The auction house was offering works from the estate of St Louis art collector Joan Conway Crancer and two of these were examples of Calder’s standing mobiles.
Triple Cross from 1947, a 31 x 37 x 11in (79 x 94 x 28cm) mobile in painted sheet metal and wire, had been acquired from Perls Galleries New York in 1982. Offered with a guide of $600,000-800,000, it left the estimate behind as bidding soared to $1.55m (£1.2m) establishing the highest price in the auction house’s 38-year history.
The second Calder mobile from 1963, titled Petit poteau jaune, measuring 12 x 15 x 7in (30.5 x 38 x 18cm) and signed CA to the red element, also outstripped its guide to take $350,000 (£271,320).
The Barbara Hepworth (1903-75) bronze Maquette (Variation on a Theme) from 1958 that was previewed in ATG No 2460 – and was also from the Crancer estate – sold for $90,000 (£69,770) against a guide of $60,000-80,000.
The sale took place on October 1.
£1 = $1.29
