Michael
Macaulay, the head of evening sales for Sotheby's New York, discussing
Lot 15, "The Ring (Engagement)," by Roy Lichtenstein, oil on canvas, 48
1/4 by 70 inches, 1962
The
lot that fetched the auction's second highest price was Lot 15, "The
Ring (Engagement)," by Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997), an oil on canvas
that measures 48 1/4 by 70 inches. It was painted in 1962.
It is from the collection of Stefan T. Edlis. It was included
in
a retrospective exhibition in 2012-3 at the Art Institute of Chicago,
the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Tate Modern in London
and the Musee National d'Art Moderne in Paris.
The
catalogue entry notes that the painting "is highly regarded as a
thrilling, monumental cornerstone of the artist's output....[and] is
explosive in dynamism and elemental force, gripping each viewer in its
pictorial exuberance and conceptual gravitas."
It has an estimate on request. It
sold for $41,690,000, nearly 20 times the $2,202,500 the work
got when it last appeared at auction in November 1997 at
Sotheby's.
Lot 7, "Untitled
(Riot)," by Christopher Wool, enamel on aluminum, 108 by 72 inches, 1990
Lot
7 is a very large enamel on aluminum by Christopher Wool (b. 1955)
entitled "Untitled (Riot)." It measures 108 by 72 inches and
was
painted in 1990.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"Behind
the letters, we see a sumtuously overpainted record of the word, with
the word inverted in order and each letter rendered backwards.
In
this way, the word become a visual rather than purely linguistic
device, centering attention toward the material application of enamel
on the aluminum - process rather than content here takes reign.
The formality of the grid and the truncation of the
word
imply constriction, while the obstruction of such rigid boundaries by
painterly interruptions articulate a palpable danger along every edge."
It has an estimate of $12,000,000 to $18,000,000. It sold for $29,930,000, an
auction record for the artist.
Lot 9, "Untitled," by
Christopher Wool, enamel on aluminum, 54 by 39 1/4 inches, 1994
Lot
9 is much lusher, untitled work by Wool from 1994. An enamel
on aluminum, it measures 54 by 39 1/4 inches.
The catalogue provides the following commentary:
"Dynamic
gestures of abstraction coalesce with ambigiously decorative
fleur-de-lis patterns in Wool's signature
monochromatic patterns
while the act of dramatic eradication and effacement imbue the work
with a characteristic refinement. Wool's trademark floral
patterns march boldly across the stark white surface of the present
work
in a radiant and sophisticated deep blue, creating a lush cacophony of
layered forms that project an aura at once fully resolved and utterly
dynamic."
It has an estimate of $3,000,000 to $4,000,000. It sold for $3,946,000.
Lot 29, "Untitled (Man on a
Chaise Lounge)," by Francis Bacon, oil on canvas, 78 by 54 inches, 1953
Lot
29 is a large oil on canvas by Francis Bacon (1909-1992) entitled
"Untitled (Man on a Chaise Lounge)." It measures 78 by 54
inches
and was painted in 1953. It has a modest estimate of
$6,000,000
to $8,000,000. It
was withdrawn.
Lot 27, "World Crown," by
Jean-Michel Basquiat, acrylic, oilstick and spray paint on canvas,
48 by 56 inches, 1981
Lot
27 is a very strong acrylic, oilstick and spray paint on canvas by
Jean-Michel Basquiat entitled "World Crown," celebrating Muhammed Ali.
It measures 48 by 56 inches and was painted in 1981.
It has
a modest
estimate of $7,000,000 to $10,000,000. It sold for
$11,450,000.
Lot 42, "Untitled," by
Jean-Michel Basquiat, acrylic on wood door, two-sided, 77 3/8 by 23 7/8
by 5 7/8 inches, 1982
Lot
42 is an untilted, two-sided, acrylic work on a wood door by
Jean-Michel Basquiat. It measures 77 3/8 by 23 7/8 by 5 7/8
inches. It was created in 1982. It has an estimate
of $3,000,000 to $4,000,000. It sold for $3,610,000.
