Surrealist Prints Shine at Recent Bonhams Auction

Bonhams Los Angeles hosted an auction on January 17 that celebrated the artistic legacy of Urban S. Hirsch III (1941-2024). His collection of Surrealist and Old Master prints achieved full sales across all 120 lots, earning a total of $778,000. Several pieces exceeded expectations, drawing competitive bids from collectors.

“We are thrilled with the success of this exceptional collection,” Morisa Rosenberg, Head of Prints & Multiples at Bonhams Los Angeles, said in a press release.

Urban S. Hirsch III built his collection with a focus on historical and creative prints. From Renaissance masterpieces to 20th-century Surrealist works, each piece showcased his dedication to thoughtful curation.

The auction’s standout sales included:

• Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s The Seven Deadly Sins (1558) set a record for the edition, selling for $89,400—more than four times its high estimate.
• Leonora Carrington’s Tuesday (1987) achieved $76,700, an impressive 38 times its original estimate.
• M.C. Escher’s Belvedere (1958), which doubled its estimate to sell for $51,200.
• Bruegel’s The Seven Virtues (c. 1559-60) sold for $33,280.
• Dorothea Tanning’s Birthday (Self Portrait at Age 30) (c. 1970) brought in $20,500, exceeding its estimate by sixfold.
• Pedro Friedeberg’s Eight Hand and Foot Table (c. 1970), which sold for $15,360.
• René Magritte’s Les Bijoux Indiscrets (Kaplan 3) (1963), which also sold for $15,360.