Bonhams Modern & Contemporary African Art Auction Totals $2.35m

3 min read · 22 Mar 2026

Negotiations minuet by William Kentridge sold for $560,300. Image courtesy of Bonhams

Still Life with Calla Lilies and Fruit by Irma Stern sold for $255,000. Image courtesy of Bonhams

Monument from Mango Groove's 'Another Country' by William Kentridge sold for $187,100. Image courtesy of Bonhams

Man with glass of beer by Uzo Egonu sold for $136,200. Image courtesy of Bonhams

Negotiations minuet by William Kentridge sold for $560,300. Image courtesy of Bonhams

A work by William Kentridge was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Modern & Contemporary African Art' auction on March 19 in London.

The sale totaled $2.35m (GBP1.76m), falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

57 works sold totaling $2.35m.
Estimates totaled: $2.44m (low) and $3.74m (high), excluding premiums.
The sell-through rate was 66% of the original 87 lots announced.

The star lot was: William Kentridge, Negotiations minuet (1989), which sold for $560,300, 107% above its $269,700 low estimate. It has not been traded before.

Delicate burden by Obiora Udechukwu sold for $37,600 (1294% above estimate). Image courtesy of Bonhams

The outperformer sold for 1294% above its low estimate. Obiora Udechukwu, Delicate burden (1984), sold for $37,600 ($2,697 low estimate).

19 works, or 33%, sold above their high estimate.
33 works, or 58%, sold within their low and high estimate.
5 works, or 9%, sold below their low estimate.
0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

30 works were bought-in, including: Irma Stern, Dahlias (1935), estimated at $404,500 (low) to $674,200 (high). It has been traded once 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Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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

Market

Exclusives

William Kentridge

Obiora Udechukwu

Irma Stern

London

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