SARASOTA, FLA. — Andrew Ford, auctioneer and owner of Sarasota Estate Auction, formatted his December 11-12 sale as two sessions, each with its own personality. Session one on December 11 offered a plethora of Modern and contemporary paintings, prints, sculpture from predominantly Twentieth Century artists and midcentury-style living décor from popular designers. Session two on December 12 featured more traditional art from recognized artists, jewelry, furnishings and more. Day one was led by a quartet of screenprints by David Hockney (British, b 1937), all of which doubled their estimates. At $28,980, including premium, was “Slow Rise” from “Some More New Prints” (MCA Tokyo 342), a lithograph and screenprint in colors, 1993, on Arches 88 paper, numbered 28/68, pencil signed and dated lower right 25 by 30½ inches. The starting bid was $4,000 with an estimate of $8/12,000. This piece, along with many of the Modern art pieces that were in this auction, came from an important estate from the Ritz Carlton in Sarasota. One of the most widely acclaimed of all living artists, Hockney’s popularity is based on the enormous, continuing appeal of his pictures and the popular perception of him as a colorful extrovert.

A more extensive recap of the two-day sale follows.