London – Two works by the prominent American artist, Kenny Scharf (Born 1958), DNA (DO NOT ASK) and SEXOMETRY, were amongst the highlights of Bonhams' Modern & Contemporary Art sale on 30 June in London. DNA (DO NOT ASK) achieved £32,750, whilst Scharf's SEXOMETRY was the top lot of the sale, selling for £56,500.

Bonhams Head of sale, Itziar Ramos, commented: "Kenny Scharf's psychedelic, post-Pop style has captivated global audiences since his debut in the New York scene of the 1980s, and so it's no surprise these works captivated bidders. We're also thrilled to have achieved such great results for bold and colourful works by Marc Quinn and Alexander Calder."

In the early 1980s, Scharf's rise to fame was explosive and well-documented. Befriending Keith Haring at the School of Visual Arts in New York, the two were committed collaborators, most notable for their parties, exhibitions, and events held at Club 57. Scharf's inclusion in the 1985 Whitney Biennial with the first iteration of his Cosmic Cavern insulations, immediately placed him at the forefront of painterly practice. He was subsequently represented by Tony Shafrazi – one of the most important New York gallerists of the decade.

Other highlights included:

• Night Time Polar Region, 2007, by Marc Quinn (B. 1964). Sold for £52,750. Quinn's flower paintings subvert the classic still-life. Most of the flowers and fruit in these compositions would never bloom at the same time, or often be found together in the natural world. The paintings depict a frozen moment of 'unnatural' time. The beauty belies a sinister subtext: the relentless human desire to control nature.

• Chapeaux d'arlequin (recto); Arlequin (verso), circa 1918 by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). Sold for £25,250. This work was once owned by the famous dancer Françoise Dupuy, having been gifted to her by her father, the Avant-Garde art dealer and critic, Marcel Michaud. Picasso renders a series of iterations of Harlequin, the stock character of 16th century Commedia dell'Arte theatre. Picasso was possibly inspired to include Harlequin in his repertoire by Barcelona's annual street carnivals, as well as his visits to the Cirque Médrano in Montmartre in his early twenties, during which he befriended the performers. Here Picasso traces each Harlequin with a single deft stroke; his deliberate, unbroken lines flatten them to the point of pure abstraction.

• Blue + Orange Arrow Head, 1965, by Alexander Calder (1898-1976). Sold for £50,250.