Rago Prints & Multiples Auction Totals $2.01m

A work by Andy Warhol was the headline sale at Rago 'Prints & Multiples' auction on June 3.

• The sale totaled $2.01m, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 196 works sold totaling $2.01m.
• Estimates totaled: $1.26m (low) and $1.83m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 95% of the original 206 lots announced.

The star lot was: Andy Warhol, The Scream (After Edvard Munch) (1984), which sold for $217,600, 262% above its $60,000 low estimate. It has not been traded before.

The outperformer sold for 1073% above its low estimate. Richard Estes, Seagram Building (from the Urban Landscapes No. I portfolio) (1972), sold for $14,100 ($1,200 low estimate).

• 100 works, or 51%, sold above their high estimate.
• 64 works, or 33%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 32 works, or 16%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

8 works were bought-in, including: Lucio Fontana, Piramides, set of three (1967), estimated at $10,000 (low) to $15,000 (high). It has not been traded before.

Withdrawn before the sale

2 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Roy Lichtenstein, Cow Triptych (Cow Going Abstract) (1982), estimated at $15,000 (low) to $25,000 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.