María Magdalena Campos-Pons Leads Rago'x $584,400 'Photographs from the Polaroid Collection' Auction

A work by María Magdalena Campos-Pons was the headline sale at Rago Arts & Auction Center 'Photographs from the Polaroid Collection' auction on June 10 in Lambertville.

• The sale totaled $584,400, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 128 works sold totaling $584,400.
• Estimates totaled: $377,200 (low) and $536,600 (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 100%, so a white-glove sale.

The star lot was: María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Abridor de Caminos (The One Who Opens the Path) (1997), which sold for $116,800, 133% above its $50,000 low estimate. It has not been traded before.

The outperformer sold for 1000% above its low estimate. Dawoud Bey, Untitled (triptych) (1992), sold for $16,500 ($1,500 low estimate). It has not been traded before.

• 56 works, or 44%, sold above their high estimate.
• 28 works, or 22%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 44 works, or 34%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

0 works were bought-in.

Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn

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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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