Featuring the Reingold Collection of Sculpture and Reliefs, as well as the work of Richard Anuszkiewicz, Julian Stanczak, Roy Lichtenstein, Jules de Balincourt, Raymond Pettibon, Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol, Frederick Judd Waugh, William Trost Richards, George Sotter, Fern Isabel Coppedge and Arthur Meltzer.

Lambertville, NJ:   On Saturday, May 12, 2012 at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., the Rago Arts and Auction Center will hold three auctions of fine art: 19th/20th C. American and European Art, The Reingold Collection of Sculpture and Reliefs, and Post-War and Contemporary Art.

This sale features works from prestigious collections that have been tucked away for decades," said Meredith Hilferty, Director of Fine Art at Rago's.  "We have everything from 19th Century American bronzes to an incredible collection of Op Art from the 1960s."

Auction Exhibition/Preview/Bidding

·          Saturday, May 5, 2012 through Thursday, May 10, 12–5 p.m. and by appointment. Open 12-7 p.m. on Friday, May 11. Doors open at 9 a.m. the day of the sale.

·          Rago’s is located midway between New York City and Philadelphia. Directions online at ragoarts.com. 

·          Telephone, absentee, online bidding available for those unable to attend.

Catalogues

·          Printed catalogues: Post-War/Contemporary Art: $20; 19th/20th C. American and European Art / The Reingold Collection: $20 (or both for $30). Available by calling 609.397.9374 or e-mailing a request to info@ragoarts.com.

·          View a complete online catalogue with color images at ragoarts.com.

19th/20th C. American and European Art: Saturday, May 12 at 10 a.m.

Paintings, works on paper, sculpture and prints in 128 lots:

The sale has paintings by Birge Lovell Harrison, Bryson Burroughs, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Dean Cornwell, Frederick Judd Waugh, Humbert L. Howard, John R. Grabach, Theo Tobiasse and William Trost Richards. Featured paintings include: lot 12, an oil on canvas by Frederick Judd Waugh  (American, 1861 - 1940), “Seascape”, c. 1900, estimated at $35,000-45,000; lot 15, a William Trost Richards  (American, 1833 - 1905) oil on canvas, “Breakers at Atlantic City”, estimated at $15,000-25,000; lot 98, an acrylic on masonite by David Alfaro Siqueiros (Mexican, 1896-1974), “Dos Cabas”, estimated at $25,000-35,000; lot 109, an oil on canvas by Theo Tobiasse  (French/American, b. 1927), “La dome au Samavour”, 1966, estimated at $8,000-12,000.

There are Pennsylvania Impressionists such as: Alexander Farnham, Anthony Michael Autorino, Antonio Pietro Martino, Arthur Meltzer, Bernard Badura, Daniel Garber, Edward Willis Redfield, Fern Isabel Coppedge, Frederick R. Wagner, George William Sotter, Giovanni Martino, Harry Leith-Ross, Henry Bayley Snell, Joseph Barrett, Lee Gatch, Lloyd Raymond Ney, Louis Bosa, Maximilian (Maxo) Vanka, Melville F. Stark, Morgan Colt, Nancy Maybin Ferguson, Ramstonev Cooperative, Raymond Barger, Richard Harrison Crist, Susan Catherine Moore Waters and Thomas Rathbone Manley. Featured works by Pennsylvania artists, all from private collections, include: lot 23, an untitled oil on panel by Edward Willis Redfield  (American, 1869 - 1965), which is accompanied by letter of authenticity from Dr. Tom Folk, estimated at $8,000-10,000; lot 26, an oil on canvas by Antonio Pietro Martino (American, 1902 - 1988), “Oakview Waterfalls”, 1927, estimated at $8,000-12,000; lot 33, an oil on canvas by Arthur Meltzer (American, 1893-1989), “Byways of Yesterday”, 1929, estimated at $30,000-40,000; lot 36, an oil on board by George William Sotter (American, 1879-1953), “A Little House, Winter”, $20,000-30,000; lot 39, an untitled landscape by Fern Isabel Coppedge  (American, 1883 - 1951), estimated at $15,000-20,000; lot 42, a Fern Isabel Coppedge  (American, 1883 - 1951) untitled oil on canvas, estimated at $30,000-40,000.

There are prints by George Braque, Jacob Lawrence, Jean Dubuffet, Joan Miro, Marcel Duchamp and Rufino Tamayo. Featured is lot 121, a Marcel Duchamp (French, 1887-1968) lithograph, “Pharmacy”, 1945, signed, dated and numbered 6/100, estimated at $10,000-15,000. The print is mounted in View Magazine, Special Issue, 1945, vol 5, no. 1.

