3 min read · 16 May 2024
Nastassja Kinski and the Serpent, Los Angeles, California, 1981 by Richard Avedon sold for $76,700. Image courtesy of Bonhams Skinner
A work by Richard Avedon was the headline sale at Bonhams Skinner 'Prints & Photographs' auction on May 15.
The star lot was: Richard Avedon, Nastassja Kinski and the Serpent, Los Angeles, California, 1981 (1981), which sold for $76,700, 27% above its $60,000 low estimate. It has not been traded before.
The outperformer sold for 1100% above its low estimate. Edward S Curtis, Bear's Belly-Arikara (1908), sold for $6,400 ($500 low estimate).
Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed
No sales had a guarantee.
37 works were bought-in, including: David Hockney, Rain, from The Weather Series (1973), estimated at $70,000 (low) to $90,000 (high).
1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Timothy H. O'sullivan, Shoshone Falls, 1874 (1981) estimated at $400 (low) to $600 (high).
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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.