Marcel Broodthaers Leads Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr $275,600 'Prints & Multiples Online' Auction
3 min read · 01 Mar 2025
The Black Flag, unlimited edition by Marcel Broodthaers sold for $24,000. Image courtesy of Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr
A work by Marcel Broodthaers was the headline sale at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr 'Prints & Multiples Online' auction on February 28.
- The sale totaled $275,600 (EUR265,100), exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 138 works sold totaling $275,600.
- Estimates totaled: $167,300 (low) and $236,800 (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 86% of the original 160 lots announced.
The star lot was: Marcel Broodthaers, The Black Flag, unlimited edition (1968), which sold for $24,000, 53% above its $15,600 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.
The outperformer sold for 797% above its low estimate. Jean-Michel Basquiat, Beat bop/Test pressing (1983), sold for $3,726 ($415 low estimate).
Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed
- 95 works, or 69%, sold above their high estimate.
- 34 works, or 25%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 9 works, or 7%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
No sales had a guarantee.
Works that did not sell
21 works were bought-in, including: Yves Tanguy, Le Grand Passage (1953), estimated at $10,400 (low) to $15,600 (high).
Withdrawn before the sale
1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Salvador Dali, Le baiser-main (1971) estimated at $207 (low) to $311 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.