Lot 9,
"Number 17, 1949," by Jackson Pollock, enamel and aluminum paint on
paper mounted on fiberboard, 22 1/4 by 28 3/8 inches
Lot
9 is an enamel and aluminum paint on paper mounted on fiberboard of
Jackson Pollock (1912-1956). Entitled "Number 17, 1949," it
measures 22 1/4 by 28 3/8 inches. It was exhibited at The
Cleveland Museum of Art in 1972 and the Museum of Modern Art in New
York in 1979-80 and 1998-9.
The lot is the cover
illustration of the Spring 2003 Contemporary Art auction at Sotheby's
in New York, and that auction's catalogue provided the following
commentary:
"Beginning in 1946-47, Pollock's technique of placing the
painting on the floor in his Long Island barn, and working from
all four sides to drip, puddle, and fling pigment from sticks
and brushes, inaugurated a new era in abstract art. From 1947
to 1951, Pollock's brush seldom touched his paintings, but physicality
abounds in his work through the dexterity of movement from wrist
to arm to body, and Pollock painted with a sure confidence in
the fluidity of the paint orchestrating its quantity, density,
speed and rhythm into a completely cohesive unity of composition
and expression. Number 17, 1949 is an exquisite example
of Pollock's scintillating color, rhythmic energy and painterly
improvisation during this vital period of invention."
At that auction, the lot had an estimate of $5,000,000 to $7,000,000
and it sold
to Larry Gagosian, the dealer, for $5,272,000. It has been
consigned by the AG Foundation established by Agnes Gund,
a trustee of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
At this auction, the lot has an estimate of $20,000,000 to
$30,000,000. It sold for
$22,930,000.
Lot 18,
"Untitled (New York City)," by Cy Twombly, oil based house paint and
wax crayon on canvas, 68 by 90 incjhes. 1969
Lot
18 is a large "blackboard" painting by Cy Twombly (1928-2011) of
oil-based house paint and wax crayon entitled "Untitled (New York
City)." It measures 68 by 90 inches and was painted in
1969. It was once part of the Saatchi Collection in London.
It has an estimate of request.
It sold for $70,530,000, eliciting considerable applause.
Lot 21,
"Vicki ! I...I Thought I Heard Your Voice," by Roy Lichtenstein,
porcelain enamel on steel, 42 inches square, 1964, number 4/8
Lot
21, "Vicki! I..I Thought I Heard Your Voice," is an porcelain
enamel on steel by Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997). It is numbered
4/8 and is 42 inches square. It was created in 1964. It
once belonged to Gunter Sachs and has been widely published and
exhibited. The catalogue entry describes it as an "irresistible
master-class in the art of allure." It has an estimate of
$6,000,000 to $9,000,000. It
sold for $7,194,000.
Lot 15,
"Promenade du Sceptique," by Frank Stella, acrylic on canvas, 135
inches square, 1974
Lot
15 is a very bright acrylic on canvas by Frank Stella (b. 1936) that is
135 inches square and was painted in 1974.
The catalogue provides the following commentary:
"Marking the culmination of the Concentric Square paintings initiated
in 1962, the present work counts among the largest and most
ambitious from this iconic series that was identified as an aesthetic
touchstone for Stella by famed curator William Rubin in his catalogue
essay for the Museum of Modern Art's 1987 exhibition of the artist's
work from 1970 to 1984."
The lot has an estimate of $2,000,000 to $3,000,000. It sold, with applause, for $5,402,000.
Lot 20,
"Portrait," by Francis Bacon, oil on canvas, 78 by 55 3/4 inches, 1962
Lot
20 is a "Portrait" oil on canvas by Francis Bacon (1909-1992). It
measures 78 by 55 3/4 inches and was painted in 1962. It once
belonged to Michelangelo Antonioni. The catalogue entry says that
the sitter was "undoubtedly a portrait of Bacon's first great love,
Peter Lacy." It has an estimate of $12,000,000 to $18,000,000. It sold for $15,600,000.
Lot 8,
"Concetti Spaziale, Attese," by Lucio Fontana, waterpaint on canvas, 25
3/4 by 78 3/4 inches, 1965
Lot
8 is a red waterpaint on canvas by Lucio Fontana (1899-1968) entitled
"Concetti Spaziale, Attese." It measures 25 3/4 by 78 3/4 inches
and was painted in 1965. It has been widely published and
was exhibited in 1988 at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice and
at the Gagosian Gallery in New York in 2012.
The catalogue provides the following commentary:
"One year before winning the grand prize at the Venice Biennale,
Fontana took his knife to the surface of the present work at the very
crest of his creative powers. Slicing the painted canvas with
twenty-four individual tears across its panoramic width, Fontana
embarked on what would become the most dramatic and climactic painting
of his career - the single canvas that bears the greatest number of
slashes of any of the artist's deeply venerated series of Tagli.
After inflicting his archetypal violence on the painting's expanse,
Fontnge inscrribed on the reverse (in Italian): 'I returned yesterday
from Venice. I saw the film of [Michelangelo] Antoninoni!!!'
Seeing Antonioni's landmark film Red Desert left Fontana in a state of
utter revelation, motivating him to create the most electrifying
theatrical painting of his entire body of work...."
It has an estimate of $15,000,000 to
$20,000,000. It sold for
$16,154,000.
