Rago Post War & Contemporary Art Auction Totals $1.49m
3 min read · 30 Jul 2026
Renoir (Luncheon of the Boating Party) by Mark Tansey sold for $76,800. Image courtesy of Rago
A work by Mark Tansey was the headline sale at Rago 'Post War & Contemporary Art' auction on July 29.
- The sale totaled $1.49m, meeting the pre-sale estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 105 works sold totaling $1.49m.
- Estimates totaled: $1.03m (low) and $1.52m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 91% of the original 116 lots announced.
The star lot was: Mark Tansey, Renoir (Luncheon of the Boating Party) (1970), which sold for $76,800, 92% above its $40,000 low estimate. It has not been traded before.
Three Yellows Vertical by Ilya Bolotowsky sold for $17,900 (258% above estimate). Image courtesy of Rago
The outperformer sold for 258% above its low estimate. Ilya Bolotowsky, Three Yellows Vertical (1970), sold for $17,900 ($5,000 low estimate). It has not been traded before.
- 51 works, or 49%, sold above their high estimate.
- 35 works, or 33%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 19 works, or 18%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
No sales had a guarantee.
Works that did not sell
10 works were bought-in, including: Desiree Dolron, Xteriors VI (2001), estimated at $15,000 (low) to $25,000 (high). It has not been traded before.
Withdrawn before the sale
1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Robert Moskowitz, Untitled (1964), estimated at $3,000 (low) to $5,000 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.
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