PHILADELPHIA, PA.- Freeman’s announced the results of its November 17 Modern & Contemporary Art auction, which realized over $2.7M. With highly competitive bidding throughout the sale from bidders both online and on the phone, the auction achieved an impressive 95% sell-through rate and established record prices for works by Alexander Calder and Clyfford Still.

FRESH-TO-MARKET MATERIAL FROM SINGLE-OWNER COLLECTIONS SOAR ABOVE ESTIMATES
The undoubted highlight of the sale was the record price achieved for Clyfford Still’s PH-491 (Lot 18). The work sold for $411,000, five times its pre-sale high estimate, resulting in the second highest price ever achieved for a Clyfford Still work on paper.

Said Vice President and Senior Specialist, Anne Henry: “We are delighted with the results of Tuesday’s sale, especially the results realized for the fresh-to-market works by highly sought after artists such as Alexander Calder, Willem de Kooning and Carlos Cruz-Diez from three private collections which anchored the sale. With 100% sell-through rates for two of the three collections, and the majority of works in the sale selling above their pre-sale high estimates, Freeman’s Modern & Contemporary Department once again proves its ability to achieve stellar successes for its consignors.”

The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Gates Lloyd Sr. and Eleanor “Lallie” Biddle Lloyd achieved a 100% sell-through rate and realized a cumulative total of $580,00, soaring past its pre-sale high estimate of $452,000. The collection featured two works on paper by Alexander Calder, Spinnaker (Lot 48) which sold for $181,250 and Untitled (Lot 47) which sold for $162,500, both realizing more-than-double their pre-sale high estimates, and with Spinnaker also achieving the third highest price for a work on paper by Alexander Calder in 2020. Also from this collection was Lynn Chadwick’s Duet, which surpassed its pre-sale low estimate to sell for $162,500.

ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Other notable highlights included the sale of Physichromie no. 494 by Carlos Cruz-Diez (Lot 35), which realized $250,000, just at the top of its pre-sale high estimate; Constellation of the Archer by Romare Bearden which sold for $112,500; Untitled (Double Bush Form) (Lot 62) and Untitled (Tonal Sound Sculpture) (Lot 61) by Harry Bertoia which sold for $125,000 and $50,000, respectively.

Also of note are works from The Estate of Dorothy Levitt Beskind, which saw a 100% sell-through rate and realized $233,625, well surpassing its pre-sale high estimate of $177,000. Highlights included Portrait of Ruth by Willem de Kooning (Lot 13) which achieved $58,500, almost double its pre-sale high estimate, and Untitled by Bob Thompson (Lot 9) which sold for $35,000, nearly triple its pre-sale low estimate and the fifth highest price ever achieved for a work on paper by the artist.