Bonhams
Bonhams is an auction house with headquarters in the UK. It operates two London salerooms as well as others in Edinburgh, New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong.
In 2000, Bonhams was merged with Brooks, a specialist Classic Car auctioneer, and Phillips Son & Neale not long after. US auctioneers Butterfields joined the group in 2002.
In September 2018, chairman Robert Brooks stepped down after selling the company to private equity group Epiris. In 2022, the firm went on a buying spree purchasing US auction house Skinner, Swedish saleroom Bukowskis, Danish saleroom Bruun Rasmussen and then French outfit Cornette de Saint Cyr.
Pick of the Week: Carriage clock lifted to £75,000
08 January 2018Top-quality timekeepers of accessible size by major makers are the main strength of the 19th century clock market.
Titanic letters on the rise at two auctions
08 January 2018Two letters sent by passengers who lost their lives when the Titanic sank in 1912 came to auction in the latter part of 2017: one of them posted before she sailed, the other recovered, along with the owner’s pocket book, when his body was pulled from the freezing Atlantic waters.
D-Day dummy drops in to NY auction
02 January 2018Overall, a Voices of the 20th Century sale held by Bonhams New York (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) on December 6 was rather disappointing, with only 100 of 264 lots sold (and only six of the 55 Russian lots). However, among the more curious entries was the ‘Paradummy’ pictured below.
Grosvenor School linocuts add Power to dedicated print sale
22 December 2017A group of Grosvenor School linocuts by Cyril Power (1872-1951) gave a lift to Bonhams’ latest Prints and Multiples sale.
Former Bonhams vice president joins dealership Dickinson
19 December 2017William O’Reilly has joined Dickinson in New York.
Theatrical flourishes and ladies of the night
18 December 2017A fascinating archive of manuscripts, ephemera and artefacts relating to the life and career of the great actor, playwright and theatrical manager David Garrick sold for a far higher than predicted £90,000 at Bonhams (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) on November 15.
The Brunel family tunnel vision
11 December 2017An extraordinary family archive of engineering and architectural drawings and designs for the projects of Marc Isambard Brunel (1769-1849), offered in 14 lots, sold for a total of £224,500 in a Bonhams (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) sale of November 15.
Raise your glasses to the Kaplan collection sold at auction
11 December 2017A full saleroom and a sell-out are not necessarily features you associate with traditional fields such as English drinking glasses but there are always exceptions.
Stanley Spencer shines in Modern British art auctions
11 December 2017Modern British art by blue-chip names drove demand during the week-long series of November sales in London.
Former Bonhams employees team up to open new dealership in 16th century Scottish house
28 November 2017Two former members of auction house Bonhams have teamed up to open a new dealership in Dumfriesshire.
Previews: £30,000 plus
27 November 2017A December 7 sale of European ceramics at Bonhams will incorporate 130 pieces of Neapolitan porcelain from a single private source.
First edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone inscribed by JK Rowling sets £85,000 auction record
23 November 2017Probably best kept out of the hands of children unless, like the member of Bonhams' staff seen here, they are wearing white gloves, inscribed firsts of ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone’ are getting seriously expensive.
Digital ‘blue box’ designed by Apple founder Steve Wozniak at Bonhams New York
20 November 2017"If it hadn't been for the Blue Boxes, there would have been no Apple. I'm 100% sure of that." So said Steve Jobs of the electronic devices that simulate operators by generating the tones used by a telephone operator’s dialling console, and were typically used from the 1950s by so-called ‘phone phreakers’ to avail themselves of free calls.
Marine market shows buoyancy in London sale
20 November 2017For many years, marine art sales were used by the big auction houses to tap into the wealth of the world’s yachting and sailing community.
Bonhams sits comfortably in Asian art auction series
13 November 2017Bonhams capitalised on the strong market for classical Chinese furniture to set the two highest prices of the London Asian art auction series.
They think it's all over: football 1966 World Cup commentator's RAF medals up at auction
11 November 2017“They think it’s all over… it is now!” were the perfectly timed words uttered by TV commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme as England won the 1966 World Cup. Much less well known is that Wolstenholme (1920-2002) had a highly distinguished RAF service record in the Second World War.
And the winner is… find out who won the awards at ‘Asian Art in London’
10 November 2017Two works of art, both fashioned from lacquer but very different in execution, scooped the 2017 ‘Asian Art in London’ awards for dealers and auctioneers.
Spains Hall sofa sold for £140,000 at Bonhams
06 November 2017Bonhams’ Important Design sale in Bond Street on October 25 included this George III mahogany hall settee in the manner of William and John Linnell. Estimated at £8000- 12,000, it sold at £140,000 (plus premium), writes Roland Arkell.
Pick of the Week: Nelson’s chair of command
30 October 2017The large pockets once inserted at the side of this leather armchair – now sealed up – give a clue to the role of the famous person who once sat on it. The chair’s nickname of ‘The Emma’ is another big hint.
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