Lot 19, "Mao," by Andy Warhol,
acrylic and silkscreen on canvas, 50 1/2 by 42 1/4 inches, 1973
Lot
19 is an acrylic and silkscreen on canvas image of "Mao" by Andy
Warhol. It measures 50 1/2 by 42 1/4 inches and was painted
in
1973. It has an estimate of $13,000,000 to $16,000,000.
It sold for
$14,474,000.
Lot 6, "Superman," by Andy
Warhol, acryllic and silkscreen ink on canvas, 60 inches square, 1981
Lot
5 is an acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas image of Superman by
Warhol. It was painted in 1981 and is 60 inches square.
It
was included in the 1989-1990 Warhol retrospective at the Museum of
Modern Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Hayward
Gallery in London, the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, the Palazzo Grassi in
Venice, the Musee National d'Art Moderne in Paris and the Centre George
Pompidou in Paris. It has a modest estimate of $6,000,000 to
$8,000,000.
It sold for
$14,362,000, a record for the artist's Myths series.
Alex Rotter of Sotheby's
discussing Lot 36, "Flanders," by Franz Kline, an oil on canvas, at
press preview,
79 by 59 inches, 1961
Lot
36, "Flanders," is an oil on canvas by Franz Kline.
It measures 79 by 59 inches. It was painted in
1961. It has a modest estimate of $6,000,000 to $8,000,000.
It sold for
$9,210,000.
Lot
22, "Abstraktes Bild," by Gerhard Richter, oil on canvas,
102 1/2 by 78 3/4 inches, 1992
Lot
22 is a vibrant abstract oil on canvas by Gerhard Richter. It
measures 102 1/2 by 78 3/4 inches and was painted in 1992.
When
it was offered at Sotheby's New York November 9, 2010 with an estimate
of $5,500,000 to $7,500,000, it sold for $11,282,500. This
time
it has an estimate on request. It sold for $28,250,000.
Lot 31, "Number 12,
1950," by Jackson Pollock, oil, enamel and aluminum paint on Masonite,
22 1/4 inches square
Lot
31, "Number 12, 1950," is an oil, enamel and aluminum paint on Masonite
by Jackson Pollock. It is 22 1/4 inches square. It has an
estimate of $15,000,000 to
$20,000,000. It
sold for $18,282,000.
Lot 8, "Dschungel (Jungle)," by
Sigmar Polke, dispersion on canvas,
63 by 96 5/8 inches, 1967
Lot
8, "Dschungel (Jungle)," is a dispersion on canvas by Sigmar Polke.
It measures 63 by 96 5/8 inches and was painted in 1967.
It
has an estimate on request. It
sold for $27.130,000, a record for the artist at auction.
Four
years ago, it fetched $9,200,000 in the Sotheby's London sale of the
Duerckheim Collection.
Lot 21, "Untitled," by Sigmar
Polke, mixed media on canvas, 78 3/4 by 71 inches, 1983
Lot
21 is a very fine untitled mixed media on canvas by Polke that measures
78 3/4 by 71 inches. It was painted in 1983.
"Broadcasing
shimmering silver and deepest purple through to acidic yellow, green
and glue, Untitled
imparts glorious light effects that verge on the ecclesiastic," the
catalogue entry notes.
Detail of Lot 21
It
has an estimate of $2,000,000 to $3,000,000. It sold for $3,490,000.
Lot 1, "Smear," by Mark
Bradford, mixed media and collage on canvas, 96 by 72 inches, 2015
Lot
1 is a great mixed media and collage on canvas by Mark Bradford (b.
1961). Entitled "Smear," it measures 96 by 72 inches and was
painted in 2015. It has a modest estimate of $500,000 to
$700,000. It
sold to applause for $4,394,000.
Lot 50, "Le dormeur du val," by
Anselm Kiefer, oil, acrylic, emulsion, shellac and sediment of
electrolysis on photograph mounted on canvas, 74 3/4 by 129 7/8 inches,
2014
Lot
50 is a great work by Anselm Kiefer (b. 1945) that is entitled "Le
dormeur du val." An oil, acrylic, emulsion, shellac and
sediment of electrolysis on photograph mounted on canvas, it measures
74 3/4 by 129 7/8 inches. It was created in 2014.
