: The recent Sollo:Rago Modern Auction resulted in a personal best
for the auction house with a record breaking $4.8 million yield
for both days. Auction records were also set for several
established Modern artists while other relatively unknown artists
had their work brought to the forefront.
The sale was groundbreaking for including several recent artists,
some from as late as the 90's, and some whose work has yet to
receive high acclaim in the 1,500-plus lot auction that saw 1,000
registered bidders and 18 active phone lines.
The difficulty in presenting any Modern sale is that photos are
deceiving. Modern pieces in general are more impressive in
reality than any photograph is able to capture.
A prime example was a Harry Bertoia stainless steel sculpture,
"Willow," which consisted of rods on a stainless steel base. This
piece that was in the artist's private collection and considered
to be his most important piece was listed in the catalog as 96 by
53 inches, large to be sure, but the actual presence of the piece
was awe striking. One by one, auction attendees entered through
the main door and were visibly astounded by this imposing work of
art. It sold for $108,000.
John Sollo said that no matter how many times he sees a piece
before the auction the scale of it does not impact him until the
actual auction setup where things appear different in groupings.
For this and other reasons, David Rago has acquired a
13,000-square-foot annex near the main auction house to serve as
a Modern showroom, displaying high-end items in room settings.
This will be in place for the fall Modern auction.
Rago expressed his confidence in Sollo's uncanny ability to
foresee market trends in Modern. Years ago Sollo's interest in
Modern was inspired by a piece of furniture by Paul Evans. "I had
never seen anything like it," he said. It captivated him and he
just couldn't let go of it. At the time few people were
interested in or even appreciated Modern. "People thought I was
crazy and even my own family thought it was weird."
Decades later Modern has become the hottest collectible market
and Sollo still remains true to the artist. Evans's work sold for
staggering prices across the board Saturday, breaking previously
established auction records. Sollo confessed that he is "laughing
behind the naysayer's back." Rago said that "the more you see of
Modern, the more you realize that Paul Evans is in a class by
himself."
An exceptional George Nakashima Minguren I buckeye burl and
walnut coffee table made in 1981 sold for $102,000.
The top Evans lot was an outstanding 1976 sculpture-front
wall-mounted four-door buffet with a slate top and an interior
drawer and shelves. It sold for the surprising price of $84,000
against a presale estimate of $30/40,000, which represents the
second highest price ever paid for an Evans piece. The highest was
a sculptural room divider that brought $90,000 at the last
Sollo:Rago sale. Two pair of stunning sculpted steel cube chairs
with gold velvet upholstery on swivel bases that were estimated at
$9/14,000 sold for $25,200 for each pair, which set a record for
that form.
An exceptional and rare 1965 signed and dated wavy front buffet
with riveted metal patchwork covered to case and a painted red
interior sold for $51,000. It is believed that fewer than 75 wavy
front buffets were ever built. Another piece of note by Evans was
a custom-designed wall-hanging cabinet in sculpted bronze and
rosewood with three interior shelves, 1970. This rare and
exceptional piece that resembled an ominous sea creature
($9/14,000) commanded $45,000.
A fine and rare Argente welded aluminum sculpture on a black
enameled pedestal base ($12/18,000) was part of Evans's 1968
"Sculptures in the Fields" series. He created only three Argente
masterpieces, which he photographed in a Bucks County field. The
"Field" series is considered to be among the most rare and
important of all of Evans's work. This piece, which was
accompanied by a copy of the original photo, achieved $31,200.
George Nakashima's work is always a crowd pleaser but a Minguren
I buckeye burl and walnut coffee table with a free-edge top on a
walnut base, 1981, was exceptional. Marked with the original
owner's name, it doubled its high estimate of $60,000 when it
sold for $102,000. The buyer, Galleria Ramis Barquet on 57th
Street in New York City, purchased it for resale at its soon to
open furniture gallery, Pelicano, Inc in Chelsea. Another
important Nakashima large walnut coffee table with a single
rosewood butterfly key on a sled base, 1973, also marked with
original owner's name, brought $66,000.
The Paul Evans top lot was a 1976 sculpture front wall-mounted
buffet that sold for the surprising price of $84,000.
