On Saturday, May 18, 2013, Rago Arts and Auction Center will hold two fine art auctions. A sale of 19th/20th Century American and European Art opens the day at 10 a.m., followed by an auction of Post-War and Contemporary Art at Noon. The Post-War and Contemporary Art auction begins with a group of important works from the collection of Joshua Smith. Smith began collecting in the early 1980’s, building a body of works from forward thinking artists who challenged and changed what people would be willing to see as art.  This is the second time Rago’s has sold work from the collection; a dedicated sale took place in November 2007.   

19th/20th C. American and European Art, Saturday, May 18 at 10 a.m.

The 19th/20th Century American and European Art auction offers a collection of Emil Fuchs sculptures deaccessioned by the Brooklyn Museum, among them a bronze entitled “Reclining Nude (Woman with Mirror)”, estimated at $1,500-2,000. Other sculpture in the sale includes work by Edith B. Parsons, Malvina Cornell Hoffman, Frederick G.R. Roth, Robert Ingersoll Aitken, Thomas Eakins, Egon Schiele, Jakob Wilhelm Fehrle, Mario Joseph Korbel, J. Clinton Shepherd, Wheeler Williams, Nathaniel Choate, David Hostetler, Frederick Hart and José Luis Cuevas and Edgar Degas. Lot 16 is an important bronze by Robert Ingersoll Aitken (American, 1878-1949), “Xoros” (Dancing Bacchante), ca. 1910. Wildly published and exhibited, including at the Panama Pacific Exposition, it is estimated at $3,000-5,000. Other featured lots of sculpture include: lot 80, a signed bronze by Mario Joseph Korbel (Czech/American, 1882-1954), Untitled (Study for "Andante"), estimated at $6,000-8,000; lot 87, a bronze by Nathaniel Choate  (American, 1899 - 1965), “Mercury”, estimated at $35,000-45,000; lot 122, a bronze by Frederick Hart (American, 1943-1999), “Ex Nihilo: Figure #4”, from a limited edition, which will be sold without a reserve, estimated at $10,000-15,000.

Bucks County artists in the sale include John Fulton Folinsbee, Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt, Daniel Garber, Henry Ryan MacGinnis, Thomas Rathbone Manley, Henry Bayley Snell, Lloyd Raymond Ney, Melville F. Stark and Alfred Nunamaker. Featured pieces include: lot 49, “Tulips in Red Jar”, and oil on canvas by Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt, estimated at $15,000-25,000; and lot 60, an oil on canvasboard, “Lambertville, ca. 1930’s” by John Fulton Folinsbee, estimated at $6,000-8,000, which will be included in the forthcoming Folinsbee Catalogue Raisonné.

Among the paintings to be sold are works by artists George Loftus Noyes, Francis Stillwell Dixon, Karl J. Anderson, Harold Harvey, Cecilia Beaux, Victor Charreton, Theresa Bernstein, Leon Albert Marie Leyritz, Sergei Soudeikine, David Burliuk, Guy Carleton Wiggins, Gary Thomas Erbe and Loren MacIver.  Highlighted pieces include: lot 108, an oil on canvas by Guy Carleton Wiggins, “At the Plaza, Winter”, estimated at $25,000-35,000; and lot 129, an oil on canvas by Loren MacIver, “Winter/Spring”, 1981, estimated at $8,000-12,000.  Also noteworthy is a lovely collection, which comes to Rago’s from the family of Samuel Mutzner (Romanian, 1884-1959), a student of Monet’s, whose art is in important public and private collections in America and abroad. A noteworthy piece by Samuel Mutzner is lot 34, an oil on Masonite, “Kyoto”, 1914, estimated at $8,000-12,000.

Prints include the work of Leonard Tsugoharu Foujita, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Elizabeth Catlett, Romare Bearden and Robert Riggs (including a nice collection from his boxing series). There are several works by Edgar Degas in the sale, notably lot 19, an etching and drypoint printed from the canceled plate in 1959, “Au Louvre: la peinture” (Mary Cassatt), ca. 1879-1880, estimated at $1,500-2,000. Also featured is lot 120, a celebrated woodcut on paper by Elizabeth Catlett (American, 1915-2012), “Harriet,” 1975, estimated at $2,500-3,500.