It has a modest estimate of $600,000 to $800,000. It sold for $1,330,000.
Detail of
50
It has a modest
estimate of $600,000 to $800,000. It sold for
$1,330,000.
'
Lot 18, "Yellow Woman," by
Willem de Kooning, oil tempera, charcoal and graphite on paper, 8 3/4
by 6 inches, 1952
Lot
18 is a very wonderful small oil, tempera, charcoal and graphite on
paper by Willem de Kooning (1904-1997) entitled "Yellow Woman."
It measures only 8 3/4 by 6 inches and was painted in 1952.
It once was in the celebrated collection of Mr. and Mrs.
Burton
Tremaine of Meridian, Conn.
"Working on a gem-plike
scale, the artist achieved a new unbelievable density of painterly
brauvura in the present work," according to the catalogue entry,
"consolidating his impassioned strokes, graphic lines, and painterly
scrawls into a composition that bespeaks the full brilliance of the Woman series....Yellow Woman is an
irerespressibly exuberbant paragon of de Kooning's artistic genius at
the height of his inventive powers."
It has an estimate of $6,000,000 to $8,000,000. It sold for $6,410,000.
Lot 3, "Sacramento No. 6," by
Frank Stella, acrylic on canvas, 103 1/4 inches square, 1978
Lot
3 is an excellent acrylic on canvas by Frank Stella (b. 1936) that is
entitled "Sacramento No. 6." It is 103 1/4 inches square and
was
painted in 1978.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"Scintillating in its rainbow of electric hues, Frank Stella's Sacramento No. 6 from
1978 ti among the outstanding milestones of Minimalism, emblematic of
one of the most stridently revolutionary and cogent achievements in the
canon of twentieth-century Contemporary Art. Representing the
triumph of Frank Stella's brilliant and incisive intellectual rigor as
applied to the very tenets of painting itself, Sacramento No. 6
exists at the pinnacle of postwar abstract painting."
It has an estimate of $2,000,000 to $3,000,000. It sold for $3,070,000.
Lot 35, "Ocean Park
#41," by Richard Diebenkorn, oil on canvas, 100 by 81 inches, 1971
Lot
35 is a great Richard Diebenkorn (1922-1993) entitled "Ocean Park #41."
An oil on canvas, it measures 100 by 81 inches and was
painted in 1971. It has an estimate of $8,000,000 to
$12,000,000. It
sold for $8,986,000.
Lot 58, "Two Women at Table," by
Richard Diebenkorn, oil on canvas, 36 by 30 inches, 1963
Lot
58 is a haunting oil on canvas by Richard Diebenkorn entitled "Two
Women at Table." It measures 36 by 30 inches and was
pinatined in 1963. It has a modest estimate of $1,500,000 to
$2,500,000. It
sold for $2,530,000.
Lot 56, "Saturn Revisited," by
Helen Frankenthaler, acyrlic on canvas, 84 by 53 inches, 1964
Lot
54 is an excellent abstraction by Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011)
enttield "Saturn Revisited." An acrylic on canvas, it
measures 84 by 53 inches and was painted in 1964. It has a
modest estimate of $600,000 to $800,000. It sold for $8,830,000.
Lot 30, "Agricola VI," by David
Smith, steel, cast iron and stainless steel, 43 inches high, 1952
Lot
30 is a very fine sculpture by David Smith (1906-1965) entitled
"Agricola VI." Made of steel, cast iron and stainless, it is
43 inches high and was made in 1952. It has an estiamte of
$3,000,000 to $4,000,000. It
sold for $3,490,000.
Lot 37, "The Gunas," by Isamu Noguchi, bronze, 72 inches high, cast from 1946 marble at the Whitney Museum of America Art, 1966
Lot
37 is a fine 1966 bronze by Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) of 'The Gunas"
that was cast from the 1946 marble at the Whitney Museum of American
Art. It is 72 inches high. It has an estimate of $1,500,000
to $2,000,000. It sold for $3,130,000.
