Roy Lichtenstein Leads Bonhams $411,000 'Prints & Multiples Summer Splash' Auction

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).

• 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Withdrawn before the sale

1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Ellsworth Kelly, Green White (1970) estimated at $3,000 (low) to $5,000 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.