Andy Warhol Leads Bonhams $1.68m 'British. Cool.' Auction
3 min read · 26 Mar 2024
Mick Jagger, from 'Mick Jagger Portfolio' by Andy Warhol sold for $258,800. Image courtesy of Bonhams
A work by Andy Warhol was the headline sale at Bonhams 'British. Cool.' auction on March 20.
- The sale totaled $1.68m, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 167 works sold totaling $1.68m.
- Estimates totaled: $1.13m (low) and $1.62m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 70% of the original 240 lots announced.
The star lot was: Andy Warhol, Mick Jagger, from 'Mick Jagger Portfolio' (1975), which sold for $258,800, 225% above its $77,100 low estimate.
The outperformer sold for 1300% above its low estimate. David Hockney, Swimming Pool Poster for Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games (1982), sold for $14,600 ($1,028 low estimate).
Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed
- 74 works, or 44%, sold above their high estimate.
- 87 works, or 52%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 6 works, or 4%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
No sales had a guarantee.
Works that did not sell
68 works were bought-in, including: Banksy, Monkey Queen (2003), estimated at $25,700 (low) to $38,500 (high).
Withdrawn before the sale
3 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Chris Levine, Lightness of Being (Crystal Edition) (2018) estimated at $8,992 (low) to $12,800 (high).
Terms and definitions
All results include the fees and premiums added to the price of a work of art when the auctioneer's hammer falls. Sale prices are compared to the auction house’s low estimate, which do not include premiums.
Guarantees: Sometimes an auction house guarantees to pay a seller for a work, regardless of whether the bidding reaches the reserve price, a figure that is typically confidential.
Bought-in: If there are no bids for a work, or if bidding falls short of the reserve price, the lot is unsold or “bought-in”.
Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.
Premiums: Typically a sliding-scale of charges paid in addition to the hammer price by the buyer, plus any other fees.