By Carter B. Horsley
This morning auction of Contemporary Art at Sotheby's May 15, 2003 is highlighted by a fine work by Lee Krassner (1908-1984), two excellent paintings by Hans Hofmann (1880-1966), and very good works by Philip Guston (1913-1980), William Baziotes (1912-1963), Richard Pousette-Dart (1916-1992), Robert Rauschenberg (b. 1925), Wayne Thiebaud (b. 1920), John Chamberlain (b.1927) and Richard Artschwager (b. 1923).
Lee Krassner, the subject of a fine recent retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum, was married to Jackson Pollock. Her work is much more structured and organized and consistent and it is clear that she and Pollock shared a dynamic aesthetic. Lot 132, "Uncial," is a fine example of her work. An oil on canvas that measures 68 by 85 inches, it was executed in 1967 and has a very conservative estimate of $100,000 to $150,000. It sold for $198,400 including the buyer's premium as do all results mentioned in this article. The morning sale was quite successful with a very few buy-ins. The sales total for $15,173,140 compared to the previous night's evening auction at Sotheby's that totalled a bit more than $27 million.
The catalogue entry for this lot maintains that "according to Ellen Landau, the imagery and title Uncial are derived from medieval manuscript illuminations that Krassner treasured at the Morgan Library," adding that "She was fascinated throughout her life with calligraphy, such as Hebrew, Persian, Arabic, Oriental and Celtic." "Krassner," the entry continued, "utilized the visual elements of medieval manuscript writings forming a flexible vocabulary that she employed for her own purposes. After Krassner's first major solo museum exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1973, curator Marcia Tucker pointed out that many of Krassner's works appear to be painted from right to left, as if she were creating Hebrew script, the language of her heritage. Dr. Robert Hobbs offered his insight on Uncial stating that 'the yellow shapes at the bottom, which look like a mirrored reversal of Krassner's name and are allied through color with her actual signature, appear to be an abstraction of uncial script."
Regardless of influences and sources, Krassner's better works, such as this, are highly organic and very painterly and some might argue that she was a better artist than Pollock.
Hans Hofmann was perhaps the most important American art teacher of the mid-20th Century, but his own works vary greatly in quality. There are three Hofmann works in this auction, Lots 120, 129 and 152 Lot 120 is very explosive and impressive. Entitled "Black Splash," it is an oil on board that measures 22 by 26 inches. Executed in 1948, has a modest estimate of $50,000 to $70,000. It sold for $153,600. Lot 129, "Frolocking," shown above, has been consigned by the Toledo Museum of Art to benefit its acquisition fund. An oil on canvas, it measures 72 1/8 by 59 3/4 inches. Executed in 1965, it has an estimate of $120,000 to $180,000. It sold for $344,000. It is stylistically quite different from Hofmann's more famous works, but very interesting. Lot 152, "Red Parable," is a 60-by-48-inch oil on canvas that is dated 1964. It has also been consigned by the Toledo Museum and has an estimate of $60,000 to $80,000. It sold for $232,000.
Lot 162, "Window," is a strong work by Philip Guston. An oil on panel, it measures 30 by 39 1/8 inches and was created in 1969. It has an estimate of $125,000 to $175,000. It sold for $288,000.
Lot 196, "Cup Cakes," is a classic still life by Wayne Thiebaud. The 20-by-26-inch oil on canvas was created in 1961. It has an estimate of $250,000 to $350,000. It sold for $489,600.
Lot 240, "Territorial Rites (Shiner," is a strong work by Robert Rauschenberg. The acrylic, metal and hardware on stainless steel measures 61 by 52 1/2 inches. Executed in 1986, it has a modest estimate of $60,000 to $80,000. It sold for $102,000.
Lot 115, "Untitled (Woman)," is a very strong study of a woman with very full red lips by Willem de Kooning (1904-1997). An oil on paper, it measures 24 by 30 inches and was executed circa 1966. It has a modest estimate of $120,000 to $180,000. It sold for $220,800.
Lot 123 is a very good and impressive work by Arshile Gorky (1904-1948). A graphite and crayon on paper, it measures 20 by 26 1/4 inches and is dated 1944. It has an estimate of $150,000 to $200,000. It sold for $142,400.
Lot 147, "Homage to the Square: Park," is an excellent oil on masonite by Josef Albers (1888-1976). Dated 1967, it measures 48 inches square. It has an estimate of $80,000 to $120,000. It sold for $254,400.
William Baziotes and Theodore Stamos explored an organic abstraction of muted but richly saturated colors. Lot 106, "Star Figure," is a fine example of Baziotes's style. An oil on canvas, it measures 24 1/2 by 20 1/8 inches. Executed in 1948, it has an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000. It sold for $21,600.
The auction has several very fine but very small works.
Lot 102 is an exquisite small watercolor and ink on paperboard by Richard Pousette-Dart. Executed in 1946, it measures only 6 by 9 inches. It has a modest estimate of $15,000 to $20,000. It sold for $21,600.
Lot 223 is an untitled work by John Chamberlain that despite its miniscule size well captures the artist's traditional monumentality created by working with crushed automobile parts. This work is made of aluminum foil with acrylic lacquer and polyester resin and measures only 5 by 5 3/4 inches by 5 1/2 inches. Executed in 1972, it has an estimate of only $5,000 to $8,000. It sold for $18,000.
Lot 101 is an untitled black ink and watercolor on paper by Ad Reinhardt (1913-1967). The work only measures 5 by 6 3/4 inches and was executed circa 1943, but is very very strong. It has a modest estimate of $6,000 to $8,000. It sold for $20,400.
There are four excellent small works by Franz Kline (1910-1962): Lots 109, 112, 114, and 119.
Lot 109, "Lehigh V Span," is a 10 1/4-by-16 1/2-inch oil and ink wash on paper mounted on board. Executed circa 1959, it is superb and has an estimate of $80,000 to $120,000. It sold for $114,000.
Lot 112, "Untitled," is a strong and very vibrant and colorful colored pastel and brush and black ink on paper. It measures 10 7/8 by 8 1/2 inches and was executed circa 1952. It has an estimate of $50,000 to $70,000. It failed to sell.
Lot 114 is entitled "Study" and is an oil on paper mounted on paperboard that measures 10 1/2 by 8 inches. Dated 1953, it has an estimate of $30,000 to $40,000. It sold for $36,000.
Lot 119 is a surprising and very charming study of a cat. The brush and ink with crayon on paper measures 5 1/4 by 4 7/8 inches. Executed circa 1947, it has an estimate of $15,000 to $20,000. It sold for $18,000.
Another Kline is Lot 122, "Untitled," a colorful oil on paper that measures 8 by 6 7/8 inches and was executed circa 1958. It has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It failed to sell.
There are two fine works by Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988), Lots 173 and 233. The former, entitled "Plus Equals Minus," is a gold plated bronze that measures 12 1/2 by 9 7/8 by 3 inches. Cast circa 1973, it has an modest estimate of $6,000 to $8,000. It sold for $10,200.
Lot 233 is entitled "Target." It is a black granite sculpture that measures 30 1/8 by 27 by 23 3/4 inches. Executed in 1984, it has an estimte of $120,000 to $180,000. It sold for $164,800.