The Artists for Kamala fundraising online auction for Vice President Kamala Harris‘ presidential campaign has already yielded more than $1.5 million on an estimate of $1 million.
Leading contemporary artists such as Kara Walker, Jenny Holzer, Amy Sherald, Simone Leigh, Jeff Koons, Ed Ruscha and others donated 54 works to the online benefit auction on October 8.
The online auction on October 8 was hosted by Artsy and organized by the Harris Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee that raises money for Harris for President, the Democratic National Committee, and state Democratic parties.
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165 artworks—including prints by Alex Katz, Judy Chicago, Carrie Mae Weems, and Wangechi Mutu, as well as photography by Annie Leibovitz and Isaac Julien—have also been offered with fixed prices through the auction website since September 30. This sale, which ends on October 18, has already yielded $2.5 million, according to Artnet.
Co-chair Andrea “Dre” Guttag said there were several bidding wars during the auction for works by Robert Longo, George Condo, Joel Mesler and Koons, but bidding activity did not follow typical trends in the auction market.
“A lot of the younger and emerging artists got as much traction as some of the more established artists, which is really exciting,” she told ARTnews. “Everything about the sale has felt very contrary to the market side of things.”
Guttag closely watched the early October auctions at Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips to see which works weren’t selling, and compared the results to the activity for Harris’ auction fixed-priced works at full primary market rates.
“We’re seeing people take booths to fairs and they’re really struggling, and we’re just not feeling that,” she said, adding that the sales also took place during Frieze London and Art Basel Paris, and it was organized during the slow summer period after Harris became the nominee in July. “There are some works that are prints and multiples where identical pieces are currently for sale in galleries. People aren’t buying them in galleries, and people are paying more than that in our sale, which has been wild to see.”
Jenny Holzer, Selection from Truisms: There are too few…, 2023. Azul Bahia Fleuri granite footstool. Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Sprüth Magers. © Jenny Holzer, member Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Number 3 from an edition of 6 + 1 AP. Courtesy of the artist and Sprüth Magers. © Jenny Holzer, member Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Number 3 from an edition of 6 + 1 AP.
Among the top lots sold were Jeff Koons’ 25-foot sculpture American Flagpole (Gazing Balls), (2024) with an estimate of $300,000; Holzer’s inscribed granite bench Selection from Truisms: There are too few… (2023) with an estimate of $200,000; Condo’s crayon and wash work Women Are Beautiful (2024) with an estimate of $150,000, as well as a set of ten lithographs by Jasper Johns with an estimate of $150,000.
“If there was any trend, it was for works that were on brand for the artist but also referenced the election. Those definitely went really high and had a lot of bidders on them,” Guttag said, citing the Holzer bench or prints by Kii Arens.
While Guttag couldn’t disclose the final sale price of auction items, she did tell ARTnews the launch on October 1 caused the Artsy server to crash twice, even with a registration process that required uploading identification and facial recognition. “It wasn’t easy to register for the sale, and to see that thousands of people went through and did it was really heartening,” Guttag said.
Guttag told ARTnews that many of the buyers for the Artists for Kamala sale were people who had not donated to the Democrats or previously made political donations, as well as individuals she knew who don’t collect art but still bought works. “I have friends and family who are not “art people” and now they will have a great piece of art hanging in their home,” she said.
It’s also worth noting that any artist who wanted participate and anyone who wanted to bid in the “Artists for Kamala” sale had to have a green card or be a US citizen. This is due to campaign finance law stipulating all the works from the artists and all the payments from the buyers are considered campaign donations.
“We have a lot of immigrant artists, or first generations who have really big fan bases,” Guttag said. “Maria [Kozak], she’s like the hottest thing in Poland. We woke up one day to all of these Polish people trying to register. And we couldn’t accept it.”
“Even when we took out that giant segment of collectors, we had so many more people registered and bidding than we had works. And we’re seeing that now, with the Buy It Now [sales] as well.”
