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Vernon Fisher Leads Rago / Wright / Los Angeles Modern Auctions $917,400 '20|21 Art' Sale

3 min read  ·  01 Oct 2024

Scenes from the American West by Vernon Fisher sold for $56,700.
Image courtesy of Rago / Wright / Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA)

Scenes from the American West by Vernon Fisher sold for $56,700. Image courtesy of Rago / Wright / Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA)

A work by Vernon Fisher was the headline sale at Rago / Wright / Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) '20|21 Art' auction on September 27.

  • The sale totaled $917,400, meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

  • 234 works sold totaling $917,400.
  • Estimates totaled: $701,600 (low) and $1.05m (high), excluding premiums.
  • The sell-through rate was 89% of the original 262 lots announced.

The star lot was: Vernon Fisher, Scenes from the American West (1986), which sold for $56,700, 844% above its $6,000 low estimate.

The outperformer sold for 844% above its low estimate. Vernon Fisher, Scenes from the American West (1986), sold for $56,700 ($6,000 low estimate).

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

  • 80 works, or 34%, sold above their high estimate.
  • 55 works, or 24%, sold within their low and high estimate.
  • 99 works, or 42%, sold below their low estimate.
  • 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

27 works were bought-in, including: Arman, Untitled (Undated), estimated at $10,000 (low) to $15,000 (high).

Withdrawn before the sale

1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Luis Cruz Azaceta, Barracks (1977) estimated at $1,500 (low) to $2,500 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.