Frank Stella Leads Bonhams $1.63m 'Prints & Multiples' Auction in New York

A work by Frank Stella was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Prints & Multiples' auction on May 22 in New York.

• The sale totaled $1.63m, falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 145 works sold totaling $1.63m.
• Estimates totaled: $1.74m (low) and $2.54m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 73% of the original 198 lots announced.

The star lot was: Frank Stella, Double Gray Scramble (1973), which sold for $117,300, 67% above its $70,000 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.

The outperformer sold for 220% above its low estimate. Louise Nevelson, Sky Gate II (1982), sold for $19,200 ($6,000 low estimate).

• 44 works, or 30%, sold above their high estimate.
• 91 works, or 63%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 10 works, or 7%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

53 works were bought-in, including: Robert Indiana, Book of Love (12 works) (1996), estimated at $80,000 (low) to $120,000 (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Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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