Fantasy Auction 2005 Update

UPDATE: Artnet has some results (and juicy gossip) from last night's Sotheby's auction. From what I had wanted in that auction, the Kara Walker went for $329,600 (I was going to stop at $220,000) and the Cy Twombly went for $1,360,000 (I was going to stop at $1,200,000...but I really wanted that one and I might have gone higher).

UPDATE II: From what I had wanted at Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Art (Evening Sale), I had decided not to bid on Ed Ruscha's The Amazing Earth to free up some money. It went for $800,000, much more than I was willing to spend. But the Kusama I wanted (No. B, 3 ---estimate 250,000 - 350,000 USD for which I was willing to go as high as $350,000, fool that I am) sold for---wait for it---$1,192,000! I mean, I know she's worth it, but how was the estimate that far off?
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I took a tour of the work up for contemporary auction at Phillips last night and want to make a few adjustments to my Fantasy Auction choices (working from the online catalog is only so good in helping you make decisions, obviously).

Before I do though, I'd like to thank Amanda Corriero, who was a delightful and impressive host, and who, if she represents the budding auction house's ambitions and smarts, suggests Christie's and Sotheby's won't enjoy their lofty positions for as long as they might think. I'd also like to thank Sherri and Heather of NADA for organizing the private viewing. Again, they're simply awesome.

I only chose two pieces from the Phillips auction, but that was mostly because I was running out of money. Having seen the work in person though, I'm going to give up a few of my choices from Sotheby's and Christie's, and I'm not going to bid on one piece at Phillips (Luc Tuyman's Fish, because although it's beautifully painted, it doesn't quite represent what Tuyman is capable of doing with light the way I thought it did from the online catalog, and I think I'll wait for another one that does...of course that may have just been the lighting in the gallery, but I have no reason to believe I can do better at home, so...).

From the other auction houses, to free up some money, I'm going to not bid on Donald Baechler's Self-Portrait or Ed Ruscha's The Amazing Earth. That gives me another $1,2500,000, (I can NOT add) $610,000 which I'll spend bidding on the following (you can have no idea how much I love this fantasy...even when I imagine I win the lottery, the first thing I do is go art shopping):

Agnes Martin's Stars ---estimate 400,000 - 600,000 USD (this piece is simply sublime...as with most of Martin's work, you can't capture that in a photograph, and in fact, although Phillips' online catalog is overall leaps and bounds ahead of the other houses' this image is particularly ungood).

If I don't get the Agnes Martin, or if this next piece goes for under $610,000 (which is unlikely as Kippenberger is red hot at the moment), I'll take this:

Martin Kippenberger's untitled ---estimate 600,000-800,000 USD It's spectacular in real life and although I don't currently have wall space for a piece this large, I'll figure out something. Of course it does need some distance to see what's happening, so maybe I'll need to do some rethinking on the apartment.

If I don't get either of those (and, again, the Kipppenberger is a long shot), I think I'll go to their second session. I am actually quite taken with these Gordon Matta-Clark photographs

Gordon Matta-Clark Walls---estimate 15,000-20,000 USD

And this Rodney Graham is beautiful

Rodney Graham Stanley Park Cedar #11---estimate 30,000-50,000 USD

And finally, if I have to have a Louise Lawler (and I should!), this one is hysterical

Louise Lawler Damien---estimate 20,000-30,000 USD