Sotheby's New York
7 PM, November 14, 2018
Sale 9932
Lot 21, "Untitled (Pollo Frito)," by Jean-Michel Basquiat, acrylic, oil and enamel on canvas in two parts, 60 by 120 1/2 inches, 1982
By
Carter B. Horsley
The Post-War and Contemporary Art Auction at Christie's New York November 15, 2018 is highlighted by five paintings by Basquiat, two Hockneys, two Johns, two Richters, and good works by Dubuffet, Rothko, and Bradford and some "strays" from the American Art department including two O'Keeffes and a Lawrence, apparently continuing a tradition begun a few nights before at Sotheby's of mixing up departments and confusing collectors (see The City Review article).
Lot 21 is a large and colorful painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) entitled "Untitled (Pollo Frito)." An acrylic, oil and enamel on canvas in two parts, it measures 60 by 120 1/2 inches and was painted in 1982.
The catalogue provides the following enthusiastic commentary:
"A searing conflagration of word, gesture, and form, Untitled (Pollo Frito) is the ultimate testament to the ferocious splendor and raw, uncensored authenticity which have come to define the radical painterly brilliance of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Roaring across the enormous dual panels of the painting, the explosive force of Basquiat's artistic mark devours the canvas with the insatiable ferocity of an untamed wildfire, vehemently testifying to the equally furious artistic drive which fueled the young artist as, simulaneous to the execution of the present work in 1982, he began his meteoric ascent to international acclaim."
It has an estimate on request. It sold for $25,701,500 including the buyer's premium as do all results mentioned in this article.
The auction total was $313,905,100.
Lot 20, "Taxi, 45th/Broadway," by Basquiat and Andy Warhol, acrylic, oilstick and silkscreen ink on canvas, 77 1/4 by 107 1/4 inches, 1985
Lot
20, "Taxi, 45th/Broadway," is by Basquiat and Andy Warhol. An
acrylic, oilstick and silkscreen ink on canvas, it measures 77 1/4 by
107 1/4 inches. It was painted in 1985.
The painting was once owned by Gianni Versace.
It has an estimate of $6,000,000 to $8,000,000. It sold for $9,443,900.
The painting was once owned by Gianni Versace.
It has an estimate of $6,000,000 to $8,000,000. It sold for $9,443,900.
Lot 7, "Untitled," by Jean-Michel Basquiat, oilstick on paper, 16 by 13 1/2 inches, 1982
Lot 7 is a small, untitled oilstick
on paper by Basquiat that was painted in 1982. It measures 16 by
13 1/2 inches.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"Rendered with ferocious intensity, the strident strokes of Basquiat's preferred oilstick resolve to reveal a figure that, in its sheer physical force, emphatically testifies to the gravity and intent with which the artist approached his works on paper."
It has an estimate of $1,500,000 to $2,000,000. It sold for $4,455,000.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"Rendered with ferocious intensity, the strident strokes of Basquiat's preferred oilstick resolve to reveal a figure that, in its sheer physical force, emphatically testifies to the gravity and intent with which the artist approached his works on paper."
It has an estimate of $1,500,000 to $2,000,000. It sold for $4,455,000.
Lot 6, "Disappear like a Dope Fiend," by Mark Bradford, mixed media collage on canvas, 47 3/4 by 61 1/4 inches, 2006
Reminiscent
of a faded and shredded American Flag, Lot 6 is a very fine mixed media
collage on canvas entitled "Disappear Like a Dope Fiend," by Mark
Bradford (b. 1961). It measures 47 3/4 by 61 1/4 inches and was
created in 2006.
Detail of Lot 6
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"Emerging from the scarlet striations running horizontally across Disappear like a Dope Fiend, dense clusters of turquoise and yellow squares jostle and vie with the darker, shadowy shapes and transparent veils of paper layered throughout; despite their loose adherence to the underlying grid, these vibrant forms frequently veer from their guiding axes to tumble down the surface in bright deluges of geometric form. An intimate reference to a youth spent working in his mother's hair salon in Los Angeles, Bradford's use of found and repurposed paper anchors these early collages,..."
The lot, which is the inside front cover of the catalogue, has an estimate of $1,800,000 to $2,500,000. It sold for $3,855,000.
Lot 17, "Montcalm interior with 2 dogs," by David Hockney, oil on canvas, 72 by 60 inches, 1988
Lot
17 is a large oil on canvas by David Hockney (b. 1937) entitled
"Montcalm interior with 2 dogs." It measures 72 by 60 inches and was
painted in 1960. It is from the Steven Bochco collection.
It has an estimate of $9,000,000 to $12,000,000. It sold for $12,718,000.
It has an estimate of $9,000,000 to $12,000,000. It sold for $12,718,000.
