When the tightly curated May 23 sale of American art began at Bonhams in New York City, the strength of the auction was felt immediately. The first two lots, by Charles Green Shaw, struck a bidding frenzy. The initial painting, titled Untitled (Abstract on White), soared to more than six times its high estimate of $10,000 to see $68,750. The second work, Untitled (Atomic Flight), sparked even more interest when it sold for $93,750 against a presale estimate of $15,000 to $25,000. It became a new auction record for the artist.
“The sale did really well as a whole, especially if you look at the numbers against the presale expectations. It exceeded expectations, sell-through rates were really strong and there was great bidding activity,” says Jennifer Jacobsen, Bonhams’ director of…