There is Sculpture by Carl Emil (Vilhelm) Milles, Grace Helen Talbot, Hugo Robus, Jacob (Sir) Epstein, Maude Sherwood Jewett, Miklos L. Sebek, Robert Tait McKenzie and Wheeler Williams. Featured sculpture in the sale includes: lot 8, a bronze relief by Robert Tait McKenzie (American, 1867-1938), “Brothers of the Wind”, 1925, estimated at $6,000-9,000; and lot 91, a signed bronze by Jacob (Sir) Epstein (British, 1880-1959), “Nude”, estimated at $12,000-18,000.

There are works on paper by Chen Chi, David Bierk, Leonard Baskin, Marsden Hartley, Reginald Marsh and Romare Howard Bearden. Featured works on paper includes: lot 106, a watercolor by Leonard Baskin (American, 1922-2000), “Second Post-Stroke, Self-portrait”, 1991, estimated at $4,000-6,000; lot 112, an ink and watercolor by Romare Howard Bearden (American, 1911-1988), “Harlem Night Club”, estimated at $5,000-7,000; lot 119, a watercolor by Chen Chi  (Chinese/American, 1912 - 2005), “Fireworks 4th of July”, 1982, estimated at $8,000-10,000.

The Reingold Collection: Saturday, May 12, (immediately following 19th/20th C. Art)

Sculpture, plaques and medallions in 239 lots:

The Reingold collection includes a wide range of American and European sculpture meticulously assembled by Marvin and Eileen Reingold over many decades. It covers everything from three dimensional sculpture to plaques and medallions of historical importance.  The collection includes a group of plaques depicting the Revolutionary War, Civil War, WWI, Literary Figures, Poets, Performers, Explorers, Animals, Children’s portraits, athletes, exonumia and numismatic lots by artists such as Malvina Cornell Hoffman, Leonard Baskin, Arthur Lee and Robert Ingersoll Aitken. Featured plaques include: lot 273, three bronze medallions by Robert Ingersoll Aitken (American, 1878 – 1949), “See No Evil, Speak No Evil, Hear No Evil”, estimated at $800-1,200; lot 274, two bronze medallions by Arthur Lee  (American, 1881 - 1961), “Mercury with Caduceus”, estimated at $1,200-1,800; lot 324, two plaques by Malvina Cornell Hoffman  (American, 1885 - 1966), “Bacchanale Russe”, estimated at $1,200-1,800;  and lot 354, a bronze plaque by Leonard Baskin (American, 1922-2000), titled "Lisa Baskin/1970/LB", estimated at $800-1,000.

A collection of Presidential Plaques/Political figures, Medallions and Busts of presidents, such as Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Rutherford Hayes, Herbert Hoover, Woodrow Wilson, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Garfield, by artists such as: Daniel Chester French, George Bissell, Jo Davidson, Ruth Yates, Charles Henry Niehaus, Erastus Dow Palmer, William O'Donovan, James Earle Fraser, Allen George Newman, Gregory Allen, Henry Baerer, Godefroid De Vreese, Edward F. Widstrom, Oscar Gallo, Edward F. Widstrom, C. Ricelli, Charles Calverley, Victor D. Brenner, M. Peinlich, Julio Kilenyi, Jeno Juszko, Jo Davidson,  Lucien H. Gosselin, Leo Nuck, James Edward Kelly, Joseph Kratina, Charles Muller, Edward Kretschman, Louise Kidder Sparrow and George Edwin Bissell.  Featured presidential/political items include: lot 146, consisting of eight plaques, & medallions, estimated at $2,000-3,000; lot 168, bronze Lincoln bookends by Daniel Chester French (American, 1850-1931) (This is a smaller version of the sculpture at The Lincoln Memorial at The National Mall in Washington, D.C.), estimated at $2,000-3,000; lot 172, bronze Plaques & Medallions of Abraham Lincoln by C. Ricelli along with bronzes by Charles Calverley, Adrian Paul Broodeur, Victor D. Brenner, and M. Peinlich, estimated at $3,000-5,000; lot 176, Teddy Roosevelt items, including plaques and bookends, by William O'Donovan, James Earle Fraser, Allen George Newman,  Carmine Rouselli, Robert B. Rogers and Gregory Allen, estimated at $3,000-5,000.

