Auctioneer Press Release Rago

Impressionism, Pop Art, Sculpture and Abstract Works Shine in Rago's Robust $3M Fine Art Auctions

Nov 16,2018 | 10:00 EST By Rago

Lambertville, NJ: Rago Auctions November Fine Art Auctions realized $3,087,478 in sales on Saturday, November 10. The highest price achieved by a single lot went to lot 121, Winter Night (Artist’s Studio) by Pennsylvania Impressionist George William Sotter, which sold for $200,000 against an estimate of $70,000 – 100,000. The lot was part of the American + European Art sale, which realized $1,183,094 in sales, with an impressive showing from local New Hope School artists as well as Impressionist works from Wilson Henry Irvine, Jean Dufy and more.

Lot 121, George William Sotter, Winter Night, Oil on canvas; Sold for $200,000

Impressionist and Post-Impressionist highlights from the segment include lot 93, Figures by the Lakeside by Maurice Prendergast, which sold for $50,000; lot 243, Divinite by the Vietnamese/French artist Vu Cao Dam which soared past the high estimate of $15,000 to achieve $50,000; lot 92, Morning Walk by American artist Wilson Henry Irvine, which shattered the high estimate of $8,000 to achieve $46,875; lot 132, a colorful landscape entitled April by noted Pennsylvania Impressionist Fern Isabel Coppedge of the Philadelphia Ten, which sold for $40,625 against a high estimate of $35,000; lot 69, an untitled beach scene by Dorothea Sharp, which realized $32,500; and two works by French Impressionist Jean Dufy, lots 61 and 72, which sold for $28,750 and $17,500 respectively.

Lot 93, Maurice Prendergast, Figures by the Lake Side ca. 1910-1913, Watercolor and pencil on paper; Sold for $50,000

Other notable results from the session include lot 208, Nature Morte à la Pastèque by Pablo Picasso, which exceeded the estimate and sold for $36,250; lot 4, Edward Hopper’s Night Shadows, considered to be one of the greatest American prints, which sold for $26,250; lot 188, Los Hermanos No. 2 by Mexican artist Rafael Coronel, which sold for $23,750; lot 56, Mary Madeleine et Saint-Jean by Paul Serusier, which nearly doubled the high estimate and achieved $21,250; and lot 203, Mambo by Joan Miró which realized $18,750.

Lot 677, Elaine Frances (Horan) Sturtevant, Warhol's Marilyn Monroe, Acrylic and screenprint inks on canvas, 1985; Sold for $125,000

Rago’s Post-War + Contemporary Art sale, an impressive session of 450 lots, including three single- owner collections, performed admirably and achieved $1,904,344 in sales. The top lot of the segment was lot 677, Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe by Elaine Frances (Horan) Sturtevant, which exceeded the high estimate and sold for $125,000. Other top lots include: lot 542, Beast IX, a bronze sculpture by British artist Lynn Chadwick which sold for $87,500; lot 840, Destine (Death of Venus) by Bo Bartlett, from the Allan Stone Collection, which sold for $81,250 against a high estimate of $50,000; lot 768, a battery-driven electric motor wooden sculpture with potatoes by the German artist Sigmar Polke, which realized $75,000; lot 681, Eggs, a collaboration by American Pop Art icons Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, which sold for $75,000; and lot 562, Cruz by the German/Mexican artist Mathias Goertiz, which sold for $50,000.

Lot 610, Llya Bolotowsky, Yellow Diamond with Red and Blue, Acrylic on canvas, 1977; Sold for $27,500

Additional highlights from the sale include: lot 592, Makusi from Philadelphia, a bold animal portrait by Tom Palmore, which sold for nearly three times the high estimate of $12,000 to achieve $35,000; lot 823, an untitled abstract work by Lebanese artist Nabil Nahas, which sold for $28,750; lot 790, a fresh-to-market untitled acrylic work by Richard Hambleton, from the Collection of Joshua P. Smith, which surpassed all expectations and sold for $28,750 against a high estimate of $3,000; lot 610, a geometric abstraction entitled Yellow Diamond with Red and Blue by Ilya Bolotowsky, which sold for $27,500; lot 696, Moby Dick by Frank Stella, which more than doubled the high estimate and realized $25,000; and lot 732, Time Exposed, a portfolio of 50 triple-tone offset lithographs by Hiroshi Sugimoto, which sold for $22,500.

"Our November sales produced strong results from Impressionism to Pop Art. In our sale of American + European Art, a twilight scene of George William Sotter’s Pennsylvania studio stole the show. Our sale of Post-War + Contemporary Art captured an international audience, driving works by Elaine Sturtevant, Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat to double their estimates."

-Meredith Hilferty, Director of Fine Art

By Rago