Artwork is something a collector never completely owns. Instead, they are all temporary stewards, that is, until time or circumstance necessitate a changing of the guard, so to speak, and it gets passed on to a new owner. On Friday, May 16th, a number of important works will be moving from carefully assembled glass collections displayed for years in Utah, North Carolina, and Connecticut, to new homes, which will be determined in Lambertville, New Jersey. There, on Friday, May 16th, at the Main Street location of Rago Auctions, over 100 works will go up for auction, among them a number of rare examples from some of the most important artists working in glass from names like Morris, Tagliapietra, Vallien, Ohira, Zynsky,and Chihuly.
Suzanne Perrault, Rago Auctions partner and glass specialist, tells the Glass Quarterly Hot Sheet that the contemporary glass sale includes work from two major collections (one that had been split between Utah and North Carolina, the other in Connecticut), both of which she rates as "superlative."
One reason for this assessment is that several works are by one of the most in-demand artists on the secondary market—William Morris—and the upcoming sale includes a statuesque Canopic Jar, an Idolo, and Indus Bird Hunter. The auction itself is titled "Illuminated Forms" and also includes some very fine examples from other artists.
"There are several museum-quality works by Preston Singletary, headlined by the Oyster Catcher Rattle," Perrault says, also pointing to Toots Zynsky's Soppravvenienza, which she calls " a splendid vessel showing off brilliant colors in an unusual pattern" with a title that's a "tongue twister."
A show-stopping Masai by Lino Tagliapietra, as well as four elusive works by the Japanese artist Yoichi Ohira, whose sensitivity to the glass medium was well matched to his stints in Murano glasshouses to realize his singular vision.
The work can be previewed online, where advance bids can be placed even before tomorrow's big sale, which starts at 11:00 AM EST.
IF YOU GO:
Friday, May 16, 2025, 11 AM EST
"Illuminated Forms"
Rago Auctions
333 North Main Street
Lambertville, New Jersey
Tel: 609 397 9374
Email: info@ragoarts.com
Auction Website