Lot 14,
"Concetto Spaziale," by Lucio Fontana, oil on canvas, 59 by 78 3/4
inches, 1961
Lot
14, "Concetto Spaziale," is another work by Fontana. It measures
59 by 78 3/4 inches and was created in 1961. The "lunar" nature
of this work represents the race to the moon. It has an estimate
of $8,000,000 to $12,000,000. It
sold for $8,986,000.
Lot 30,
"Untitled," by Jean-Michel Basquiat, acrylic, oilstick and pencil on
canvas, 95 1/4 by 117 1/2 inches, 1987
Lot
30 is a large untitled acrylic, oilstick and pencil on canvas by
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988). It measures 95 1/4 by 117 1/2
inches and was painted in 1987. It has an estimate of $1,800,000
to $2.,500,000. It sold for
$8,314,000.
Lot 22,
"Hannibal," by Jean-Michel Basquiat, acryllic, oilstick and paper
collage on canvas mounted on tied wooden supports, 60 inches square,
1982
Lot
22 is a strong work entitled "Hannibal" by Basquiat that is acrylic,
oilstick, and paper college on canvas mounted on tied wooden
supports. It is 60 inches square and was created in 1982.
It has an estimate of $8,000,000 to $12,000,000. It was passed at $6,800,000.
Lot 26,
"Bait," by Robert Rauschenberg, oil and silkscreen ink on canvas, 60
inches square, 1963
Lot
26 is an oil and silkscreen ink on canvas by Robert Rauschenberg
(1925-2008) that is entitled "Bait." It is 60 inches square and
was created in 1963. It was shown at the Whitney Museum of
American Art in 1991. It has an estimate of $6,000,000 to
$8,000,000. It sold for
$6,746,000.
Lot 28, "Le
Tissu Social," by Jean Dubuffet, acrylic and paper collage mounted on
canvas in two parts, 59 by 205 inches, 1977
Lot
28 is a large and impressive diptych by Jean Dubuffet (1902-1985)
entitled "Le Tissu Social." An acrylic and paper collage mounted
on canvas in two parts, it is 205 inches long and was created in
1977.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"Executed in a vast chaotic slew of color, line and form, Le Tissu
Social is mesmerizing in its frenetic intensity and captivating in its
layered complexity. This work hovers between abstraction and
figuration in a manner idiosyncratic of the best of Jean Dubuffet's
praxis - delineating figures and heads with clarity and purpose in some
areas, and yet descending into the untrammeled frenzy of linear Art
Brut forms elsewhere."
At Sotheby's in New York it was auctioned May 20, 2006 with a modest
estimate of $1,200,000 to $1,800,000 and sold
for $2,480,000. At this auction, it had an
estimate of $4,000,000 to $6,000,000. It sold for $7,194,000.
Lot 39,
"Shades," by Mark Tansey, oil on canvas, 84 by 108 inches, 2001
Lot
39, "Shades," is a large oil on canvas by Mark Tansey (b. 1949) that
was painted in 2001. It measures 84 by 108 inches. It has
an estimate of $2,000,000 to $3,000,000. It sold for $5,626,000.
Lot 37,
"Zodiac Head - Dragon," by Ai Weiwei, gilded bronze, 36 inches high,
edition of 8 plus 4 artist's proofs, 2010
Lot
37 is a gilded bronze "Zodiac Head - Dragon" by Ai Weiwei. It is
36 inches high and is from an edition of 8 plus 4 artist's
proofs. It was created in 2010. According to the catalogue
entry, the series recreates the 12 traditional Chinese zodiac
sculptures that adorned the Yuanming Yuan Imperial Fountain-clock in
Beijing and were subsequently looted during the Opium Wars. It
has an estimate of $250,000 to $350,000. It sold for $490,000.
Lot 46,
"Untitled (Suspended Chair)," by Bruce Nauman, welded steel and steel
cables, 1987
Lot
46 is an untitled work by Bruce Nauman (b. 1941) of a upside-down chair
suspended by steel cables. It was created in 1987. It has
been widely published and exhibited. It has an estimate of
$600,000 to $800,000. It sold
for $1,390,000.
Lot 2,
"Memory Ware Flat #29," by Mike Kelley, mixed media on board, 70 1/4 by
46 1/2, 2001
Lot
2 is a large mixed media on board by Mike Kelley (1954-2012) entited
"Memory Ware Flat #29." It measures 70 1/4 by 46 1/2 inches and
was created in 2001.
The catalogue entry provides the
following commentary:
"Intiated in 2000, Kelley's series
of Memory Ware Flats
reference the genre of Canadian folk art technique of the same name,
where decorative items such as beads, buttons, shells, and pieces of
costume jewelry are embedded within common household objects coated
with claylike plaster. Seeking to revitalize and personalize
cast-off objects and discarded materials by assembling sentimental
keepsakes, the tradition of memory ware invokes a dstinctly kitsch
nostalgia....Memory Ware Flats #29
produces an intensely psychedelic, swirling effect in the exhilarating
topography of its dense relief. The present work's notable
concentrations of antique political campaign buttons and wristwatches
emphasizes the work's preoccupation with time - histories past and
lives lived."
The lot has an estimate of
$1,500,000 to $2,000,000. It sold for $3,070,000.
Lot 23,
"Sacrifice," by David Smith, painted steel, 31 1/2 inches high, 1950
Lot
23 is a painted steel sculpture by David Smith (1906-1965) that is
entitled "Sacrifice." It is 31 1/2 inches high and was created in
1950. It has an estimate of $1,500,000 to $2,000,000. It
has been widely exhibited and published. It sold for $2,170,000.