Sculpture by Albin Polasek, Alexander Phemister Proctor, Anna Coleman Watts Ladd, Carol Brooks MacNeil, Chaim Gross, Clemente Spampinato, Cleo Hartwig, Daniel Chester French, Edmund Thomas Quinn, Eugene Gauss, Gleb W. Derujinsky, Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, Henri Crenier, Henry Schonbauer, Isidore Konti, Janet Scudder, Jonathan Kenworthy, Karl Heinrich Gruppe, Louise Allen, Mabel Conkling, Malvina Cornell Hoffman, Mario Joseph Korbel, Marshall Maynard Fredericks, Nat Smolin, Nathaniel Choate, Nathaniel Kaz, Oronzio Maldarelli, Peter Anthony Chinni, Petro Vande Velde, Raymond Turner, Robert Tait MacKenzie, Roland Hinton Perry, Sally Clark, Sally James Farnham, Thomas Crawford, Walter A. Sinz, Waylande Gregory and William Zorach.  Featured lots of sculpture include: lot 125, an untitled bronze (Girl with Shell) by Janet Scudder, estimated at $3,000-5,000; lot 133, a bronze entitled “Star” by Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, estimated at $10,000-15,000; lot 142, a plaster entitled “George Washington Greene” by Thomas Crawford, $3,000-5,000; lot 205, a bronze, “The Vine”, 1921, by Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, estimated at $10,000-15,000; lot 233A, a marble sculpture, “Bust of Child”, ca. 1925 by Mario Joseph Korbel, estimated at $2,000-3,000; lot 267, an untitled plaster sculpture of a young girl with cats by William Zorach estimated at, $3,000-5,000; lot 278A, is a grouping of bronze lamp bases by John Hovannes, Thomas LoMedico, Concetta Scaravaglione, Margaret Brassler Kane, and Hugo Robus, estimated at $8,000-10,000; lot 293A, an untitled marble child with bird by Petro Vande Velde, estimated at $6,000-8,000; lot 321, is an untitled bronze on marble sculpture of a lion by Jonathan Kenworthy, estimated at $3,000-5,000; lot 326, is a bronze “Un Puyazo” (The Picador), 1953 by Malvina Cornell Hoffman, $4,000-6,000; and lot 359, an untitled bronze sculpture by Peter Anthony Chinni, estimated at $3,000-5,000.  Lot 159 is a bronze, “Tamzin Goose Girl”, by Karl Heinrich Gruppe, estimated at $3,000-5,000.  The work was published in "149th Annual Exhibition National Academy of Design," National Sculpture Review, Vol 23, no. 3, Fall 1974 (page 24, another example) and the artist was awarded the Daniel Chester French Medal for the 22" version of this sculpture.

Post-War and Contemporary Fine Art: Saturday, May 12 at 2:30 p.m.

Paintings, works on paper, sculpture, prints and photographs in 271 lots:  

The sale contains a collection of prints that have been untouched since they left Castelli Gallery decades ago, including lithographs and screenprints by artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Ed Ruscha and Robert Rauschenberg.

Featured in this group: lot 506, an Andy Warhol, “Self-Portrait”, 1966, offset lithograph on silver coated paper, estimated at $8,000-12,000; lot 581, a Robert Rauschenberg screenprint, “Signs”, 1970, signed, dated and numbered 248/250, estimated at $5,000-7,000.  There are several featured Roy Lichtenstein prints, including: lot 509, a lithograph, “Pyramids”, 1969, signed, dated, and numbered 96/101, estimated at $5,000-7,000; lot 516, a screenprint, “Brushstroke”, 1965, signed and numbered 248/280, estimated at $8,000-12,000; lot 517, a lithograph “Crak!”, 1969, estimated at $8,000-12,000; and lot 589, a lithograph and screenprint “Modern Print”, 1971, signed, dated, and numbered 169/200, estimated at $4,000-6,000.

The sale also features a collection of Op Art, held privately for decades, by artists Bridget Riley, Richard Joseph Anuszkiewicz and Julian Stanczak. Other artists in the collection include Mary Bauermeister and Hans Haacke. Featured lots in this grouping include: lot 500, an untitled screenprint on plexiglass by Bridget Riley, edition 6 out of 75, estimated at $12,000-18,000; lot 598, is an untitled acrylic on board by Richard Joseph Anuszkiewicz, estimated at $10,000-15,000; lot 513, an acrylic polymer on canvas, “Fenced”, 1966 by Richard Joseph Anuszkiewicz, exhibited at Montclair Art Museum "Radius Five", 1967, estimated at $40,000-60,000; lot 520, an acrylic polymer on canvas, “Unrestful Space” by Julian Stanczak, estimated at $20,200-30,000. The piece was exhibited at Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York in "Plus X Minus: Today's 1/2 Century" in 1968, and at the New Jersey State Museum "N.J. Collects” in 1970.

