Lot 11, "La muse enformie I," by
Constantine Brancusi, plaster, 10 7/8 inches long
The
back-cover illustration of the catalogue is Lot 11, "La muse enformie
I,' by Constantine Brancusi (1867-1957), a plaster version executed in
1912. It is 10 7/8 inches long. The work was
acquired from
the artist in 1913 by Mrs. Mary Harriman Rumsey, the daughter of the
railroad baron and then was acquired via Marcel Duchamp for Ida Espen
Guggenheimer in 1933 who kept it until at least 1956. It was
one
of five works by Brancusi exhibited at The Armory Show in New York in
1913 and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and the
Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1956. It has been widely
published.
The catalogue entry notes that "from his earlist years in Paris,
Brancusi had been fascinated by sleeping women and children. It has an
estimate of $8,000,000 to $12,000,000. It sold for $9,125,000.
Lot 26, "Beatrice Hastings," by
Amedeo Modigliani, oil on canvas, 25 1/2 by 18 1/8 inches, 1916
Lot
26 is a good portrait of Beatrice Hastingsby Amedeo Modigliani
(1884-1920). An oil on canvas, it measures 25 1/2 by 18 1/8
inches and was painted in 1916. There are other versions in
the Barnes Foundation, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Gallery
of Ontario. It is from the John C. Whitehead Collection.
It has been widely published. It has an estimate of
$7,000,000 to $10,000,000. It
sold for $16,069,000.
Brooke Lampley of Christie's
discussing Lot 3, Jean Alexander," by Amedeo Modigliani, are press
preview
The reverse of Lot 3 is a nice
female nude by Modigliani
Lot
3 is a very good double-sided oil on canvas by Amedeo Modigliani
(1884-1920). On one side is a portrait of Jean Alexander and
the
reverse is a female nude. They measure 31 7/8 by 23 5/8
inches.
They were painted in 1909. They have been very
widely
exhibited and published. Jean Alexander was the younger
brother
of Paul Alexandre, a dermatologist who was Modigliani's early patron.
The lot has an estimate of $5,000,000 to $7,000,000. It sold for $7,557,000.
Lot 12, La Boite-en-valise,
series A, by Marcel Duchamp, untitled, 1944
Lot
12 is one of 20 boxes of miniature art works "in a valise" created by
Marcel Duchamp in 1944. It is numbered 15 of 20. It
has
been widely exhibited and was on loan to the Tate Gallery in London
from 1999 to 2015 and has been widely published including in Calvin
Tompkins biography of the artist in 1996.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"There was nothing like it before, nor has there been since a work
absolutely sui generis,
a major modern artist's virtual museum in portable minature.
The
marvelous impact of this landmark compilation stems from the
stimulating mix of the radically influential paintings and objects
represented therein, by which Marcel Duchamp irreversibly altered our
understanding of the issues Francis M. Naumann has concisely framed as
'the art of making art in the age of mechanical reproduction....To
created his reproductions Duchamp employed the technique known as pochoir,
over finelyy grained, subtly half-toned collotypes prepared from black
and white photographs of the original works. This prodess
gave
results superior to offset lithography or any kind of color
photographic reproduction then in use."
The first copy of
the "boite" went to Peggy Guggenheim and subsequently others
went
to Joseph Cornell, James Johnson Sweeney, the Museum of Modern Art and
Sidney Janis.
It has a modest estimate of $1,000,000 to $1,800,000. It sold for $2,965,000.
Lot 9, "Le corsage rouge," by
Fernand Léger, oil on canvasm, 23 3/4 by 36 1/4 inches, 1922
Lot
9, "Le corsage rouge," is an oil on canvas by Fernand Léger (1881-1955)
that measures 23 3/4 by 36 1/4 inches. It was painted in
1922.
It has an estimate of $10,000,000 to $15,000,000. It sold for $16,965,000.
Lot 40, "SRho I," by Laszlo
Moholy-Nagy, oil and incising on rhodoid mounted by the artist on
painted panel, 31 by 25 1/4 inches, 1936
Lot
40 is a striking work by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946) entitled "SRho
I." It is an oil and incising on rhodoid mounted by the
artist on painted panel. It measures 31 by 25 1/4 inches and
was created in 1936. It was exhibited at the Tate Gallery in
London the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York in 2006-7.
It has an estimate of $800,000 to $900,000. It sold for $1,505,000.
Lot 42, "Bateau sur La Seine,
environs de Paris," by André Derain, oil on canvas, 13 by 16 1/4
inches, circa 1904
Lot
42 is a very good small oil on canvas by André Derain entitled "Bateau
sur La Seine, environs de Paris." It measures 13 by 16 1/4
inches and was painted circa 1904. It has an estimate of
$1,000,000 to $1,500,000. It
sold for $1,925,000.
Conor Jordan discussing Lot 21,
"Paysage de matin," by Claude Monet at press preview
Lot
21 is a very fine landscape with overhanging leaves by Clause Monet
(1840-1926). Entitled 'Paysage de matin." It is an
oil on
canvas that measures 28 7/8 by 31 3/4 inches. It was painted
in
Giverny in 1888. It is from the John C. Whitehead Collection
and
was exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1978. It
has a
modest estiamte of $6,000,000 to $8,000,000. It sold for $4,533,000.
Lot 15, "Les meules à Giverny,"
by Claude Monet, oil on canvas, 24 1/2 by 31 7/8 inches, 1885
Lot
15 is a haystack scene by Claude Monet entitled "Les meules à Giverny."
An oil on canvas, it measures 24 1/2 by 31 7/8 inches.
