The Facts
Bonhams will hold its 20th and 21st Century Evening Sale on November 18 at its U.S. flagship at 111 West 57th Street in New York, marking the department's second season at the new headquarters. The sale follows a record-setting inaugural May season and builds on a strong November 2025, with two consecutive seasons of growth. Leading the auction is George Condo's "Big Face" (2015), estimated at $2.8–3.5 million, a six-foot-tall example of the artist's "psychological cubism" coming to auction for the first time after a decade in private hands. Other top lots include Willem de Kooning's "Marsh Landscape" (1966), estimated at $1.2–1.8 million, and Banksy's "Angel" (2006), also estimated at $1.2–1.8 million, both from long-held private collections. The sale also features Impressionist and Modern works with exceptional provenance, including Henri Matisse's "Lydia en blouse brodée" (1936), estimated at $200,000–300,000, offered for the first time after more than seven decades in a private collection.
The Signal
The November sale underscores Bonhams' strategy of leveraging its new flagship space to compete for major consignments in the 20th and 21st century categories. The inclusion of blue-chip names like Condo, de Kooning, and Banksy, alongside Impressionist masters, signals an effort to attract both contemporary and traditional collectors. The emphasis on fresh-to-market works—such as Condo's "Big Face" and Matisse's portrait—may appeal to buyers seeking rarity and pristine provenance. For collectors, the sale offers a barometer of demand for high-estimate contemporary works against a backdrop of market uncertainty, while the strong exhibition history of many lots could bolster confidence in their long-term value.
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- Artists: George Condo, Willem de Kooning, Banksy, Henri Matisse, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Kenneth Noland, Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Takashi Murakami, Pablo Picasso
- People: Lydia Delectorskaya
- Auction Houses: Bonhams
- Museums: Philbrook Museum of Art
- Locations: New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Tulsa
- Prices: $2,800,000 – 3,500,000, $1,200,000 – 1,800,000, $200,000 – 300,000, $180,000 – 250,000, $120,000 – 180,000, $700,000 – 1,000,000, $600,000 – 800,000, $500,000 – 700,000, $350,000 – 550,000
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