Bonhams 20th and 21st Century Art Day Sale Totals $2.49m

A work by Fernando Botero was the headline sale at Bonhams '20th and 21st Century Art Day Sale' on October 16-16 in London.

• The sale totaled $2.49m (GBP1.88m), meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 46 works sold totaling $2.49m.
• Estimates totaled: $2.19m (low) and $3.16m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 75% of the original 61 lots announced.

The star lot was: Fernando Botero, Ballerina (1988), which sold for $407,600, 23% above its $331,200 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.

The outperformer sold for 550% above its low estimate. Auguste Rodin, Standing Woman, Legs Apart, Hands Towards Her Face (1896), sold for $43,100 ($6,623 low estimate). It has been traded twice in the past.

• 15 works, or 33%, sold above their high estimate.
• 30 works, or 65%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 1 works, or 2%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

14 works were bought-in, including: Fernando Zobel, Júcar - Estudio de Color (1972), estimated at $79,500 (low) to $106,000 (high). It has been traded twice in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Andre Butzer, Untitled (2022), estimated at $79,500 (low) to $106,000 (high).

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. Estimates, sale prices and totals are converted into US dollars. 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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.