Art Market Watch
May 8, 2006

NEW PHOTO RECORD FROM REFCO SALE
The schedule of spring auctions in New York City is so packed full that Christie’s scheduled the evening sale of the Refco Collection of Contemporary Photography at 5 pm on Friday, May 5, 2006. The 41 lots sold for a total of $5.37 million with 98 percent finding buyers, doubling presale expectations. Top lot was John Baldessari’s Beach Scene / Nuns / Nurse (with Choices) (1991), a group of five framed color photos -- including two praying nuns, a Red Cross nurse, and a some body builders (could that be Arnold Schwarzenegger?), all with Baldessari’s trademark circles of color blotting out their faces -- that sold for $744,000 (est. $150,000-$200,000), a new record for the artist. The buyer was L&M Arts, according to the Baer Faxt.

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