Bonhams auctions Warhol and Calder alongside Impressionist masters in November sale

Bonhams will hold two major auctions on November 19 at its New York flagship at 111 West 57th Street: a Post-War & Contemporary Art sale and an Impressionist & Modern Art sale, both following a 20th & 21st Century Art Evening Sale the previous evening. The paired events bring together works spanning more than a century, from 19th-century European masters to late 20th-century American painters.

Post-War and Contemporary Standouts

The Post-War & Contemporary auction leads with Andy Warhol’s Mark Leibovitz, a 1977 portrait. The subject was a dealer and investor in New York art and real estate circles who counted both Warhol and Salvador Dalí among his acquaintances. Warhol inscribed the canvas “Mark, with love Andy Warhol.” The work carries an estimate of $100,000–150,000 and has stayed within the Leibovitz family since its acquisition directly from the artist nearly 50 years ago.

Among other highlights is a rare collection of five jewels by Alexander Calder, who crafted roughly 1,800 pieces of jewellery over his career, each unique and often commissioned for a specific owner. The necklace from circa 1940 tops the group; Calder made it for his sister Margaret Calder Hayes and it is estimated at $100,000–150,000. The pieces have remained in private and family hands for approximately 70 years.

Robert Cottingham, an American Photorealist known for close-cropped paintings of urban storefronts and signage, appears with three works: Southland Hotel II from 1965 ($60,000–80,000), Rolling Stock Series #4 (for Chuck) from 1989 ($20,000–30,000), and Starr from 1988 ($8,000–12,000).

Janet Fish’s Crazy Quilt with Apples, a 1991 still life, comes to market for the first time after more than 30 years in private hands, estimated at $40,000–60,000. Bonhams holds the artist’s world auction record, having sold Painted Flowers – April for $660,900 in May 2026, more than eight times its high estimate.

Bob Ross Works Benefit Public Television

The Post-War & Contemporary sale marks Bonhams’ fifth major offering of paintings by Bob Ross. According to Bonhams, American Public Television has pledged to direct 100 percent of net proceeds to support public television stations nationwide. Three paintings are included: Not Quite Spring, painted live on air during Season 25 in 1992 and estimated at $40,000–60,000; and Evening’s Peace and Winter Paradise, both from 1990 and created for Ross’s instructional books, each estimated at $25,000–45,000.

Impressionist and Modern Art Sale

The Impressionist & Modern Art auction is led by Maurice de Vlaminck’s Le port du Havre (Bord de la rivière), painted in the early 1910s. Vlaminck, a founding figure of Fauvism, created this work during his transition away from the movement’s bold colour toward the structured, Cézanne-inspired compositions of his mature period. The work is estimated at $70,000–100,000.

Lesser Ury’s Frau im Cafe, painted in 1883 when the artist was 22 years old, is estimated at $50,000–70,000. The work demonstrates the interplay of light and shadow that positioned Ury as a leading figure in German Impressionism. Though many of Ury’s paintings were destroyed during the Nazi era, this work survived. It has remained unseen in public since 1906 and now appears at auction for the first time.

Pablo Picasso’s L’Aubade, created in 1970, combines felt-tip pen on one side with crayon and pastel on the other, forming a double-sided composition on card. It is estimated at $60,000–80,000 and has belonged to one family for more than four decades.

Additional highlights include Rembrandt Bugatti’s bronze Sangliers, l’un près de l’autre (two boars, $60,000–80,000), Fritz Wotruba’s monumental bronze Torso standing over five feet tall ($50,000–70,000), and Françoise Gilot’s 1975 landscape Water Lily Pond (L’Étang) ($40,000–60,000).

This article was compiled by the CityLifeBytes editorial desk from the official announcements and reporting listed under Sources.