‘Andy Warhol looks a scream, hang him on my wall’
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
03/16/2013 21:41
Christie's online only auction of Warhol art nets $2,297,375 in sales, twice the expected sum.
A DULWICH Picture Gallery employee poses next to Andy Warhol’s 1969 ‘Campbell Soup II,’ in London la Photo: REUTERS
Christie’s, the international auction house, celebrated the first Andy Warhol @
Christie’s online-only auction from February 26 to March 5, resulting in
$2,297,375 in sales, twice the expected sum. Clients were able to browse, bid
and pay, receive updates and organize shipment both electronically and by
phone.
“The excellent results of the first Warhol online-only sale
demonstrate the international enthusiasm from both new and established
collectors who bid from 36 countries, validating Warhol’s democratizing vision,”
said the chairman of the board of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual
Arts, Michael Straus.
The cyber auction’s proceeds are earmarked for the
foundation, which supports the development of visual artwork.
“Andy
Warhol @ Christie’s has advanced both our philanthropic programs and our work in
keeping Andy’s legacy alive. We are thrilled with the results of this first sale
and look forward to many more exciting online sales in the years ahead,” the
foundation’s president, Joel Wachs, said.
Some of the artwork in the
auction was priced as low as $600, while other pieces went on sale for as much
as $70,000.
The highest price paid was for a colored lithograph printed
on two sheets of paper and titled I Love Your Kiss Forever. Although Christie’s
had estimated its sale value at anything from $3,000 to $5,000, in the end it
sold for $90,000.
263 people bid online, and a total of 65,000 browsed
the cyber auction.
Christie’s next online Warhol auction, scheduled for
April, is to feature collectibles.