NEW YORK, NY.- It was an unprecedented trove of masterpieces and it shattered records. Seven lots into the sale was enough to break the world record for a work by Frederic Remington. Nine lots into the sale was enough to break the world record for a single-owner sale of Western Art. Eleven lots into the sale and the record for a Remington that had just been set 14 minutes before, was broken once again. The sale broke five artist records, and when the bidding ended, Visions of the West: The William I. Koch Collection totaled $84,122,305 – more than three times the prior record for a single-owner Western Art auction. The sale was 165 percent sold hammer and buyer's premium above low estimate and 95 percent sold by lot. The top lots of the sale were a trio of masterworks by Frederic Remington: the painting, Coming to the Call, which set the world record at $13,285,000; the painting An Argument with the Town Marshall, which had just broken the world record for the artist, bringing $11,847,500; the bronze, Coming Through the Rye, which more than doubled its low estimate, making $9,950,000. Records also fell for Charles Marion Russell, Dust (price realized: $5,809,000), Alfred Jacob Miller, The Buffalo Hunt (price realized: $4,711,000), Cyrus Edwin Dallin, Appeal to the Great Spirit (price realized $571,500), and David Mann, Buffalo Hunt (price realized: $66,040).
The Head of Christie's American Art Department, Tylee Abbott, said: “This is a historic moment. Mr. Koch brought together masterpieces that define the category, and the market response was beyond enthusiastic. What we saw these past two days is Western Art commanding the art world, centerstage. This is the sale of the century and the highlight of my career.”
William I. Koch said: "Though I will miss these works, it gives me great pleasure knowing others will enjoy them as much as I have long into the future. Thank you to both Christie's and my team for making this sale a fantastic success.”
The Deputy Chairman of American Art at Christie's, Eric Widing. said, “It's been an honor to work with Mr. Koch and his team for decades, culminating in this epic moment and to see year-long effort by the entire staff of Christie's that brought this sale to the public.”
The sale took place over two sessions. Visions of the West: The William I. Koch Collection Evening Sale on 20 January totaled, $69,424,350; Visions of the West: The William I. Koch Collection Day Sale totaled $14,697,955.
