Grayson Perry Leads Sotheby's, Online $871,200 'A Celebration of British Printmaking' Auction

A work by Grayson Perry was the headline sale at Sotheby's, Online 'A Celebration of British Printmaking' auction on June 7.

• The sale totaled $871,200, meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 75 works sold totaling $871,200.
• Estimates totaled: $636,300 (low) and $932,100 (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 91% of the original 82 lots announced.

The star lot was: Grayson Perry, Map of an Englishman (2004), which sold for $184,200, 125% above its $76,600 low estimate.

The outperformer sold for 500% above its low estimate. Margaret Barnard, The Oarsman Positano (1930), sold for $9,980 ($1,532 low estimate).

• 23 works, or 31%, sold above their high estimate.
• 17 works, or 23%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 35 works, or 47%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

6 works were bought-in, including: Yinka Shonibare, Modern Magic I-V (2021), estimated at $10,200 (low) to $15,300 (high).

Withdrawn before the sale

1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Terry Frost, My Friendly Tarantula; and Black and White Spiral (1997) estimated at $1,022 (low) to $1,532 (high).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. 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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.