L.A. artists do well in Huber sale

Ambitious works by Los Angeles artists scored three of the top five prices at an auction of Swiss dealer Pierre Huber’s contemporary art collection Monday night at Christie’s New York. Paul McCarthy’s 9-foot sculpture “Bear and Rabbit on a Rock” brought $1.4 million, an auction record for the artist and second only to the $1.9 million paid for Japanese conceptualist On Kawara’s “Apr. 3, 1990 (Today Series No. 13),” a 10-part work on paper. Mike Kelley’s “Test Room,” a huge, laboratory-like installation, fetched $1.1 million. Jim Shaw’s “The Donner Party,” composed of a theater backdrop, 12 covered wagons and 30 sculptures, was sold for $656,000. None of the buyers was identified by the auction house, which racked up $16.7 million in sales, including commissions.