Bonhams Offers Bridget Riley and Banksy in 20th and 21st Century Art Evening Sale

Bonhams is presenting its 20th and 21st Century Art Evening Sale^[1], an auction scheduled to end 15 October 2026. The sale is led by Bridget Riley's oil on linen painting Ka 4, painted in 1980, which represents a period of new chromatic intensity in her signature stripe works. The painting has a notable provenance that includes the Juda Rowan Gallery in London, Galerie Konstruktiv Tendens in Stockholm, and Piano Nobile in London, before being acquired by its current owner. Alongside the Riley, the sale features Banksy's iconic Laugh Now, an acrylic and spray paint on canvas from 2001 depicting a stooping chimpanzee with a sandwich board, which is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Pest Control Office. The auction also highlights several works by the late Colombian master Fernando Botero, including Still Life with Watermelon^[4] and Homme à Table^[5], both consigned from a prestigious private collection in Sydney and originally acquired from Dennis Hotz Fine Art in South Africa.

The 20th and 21st Century Art Evening Sale is listed on Bonhams' official calendar as a key event in its autumn schedule. To place this sale in context, Bonhams' recent sales include The Autumn Stafford Sale - The Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show in October, which realized £1,837,802^[1] with 181 lots sold. Other recent October sales include Online Watches, London, which realized £85,734^[1] with 57 lots sold, and Vernacular Furniture, Naïve Art, and Textiles, which realized £116,634^[1] with 101 lots sold.

Looking at the broader market, the global art category has realized $2,654,595,189^[1] across all tracked houses this year, achieving an average sell-through rate of 82.4%^[1]. Christie's currently leads the category. Across all of its global auctions this year, Bonhams has realized a year-to-date total of $405,968,258^[1]. In local currency, Bonhams' year-to-date performance stands at £104,792,150^[1] realized, with a sell-through rate of 79.9%^[1]. This upcoming evening sale represents an important moment for the house's contemporary art division as it presents highly recognizable works by Riley, Banksy, and Botero to international collectors.