There are several works still available for purchase on the Artists for Kamala website until October 18, including pieces by Jaune Quick-To-See-Smith, Eric Fischl, Alex Katz, Hugh Hayden, and a second edition of Kii Aren’s stamped and number print VOTE JOY – Colorway #2.
Notably, the sale of Josh Smith’s tribute to the late film-maker Jonathan Demme (Demme, 2017) came from the personal collection of actor and art collector Leonardo DiCaprio. The consignment was the result of a conversation between communication executive Andrea Schwan, part of the Artists for Kamala advisory committee, and DiCaprio during at a dinner in Los Angeles in September, prompting the latter’s offer to help.
Koons’ enthusiasm for the fundraiser even resulted in one campaign staffer receiving a custom artwork. During the kickoff event at Jack Shainman Gallery on September 30, Guttag observed a campaign staffer “fangirling” at Koons, and suggested they ask the artist to sign the big featured poster of American Flagpole (Gazing Balls). After nervously speaking to Koons, Guttag observed the artist grabbing the 2-foot by 3-foot poster, putting it on a cleared cocktail table, and getting to work.
“He spreads the whole thing out, takes Sharpies and turns it into a whole work on paper, and draws this whole like Jeff Koons universe for her, and inscribed it for her,” Guttag recalled, noting Koons also thanked the campaign worker. “It was just such a magical, amazing moment, and nobody was there. There was absolutely no upside in him doing this.”
“The hourly wage, gig worker, on the Democratic [campaign] walked away with one of the best pieces from the sale. That was so cool to me.”
(The campaign worker almost tried to roll up the poster with rubber bands and put it in a backpack, but Guttag helped with proper transport materials, and gave advice on how to add the artwork to her renter’s insurance.)
In contrast to a much larger auction
It’s worth noting the results from the Artists for Kamala sale were very different from the recent Post-War to Present sale at Christie’s on October 1.
The large mid-season day sale at Christie’s spanned nearly six hours over three sessions and yielded $30.5 million with fees. While a press release said this result meant a sell-through rate of 85% by value, 74 passes pulled that number down to below 75%. There were also eleven withdrawn works.
A 2015 black and white acrylic untitled work by Ruscha was the top lot, hammering at $2.1 million or $2,591,000 with fees to a bidder in the room. It was followed by Abstraktes Bild by Gerhard Richter with a hammer of $1.65 million or roughly $2 million to an absentee bidder. Both works had an estimate of $2 million to $3 million, and a minimum price guarantee. The Ruscha also had a third-party guarantee.
The only other work to surpass six figures was Alex Katz’s large 7-foot by 12-foot painting Springtime (2009) which hammered at $1.25 million or $1.562 million with fees on an estimate of $1 million to $1.5 million. When the bidding finished, an art advisor sitting next to ARTnews let out a deep sign and quickly walked out.
The lower price point of the majority of the works in the mid-season sale—with more than 80% with high estimates of less than $250,000—also meant sharp-eyed collectors would have less competition compared to the May or November marquee sales in New York.
Bidding wars also broke out for several lots at the beginning of the sale, including Lois Dodd’s Reflection on a Barn for $378,000, an auction record for the artist (estimate of $60,000 to $80,000); Bob Thompson’s The Recreation of Cephalus and Procris for $529,200 (estimate of $200,000 to $300,000); Cynthia Hawkin’s Currency of Meaning #9 for $119,7000 (estimate of $40,000 to $60,000); and the Ruth Asawa sculpture Untitled (S.864, Wall-Mounted Tied-Wire, Open-Center, Six Branched Form Based on Nature) which hammered at $320,000, or $403,200 with fees, on an estimate of $100,000 to $150,000. Records were also set for Bisa Butler and Cynthia Hawkins.
One Belgian art collector told ARTnews these results indicated that only a few, “true collectors” are still buying, and said the quality of works available was three grades higher than Phillips’ similar auction. “But no one else,” said Alain Servais, noting he had scooped up the Alfredo Jaar work Coyote! which sold for $5,292 with fees, below its estimate of $6,000 to $8,000. “The market is semi-frozen and there is massive over-capacity in the primary market in terms of fairs, galleries, staff & artists.”