A graffiti collection from the Estate of Martin Wong, with works by DAZE (Chris Ellis), Sharp (Aaron Sharp Goodstone), LA II (Angel Ortiz), Delta 2 and ERO (Ever Rocking On) Dominique Philbert, Featured graffiti pieces include: lot 634, an untitled acrylic and spray paint on canvas in two parts by Sharp (Aaron Sharp Goodstone), estimated at $1,500-2,000; and lot 635, an untitled marker on canvas by LA II (Angel Ortiz), estimated at $1,000-1,500. A featured work by artist DAZE (Chris Ellis) is lot 631, two works of art hinged together, including an untitled 1984 acrylic on canvas and "Forty Deuce" 1987, acrylic and spray paint on canvas, estimated at $3,000-5,000. Another featured piece by DAZE is lot 632, "The City", 1983 acrylic on canvas, estimated at $2,000-3,000. There are also works by street artists SEEN, REVOLT and COPE 2 (Fernando Carlo). Featured work by SEEN includes lot 742, an untitled, 2007, spray paint on canvas, estimated at $5,000-7,000; and lot 743, an untitled, 2007, spray paint on NY map (triptych), estimated at $6,000-8,000.

There are paintings by Leonard Nelson, Jerzy Kujawski, Nicholas Krushenick, Naoto Nakagawa, Sam Messer, Gregory Amenoff, Sam Reveles, David Deutsch, Sterling Ruby, Enoc Perez and Jules de Balincourt. Featured contemporary paintings include: lot 559, “Sterling Moss at the Esses” by Nicholas Krushenick, estimated at $10,000-15,000; lot 585, “Still Life in Black” by Naoto Nakagawa, estimated at $9,000-12,000; lot 664, a very early work by Sterling Ruby, untitled mixed media and collage on wood, estimated at $6,000-8,000. Featured paintings in the sale by Jules de Balincourt include: lot 707, an oil and spray paint on panel, “Value Right”, 2000, estimated at $35,000-50,000, exhibited at Johnson County Community College Gallery of Art, Overland Park, KS, 2004 "True Stories"; and Peres Projects, Los Angeles, 2003 "Summer Jam 2003"; lot 708, “Bush Sucks”, 2002, estimated at $15,000-25,000 exhibited at LFL Gallery, 2003, published in The Village Voice, “Burn, Baby, Burn” by Jerry Saltz, June 4, 2003, p.54 and Vanity fair “The New New York School by Ingrid Sischy, December 2006. Also featured by Jules de Balincourt is lot 709, a mixed media sculpture, “Fire and Man”, 2003, estimated at $8,000-10,000.

There are lithographs, screenprints and etchings by Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Donald Judd and Robert Rauschenberg.

Featured prints include several by Andy Warhol, including: lot 514, “Cow (Wallpaper)”, 1971, screenprint on wallpaper, estimated by $7,000-9,000; and lot 546, “Flowers”, 1964, an offset lithograph in colors, estimated at $6,000-8,000. There are several Roy Lichtenstein prints, including lot 551, “Shipboard Girl”, 1965, estimated at $10,000-15,000; and lot 650, “Red Lamp”, 1992, a screenprint, estimated at $6,000-8,000. Another featured print is lot 569, sixteen etchings by Donald Judd, each signed, dated and numbered 70/75, estimated at $12,000-18,000.

There is sculpture by David  Smith, Alexander Liberman, John Henry, Beverly Stoll Pepper, Wang Keping, Roy Lichtenstein, Lynda Benglis and Fabian Marcaccio. Featured sculpture pieces includes: lot 539, a painted ceramic jug, by David  Smith, “1708/Tick Ridge”, 1946, estimated at $10,000-15,000; lot 566, an untitled painted aluminum by John Henry, estimated at $8,000-12,000; lots 612 and 613, untitled carved wood sculptures by Wang Keping, each estimated at $4,000-6,000; lot 627, a Roy Lichtenstein twenty-one piece “Rosenthal Porcelain Tea Set”, 1984, estimated at $20,000-30,000.

