Bernar Venet Leads Bonhams $940,900 'Contemporary Art' Auction in Paris

A work by Bernar Venet was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Contemporary Art' auction on April 30 in Paris.

• The sale totaled $940,900, meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 78 works sold totaling $940,900.
• Estimates totaled: $907,800 (low) and $1.29m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 63% of the original 124 lots announced.

The star lot was: Bernar Venet, Underterminated Lines (1991), which sold for $95,600, 78% above its $53,500 low estimate.

The outperformer sold for 400% above its low estimate. Dusan Dzamonja, Drawing (1991), sold for $11,000 ($2,138 low estimate).

• 39 works, or 50%, sold above their high estimate.
• 39 works, or 50%, 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

45 works were bought-in, including: Daniel Buren, Untitled (2005), estimated at $21,400 (low) to $32,100 (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Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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