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Julian Opie Leads Bonhams $516,900 'Modern & Contemporary Art Online Sale'

3 min read  ·  06 Nov 2024

Suzanne walking in leather skirt. 4 by Julian Opie sold for $48,700.
Image courtesy of Bonhams

Suzanne walking in leather skirt. 4 by Julian Opie sold for $48,700. Image courtesy of Bonhams

A work by Julian Opie was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Modern & Contemporary Art Online Sale' on November 14.

  • The sale totaled $516,900 (GBP407,400), meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

  • 69 works sold totaling $516,900.
  • Estimates totaled: $470,000 (low) and $687,500 (high), excluding premiums.
  • The sell-through rate was 75% of the original 92 lots announced.

The star lot was: Julian Opie, Suzanne walking in leather skirt. 4 (2008), which sold for $48,700, 25% above its $38,800 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.

The outperformer sold for 737% above its low estimate. Suling Wang, Nose-Flute 2 (2005), sold for $32,500 ($3,876 low estimate). It has been traded twice in the past.

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

  • 32 works, or 46%, sold above their high estimate.
  • 29 works, or 42%, sold within their low and high estimate.
  • 8 works, or 12%, sold below their low estimate.
  • 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

23 works were bought-in, including: Brian Calvin, The Pose (2014), estimated at $19,400 (low) to $25,800 (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Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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