The Facts
Bonhams' fourth annual The Art of Hawaiʻi sale concluded on July 15, 2026, in Los Angeles, achieving a total of $1.7 million. The auction featured Hawaiian artists and works capturing the culture and history of the Hawaiian and Pacific Islands. Leading the sale was Enoch Wood Perry's "Kualoa Ranch O'ahu" (circa 1864–65), which sold for $267,200, more than doubling its estimate and setting a new world auction record for the artist. Madge Tennent's "The Red Holokū" (1940) achieved $231,640, also a new world auction record, surpassing the previous benchmark set by Bonhams in New York in April. Lloyd Sexton Jr.'s "Old Pali Road, O'ahu" (1970) sold for $108,450, more than three times its estimate. Additional records were set for works by Charles William Bartlett, Satoru Abe, Marguerite Louis Blasingame, Yvonne Cheng, John Melville Kelly, and Juliette May Fraser.
The Signal
The results underscore the growing market for Hawaiian Modernist art, with Bonhams continuing to position itself as a leading auction house in this niche. The sale's strong performance, particularly for works by Madge Tennent and Enoch Wood Perry, signals sustained collector demand for artists with deep ties to Hawaiʻi's cultural heritage. For collectors, the multiple record prices suggest increasing value in both historic and mid-20th-century Hawaiian works, especially those fresh to market or with strong provenance. Bonhams' dedicated focus on this category highlights a strategic effort to build a global market for Hawaiian art, offering a specialized alternative to broader American or Pacific sales.
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- Artists: Enoch Wood Perry, Madge Tennent, Lloyd Sexton Jr., Tadashi Sato, Charles William Bartlett, Satoru Abe, Marguerite Louis Blasingame, Yvonne Cheng, John Melville Kelly, Juliette May Fraser
- People: Kathy Wong
- Auction Houses: Bonhams
- Locations: Los Angeles
- Prices: $1.7 million, $267,200, $231,640, $108,450, $95,750, $83,050, $32,000, $23,040, $16,640, $14,080, $10,240, $9,600
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