Year in Review 2023 | Wright: Auctions of Art and Design

2023
Year in Review

Thank you for making 2023 a record year!

Our network of independent auction houses offered over 26,000 lots in 120 auctions for a sales total of $104 million. With the addition of private sales we exceeded $107 million in sales — $107,474,196 to be exact!

Auction Records

Andy Warhol

John Wayne (from the Cowboys and Indians series)

estimate: $120,000–150,000

result: $201,600

Leona Nicholson for Newcomb College Pottery

Early and Large vase with magnolias

estimate: $35,000–45,000

result: $100,800

Miyoko Ito

Sundown

estimate: $80,000–120,000

result: $277,200

John Mason

Untitled (Vertical Sculpture)

estimate: $70,000–95,000

result: $258,300

Mazie Teresa Ryan for Newcomb College Pottery

Rare and Early vase with alligators

estimate: $30,000–40,000

result: $151,200

Celeste Dupuy-Spencer

Closing Party (Hit the North)

estimate: $30,000–50,000

result: $50,400

Joël Urruty

Swan Lady

estimate: $2,000–3,000

result: $16,380

Karl Müller for Union Porcelain Works

Rare Century vase

estimate: $20,000–30,000

result: $60,480

Rochelle Feinstein

Makeover #48

estimate: $2,000–3,000

result: $35,280

Mary Chase Perry for Pewabic Pottery

Early and Large vase with cyclamen leaves

estimate: $10,000–15,000

result: $88,200

Michael Loew

Counterpoint in Reds and Blues

estimate: $8,000–12,000

result: $75,600

Babs Haenen

Ebb-tide

estimate: $2,000–3,000

result: $15,120

George E. Ohr

Exceptional and Tall pitcher

estimate: $20,000–30,000

result: $107,100

Alfred-Louis-Achille Daguet

Large Art Nouveau lidded box with underwater scene

estimate: $6,000–8,000

result: $37,800

Albert R. Valentien for Valentien Pottery

Rare, Exceptional and Large vase with California poppies

estimate: $40,000–50,000

result: $75,600

Doyle Lane

Weed pot

estimate: $4,000–6,000

result: $37,800

Evelyn Ackerman Mermaid panel $27,720

We celebrated the visions of collectors and artists, presenting 2,860 lots across 22 dedicated auctions for a sales total of $10,764,525, as well as featuring several special collections within our curated sales.

•

Jayme Odgers, Over and Out.
24 January 2023

We built new markets and debuted several new auction categories...

Contemporary Glass
A celebration of an innovative, exciting, and growing field of collecting, Contemporary Glass builds on our historic success with works by trailblazers of the discipline, including Dale Chihuly, Harvey Littleton, Lino Tagliapietra, Toots Zynsky, and many more. Our first-ever auction exclusively dedicated to this category achieved a new world record for glass pioneer Richard Marquis, with American Acid Capsule realizing $63,000.

1 auction, 165 lots
135% sold by value
$1,179,484

Crafted in Wood
Recognizing the popularity of collecting wood art, in 2023 we offered the first-ever auctions exclusively dedicated to the art and craft of woodworking. Beginning with the Stephen Weinroth Collection and followed swiftly by a second auction in this category, we have established new world auctions records for wood artists including Miriam Carpenter, Liam Flynn, William Hunter, Bud Latven, Ron Layport, Bob Stocksdale, Joël Urruty, and Hans Weissflog.

2 auctions, 213 lots
158% sold by value
$722,394

Taking Shape: The Akari Light Sculptures of Isamu Noguchi
The first dedicated auction of its kind, this presentation of more than 50 early and rare Akari models was shown in a highly attended New York exhibition and included new scholarship from Glenn Adamson as well as a limited-edition catalog.

1 auction, 54 lots
177% sold by value
$646,721

A Quiet Revolution: The Ceramics of Toshiko Takaezu
Paying tribute to the singular vision of Japanese-American artist Toshiko Takaezu and her influence on the discipline of ceramics, this auction achieved astounding results and established the new world record for the artist when Moon sold for $541,800.

1 auction, 62 lots
404% sold by value
$1,706,843

...as well as:

Post War & Contemporary Ceramics

2 auctions | 275 lots
145% sold by value
$1,695,156

Art Nouveau | Art Deco Glass & Lighting

1 auction | 296 lots
107% sold by value
$1,322,578

Editions & Works on Paper

2 auctions | 717 lots
82% sold by value
$1,462,422

20|21 Art: The LA Edition

2 auctions | 579 lots
83% sold by value
$1,101,150

Photographs

2 auctions | 413 lots
86% sold by value
$853,946

Great Estates

1 auction | 373 lots
112% sold by value
$550,906

We collaborated with Herman Miller to launch Herman Miller Vintage.

