Lucas Samaras Leads Bonhams $1.9m Modern & Contemporary Art Online Auction

A work by Lucas Samaras was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Modern & Contemporary Art Online' auction on February 9-19 in New York.

• The sale totaled $1.9m, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 135 works sold totaling $1.9m.
• Estimates totaled: $1.25m (low) and $1.84m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 77% of the original 175 lots announced.

The star lot was: Lucas Samaras, Untitled (1960), which sold for $114,800, 3726% above its $3,000 low estimate. It has not been traded before.

The outperformer sold for 3726% above its low estimate. Lucas Samaras, Untitled (1960), sold for $114,800 ($3,000 low estimate). It has not been traded before.

• 71 works, or 53%, sold above their high estimate.
• 41 works, or 30%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 23 works, or 17%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

39 works were bought-in, including: Leon Ferrari, El Amenazado (from the Maniquíes Series) (1994), estimated at $35,000 (low) to $55,000 (high). It has been traded 4 times in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Larry Poons, Unititled (1956) estimated at $5,000 (low) to $7,000 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.