Bonhams Post-War & Contemporary Auction Totals $3.64m

A work by Janet Fish was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Post-War & Contemporary Art' auction on May 21 in New York.

• The sale totaled $3.64m, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 53 works sold totaling $3.64m.
• Estimates totaled: $2.29m (low) and $3.35m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 83% of the original 64 lots announced.

The star lot was: Janet Fish, Painted Flowers - April (1975), which sold for $660,900, 1001% above its $60,000 low estimate. It has been traded 4 times in the past.

The outperformer sold for 1001% above its low estimate. Janet Fish, Painted Flowers - April (1975), sold for $660,900 ($60,000 low estimate). It has been traded 4 times in the past.

• 22 works, or 42%, sold above their high estimate.
• 29 works, or 55%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 2 works, or 4%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

1 work was backed by a guarantee: Christo, The Pont Neuf, Wrapped (120A & 120B) (1985). It sold for $114,800, 63% above its $70,000 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.

Works that did not sell

11 works were bought-in, including: Roy Lichtenstein, Suspended Mobile (1990), estimated at $150,000 (low) to $200,000 (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Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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