It
was painted in 1885. It was once owned by Emil Georg Buhrle
of
Zurich. It is similar to a work in the Ohara Museum of Art in
Kurashiki that has no figures but is more richly painted. It has an
estimate of $12,000,000 to $18,000,000. It sold for
$16,405,000.
Lot 18, "Canal du Loing," by
Alfred Sisley, oil on canvas, 18 1/8 by 21 3/4 inches, 1885
One
of the most beautiful and serene works in the auction is Lot 18, "Canal
du Loing," an oil on canvas by Alfred Sisley (1839-1899). It
measures 18 1/8 by 21 3/4 inches and was painted in 1885. It
has
an estimate of $1,000,000 to $1,500,000. It sold for $1,445,000.
Lot 14, "Cherbourg, Fort du
Roule,"by Paul Signac, oil on canfvas, 28 7/8 by 36 1/4 inches, 1932
Lot
14 is an excllent harbor scene by Paul Signac (1863-1935) that
is
entitled "Cherbourg, Fort du Roule." An oil on canvas, it
measures 28 7/8 by 36 1/4 inches. It was painted in 1932.
It has an estimate of $3,500,000 to $4,500,000.
It sold for
$4,427,000.
Lot 36, "Dans la véranda," by
Berthe Morisot, oil on canvas, 32 by 39 1/2 inches, 1884
Lot
36 is a great and luminous masterpiece oil on canvas by Berthe Morisot
(1841-1895) entitled "Dans la véranda." It measures 32 bu 39
1/2 inches and was painted in 1884. It is from the John C.
Whitehead Collection and has been widely exhibitefd and published.
The painting depicts the artist's daughter, Julie Manet.
It has a very modest estiamte of $2,500,000 to $4,500,000.
It sold
$2,517,000.
Lot 29, "La Communicante
(LaMariée)," by Chaim Soutine, oil on canvas, 32 1/4 by 18 3/4 inches,
circa 1924
Lot
29 is an oil on canvas by Chaim Soutine (1893-1943) entitled "La
Communicante (La Mariée)." It measures 32 1/4 by 18 3/4
inches and was painted circa 1924. It was once in
the collection of Edward G. Robinson and is from the John C.Whitehead
Collection.l It has been widely exhibited and published. It
has an estimate of $3,000,000 to $5,000,000. It sold for $15,621,000.
Lot 41, "Madchen mit Huhn," by
Heinrich Campendonk, oil on canvas, 35 by 33 3/8 inches, 1918
Lot
41 is a fine oil on canvas by Heinrich Campendonk entitled "Madchen mit
Huhn." It measures 35 by 33 3/8 inches and was painted in
1918. It has anestimate of $600,000 to $800,000. It sold for $665,000.
Lot
10, "Anhlich wie 147 mit schlanker gruner Tanne," by Paul Klee,
gouache, pen and black ink over charcoal on paper, 8 1/2 by 5 1/4
inches, 1917
Lot
10 is a good gouache, pen and black ink over charcoal on paper by Paul
Klee (1879-1940). Its title is "Anhlich wie 147 mid
schlankder
gruner Tanne." It measures 8 1/2 by 5 1/4 inches and was
painted
in 1917. It hyas an estimate of $400,000 to $700,000.
It sold for
$475,000.
Lot
1, "Entwurf zu 'Improvisation mit rot-blauem Ring,' by Wassily
Kandinsky, watercolor over pencil on paper laid down on board, 15 5/8
by 14 1/4 inches, 1913
Lot
1 is a vibrant watercolor by Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) entitled
"Entwurf zu 'Improvisation mit rot-blauem Ring'." It measures
15
15/8 by 14 1/4 inches. It was painted in 1913. It
was
belonged to G. David Thompson of Pittsburgh. It has an
estiamte
of $1,000,000 to $1,500,000. It sold for $4,533,000.
Lot 22, "Le haut de forme," by
Georges Seurat, conté crayon on paper, 12 1/8 by 9 1/8 inches, circa
1883
Lot
22 is a good conté crayon on paper by Georges Seurat (1859-1891)
entitled "Le haut de forme." It measures 12 1/8 by 9 1/8
inches
and was drawn circa 1883. It has an estimate of $1,000,000 to
$1,500,000. It
was passed at $550,000.
Lot
23, "La Politique," by Honoré Daumier, brush and pen and black ink,
grey wash and charcoal on paper, 15 1/2 by 12 5/8 inches circa 1865
Lot
23 is a fine drawing by Honoré Daumier (1808-1879). Entitled
"La
Politique," is a brush and pen and black ink, grey wash and charcoal on
paper that measures 15 1/2 by 12 5/8 inches. It was drawn
circa
1865. It was exhibited in 1961 at the Tate Gallery in London.
It is from the John C. Whitehead Collection. It
has an
estimate of $400,000 to $600,000. It was passed at $190,000.
Lot 2, Zerstortes Dorf (recto);
Ohne Titel (verso)., by Paul Klee, oil on board, 12 by 10 inches, 1910
(verso) and 1920 (recto)
Lot
2 is a double-sided oil on board by Paul Klee (1879-1940). It
measures 12 by 10 inches. It has an estimate of $700,000 to
$1,000,000. It
sold for $1,505,000.
Lot 7, "Femme," by Joan Miró, 79
1/2 inches high, conceived in 1981
Lot
7 stood outside Christie's during the auction's preview period.
It is "Femme," a 79-1/2-inch-high bronze by Joan Miró
(1893-1983)
that was conceived in 1981. It has an estimate of $2,000,000
to
$3,000,000. It
sold for $3,077,000.