Lot 29, "Moving Wisp," by David Hockney, oil on canvas, 72 1/4 by 82 1/4 inches, 1995
Lot
29 is another Hockey oil on canvas. It is entitled "Moving Wisp"
and measures 72 1/4 by 82 1/4 and was painted in 1995. It has an
estimate of $5,000,000 to $7,000,000. It sold for $8,540,700.
Lot 34, "Flag," by Jasper Johns, acrylic and graphite on canvas, 12 3/4 by 19 1/4 inches, 1994
Lot
34 is a small, dark "Flag" acrylic and graphite on canvas by Jasper
Johns (b. 1930). It measures 12 3/4 by 19 1/4 inches and was
painted in 1994. It was shown at the Art Institute of Chicago and
the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2007-8. It is the
cover illustration of the catalogue. It has an estimate of
$12,000,000 to $18,000,000. It sold for $13,056,700.
Lot 10, "Flags," by Jasper Johns, watercolor and pencil on handmade paper, 30 1/8 by 22 1/8 inches, 1966
Lot
10, "Flags,' is a watercolor and pencil on handmade paper by Johns that
measures 30 1/8 by 22 1/8. It was drawn in 1966 and is being sold
to benefit the Michael Asher Foundation. It was exhibited in the New York Paintings amd Sculpture 1940-1970
by Henry Geldzahler
show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York 1n 1970 and at The
National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Kunstmuseum in Basel, the
Hayward Gallery in London and the Whitney Museum of American Art in the
1991 exhibition The Drawings of
Jasper Johns. It has an estimate of $4,500,000 to
$6,500,000. It sold for
$5,492,500.
Lot 8, "Abstraktes Bild," by Gerhard Richter, oil on canvas, two panels, 102 3/8 by 157 3/4 inches overall, 1987
Lot
8 is a large, abstract oil on canvas in two panels by Gerhard Richter
(b. 1932) (see The City Review article).
The catalogue entry provides the following rather ecstatic commentary:
"Stemming from the chronological apex of the period in
which Richter perfected and centralized his use of large-scale spatula
or squeegee. Abstractes Bild
ranks amongst the very finest achievements of the artist's abstract
output. This expansive diptych presents a spectacular maelstrom
of feverish color exploding across the canvas in a dense weave of
squeegeed paint....The spackled surface...presents a layered excavation
and accumulation of gossamer color in a kaleidoscopic palette....Crests
riptides crash together in a corrugated topography of ridges and shoals
in a phenomenally sublime landscape that demands an association with
the spontaneous naturalism of rain, water erosion, and weathering."
The catalogue notes that it is one of 18 pointings
Richter completed between 1986 and 1989 that measure more than 100
inches in both height and width and it reproduces all of them.
The
lot has an estimate of request. It
sold for $33,604,500.
Lot 37, 'Sulphur," by Richter, oil on canvas, 78 7/8 by 118 3/8 inches, 1985
Another
large Richter oil on canvas is Lot 37, "Sulphut." It measures 78
7/8 by 118 3/8 inches and was painted in 1985.
It
has an estimate of $12,000,000 to $18,000. It sold for $12,492,200.
Lot 26, "Flutter," by Kenneth Noland, acrylic on canvas, 67 1/2 by 67 inches, 1960
Lot
26 is an excellent acrylic on canvas by Kenneth Noland (1924-2010) from
his "Target" series. Entilted, appropriately, "Flutter," its
center painterly rings resonate with energy, It measures 67 1/2
by 67 inches and was painted in 1960. It has a very impressive
provenance: Carter Burden, Agnes Gund, Larry Gagosian and Steve
Martin. It has a very modest estimate of $2,000,000 to
$3,000,000. It failed to sell.
Lot 25, "Sight Gag," by Frank Stella, acrylic on canvas, 129 1/2 inches square, 1974
Lot
25 is a monumental acrylic on canvas by Frank Stella (b. 1936) that is
129 1/2 inches square and was painted in 1974.
It was once owned by Mr. and Mrs. Graham Gund of Cambridge and was included in the traveling exhibition on the artist organized in 1987 by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It is part of the artist's Concentric Squares series.
It has an estimate of $5,500,000 to $7,500,000. It sold for $8,779,500.
It was once owned by Mr. and Mrs. Graham Gund of Cambridge and was included in the traveling exhibition on the artist organized in 1987 by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It is part of the artist's Concentric Squares series.
It has an estimate of $5,500,000 to $7,500,000. It sold for $8,779,500.
Lot 30, "Amityville," by Willem de Kooning, oil on canvas, 80 by 70 inches, 1971
Lot
30 is a large oil on canvas abstraction by Willem de Kooning
(1904-1997). Entitled '"Amityville," it measures 80 by 70 inches
and was painted in 1971. It has been widely published and
exhibited. It has an estimate of $10,000,000 to $15,000,000. It sold for $11,589,000.
