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Grayson Perry Leads Bonhams $226,300 'Anything But Ordinary' Auction in London

3 min read  ·  13 Jun 2024

The American Dream by Grayson Perry sold for $40,800.
Image courtesy of Bonhams

The American Dream by Grayson Perry sold for $40,800. Image courtesy of Bonhams

A work by Grayson Perry was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Anything But Ordinary' auction on June 12 in London.

  • The sale totaled $226,300, falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

  • 35 works sold totaling $226,300.
  • Estimates totaled: $341,100 (low) and $495,000 (high), excluding premiums.
  • The sell-through rate was 73% of the original 48 lots announced.

The star lot was: Grayson Perry, The American Dream (2020), which sold for $40,800, 28% above its $31,800 low estimate.

The outperformer sold for 400% above its low estimate. Opake One, Do you cry at night (2022), sold for $13,900 ($2,543 low estimate). It has not been traded before.

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

  • 16 works, or 46%, sold above their high estimate.
  • 14 works, or 40%, sold within their low and high estimate.
  • 5 works, or 14%, 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: After Jean-Michel Basquiat, Riddle Me This, Batman, from Superhero Portfolio (1982), estimated at $44,500 (low) to $57,200 (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Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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