Andy Warhol Leads Rago Arts & Auction Center $1.84m 'Prints + Multiples' Auction in Lambertville

A work by Andy Warhol was the headline sale at Rago Arts & Auction Center 'Prints + Multiples' auction on October 16 in Lambertville.

• The sale totaled $1.84m, meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 250 works sold totaling $1.84m.
• Estimates totaled: $1.45m (low) and $2.14m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 91% of the original 275 lots announced.

The star lot was: Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe (1967), which sold for $277,200, 38% above its $200,000 low estimate.

The outperformer sold for 320% above its low estimate. Helen Frankenthaler, Grey Fireworks (2000), sold for $63,000 ($15,000 low estimate).

• 91 works, or 36%, sold above their high estimate.
• 100 works, or 40%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 59 works, or 24%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

22 works were bought-in, including: Roy Lichtenstein, Reclining Nude (from the Expressionist Woodcut series) (1980), estimated at $40,000 (low) to $60,000 (high).

Withdrawn before the sale

3 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Andy Warhol, Cow (1976) estimated at $5,000 (low) to $7,000 (high).

Terms and definitions

All results include the fees and premiums added to the price of a work of art when the auctioneer's hammer falls. Sale prices are compared to the auction house’s low estimate, which do not include premiums.

Guarantees: Sometimes an auction house guarantees to pay a seller for a work, regardless of whether the bidding reaches the reserve price, a figure that is typically confidential.

Bought-in: If there are no bids for a work, or if bidding falls short of the reserve price, the lot is unsold or “bought-in”.

Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.

Premiums: Typically a sliding-scale of charges paid in addition to the hammer price by the buyer, plus any other fees.