Lot 24, "Figures," by Roy LIchtenstein, oil and magna on canvas, 44 by 100 inches, 1977
Lot
24, "Figures," is a large oil and magna on canvas by Roy Lichtenstein
(1923-1997) that measures 44 by 100 inches. It was painted in
1977. It has an estimate of $6,000,000 to $8,000,000. It sold for $6,734,300.
Lot 11, "Untitled," by Robert Ryman, oil and gesso on unstretched sized linen, 16 1/2 inches square, 1961
Lot
11 is a fine untitled oil and gesso on unstretched sized linen by
Robert Ryman (b. 1930). It is 16 1/2 inches square and was
created in 1961. It has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern
Art.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"Across the unstretched canvas, Ryman builds up an undulating surface of thick curls and billows of luscious white impasto. Shorter daubs erupt against longer drags. the intersections of which create ridges and crests of oil paint, lending the present work a physicality rare in an oeuvre characterized by paintings that more frequently softly murmur rather than vibrate with kinetic energy."
It has an estimate of $1,800,000 to $2,500,000. It sold for $3,975,000.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"Across the unstretched canvas, Ryman builds up an undulating surface of thick curls and billows of luscious white impasto. Shorter daubs erupt against longer drags. the intersections of which create ridges and crests of oil paint, lending the present work a physicality rare in an oeuvre characterized by paintings that more frequently softly murmur rather than vibrate with kinetic energy."
It has an estimate of $1,800,000 to $2,500,000. It sold for $3,975,000.
Lot 50, "Les implications quotidiennes," by Jean Dubuffet, acrylic and paper collage mounted on canvas, 72 by 65 inches, 1976
Lot
50 is a very impressive acrylic and paper collage mounted on canvas by
Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985). Entitled "Les implications
quotidiennes," it measures 72 by 65 inches and was created in
1976.
The catalogue provides the following commentary:
"Conceptually, the Theatre de memoire series - of which the present work is a quintessential example - refers to Giulio Camillio's 'theater of memory,' a sixteenth century theory mapping the development of memory through an imagined physical space, which Dubuffet discovered through from Francis Yates's seminal 1966 book, The Act of Memory....Unlike traditional Western paintings that focus the gaze using single-point perspective, Les implications quotidiennes presents a barrage of imagery that continually shifts between figuration and abstraction."
The lot has an estimate of $2,000,000 to $3,000,000. It sold for $2,415,000.
The catalogue provides the following commentary:
"Conceptually, the Theatre de memoire series - of which the present work is a quintessential example - refers to Giulio Camillio's 'theater of memory,' a sixteenth century theory mapping the development of memory through an imagined physical space, which Dubuffet discovered through from Francis Yates's seminal 1966 book, The Act of Memory....Unlike traditional Western paintings that focus the gaze using single-point perspective, Les implications quotidiennes presents a barrage of imagery that continually shifts between figuration and abstraction."
The lot has an estimate of $2,000,000 to $3,000,000. It sold for $2,415,000.
Lot 34, "A Street," by Georgia O'Keeffe, oil on canvas, 48 1/4 by 30 inches, 1926
Lot
34 is a large and striking cityscape by Georgia O'Keeffe that was
painted in 1926. An oil on canvas, it measures 48 1/4 by 30
inches. It has been owned by Alfred Stieglitz, Robert Dowling and
Steve Martin and widely exhibited. It has am estimate oif
$12,000,000 to $18,000,000. It
sold for $13,282,500.
Lot 18, "The Businessmen," by Jacob Lawrence, egg tempera on hardboard, 20 1/2 by 24 inches, 1947
Lot 18 is a nice egg tempera on
hardboard by Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) that is entitled "The
Businesmen." It was one of three color illustrations for a
Fortune magazine article entitled "In the Heart of the Black Belt" that
had an introduction by Walker Evans. It has an estimate of
$1,500,000 to $2,000,000. It sold for
$6,169,800, an auction record for the artist.
Lot 35, "Mellow Sounds of Bells Rings Gently Through My Mind," by Hans Hofmann, oil on canvas, 34 by 48 3/4 inches, 1961
Lot
35 is a large abstract oil on canvas by Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
entitled "Mellow Sounds of Bells Rings Gently Through My Mind." It
measures 34 by 48 3/4 inches and was painted in 1961. It was once
owned by Mr. and Mrs. Gardner Cowles and has been widely
published. It was the cover illustration for the catalogue for
the 1976 retrospective exhibition on the artist at the Hirschhorn
Museum and Sculpture Garden. The catalogue for this auction noted
that the work is "indisputably amongst the most historical and
significant exemplars of Hofmann's mastery of lyrical and exquisite
beauty within the medium of paint.
It has an estimate of $5,000,000 to $7,000,000. It sold for $8,597,150.
It has an estimate of $5,000,000 to $7,000,000. It sold for $8,597,150.
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