Bonhams Realizes £553,364 in Blazing a Trail: Modern British Women Auction

In a sale that closed on 30 September 2026, Bonhams held its auction titled "Blazing a Trail: Modern British Women." The auction realized a total of £553,364^[1], with 76 of 93 lots sold, representing an 81.7%^[1] sell-through rate. Bonhams serves as the official result source for this sale, documenting the performance of these twentieth-century works.

The auction featured a curated selection of works by prominent female artists who made significant contributions to modern British art. Among the leading lots was Dame Laura Knight's oil on canvas, "The Yellow Lady." This painting has a distinguished history, having won a silver medal at the Nottingham School of Art exhibition and later being featured in her retrospective exhibition at the Royal Academy. The work is also documented in Knight's autobiography, "The Magic of a Line," and has passed through notable private collections in the United Kingdom. It was also exhibited at the Upper Grosvenor Galleries in London and the Nottingham Castle Museum.

Another major highlight was Dame Elisabeth Frink's bronze sculpture, "Small Lying Down Horse." Conceived with a dark brown patina, this signed and numbered piece was originally acquired by the family of the owner from Beaux Arts in London. It has been exhibited internationally, including at the Rotunda in Exchange Square, Hong Kong, and is referenced in several scholarly publications on Frink's sculptural output, including literature by Nigel Cameron, Bryan Robertson, and Edward Lucie-Smith.

Ithell Colquhoun's surrealist oil on panel, "Landscape of Nightmare," also drew attention. This work, which was once in the artist's personal collection, has been featured in exhibitions at the Mayor Gallery, the Heffer Gallery, and in a landmark survey of British surrealism at The Minories in Colchester, which later travelled to Blond Fine Art in London.

Maggi Hambling's oil on canvas, "Max's Egg," was acquired by its owner from an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. Hambling's artistic practice is characterized by an extraordinary sense of immediacy and a refusal to be confined by labels, as she has consistently worked across portraiture, landscape, and still life throughout her career, resisting attempts to define her practice too neatly with "ist" words.

The results of the sale reflect a steady interest in the diverse artistic expressions of modern British women. The inclusion of works across various mediums, from oil paintings to bronze sculptures, highlights the breadth of talent represented in this specialized auction. The provenance and exhibition histories of these works underscore their cultural significance and the enduring appeal of these artists in the market.