Doyle’s inaugural street art auction on October 16 showcased many of the most important artists in the history of street art and graffiti, spanning the early 1980s to the present day. With competitive bidding from the salesroom, the telephones and the Internet, the sale totaled $129,179, with 70 percent sold by lot and value.
The top lot of the day was “Natadora,” a classic work by the late Margaret Kilgallen (1967′001) that achieved a world auction record for the artist. Estimated at $5/7,000, the acrylic on wood panel sold to a buyer from California for a staggering $28,125. It almost tripled Kilgallen’s prior record of $9,560, which was set just last year. A tremendous talent, Kilgallen brought influences of folk art into her work.
Also featured in the auction was a decoupaged Vespa scooter by Shepard Fairey (b 1970) that more than doubled its estimate of $4/6,000 to fetch $12,500 from a New York buyer. Fairey came to global prominence with his Barack Obama “Hope” poster, which now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.
San Francisco native and Kilgallen’s husband Barry McGee (b 1966), who evolved from graffiti writer to respected contemporary artist, was represented by a late 1990s untitled mixed media work on metal that sold for $11,875 to a Brooklyn buyer, well over its estimate of $6/8,000.
Other artists whose works achieved auction records at the sale included Duster, Cody Hudson, David Choe, Todd James, Lamour Supreme & Mishka and ASVP.
Prices reported include the buyer’s premium.
For information, www.doylenewyork.com or 212-427-2730.
