Anselm Kiefer Leads Bonhams New Bond Street $3.5m 'Post-War & Contemporary Art' Auction in London
3 min read · 22 Mar 2024
Für Paul Celan: Kenotaph by Anselm Kiefer sold for $788,800. Image courtesy of Bonhams New Bond Street
A work by Anselm Kiefer was the headline sale at Bonhams New Bond Street 'Post-War & Contemporary Art' auction on March 21 in London.
- The sale totaled $3.5m, meeting the pre-sale estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 34 works sold totaling $3.5m.
- Estimates totaled: $3.25m (low) and $4.75m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 76% of the original 45 lots announced.
The star lot was: Anselm Kiefer, Für Paul Celan: Kenotaph (2012), which sold for $788,800, 12% above its $698,400 low estimate. It has been traded twice in the past.
The outperformer sold for 400% above its low estimate. Ksenia Pasiura, Eddie (2021), sold for $64,900 ($12,700 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.
Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed
- 18 works, or 53%, sold above their high estimate.
- 15 works, or 44%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 1 works, or 3%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
No sales had a guarantee.
Works that did not sell
10 works were bought-in, including: Banksy, People Who Enjoy Waving Flags Don't Deserve To Have One (2003), estimated at $253,900 (low) to $380,900 (high). It has been traded 3 times 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Withdrawn before the sale
0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.