Phillip Lloyd Powell's work performed well. An unsung hero in
the Twentieth Century Modern arena for years, Powell was not as
prolific as many other collectible artists. "You have to be able to
get it to collect it," said Sollo. For many years Powell's work
sold well in his own locale of Bucks County, Penn., but did not do
as well on the national and international level.
All that changed at the Saturday sale when Powell, who was
sitting in the audience, watched while his work sold for
unprecedented prices. A pair of his walnut New Hope armchairs
sold for a record price of $19,200. A handsome walnut bench with
a spindled back also commanded $19,200 against a presale estimate
of $6/9,000. Powell later disclosed that the bench originally
sold for $500.
A black enameled wood table lamp ($1,2/1,800) sold for $4,800 and
a cherry low coffee table with legs mortised through a free-edge
top, ($800/1,200, brought $4,500. Powell was ecstatic over the
results. Today, Powell said he is "having fun in my old age" and
still working for only a few clients.
A group of Paul Kiss items brought strong prices across the
board. Chief among them was an imposing pair of wrought iron
pedestals with gold marble tops, stamped P.Kiss/Paris that more
than doubled its high estimate of $12,000 to achieve $32,400.
Christian Liagre pieces were in demand and brought high prices in
virtually every lot. A pair of club chairs that were fully
upholstered in white fabric under ecru slipcovers sold for $4,800
against a high estimate of $1,800 and a Christian Liagre/Holly
Hunt pair of lounge chairs in ebonized mahogany with black hard
leather sling seats brought $9,000 against a high estimate of
$3,000.
An appealing Sam Maloof adjustable music stand with a
cantilevered music tray on a swiveling shaft fetched $24,000. A
Maria Pergay "Flying Carpet" daybed in stainless steel with a
rich brown fabric cushion sold for $78,000. Pergay's highest
appeal was previously in her native France but has since become
an internationally acclaimed artist in high demand across the
globe.
Many novel pieces offered in this sale created enormous visual
impact for the 500-page 1,554-lot catalog and the auction
previewers as well. A standout was a signed Pedro Friedeberg gold
and red painted figural mahogany clock ($4/6,000), 13 1/2 by 10
1/2 inches, which was selected for the catalog cover and yielded
$14,400.
Its highly original design, made in 1974, had 12 single figural
gold hands surrounding a red clock face with each hand holding up
the number of fingers that represented the time value. The base
of the clock was comprised of two figural red legs with gold
toes. Interest in this item was keen and there was never a time
at preview that people were not staring at it.
A Maria Pergay "Flying Carpet" daybed in stainless steel with a
rich brown fabric cushion brought $78,000.
A signed Friedeberg butterfly chair with a human head and
feet and the seat painted with Op Art designs on a red painted base
brought $11,400. James Mont's art ranges from the "almost
traditional" design to the "madcap." In this case, a pair of
foreboding gargoyles that stood as gilded wood table lamps
($2/3,000) sold for $10,200.
A ceramics highlight was a Hans Coper spade form stoneware vessel
that was rubbed with oxides, 8 3/4 by 73/4 inches. Rago was
particularly pleased with this piece that was obtained from a
small estate in St Louis. "This is an important ceramist and the
piece should 'smoke,"' he said. His expectations were realized
when the item brought $19,200 against a high estimate of $7,500.
A Lucie Rie porcelain vase with a flaring rim under a bronze
glaze with a blue and incised pinstripe rim and shoulder was
marked with the artist's LR cipher. This appealing 7 1/2-by-4
1/2-inch piece brought a surprising $16,800.
If there was a disappointment in the sale it was in a group of
mirrored furniture by Serge Roche that was believed to be
commissioned by French actress Martine Carol. Active presale
interest in a set of dining room pieces indicated a good sale for
the collection. In fact most pieces passed, probably due to the
fact that they were too small for grand sized houses and too
large for conservative sized homes or apartments, according to
Rago. "The problem with furniture is that it has to fit."
All prices reported include a 20 percent buyer's premium. For
information, 609-397-9374 or www.ragoarts.com.
