Hector Hyppolite Leads Bonhams $1.2m 'Modern & Contemporary Art Online' Auction

A work by Hector Hyppolite was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Modern & Contemporary Art Online' auction on August 1.

• The sale totaled $1.2m, meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 123 works sold totaling $1.2m.
• Estimates totaled: $1.06m (low) and $1.59m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 71% of the original 174 lots announced.

The star lot was: Hector Hyppolite, Les Cultivateurs (1948), which sold for $121,200, 384% above its $25,000 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.

The outperformer sold for 1948% above its low estimate. Marc Sijan, Security Guard (Undated), sold for $41,000 ($2,000 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.

• 46 works, or 37%, sold above their high estimate.
• 52 works, or 42%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 25 works, or 20%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

48 works were bought-in, including: Nathaniel Mary Quinn, Stricken With Fear (2020), estimated at $40,000 (low) to $60,000 (high). It has been traded once in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

3 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Liz Deschenes, Shift/Rise #7 (2010) estimated at $8,000 (low) to $12,000 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.