Christie’s 21st-century art sale on Wednesday achieved $96.5 million in total sales, a 20 percent increase over the same sale last year. The auction featured 43 lots, with four withdrawn before the sale, and a sell-through rate of 83.7 percent (92.3 percent after withdrawals). The top lot was Jean-Michel Basquiat’s *Baby Boom* (1982), which sold for $23.4 million. The sale was heavily supported by guarantees—24 lots were guaranteed, including 18 with third-party guarantees—accounting for 75 percent of the total presale low estimate. Auctioneer Yü-ge Wang faced cautious bidding, prompting playful remarks as collectors tested lower increments.
The sale matters because it signals how major auction houses are navigating a cautious art market with fewer trophy lots. The heavy reliance on guarantees—both house and third-party—helped stabilize results, but the last-minute withdrawals and subdued bidding reflect lingering market jitters. The strong sell-through rate and slight outperformance of the revised presale low estimate suggest that strategic pricing and guarantees can still yield solid results, even in a risk-averse environment. The results also set the stage for Sotheby’s upcoming evening sales featuring the collections of Barbara Gladstone and Daniella Luxembourg.