Roy Lichtenstein Leads Bonhams $411,000 'Prints & Multiples Summer Splash' Auction
3 min read · 16 Aug 2024
At the Beach, from Surrealist Series by Roy Lichtenstein sold for $30,700. Image courtesy of Bonhams
A work by Roy Lichtenstein was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Prints & Multiples Summer Splash' auction on August 14.
- The sale totaled $411,000, falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 208 works sold totaling $411,000.
- Estimates totaled: $584,600 (low) and $835,600 (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 64% of the original 326 lots announced.
The star lot was: Roy Lichtenstein, At the Beach, from Surrealist Series (1978), which sold for $30,700, 22% above its $25,000 low estimate.
The outperformer sold for 719% above its low estimate. Bernard Buffet, Empire State Building (1959), sold for $4,096 ($500 low estimate).
Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed
- 70 works, or 34%, sold above their high estimate.
- 67 works, or 32%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 71 works, or 34%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
No sales had a guarantee.
Works that did not sell
117 works were bought-in, including: Jenna Gribbon, Glaring Shade (2023), estimated at $20,000 (low) to $25,000 (high).
Withdrawn before the sale
1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Ellsworth Kelly, Green White (1970) estimated at $3,000 (low) to $5,000 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.