November 2013 | Rebecca Rego Barry

Vermillion Editions At Auction

Many collectors of books and prints are focused on the upcoming weekend's Boston book fairs, obliging me to point out that an incredible collection will come to auction in New Jersey on Saturday, the 16th. Rago Arts in Lambertville, NJ, is selling 152 lots of original art and limited editions from the Vermillion Limited Editions Collection.

Master printer Steven M. Andersen studied in New York City before founding Vermillion Editions Limited in Minneapolis, MN, in 1977. Over the next fifteen years, the studio allowed contemporary artists to experiment with print, particularly in the form of multiples. Says Meredith Hilferty, director of fine art at Rago, "Artists from Arakawa to Warhol were eager for Andersen's expertise and his willingness to translate unconventional ideas into print. The work he retained from his years in New York and Minneapolis, originals and editions, is much of the best of his years of extraordinary collaborations." The Vermillion Limited Editions Collection also includes works by Red Grooms, Sam Gilliam, T.L. Solien, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Willem de Kooning, William Wegman, Nicolas Africano, Larry Rivers, Herb Ritts, Ed Moses, Dan Flavin, and many others. Here are some of my favorites:

Vermillion-892.jpgLot 892: Red Grooms' Katherine, Marcel & the Bride. Mixed media. Signed, edition 45/48. The estimate is $7,000-9,000.

Vermillion-785.jpgLot 785: Robert Rauschenberg's Signs (1970). Screenprint in colors. Signed, dated, and numbered 7/10. The estimate is $5,000-7,000.

Vermillion-862.jpgLot 862: Wayne Thiebaud's Neighborhood Ridge (1984). Etching. Signed, dated, and numbered 1/50. The estimate is $4,000-6,000. 

If you happen to be in New Jersey on Wednesday of this week, Andersen will speak at the auction house's open house. His topic: "Why Can't We Do This? Renegade Artists and Contemporary Art." Reception at 5 p.m., lecture at 6 p.m.