Rago/Wright is proud to present Post War & Contemporary Art on Tuesday, May 23rd, 2023. This tightly curated auction is a premier event of the spring season, featuring an exemplary selection of paintings, drawings, photography, and sculpture from some of the most sought-after artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Leading the sale is Joan Mitchell’s 1958 abstract Untitled canvas from the collection of Wolf Kahn and Emily Mason, estimated to value $600,000-800,000. Commonly grouped together as part of Abstract Expressionism’s “Second Generation, Mitchell and Kahn were both members of the New York School, and friends and admirers of each other’s work. Kahn acquired this work during a visit to Mitchell’s Paris studio, just before he returned to New York with his wife, painter Emily Mason. It remained in their private collection until his death in 2020, when it was passed to their daughter Cecily.
Additional painting highlights include Sol LeWitt’s 1985-1986 Asymmetrical Pyramids (six works) (est. $200,000-300,000), as well as works from Roy Lichtenstein, Fairfield Porter, Miyoko Ito, Ben Quilty, John Salt, and Walasse Ting.
120 LYNDA BENGLIS
Knot/Hat with Green
115 FAIRFIELD PORTER
Indoors
108 JOSEPH CORNELL
A Valentine Object for Grace Hartigan
118 OLGA DE AMARAL
Estela 56
Among the offerings of sculpture are Lynda Benglis’s earthenware ceramic Knot/Hat with Green (est. $25,000-25,000), Arman’s Broken Cello (est. $20,000-30,000), and Haim Steinbach’s together naturally v1 (est. $20,000-30,000) as well as selections from Olga de Amaral, the Haas brothers, Alex Israel, and Ai Weiwei. Of especial interest is a rare heart-shaped pendant made by Joseph Cornell, the Valentine Object for Grace Hartigan (est. $6,000-8,000).
The full selection of works featured in Post War & Contemporary Art will be on view at Rago in Lambertville, NJ, May 18th to 23rd from 11 am to 4 pm, Monday to Saturday, or by appointment. Post War & Contemporary Art will begin at 11 am Eastern on Tuesday, May 23rd, and the live auction accommodates advanced bids, telephone bidding, and live online bidding. For further information, please reach out to press@ragoarts.com