The sale has several lots of Video Art by Laurel Nakadate. Featured is lot 731, “We Are All Made of Stars”, 2002, sixteen minutes of video (DVD) from an edition of three, estimated at $9,000-12,000. Another featured Video Art piece by Laurel Nakadate is lot 735, “I Want To Be Your Mid-Life Crisis”, 2001, a five minute DVD, from an edition of five, estimated at $5,000-7,000, published in The New York Times, “Art In Review: Laurel Nakadate” by Ken Johnson, May 6, 2005, and The Wall Street Journal “Does This Make You Uneasy?” by Richard B. Woodward, June 16, 2011. Also, lot 736, “Lessons One Through Ten”, 2002, a three minute DVD from an edition of three, estimated at $5,000-7,000. Publications include: The Village Voice, “Whatever Laurel Wants”, by Jerry Saltz, April 26, 2005, and The New York Times, Art & Design “A Burgeoning Film Career Built on Random Encounters” by Ken Johnson, February 25, 2011 and The Paris Review Daily, “Strangers” by Tallis Eng, December 30, 2011. All of the aforementioned videos were exhibited at the Daniel Silverstein Gallery in New York in 2002.

There is photography by Elliott Erwitt, Gabriel Orozco, Sandy Skoglund, Niki S. Lee, Izima Kaoru, Tauba Auerbach, Catherine Opie, Sally Mann and Bert Stern. Featured Photography in the sale includes: lot 728, a C-Print by Izima Kaoru, “Koike Eiko wears Gianni Versace #424”, 2004, $10,000-15,000; lot 739, an untitled Gelatin silver print by Sally Mann, signed, dated and numbered 2/5,$20,000-25,000; lot 523, a C-Print by Bert stein, “Monroe with Jackie O Wig, The Lost Sitting”, 1962, signed and numbered 22/50, estimated at $9,000-12,000.

The sale contains works on paper by Raymond Pettibon, Damien Hirst and Rodney Graham. There are several lots by Raymond Pettibon, including: lot 614, untitled (Let our hid flames break out, as fire, as lightning), 1987, estimated at $5,000-7,000; lot 615, untitled (They hesitate before they are plunged into the abyss.), 1987, $4,000-6,000; lot 616, untitled (What is signified is the conversion of his soul from her present grief and wretchedness to a state of grace.), 1987, estimated at $6,000-8,000; lot 617, untitled (VA-VOOM  you must be on the alert for shifts of tone, for suggestion and metaphor.), 1987, estimated at $6,000-8,000; lot 618, untitled (Nearer and nearer, as He felt, to where He should see ships burn/CROSS AND HAVE DONE WITH IT, YOU ARE SAFE-AND I AM DESOLATE.), 1987, estimated at $5,000-7,000; lot 619, untitled (It seems to come in a natural stream of association.....), 1987, estimated at $6,000-8,000; lot 620, untitled (A philosopher need not make idols of them.), 1987, estimated at $6,000-8,000; and lot 621, untitled (Let nothing mar the praises which rise to you from the lips of children.), 1987, estimated at $6,000-8,000.  There are several featured works on paper by Damien Hirst, which were created to celebrate the opening of "Requiem" at the Pinchuk Art Center in the Ukraine in 2009: lot 712, “Spin Painting” (Skull), estimated at $8,000-10,000; lot 713, “Spin Painting” (Butterfly), estimated at $7,000-9,000; lot 714, “Spin Painting” (Heart), estimated at $6,000-8,000; lot 715, “Spin Painting” (Star), estimated at $6,000-8,000; lot 716, “Spin Painting” (Shark), $10,000-12,000; lot 717, “Spin Painting” (Skull), estimated at $8,000-10,000; lot 718, “Spin Painting” (Heart), estimated at $6,000-8,000.

NOTES FOR THE EDITOR

·          High-resolution images available.

·          About Rago Arts and Auction Center: Since 1994, Rago's has served thousands of sellers and buyers with a singular blend of global reach and personal service. Originally specialists in 20th century design, today Rago's expertise covers centuries of fine art, decorative arts, furnishings, jewelry and ethnographic property.  It is a world-class venue through which to buy and sell. It is also a destination for those who seek to learn and share knowledge about art, antiques and collecting, offering free valuations for personal property (from a single piece to collections and estates), appraisals and auction exhibitions in house and online. Rago's, the largest and leading auction house in New Jersey, is located midway between Philadelphia and New York.

·          Next Fine Art Auctions: Saturday, November 17, 2012. 

END OF PRESS RELEASE