Bonhams sale of 20th Century British Art exceeded expectations, this week, when it made a £2m total and a brand new World Record price for a Helen Bradley picture sold at auction, for £144,000.
Bradley (1900-1979) - who started painting in her sixties, and died shortly before she was due to be honoured with an MBE - had previously commanded £97,000 as a best price at auction.
The World Record picture, titled Blackpool Beach, a sunny image of bathers, had been estimated to sell for £70,000-90,000.
 Helen Bradley's Blackpool Beach, sold for £97,000 |
The Bradley sale "produced strength across the board" with the 90 lots offered generally doing well, according to a statement from Bonhams.
Fourth highest price in the sale went to a recently discovered David Bomberg (1890-1957). The Canal Lock sold for £84,000 against a pre-sale estimate of £30,000-50,000.
Other notable results from among the top ten in the sale included a beautiful picture by Sir Alfred James Munnings (1878-1959), titled The Start, Newmarket, which made £524,000.
 Sir Alfred James Munnings' The Start, Newmarket, sold for £524,000 |
It is the first time that this work has been offered at auction.
A picture by Sir Kyffin Williams (1918-2006), titled Bull, also performed strongly with a £50,400 price against a pre-sale estimate of £8,000-12,000.
There was also an LS Lowry (1887-1976) 'Newtown' which went for £43,200 and a Dame Elisabeth Frink (1930-1993) titled `Assassins' which made £62,400 having been expected to sell for £20,000-30,000.
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