By Carter B. Horsley

This day auction of Contemporary Art at Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg has a wide range of works from such artists as Doris Salcedo (b. 1958), Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988), Ross Bleckner (b. 1949), Louise Bourgeois (b. 1911), Eva Hesse (1936-1970), Yves Klein (1928-1962), Howard Hodgkin (b. 1932), George Rickey (b. 1907), Marc Quinn (b. 1964) and Andres Serrano (b. 1950).

Lot 127, "Untitled," is an interesting work by Doris Salcedo composed of animal hair, plaster and steel that was executed between 1989 and 1993. It measures 71 ½ by 70 by 5 inches and has an estimate of $30,000 to $40,000. It sold for $59,700 including the buyer's premium as do all prices mentioned in this article. Composed of two metal mattress-like frames, some parts are wrapped and some are exposed and the viewer is tempted to play the role of a detective.

Lot 150, "Untitled," by Jean-Michel Basquiat is a nice Xerox collage and oil on paper that measures 22 by 30 inches and has a multi-colored skull in the upper right and a head of Titian and a coin in the lower right. The work is of an unknown date and has an estimate of $30,000 to $40,000. It sold for $34,500.

A strong vertical motif is evident in Lot 151, "Companion," by Ross Bleckner, but the mood is more lyrical than mysterious. An oil on canvas that measures 84 by 60 inches, it was painted in 1987 and two hummingbirds can be fainted discerning near the top of the painting, which is quite vibrant and elegant. It has an estimate of $70,000 to $90,000. It failed to sell.

Lot 158, "Swaddling," is a strong work by Louise Bourgeois. A bronze and stainless steel coiled sculpture that is 10 ½ inches high, it was executed in 1994 and is from an edition of 16. It has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It failed to sell.

Lot 159, "Untitled," is a strong, 26-inch-square oil on canvas by Eva Hesse that was painted in 1960 and has an estimate of $50,000 to $70,000. It sold for $57,500.

Yves Klein applied his famous deep rich blue hue to a plaster cast of "Venus" in Lot 163. The 26 ¾-inch sculpture was cast in 1982 in an edition of 300 plus 50 HC and edited by Galerie Bonnier in Geneva. It has an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000. It sold for $32,500.

Lot 166 is a very vibrant acrylic on canvas by Sam Francis that has more dimensionality than much of his oeuvre. The 25 5/8-by-28 ¾-inch painting was executed in 1986 and has a modest estimate of $30,000 to $40,000. It sold for $31,050.

Lot 169, "Girl in Bed," is a strong painting by Howard Hodgkin that was executed in 1965. The 28-by-36-inch oil on canvas has an estimate of $90,000 to $120,000. It failed to sell.

Lot 175, "Untitled (Shore Scene), is an interesting work by Alex Katz (b. 1927) that recalls the style of Milton Avery. The 16-by-24-inch oil on board has a limited palette of strong dark yellows, very pale yellow, pale pink, pale blue and pale green and is quite effective. It has a modest estimate of $25,000 to $35,000. It sold for $23,000.

Lot 188, "Six Triangles Hexagon V," is a very nice small mobile sculpture by George Rickey. Executed in 1975, it is from an edition of three and measures 7 by 19 ¼ by 23 ½ inches. It has an estimate of $15,000 to $20,000. It sold for $34,500.

Lot 218, "Internal Saline Evolution," is one of the grislier, albeit not horrific, works in the auction. It is a stainless steel, concrete and polyurethane sculpture 76 ¾ inches high by Marc Quinn (b. 1964) and consists of three heads atop columns with very long drippings. It was executed in 1999 and has an estimate of $30,000 to $40,000. It failed to sell.

Matt Mullican has a nice group of five small sculptural objects that are lacquer on aluminum, Lot 249. The work is from an edition of eight and is 18 7/8 inches high and has a modest estimate of $3,000 to $4,000. It sold for $1,495.

Lot 219, "Piss Discus," is a handsome work by Andres Serrano that is a cibachrome in artist's wood frame that measures, with frame, 65 by 45 inches. Executed in 1988, it is from an edition of four and has an estimate of $30,000 to $40,000. It failed to sell.

About one-third of the offered lots failed to sell.