LOS ANGELES, CA.- Female artists dominated in the Los Angeles Modern Auctions Spring 2018 Auction held on Sunday, June 10, 2018.

The premier auction house on the West Coast for Modern and Contemporary Art & Design reports their top-selling lots were from female artists Mary Corse and Ruth Asawa, among others, indicating a trend toward rising prices of female artists’ work at a time when women’s empowerment is at the forefront of today’s issues.

The Spring auction represented a snapshot of the current collecting trends of Modern and Contemporary fine art and design. The auction company features a carefully curated selection of works by noted artists and designers from around the world. However, especially timely were several works by traditionally underrepresented female names like the aforementioned artists and others like Claire Falkenstein and Helen Pashgian, who have had a tremendous impact on the art world over the last 60 years.

Tying for the number one spot and shattering all previous auction records for a sale of her work at auction was Mary Corse’s Untitled (White Grid Light), 1988, which realized for $312,500 (Estimate $60,000-$90,000). The painting, comprised of glass microspheres and acrylic on canvas, was acquired directly from the artist by a private collector the year it was created. The previous world auction record was $137,500, which LAMA nearly tripled.

Ruth Asawa’s Untitled (S.809), c. 1965, also realized $312,500 (Estimate $100,000 - $150,000). The freestanding tied-wire sculpture was acquired directly from the artist in May 1965 by architect Edgardo Contini after it was shown in Asawa’s solo exhibition at the Pasadena Art Museum (now the Norton Simon Museum).

Rounding out the record breaking results was Helen Pashgian’s Untitled, 2006, which sold for $46,250, including buyer’s premium (Estimate $7,000 - $10,000). The last auction record for a Pashgian work was $27,500. The cast acrylic sculpture was acquired by a private Los Angeles collector directly from the artist.

“Despite women’s dominance within the art world workforce, artwork by women has long been undervalued on the secondary market. It is refreshing to have some indication that the tide is turning, with LAMA’s two top lots for this auction by female artists— Ruth Asawa and Mary Corse. LAMA has had a long tradition of featuring major works by female artists, including previous highlights from these two artists, as well as works by Alma Thomas, Helen Frankenthaler, and Agnes Martin,” said Clo Pazera, Fine Art Specialists of LAMA.