Ben Enwonwu Leads Bonhams $1.65m 'Modern & Contemporary African Art' Auction in London

A work by Ben Enwonwu was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Modern & Contemporary African Art' auction on March 27 in London.

• The sale totaled $1.65m, falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 37 works sold totaling $1.65m.
• Estimates totaled: $1.99m (low) and $2.99m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 54% of the original 68 lots announced.

The star lot was: Ben Enwonwu, Portrait of Tonkin Jackson (1982), which sold for $481,700, 25% above its $383,500 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.

The outperformer sold for 400% above its low estimate. Santu Mofokeng, *Billboard Series: Democracy is Forever, Pimville * (2004), sold for $14,600 ($2,557 low estimate). It has not been traded before.

• 7 works, or 19%, sold above their high estimate.
• 30 works, or 81%, 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: Vladimir Griegorovich Tretchikoff, Lost Orchid (1948), estimated at $191,800 (low) to $255,700 (high). It has been traded twice 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Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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