Donald Judd Leads Rago Arts & Auction Center $928,300 'Post War & Contemporary Art' Auction in Lambertville

A work by Donald Judd was the headline sale at Rago Arts & Auction Center 'Post War & Contemporary Art' auction on July 30 in Lambertville.

• The sale totaled $928,300, meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 69 works sold totaling $928,300.
• Estimates totaled: $852,100 (low) and $2.21m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 81% of the original 85 lots announced.

The star lot was: Donald Judd, Untitled (1991), which sold for $107,900, 79% above its $60,000 low estimate. It has not been traded before.

The outperformer sold for 27839% above its low estimate. Sebastian Maranhao, Duomo Di Milano (2025), sold for $27,900 ($100 low estimate). It has not been traded before.

• 23 works, or 33%, sold above their high estimate.
• 23 works, or 33%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 23 works, or 33%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

12 works were bought-in, including: Tim Noble & Sue Webster, The Muthafucka (2000), estimated at $50,000 (low) to $70,000 (high). It has not been traded before.

Withdrawn before the sale

4 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Bruce Conner, NEW BORN (1962) estimated at $25,000 (low) to $35,000 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.