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Fernando Botero Leads Bonhams $1.62m 'Post-War & Contemporary Art' Auction in London

3 min read  ·  11 Oct 2024

Maternidad by Fernando Botero sold for $332,000.
Image courtesy of Bonhams

Maternidad by Fernando Botero sold for $332,000. Image courtesy of Bonhams

A work by Fernando Botero was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Post-War & Contemporary Art' auction on October 11 in London.

  • The sale totaled $1.62m (GBP1.24m), falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

  • 27 works sold totaling $1.62m.
  • Estimates totaled: $2.16m (low) and $3.21m (high), excluding premiums.
  • The sell-through rate was 64% of the original 42 lots announced.

The star lot was: Fernando Botero, Maternidad (1995), which sold for $332,000, 66% above its $199,300 low estimate. It has been traded twice in the past.

The outperformer sold for 301% above its low estimate. Sonja Sekula, Skeletons of Feelings (1952), sold for $80,100 ($19,900 low estimate). It has been traded 3 times in the past.

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

  • 10 works, or 37%, sold above their high estimate.
  • 17 works, or 63%, sold within their low and high estimate.
  • 0 works, or 0%, sold below their low estimate.
  • 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

13 works were bought-in, including: Frank Auerbach, Head of David Landau (2012), estimated at $398,500 (low) to $664,200 (high). It has been traded once in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

2 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Harland Miller, I'm so fucking hard - Ernest Hemingway (2002) estimated at $106,300 (low) to $159,400 (high).

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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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