Ernie Barnes Leads Bonhams $1.87m 'Post-War & Contemporary Art' Auction in Los Angeles

A work by Ernie Barnes was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Post-War & Contemporary Art' auction on March 1 in Los Angeles.

• The sale totaled $1.87m, meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 49 works sold totaling $1.87m.
• Estimates totaled: $1.84m (low) and $2.78m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 74% of the original 66 lots announced.

The star lot was: Ernie Barnes, The Leap (1972), which sold for $356,100, 18% above its $300,000 low estimate. It has been traded twice in the past.

The outperformer sold for 900% above its low estimate. Nancy Spero, Lovers (1962), sold for $83,000 ($8,000 low estimate). It has not been traded before.

• 11 works, or 22%, sold above their high estimate.
• 34 works, or 69%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 4 works, or 8%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

17 works were bought-in, including: Retna, Untitled (2018), estimated at $150,000 (low) to $200,000 (high). It has not been traded before.

Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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