November Auction Highlights: Surprising Sales and Unexpected Flops

17 hours ago7 min read3 comments

The November auction season delivered its signature blend of high-octane glamour and shocking disappointments, playing out like a red carpet where some stars shimmered while others stumbled badly. In a result that sent ripples through the day sales, a vibrant, emotionally charged painting by the Abstract Expressionist trailblazer Mary Abbott soared past its high estimate, fetching a sum that had collectors and insiders buzzing with approval.The work, a brilliant explosion of color that feels both spontaneous and deeply controlled, captivated the room, its success echoing the renewed and powerful appetite for female artists of her era who are finally receiving their long-overdue market recognition. It was a true Cinderella moment, the kind of surprise victory that makes the art world feel like a place of poetic justice.Conversely, the atmosphere turned decidedly chilly for a sculpture by the esteemed Jacques Lipchitz, a cornerstone name in Cubist sculpture. The piece, which might have been expected to anchor the sale, faced a tougher, more hesitant room, ultimately failing to find a buyer or selling well below its estimate—a flop as unexpected as a A-list celebrity showing up in a repeated gown.This stark divergence highlights the fickle, drama-filled nature of the current market, where established blue-chip names are no longer a guaranteed safe bet and where collector passion is increasingly driven by narrative, provenance, and a thirst for fresh, re-contextualized art historical narratives. The whispers in the room suggested that the Lipchitz, while academically important, perhaps lacked the compelling backstory or visual immediacy that today's buyers, a mix of seasoned veterans and new-money collectors from tech and finance, are desperately seeking.It’s a shift akin to the changing tastes in Hollywood, where a beloved veteran actor might lose a role to an exciting new breakout star. Experts point to an increasingly selective buyer pool, one that is inundated with data and armed with teams of advisors, making them more discerning and less sentimental than in previous eras. The outcome of these two lots is more than just a tale of two artworks; it’s a microcosm of a market in transition, where the old guard is being challenged and where surprise discoveries can easily upstage traditional heavyweights, ensuring that the theater of the auction house remains one of the most unpredictable and entertaining shows on earth.

#art auctions

#Mary Abbott

#Jacques Lipschitz

#sales results

#featured

#painting

#sculpture

#surprises

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