Phillips held its Modern and contemporary art evening sale in New York on Wednesday night, achieving $67.3 million in total sales—a 24.4 percent increase from the same auction last November. The sale featured 33 lots with a 94 percent sell-through rate, including a triceratops fossil that sold for $5.4 million through a partnership with natural history dealer Christian Link. Top lots included Francis Bacon's *Study for Head of Isabel Rawsthorne and George Dyer* (1967) at $16 million with premium, Jean-Michel Basquiat's *Exercise* (1984) at $3.8 million, and two works by Ruth Asawa. Only one artwork, a Jadé Fadojutimi, failed to sell, and there were no withdrawals.
The sale matters because it signals renewed strength in the art market after a period of uncertainty, with the inclusion of dinosaur bones as a new category expanding the traditional auction model. The strong results—boosted by careful estimates and third-party guarantees on 16 lots—suggest that collectors remain active across price points. The event also highlights how auction houses are diversifying offerings to attract broader interest, potentially reshaping the landscape of evening sales.