Christie’s wrapped up a whirlwind week of auctions with its 21st Century Evening Sale on November 21—a quieter affair after the high-octane energy we saw earlier in the week but still buzzing with activity. The sale totaled $106.5 million, pushing the auction house’s November haul to a robust $623.2 million. While last night’s results came in just below those of the same sale last year—this time with fewer lots—the overall performance was a testament to Christie’s precision strategy. With plenty of lots under guarantees, adjusted estimates and an apparent comfort with results falling within or just below projections, the auction house played its hand shrewdly, embracing the season’s recurring trend of moderated expectations.

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Taking the helm, Georgina Hilton commanded the room with her usual finesse, holding court until the excitement began to wane. The night’s sales kicked off with two ultra-contemporary stars making their debut on the evening stage, thanks to their recent recruitment by mega-galleries Hauser & Wirth and David Zwirner, and both artists shattered their previous records. After a celebrated solo exhibition at ICA Boston, Firelei Báez had her Josephine Judas GOAT hammer at $450,000 ($567,000 with fees) to a phone bidder. Meanwhile, Sasha Gordon’s whimsical nocturnal portrait of two women in a boat, acquired just a few years ago from Matthew Brown, hammered at $170,000 ($214,200 with fees), also to a phone bidder.

SEE ALSO: The World’s Most Expensive Banana Led Sotheby’s Dynamic Now and Contemporary Sale

Momentum carried through the night with a kaleidoscopic canvas by Denzil Forrester, an artist riding high with four current exhibitions in New York City. His 1989 painting, originally acquired from Stephen Friedman Gallery, smashed its $80,000-$120,000 estimate to achieve a record $189,000. Records kept tumbling, with Ana Mendieta’s Siluetas, from the esteemed Rosa de la Cruz Collection, fetching $756,000 (above its $300,000-$500,000 estimate), and Roni Horn’s luminous, enigmatic Untitled (“The yes without the no.”) soaring to $1,804,500 after barely a minute of bidding.

In total, Christie’s set eleven new auction records. Among the standout moments: Hilary Pecis’s work brought in $1,260,000; Louise Bourgeois smashed her record for work on paper with Les Fleurs selling for $2,591,000; Sarah Sze’s Long Ending achieved an impressive $1,071,000 after a dramatic bidding battle; and William Eggleston’s evocative photograph of a drink on an airplane tray table took off, landing at $1,441,500.

Records were also shattered for two of the night’s most anticipated lots, starting with Jean-Michel Basquiat’s monumental 1982 hero portrait, consigned by Peter Brant. The bidding kicked off at $13 million, well below its low estimate of $20 million, but escalated in a tense, drawn-out battle. For minutes, it stalled at $16 million as Michael Baptiste and Alex Rotter sparred via phone, but the room’s drama peaked when Alberto Mugrabi—arguably one........

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