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Andy Warhol Leads Bonhams $745,600 'Prints & Multiples' Auction in London

3 min read  ·  13 Jun 2024

Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol sold for $162,300.
Image courtesy of Bonhams

Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol sold for $162,300. Image courtesy of Bonhams

A work by Andy Warhol was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Prints & Multiples' auction on June 12 in London.

  • The sale totaled $745,600, falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

  • 50 works sold totaling $745,600.
  • Estimates totaled: $984,700 (low) and $1.42m (high), excluding premiums.
  • The sell-through rate was 62% of the original 81 lots announced.

The star lot was: Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe (1967), which sold for $162,300, 27% above its $127,200 low estimate.

The outperformer sold for 250% above its low estimate. MC Escher, Palm Tree, from XXIV Emblemata (1931), sold for $8,968 ($2,543 low estimate). It has been traded twice in the past.

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

  • 15 works, or 30%, sold above their high estimate.
  • 35 works, or 70%, sold within their low and high estimate.
  • 0 works, or 0%, sold below their low estimate.
  • 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

31 works were bought-in, including: Banksy, Love is in the Air (2003), estimated at $101,700 (low) to $152,600 (high).

Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn

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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.