NEW YORK, NY.- Christie’s sale of A Palladian Villa by Michael S. Smith on April 23-24, realized a grand total of $6.5 million, doubling its pre-sale estimate and achieving sell-through rates of 98% by lot and by value. Over two days, the auction saw bidding from nineteen countries, and 38% of lots were purchased or directly underbid by clients via Christie’s LIVE™. Christie’s first “single designer sale” was a remarkable feat for the Private and Iconic Collections department, and was met with enthusiasm as it toured San Francisco, London and New York.

Michael S. Smith said: “I’m unbelievably grateful to Laura Paulson, Andrew McVinish, Katherine Brambilla and everyone at Christie’s for their outstanding work and making this auction process so great. Allowing me to create such an experiential installation, from hand-selecting the Farrow & Ball paint to bringing in spring’s trees and flowers, really contributed to the success of the sale. These objects are beautiful individually, but it was fantastic that Christie's allowed me to showcase the pieces in a way that reflected how they looked in the original home. It’s a testament to the sale that so many professional designers, architects and individuals from around the world purchased pieces from the auction.

Andrew McVinish, Head of Private & Iconic Collections notes: “The auction was a success at every level with many of the decorative objects achieving a depth of bidding and realizing prices far beyond their estimates. Works by Sean Scully and François-Xavier Lalanne together with the De Trafford ‘Shrub’ carpet and a George II giltwood mirror led the outstanding results. This result is undoubtedly a testament to the creative genius of Michael S. Smith.”