Anna Weyant Leads Rago $2.89m Post War & Contemporary Art Auction

A work by Anna Weyant was the headline sale at Rago 'Post War & Contemporary Art' auction on January 28.

• The sale totaled $2.89m, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 74 works sold totaling $2.89m.
• Estimates totaled: $1.48m (low) and $2.2m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 91% of the original 81 lots announced.

The star lot was: Anna Weyant, Josephine (2020), which sold for $304,800, 103% above its $150,000 low estimate. It has not been traded before.

The outperformer sold for 471% above its low estimate. Ulrich Ruckriem, Untitled (1988), sold for $57,100 ($10,000 low estimate). It has not been traded before.

• 51 works, or 69%, sold above their high estimate.
• 17 works, or 23%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 6 works, or 8%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

4 works were bought-in, including: Mark Ryden, The Tree Show (2007), estimated at $30,000 (low) to $50,000 (high). It has not been traded before.

Withdrawn before the sale

3 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Edgar Plans, Piet and Mondrian III (2020) estimated at $40,000 (low) to $60,000 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.