John Piper Leads Bonhams $5.1m 'Modern British & Irish Art' Auction in London
3 min read · 21 Jun 2024
Painting, 1936 (Forms on Dark Blue) by John Piper sold for $404,600. Image courtesy of Bonhams
A work by John Piper was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Modern British & Irish Art' auction on June 19 in London.
- The sale totaled $5.1m, meeting the pre-sale estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 71 works sold totaling $5.1m.
- Estimates totaled: $4.05m (low) and $6.03m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 70% of the original 101 lots announced.
The star lot was: John Piper, Painting, 1936 (Forms on Dark Blue) (1936), which sold for $404,600, 6% above its $381,500 low estimate. It has been traded twice in the past.
The outperformer sold for 350% above its low estimate. Edward Burra, Dr Fu Manchu (1931), sold for $105,600 ($22,900 low estimate). It has been traded twice in the past.
Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed
- 36 works, or 51%, sold above their high estimate.
- 32 works, or 45%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 3 works, or 4%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
No sales had a guarantee.
Works that did not sell
29 works were bought-in, including: Patrick Heron, THE LANGDALE PIKES, DUSK (1950), estimated at $254,300 (low) to $381,500 (high). It has been traded 4 times in the past.
Withdrawn before the sale
1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Michael Ayrton, Orpheus Seeking (1971) estimated at $8,901 (low) to $12,700 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.