An online store featuring rare and iconic works.

...and proved that amazing works can still be found bargain prices.

We extend our congratulations to our sellers and buyers. We are proud to have helped these exceptional pieces on their journeys.

Chandler West of North Carolina found a Cartier purse for $1 and her TikTok video of watching the lot on the auction block went viral as the price soared to nearly $10,000.

Then, just this December, Wright presented a rare Pennellate vase by Carlo Scarpa at auction. Jessica Vincent acquired this exceptional piece from a Virginia Goodwill store for a humble $3.99, and it achieved a stunning $107,100 at auction.

Sell with us.

To learn more about a work in your collection, contact our specialists today.

We shared a wealth of compelling stories:

A Gift From Helen Gurley Brown

Secret Spaces: On the Forms of Toshiko Takaezu

Jeeter, Cheeter, Deeter: Wharton Esherick at Hedgerow Theatre

Harvey Ellis and Gustav Stickley: A Celebrated Arts & Crafts Partnership

Time Keeper: Esther Montagner, Collecto-mania & The Cult of Swatch

Edward Penfield: An American Original

Mark McDonald: The Miami Years

Roycroft: Life in Abundance, The Collection of Richard Blacher

We kept you engaged online...

@toomeyandco @wrightauction @ragoauctions @lamodernauctions

...and were socially engaged, IRL.

In 2023, we worked with many organizations dedicated to the arts, culture and humanity. In addition to sold lots, we also provided sponsorship and donated our space, and our talented auctioneers offered their time and skill for important causes and valued organizations across the globe.

Founded by Nick Cave, Facility provides scholarships and opportunities for young and emerging artists through collaborations with established artists and partnerships with like-minded organizations and institutions.

Be Original Americas is a non-profit creative advocacy committed to informing, educating, and influencing manufacturers, artisans, design professionals, and consumers about the economic, ethical, and environmental value of authentic design.

Established by the artist before her death in 2021, the Louise Fishman Foundation provides support for artists, educational programming, and community opportunities through the protection and stewardship of Fishman's artistic legacy.

Organizations we partnered with include:

Animal Care League's 2nd Chance Shop
Armory Center for the Arts
Cancer Research Institute, New York
Glass Museum in Lviv, Ukraine / Lviv National Academy of Arts
Hudson River Sloop Clearwater
Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art in Chicago
Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc.
Otis College of Art and Design
Outright International
Scottish Arts Council 103
Sweet Charity / Women of Wisdom
The Boys & Girls Club of Chicago
The Carolyn Glasoe Bailey Foundation
The Chicago Lighthouse
The Sam Francis Foundation
Woodmere Art Museum

We hosted discussions with impassioned makers, experts, and collectors.

An Intro to Contemporary Wood Art

In conjunction with our November Crafted in Wood auction, Kevin Wallace joined Rago live online to discuss the technical and aesthetic approaches that were born of the work of Post-WWII woodturners—Bob Stocksdale and Ed Moulthrop—and how these works inspired Back-to-the-Land artists such as David Ellsworth and Mark Lindquist in the 1970s and the wide-ranging works that resulted from utilitarian wood bowls being reinvented as objects of contemplation and contemporary art.

The Chieftain and the Chair

On November 20th at Wright, we hosted a discussion of The Chieftain and the Chair: The Rise of Danish Design in Postwar America with art historian Maggie Taft. With moderator Christine Mehring, Taft discussed how Danish design rose to prominence in the postwar United States, becoming shorthand for stylish modern comfort, as explored in her book out now from University of Chicago Press.

Mark Sfirri on Woodturning Then & Now

Rago hosted furniture maker, sculptor, and researcher Mark Sfirri on July 6th, in conjunction with Crafted In Wood: The Stephen Weinroth Collection to discuss "Woodturning: Then & Now." In his lecture, Sfirri provided an overview of 20th century American studio makers working in wood looking at the Stephen Weinroth collection, which is the largest and most important collection of woodturning to ever come to auction.

Modern Craft Furniture Symposium

On May 6th, Rago welcomed Mira Nakashima, Miriam Carpenter, and Robert Aibel to our gallery for a symposium with lectures on Nakashima Studios and the modern craft furniture movement. Miriam Carpenter discussed her experience working at George Nakashima Woodworkers and how her craft has evolved; Robert Abel discussed craft furniture; and Mira Nakashima discussed the history of Nakashima Studios.