. After several seasons dominated by big-shot sellers who could dictate prices for their trophies, buyers wrested back the power during the New York sales that concluded Friday.
All told, the $1.4 billion fall auctions at Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips were a third smaller than last year’s and lacked their rollercoaster electricity. With no $100 million paintings on offer this time, there were few highs—aside from Ed Ruscha’s $53 million “Hurting the Word Radio #2”...