New York – Bonhams concluded its 20th / 21st Century Art Week with a total of $13.5 million, showcasing a curated selection of exceptional works that attracted international bidding across 27 countries.
The Evening Sale featured a standout work by Willem de Kooning (1904-1997) that garnered significant interest. East Hampton VII, an oil on paper from 1968 – a pivotal period in the artist's career – achieved $1,080,000. Another key moment was the sale of Fernando Botero's (1932-2023) iconic large-scale painting, The Bed (1982), which drew considerable attention and sold for $762,500.
Building on the momentum of last November's record-breaking success with Gertrude Abercrombie (1909-1977), Bonhams once again achieved strong results for the artist. Her 1956 work Blue Shell soared past its estimate, fetching $191,000 – over four times its pre-sale estimate. The following day, in the Impressionist & Modern Art sale, another of her works, Wires Down (1943), continued the trend, selling for $70,350 against an estimate of $30,000–50,000.
"These strong results build on our recent achievements with the white-glove 20th / 21st Century Art Evening Sale in London," said Ralph Taylor, Global Head of 20th / 21st Century Art at Bonhams. "These Spring sales reaffirm Bonhams' leadership in the core art market and demonstrate our ability to compete in the 20th / 21st Century Art space."
The Impressionist & Modern Art sale on Thursday, May 15 saw Vietnamese Impressionists Mai Trung Thu (1906-1980) and Le Pho (1907-2001) performing particularly well. Mai Trung Thu's La danse de la Licorne (1964) led the sale, achieving $622,800, followed closely by Les fillettes en plein air (1964) at $546,600. Le Pho's works also exceeded expectations, with Composition (1970) selling for $152,900 (estimate: $90,000–120,000), La robe orange (1980) achieving $140,200 (estimate: $50,000–70,000), and Les tulipes rouges et noires (1966) selling for $127,500 (estimate: $60,000–80,000). Other highlights included Kreis und Rechteck (Circle and Rectangle) (1932) by Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944), which achieved $191,000, far surpassing its estimate of $80,000–120,000.
That same day, the Post-War & Contemporary Art sale also saw strong results, with highlights including James Rosenquist's (1933-2017) Welcome to the Water Planet III (1988), which achieved $622,800, and Frank Stella's (1936-2024) Rayy (Race Track) (1970), which sold for $203,700.
Andrew Huber, Head of 20th / 21st Century Art US at Bonhams, added: "This year's sale presented a focused selection of works, allowing us to dedicate our full expertise to showcasing the storeys behind each piece. This approach not only highlights the unique narratives of these artists but also enables us to achieve strong results across the board."
