Bridget Riley Leads Bonhams $73,500 'Modern & Contemporary Art Online' Auction

A work by Bridget Riley was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Modern & Contemporary Art Online' auction on June 13.

• The sale totaled $73,500 (HKD577,300), falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 20 works sold totaling $73,500.
• Estimates totaled: $136,200 (low) and $218,900 (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 56% of the original 36 lots announced.

The star lot was: Bridget Riley, Silvered 2 (1981), which sold for $19,600, 53% above its $12,800 low estimate. It has not been traded before.

The outperformer sold for 91% above its low estimate. He Sen, I need both of cigarette and wine (2008), sold for $4,892 ($2,550 low estimate). It has not been traded before.

• 3 works, or 15%, sold above their high estimate.
• 12 works, or 60%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 5 works, or 25%, 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: Austin Lee, Mass Hysteria (2018), estimated at $19,100 (low) to $31,900 (high). It has been traded twice 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Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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