Bonhams Important Australian Art Auction Totals $1.03m
3 min read · 25 Aug 2026
The Meeting by Charles Blackman sold for $308,700. Image courtesy of Bonhams
A work by Charles Blackman was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Important Australian Art' auction on August 24-24 in Sydney.
- The sale totaled $1.03m (AUD1.43m), falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 65 works sold totaling $1.03m.
- Estimates totaled: $1.5m (low) and $2.1m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 69% of the original 94 lots announced.
The star lot was: Charles Blackman, The Meeting (1961), which sold for $308,700, 24% above its $247,600 low estimate. It has been traded 6 times in the past.
Islanders by Ray Austin Crooke sold for $11,500 (710% above estimate). Image courtesy of Bonhams
The outperformer sold for 710% above its low estimate. Ray Austin Crooke, Islanders (Undated), sold for $11,500 ($1,415 low estimate). It has been traded twice in the past.
- 24 works, or 37%, sold above their high estimate.
- 36 works, or 55%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 5 works, or 8%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
No sales had a guarantee.
Works that did not sell
29 works were bought-in, including: Arthur Merric Bloomfield Boyd, Narre Warren, Victoria (1952), estimated at $176,900 (low) to $247,600 (high). It has been traded 4 times 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Withdrawn before the sale
0 works were withdrawn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. 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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.
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