120,000 | £93,750 | £75,000 | 6% below low estimate |
| 50 | Gary Hume (b. 1962) | American Tan XXIV | 40,000 - 60,000 | £81,250 | £65,000 | 8% over high estimate |
| 51 | Tim Noble & Sue Webster (b. 1966 & b. 1967) | The Sweet Smell of Excess | 50,000 - 70,000 | £47,500 | £38,000 | 24% below low estimate |
| 52 | Tracey Emin (b. 1963) | Sometimes the Dress is Worth More Money than the Money | 8,000 - 12,000 | £13,125 | £10,500 | within estimate |
| 53 | Adam McEwen (b. 1965) | New York, New York | 30,000 - 50,000 | £20,000 | £16,000 | 47% below low estimate |
| 54 | Tim Noble & Sue Webster (b. 1966 & b. 1967) | Metal Fucking Rats (Version Four) | 15,000 - 20,000 | £37,500 | £30,000 | 50% over high estimate |
| 55 | Sarah Lucas (b. 1962) | O Nob | 18,000 - 25,000 | £37,500 | £30,000 | 29% over high estimate |
| 56 | Jim Lambie (b. 1964) | Get Yr Freak On | 20,000 - 30,000 | £11,875 | £9,500 | 53% below low estimate |
| 57 | Michael Craig-Martin (b. 1941) | Handcuffs | 30,000 - 50,000 | £112,500 | £90,000 | 80% over high estimate |
| 58 | Horst P. Horst (1906-1999) | Male Nude (Knee) | 8,000 - 12,000 | £26,250 | £21,000 | 75% over high estimate |
| 59 | Tim Noble & Sue Webster (b. 1966 & b. 1967) | Excessive Sensual Indulgence | 30,000 - 50,000 | £237,500 | £190,000 | 280% over high estimate |
| 60 | Marc Quinn (b. 1964) | Emotional Detox: The Seven Deadly Sins VI | 15,000 - 20,000 | £40,000 | £32,000 | 60% over high estimate |
| 61 | Cerith Wyn Evans (b. 1958) | And if I don't meet you no more... | 10,000 - 15,000 | £68,750 | £55,000 | 267% over high estimate |
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