My comments on the sale of the Derek Fordjour are included in Angelica Villa’s article for ARTnews on Phillips’s Evening Sale last night:

The night’s brighter spots were on paintings by mid-career artists Elizabeth Peyton and Derek Fordjour. Peyton’s Kurt (Sunglasses) went for $2.4 million, nearly three times its high estimate, while Fordjour’s ranch-inspired painting Twelve Tribes went for $1.1 million, more than double its high expectations.

The result for the Fordjour, according to one adviser, shows some signs about what contemporary art collectors are facing in their negotiations with galleries.

“Primary market access is difficult for Fordjour,” said David Shapiro, a New York-based appraiser, told ARTnews following the sale. “I’m not surprised. It’s very competitive for those pieces.”