LONDON, Tuesday 20 January 2026, 20 January 2026 - Bonhams today announces global sales of $970m USD in 2025, achieved across auctions and private sales worldwide. The milestone year included a record-breaking performance for Bonhams Hong Kong and the strongest global result to date for Bonhams New York's 20th & 21st Century Art Week, signifying market confidence ahead of its new US flagship opening on 9 February.
In 2025, Bonhams maintained a presence across 24 countries and attracted buyers from 133 countries, highlighting the auction house's strong international reach and diverse collector base.
The year concluded with strong sales across more than 65 categories, most prominently fine art, luxury and collector cars, alongside standout results achieved from auctions of notable private and iconic collections, such as the Gene Hackman Collection ($3 million) and Downton Abbey ($2.3 million).
"Our results in 2025 reflect the strength and resilience of Bonhams across markets, categories and price points, and underscore the trust clients place in us globally. As we enter our next phase of growth and expansion, underpinned by the upcoming launch of our new premises in New York, we remain focused on continuing to enhance our client and collector experience," says Seth Johnson, Bonhams CEO.
COLLECTOR ENGAGEMENT
Digital was a core part of Bonhams' success in 2025, with 91% of lots sold online by volume and 46% of the total value transacted digitally. Bonhams' top lot of the year was sold to an online bidder, reinforcing digital's credibility at the highest levels of the market.
Bonhams saw increased interest from new and younger collectors globally, with Millennials and Gen Z representing 25.6% of global registrants in 2025, a 19% year-on-year increase. This growing interest from the next generation of collectors was especially evident in the Asia-Pacific region, with Millennials and Gen Z representing 39% of auction participants, while in the UK they represented 26% of auction participants.
HIGHLIGHTS BY REGION
APAC
Bonhams Hong Kong delivered its strongest year on record, achieving $104 million across auctions and private sales, its highest total since opening in the region in 2007, while auction sales alone rose 13% year on year. Clients in the Asia-Pacific region accounted for approximately 21% of Bonhams' total global transaction value across auctions and private sales.
United Kingdom
Sales in the UK rose 4.5% year-on-year, reaching $285 million, with private sales increasing by approximately 50% compared with 2024. Auction highlights included landmark single-owner collections such as Downton Abbey ($2.3 million, 100% sold), The Gary Moore Collection ($1.3 million, 100% sold), and The Marianne Faithfull Collection, reinforcing Bonhams' expertise in the popular culture category. A new auction record was achieved for artist Howard Hodgkin ($2.3 million). Jewelry sales throughout the year consistently sold above estimates, cementing Bonhams' position as a market leader for the category in the UK for the past 15 years. A key sale was Nancy Astor's rare Cartier turquoise and diamond tiara, circa 1930, which sold for $1.2 million, over three times its pre-sale estimate.
United States
Bonhams set a fine art record with Bonhams New York achieving its strongest global result to date for its 20th & 21st Century Art Week in November 2025, totalling $28.2 million. Highlights for the fine art category included the Gene Hackman Collection, which achieved $3 million with 100% of more than 400 lots sold, and the personal collection of Dorothy and Roy Lichtenstein, totalling $1.2 million, also 100% sold. In the automotive category, Bonhams|Cars Monterey Car Week Sale delivered a grand total of $44.7 million, with a 96% sell-through rate.
EU
Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr delivered standout results in Paris, reinforcing Bonhams' strength across European fine art and Asian art. Notable sales included a Qianlong-period pair of monumental bronze Bixie($4.6 million), a 1950 Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta ($3.2 million), and the prestigious Didier Ludot Haute Couture Collection ($784,000).
BONHAMS' GLOBAL EXPANSION
Bonhams entered a new chapter in 2025 with its acquisition by Pemberton Asset Management. The acquisition promises long-term investment, digital innovation, and Bonhams' continued expansion under the direction of new CEO Seth Johnson.
The auction house's strong performance in the Asia-Pacific region in 2025 follows the opening of a Hong Kong headquarters at the end of 2024, solidifying Bonhams' presence in the market and demonstrating the success of its global expansion strategy.
In June 2025, Bonhams further strengthened its presence in the US by opening a new Bonhams Skinner location on Clarendon Street in Boston's Back Bay. This move underscores Bonhams' global expansion strategy while reaffirming its commitment to the New England market and the broader US audience.
In 2025, Bonhams announced the 2026 opening date of its forthcoming US flagship at Steinway Hall, located at 111 West 57th Street, New York. Spanning 42,000 square feet, the new space will serve as a new public cultural destination, uniting the historic Steinway Hall Rotunda with a dramatic 80-foot glass atrium serving as the main reception and lobby. Opening 9 February 2026, the headquarters will include two auction rooms, dedicated workspaces for all New York employees, meeting rooms, professional photography studios and centralised warehousing with a dedicated loading bay.
TOP 10 LOTS SOLD BY BONHAMS IN 2025:
1. 2020 Bugatti Divo - $9m (California)
2. 2022 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ Couple - $6m (California)
3. Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita, Chiens savants, ou le carnaval des chiens, $5.3m (London)
4. 2023 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - $4.7m (California)
5. A magnificent and rare pair of massive bronze mythical beasts (bixie) from the Qianlong period (1736 to 1795), $4.7m (Paris)
6. 2021 Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport - $4.2m (California)
7. 2022 Apollo Intensa Emozione "Ocean Dragon" - $3.6m (California)
8. A rare and important blue and white and copper-red 'dragon' vase, Tianqiuping, Qianlong period, $3.7m (New York)
9. 2017 Pagani Huayra Roadster - $3.5m (California)
10. An important massive imperial gilt copper-alloy figure of Longnü, $3.5m (Hong Kong)
(Press Release)