There are works on paper to auction by artists William Trost Richards, Jane Petersen, Abraham Walkowitz, George Segal and Chen Chi.  Featured works include: lot 90, six watercolors by Abraham Walkowitz, “Isadora Duncan”, estimated at $4,000-6,000; and lot 135, a watercolor by Chen Chi, “Fireworks 4th of July”, 1982, estimated at $8,000-10,000.

The Collection of Joshua Smith: Post-War and Contemporary Art, Saturday, May 18 at Noon

The collection of Joshua Smith features artists William Klein , Dan Weiner, Lee Friedlander,  Helen Levitt, Leon Levinstein, Alice Neel, Jack Youngerman, Louis Faurer, Pierre Molinier, Joel Peter Witkin, Arnulf Rainer, Sam Gilliam, Joseph Marioni, Gene Davis, Richard Artschwager, Garry Winogrand, Martin Parr, Hannelore Baron, Fred Sandback, Lewis Baltz, Joel Sternfeld, Marlene Dumas, Salvo, James Nares, Sean Scully, Richard Hambleton, Albert Oehlen, David Shrigley, Kara Walker, Donald Baechler, Abelardo Morell, Maureen Gallace, Rosemarie Trockel, Luc Tuymans, Andy Goldsworthy, Nikki S. Lee, Marcel Dzama, Raymond Pettibon, Michael Joo, Jonathan Monk, Sandow Birk, Sigmar Polke, Carter (John Carter), Aida Ruilova, Steve DiBenedetto and Xylor Jane. Among the photography lots: lot 500, William Klein, “Smoke & Veil, Paris”, 1958, estimated at $3,000-5,000; lot 546, Lee Friedlander, “Philadelphia”, 1961, estimated at $4,000-6,000; lot 563, Lewis Baltz, “Mustang Bridge Exit, Interstate 80” from the Nevada series, 1977, estimated at $8,000-12,000; lot 632, Abelardo Morell, “Camera Obscura Image of a Manhattan View Looking South in Large Room”, 1996 estimated at $7,000-9,000; and Lot 668, Sigmar Polke, “S.H. oder die Liebe zum Stoff”, 2001, estimated at $6,000-8,000. Highlighted works of art in the collection: lot 640, an untitled oil on canvas by Maureen Gallace, 1993, estimated at $15,000-25,000; lot 647, a watercolor by Luc Tuymans, “Green”, 1999, $6,000-8,000;  lot 515, an ink on paper by Alice Neel, “Phil Bard”, 1957, estimated at $7,000-9,000; lot 587, Marlene Dumas, “Just as it Used to Be”, 1987, in pencil, watercolor, ink and wax crayon on paper, $8,000-12,000; lot 602, Sean Scully, Untitled, 1985, oil, pastel and charcoal on paper, $20,000-30,000; and lot 625, Kara Walker, “What I Want History to Do to Me”, 1995, ink on paper, $8,000-12,000.

Post-War and Contemporary Art (continued) Saturday, May 18 at Noon

The sale also includes paintings by Theodoros Stamos, Albert Kotin, Kenneth Noland, Richard Joseph Anuszkiewicz, Lowell Nesbitt, Thomas Nozkowski, Udomsak Krisanamis, Peter Tunney and Guillermo Muñoz Vera. Among the highlights: lot 764, an untitled work by Thomas Nozkowski, estimated at $8,000-12,000; lot 739, Kenneth Noland, “Flown”, 1978, estimated at $60,000-80,000; lot 792, Theodoros Stamos, “Infinity Field Torino, VI”, 1988, estimated at $15,000-25,000;  lot 695, Theodoros Stamos, “Beachscape,”1944, estimated at $15,000-20,000; lot 750, an untitled painting by Richard Joseph Anuszkiewicz, estimated at, $15,000-25,000 (listed in the artist's personal archives as #356).

