Ansel Adams Leads Bonhams $636,800 'Photographs' Auction in New York
3 min read · 07 Apr 2024
Golden Gate Before The Bridge, 1932 by Ansel Adams sold for $35,800. Image courtesy of Bonhams
A work by Ansel Adams was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Photographs' auction on April 5 in New York.
- The sale totaled $636,800, falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 90 works sold totaling $636,800.
- Estimates totaled: $966,300 (low) and $1.42m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 64% of the original 140 lots announced.
The star lot was: Ansel Adams, Golden Gate Before The Bridge, 1932 (1932), which sold for $35,800, 79% above its $20,000 low estimate.
The outperformer sold for 250% above its low estimate. Richard Misrach, '2.21.00, 4:38 p.m.' (from 'Golden Gate') (2000), sold for $10,900 ($3,000 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.
Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed
- 24 works, or 27%, sold above their high estimate.
- 52 works, or 58%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 14 works, or 16%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
No sales had a guarantee.
Works that did not sell
51 works were bought-in, including: Diane Arbus, 'Family On The Lawn One Sunday In Westchester, N.Y.' (1968), estimated at $80,000 (low) to $100,000 (high). It has been traded once in the past.
Withdrawn before the sale
0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.