Bonhams California & Western Art Auction Totals $2.71m

A work by Guy Rose was the headline sale at Bonhams 'California & Western Art' auction on April 15 in Los Angeles.

• The sale totaled $2.71m, meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 81 works sold totaling $2.71m.
• Estimates totaled: $1.87m (low) and $2.82m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 83% of the original 98 lots announced.

The star lot was: Guy Rose, Incoming Fog, La Jolla (Undated), which sold for $572,000, 42% above its $400,000 low estimate. It has been traded 3 times in the past.

The outperformer sold for 454% above its low estimate. Percy Gray, Oaks and Color (Undated), sold for $16,600 ($3,000 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.

• 37 works, or 46%, sold above their high estimate.
• 39 works, or 48%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 5 works, or 6%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

16 works were bought-in, including: Jean Mannheim, The Water Nymph (Children Bathing) (1911), estimated at $60,000 (low) to $80,000 (high). It has not been traded before.

Withdrawn before the sale

1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Bob Ross, Ebb Tide (1990), estimated at $20,000 (low) to $40,000 (high).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. 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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.