Notable photographers in the sale include Irving Penn, Ormond Gigli, Lisette Model, Consuelo Kanaga, Diane Arbus, Bill Owens, Henry Wessel, Ralph Gibson, Jill Freedman, Susan Meiselas, Marilyn Minter, Guido Argentini, Kim Joon and Sebastião Salgado. Singled out for special attention: lot 710, Irving Penn, “Still Life with Watermelon, New York”, 1947, estimated at $25,000-35,000; lot 717, Diane Arbus, “Girl in Coat Lying on Her Bed, N.Y.C.”, 1968, estimated at $9,000-12,000 (Aperture Magazine in 1972, and Revelations, Random House, 2003); and lot 901, Marilyn Minter, “Runs”, 2006, $12,000-18,000.

Prints in the sale include work by Andy Warhol, Vija Celmins, James Rosenquist, Red Grooms, James Siena and Julian Opie. Featured are lot 707, Andy Warhol, “Wild Raspberries”, 1959, consisting of seventeen offset lithographs and fourteen hand-colored, estimated at $8,000-10,000; and lot 774, Andy Warhol, “Kiku”, 1983, estimated at $7,000-9,000. Also notable is lot 732, a lithograph by Vija Celmins, Untitled (Ocean), 1972, estimated at $10,000-15,000.

Sculptors Tony Rosenthal, Hannah Wilke, Lynn Chadwick, Robert Therrien, Roxy Paine and Jules de Balincourt are all represented in the auction. Highlights: lot 804, three bronzes “Elecktra”, 1987, by Lynn Chadwick, estimated at $30,000-50,000; lot 814, “Blue Cloud” by Robert Therrien, estimated at $8,000-12,000; lot 883, an untitled mixed media work by Jules de Balincourt, estimated at $6,000-8,000.

Prospective buyers will also find works on paper by Paul Feeley, Perle Fine, Sam Francis, Grace Hartigan, Paul Jenkins, Raymond Pettibon, Sol LeWitt, Robert Therrien, James Siena and Damien Hirst. Featured lots include: lot 771, a watercolor by Paul Jenkins, “Phenomena Topas (sic) Mountain Under”, 1982, estimated at $10,000-12,000; lot 811, an untitled gouache on paper by Sol LeWitt, estimated at $5,000-7,000; and lot 843, “17 Spirals in Blue and Yellow”, 1994, by James Siena, estimated at $10,000-15,000, which was a study for the painting "Battery" from 1997, exhibited at Pace Gallery in New York.

Auction Dates/Times

19th/20th C. American and European Art Auction: Saturday, May 18 at 10 a.m.Post-War and Contemporary Art Auction, Featuring the collection of Joshua Smith, Part Two: Saturday, May 18 at Noon

Auction Exhibition/Preview/Bidding

Saturday, May 11 through Wednesday, May 15, 12–5 p.m. and by appointment. Thursday, May 16, 12-6 p.m., Friday, May 17, 12-7 p.m. Doors open at 9 a.m. the day of the sale. 19th/20th C. American and European Art Auction begins at 10am; Post-War and Contemporary Art Auction (featuring the Joshua Smith Collection) begins at noon.Rago Open House: Thursday, May 16, 6 p.m., featuring a talk by Peter Paone, “The Rewards and Pitfalls of Collecting Prints”. Please RSVP to raac@ragoarts.com or 609-397-9374 ext. 119. All are welcome. 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: $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 as of April 26.

NOTES FOR THE EDITOR

High-resolution images available.

 -About Joshua Smith: Joshua Smith began collecting art in the early 1980’s in East Village galleries when buying was inexpensive and contemporary photography appreciated as art by only a handful of people like Lee Witkin and Howard Greenberg. Smith, an amateur collector, had been taking and developing his own photographs since high school. He knew materials and had a ready eye. He also had a knack for finding fresh good things in out-of-the-way places before others did, making the most of limited financial resources. He established relationships with top dealers who would contact him first when work became available. He traveled to meet artists in their studios in Europe, South America and Russia long before the phenomenon of the Art Fair. Smith was a champion of tough art that challenged and ultimately changed what people would be willing to look at. He bought from artists who were forward-thinking in their technical approach. He bought from artists who played with form and with meaning. Buying from artists in whom he believed, encouraging them in their work and seeing them acknowledged was his greatest satisfaction. Rago’s first sold property from the Collection of Joshua Smith in 2007 - a single owner auction of 350 lots. We’d like to thank his children David and Rebecca for again inviting us to represent their father and their family.

 -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 16, 2013. 

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