Vu Cao Dam Leads Rago Arts & Auction Center $715,400 'American & European Art' Auction in Lambertville

A work by Vu Cao Dam was the headline sale at Rago Arts & Auction Center 'American & European Art' auction on May 22 in Lambertville.

• The sale totaled $715,400, meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 110 works sold totaling $715,400.
• Estimates totaled: $685,700 (low) and $1m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 80% of the original 138 lots announced.

The star lot was: Vu Cao Dam, Maternité au coq (1964), which sold for $82,500, 106% above its $40,000 low estimate. It has not been traded before.

The outperformer sold for 1154% above its low estimate. Robert Vickrey, The Doorway (Undated), sold for $50,200 ($4,000 low estimate). It has not been traded before.

• 35 works, or 32%, sold above their high estimate.
• 37 works, or 34%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 38 works, or 35%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

27 works were bought-in, including: Alexander Archipenko, Untitled (Two Women) (1956), estimated at $30,000 (low) to $50,000 (high). It has not been traded before.

Withdrawn before the sale

1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Arthur Dove, Untitled (Nude) (1932) estimated at $60,000 (low) to $80,000 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.