Roy Lichtenstein Leads Bonhams $1.5m 'Prints & Multiples' Auction in New York

A work by Roy Lichtenstein was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Prints & Multiples' auction on November 26 in New York.

• The sale totaled $1.49m, falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 156 works sold totaling $1.49m.
• Estimates totaled: $1.67m (low) and $2.45m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 78% of the original 201 lots announced.

The star lot was: Roy Lichtenstein, Red Lamps, from Interior Series (1990), which sold for $108,500, 35% above its $80,000 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.

The outperformer sold for 335% above its low estimate. Albrecht Durer, The Adoration of the Magi, from The Life of the Virgin (1503), sold for $10,900 ($2,500 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.

• 63 works, or 40%, sold above their high estimate.
• 67 works, or 43%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 26 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

44 works were bought-in, including: Jasper Johns, The Seasons (1987), estimated at $100,000 (low) to $150,000 (high).

Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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