By Carter B. Horsley
The day auction of Impressionist and Modern Art at Sotheby's May 6, 2009 is highlighted by several works by Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980) and some very nice works by Paul Klee, Kees van Dongen, Odile Redon, Robert Delaunay and Rufolf Bauer.
The top lot is Lot 137, a very beautiful but small picture of a young woman on a telephone by de Lempicka. Entitled "Le Téléphone," it is an oil on panel that measures 13 3/4 by 10 5/8 inches. It was painted in 1930 and is one of 10 works by the artist that were consigned to Sotheby's this season by Wolfgang Joop, a German designer.
It is the best of the several works by the artist in the day auction although there were two larger and more stunning works in the previous night auction.
The catalogue provides the following commentary about Lot 137:
"The brilliantly painted heroine of the present work, with her red lips, shining nails and curls, brightly checked scarf, and sidelong glance, perfectly captures this powerful figure who was to become such an icon of the 1930s. The sitter's dramatic pose is not that of a beautiful object to be consumed by her viewer, but is instead a woman filled with dramatic intention. Lempicka has pointedly empowered her subject through the use of bold contours and colossal scale."
The notion of a glamorous and sophisticated woman was a touchstone of many of the most popular movies of the Depression and Art Deco period and is best personified by Carole Lombard in "My Man Godfrey." Lombard, however, had an innocent sweetness that most of Lempicka's women do not have. They are, instead, determined, calculating, "modern" women with style and silver dresses rather than spoons.
The lot has anestimate of $800,000 to $1,200,000. It sold for $1,986,500 including the buyer's premium as do all results mentioned in this article.
Of the 149 offered lots, 129, or 86.6 percent, sold, a remarkably good percentage given the uncertain state of the market. The sales total was $23,073,500 including the buyers' premiums. The pre-sale estimate was $17,900,000 to $25,000,000. "As was the case in last night's sale, we achieved an important objective for this season which was to secure a high sell-through rate," declared Sophie Camu, Sotheby's expert in charge of thesale. "We achieved the highest sell-through rate in the category in a decade," she said, adding that "The enormous amount of interest - more than 250 clients registered to bid - included a number of new clients from around the globe who bid and bought aggressively."
One of the most striking abstract works in the auction is Lot 116, "Rhythme sans Fin," by Robert Delaunay (1885-1941). A gouache on canvas, it measures 80 3/8 by 18 1/8 inches and was painted in 1934. It has a modest estimate of $125,000 to $175,000 and is property from the collection of Eugene J. Lux and Gizella Lux. It sold for $182,500.
Lot 114 is a very strong painting of a sunflower by Fernand Léger (1881-1955). An oil on canvas, it measures 21 3/4 by 18 1/4 inches and was painted in 1954. It has an estimate of $350,000 to $450,000. It sold for $482,500.
Lot 110 is a strong landscape by Jean Metzinger (1883-1956). An oil on canvas, it measures 39 1/2 by 28 7/8 inches and was painted in 1926. It has an estimate of $200,000 to $300,000. It sold for $374,500.
Lot 128 is a great watercolor by Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944). Entitled "Delicate Soul," it measures 13 3/4 by 8 7/8 inches and was drawn in 1925. It has a modest estimate of $300,000 to $400,000.
Lot 207 is a fine work by Joan Miró that is entitled "Personnages Surpris par le Passage de L'Oiseau-Serpent Glissant dans l'Espace." An oil and pastel on sandpaper, it measures 12 3/4 by 15 3/4 inches and was painted in 1954. It has a modest estimate of $300,000 to $400,000. It sold for $422,500.
Lot 113 is a superb gouache and pencil on paper by Miró that is entitled "Femme, Fumée, Etoiles, Oiseau, Constellations." It was painted in 1976 and measures 11 1/4 by 15 inches. It has a modest estimate of $120,000 to $180,000. It sold for $146,500.
Lot 107 is a large and bold watercolor by André Derain (1880-1954) with the lovely title "La Mer Enchantée." It measures 19 by 25 inches and was executed circa 1905. It has a modest estimate of $120,000 to $180,000 and was once in the collection of John Quinn of New York. It sold for $134,500.
The auction has two fine works by Rudolf Bauer (1889-1953) that were both once in the collection of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and are the property of Dr. and Mrs. Martin L. Charles. Lot 109 is entitled "Green Point" and is an oil on canvas that measures 25 1/2 by 17 3/4 inches. Executed in 1920, it has an estimate of $50,000 to $70,000. It sold for $170,500.
The other Bauer, "Red Theme," Lot 108, is a larger oil on canvas that was executed in 1938. It measures 37 5/8 by 29 3/4 inches and has an estimate of $35,000 to $50,000. It sold for $146,500.
Lot 129 is a very strong tempera on paper laid down on card by Paul Klee (1879-1940) of a "small fire devil." It measures 13 1/8 by 9 7/8 inches and was executed in 1927. It has an estimate of $350,000 to $500,000. It sold for $446,500.
Lot 135 is a small and very charming painting of a woman viewed from the back in a garden that at first glance appears to be a fine work by Pierre Bonnard but is signed by Kees van Dongen (1877-1968). An oil on board, it measures 16 by 10 5/8 inches and was executed circa 1907. It has a modest estimate of $60,000 to $80,000. It sold for $80,500.
One of the auction's most attractive works is Lot 218, "Object Subjectivité," by Victor Brauner (1903-1966). An oil and wax encaustic on canvas laid down on board, it measures 25 5/8 by 31 7/8 inches and was executed in 1957. It has an estimate of $130,000 to $180,000. It failed to sell.
Lot 144 is a very fine pastel laid down on card by Odile Redon (1840-1916). It merasures 13 1/8 by 16 1/4 inches and has an estimate of $70,000 to $90,000. It sold for $68,500.
A very handsome trio of maritime paintings is show above: Lot 236, "Le Bassin de Deauville," by Eugène Boudin, oil on panel, 8 1/4 by 10 1/8 inches, 1878, left; Lot 147, "Anvers, Le Port vu de la Citadelle Nord," by Eugène Boudin, oil on canvas, 19 3/4 by 30 inches,1871, center; Lot 148, "Navire Norvegien Sortant du Port de Honfleur," by Johan Barthold Jongkind, oil on canvas, 13 1/8 by 18 5/8 inches, 1865, right. Lot 236 has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. Lot 147 has an estimate of $90,000 to $120,000. Lot 148 has an estimate of $70,000 to $90,000.
Lot 153 is a oil on canvas by Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) of a cow and a horse. Painted in 1885, it measures 23 1/2 by 28 1/2 inches. It has an estimate of $400,000 to $600,000. It sold for $422,500.