Christie’s Hiroshi Sugimoto Results, Nov

Christie’s much anticipated Hiroshi Sugimoto Photographs: The Fossilization of Time auction took place this week with 28 lots available by the acclaimed artist Hiroshi Sugimoto. Estimates were wide-ranging from €5,000 to €300,000 and saw a final sales total of €1,208,000 ($1,370,235).

The most expensive sale was unsurprisingly one of Sugimoto’s seascapes: Sea of Japan, Rebun Island which was billed as the top lot with an original estimate of €200,000-€300,000, ultimately selling slightly over the top estimate at €307,500 ($348,797).

Bass Strait, Table Cape, another seascape, also had an estimate of €200,000-€300,000 but sold for a hammer price of €271,500 ($307,962), while Church of the Light sold for €150,000 ($170,145) with an original estimate of €100,000-€150,000. 

Hiroshi’s famous silver prints are usually printed in an edition of 5, making them somewhat rare. The top lot (Sea of Japan, Rebun Island) was the fifth edition, which would suggest that any future sale of the first edition could fetch for well over €1,000,000 ($1.1 million+). As Hiroshi’s work is yet to break into the top 10 most expensive photographs ever sold at auction, any future sales of this photograph should be watched with keen interest. 

Christie’s has put together a ‘Panoramic Overview of Hiroshi Sugimoto’ and his work, which can be viewed here to get an understanding of his work, while a video profile of Hiroshi Sugimoto in his studio can be viewed here.

View the full results list here.