Contemporary Art
Morning Auction
Sotheby's
New York
9:30 AM, May 13,
2015
Sale 9346
Lot
111, "Cauldron," by Lee Krasner, oil on canvas, 60 3/4 by 51 inches,
1956
By
Carter B. Horsley
The
May 13, 2015 Contemporary Art morning auction at
Sotheby's
New York
is highlighted by fine works by Lee Krasner, Helen Frankenthaler, Larry
Rivers, Alexander
Calder, Robert Motherwell, Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella, and Jean
DuBuffet and a good work by Alex Katx.
The
best work in the auction is Lot 111, "Cauldron," an oil on canvas by
Lee Krasner (1908-1984). It measures 60 3/4 by 51 inches and
was
painted in 1956. It was included in the Krasner retrospective
exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Houston Museum
of Fine Arts, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Chrysler
Museum in Norfolk and the Phoenix Art Museum in 1983 to 1985.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"A
visually stimulating juxtaposition of rich blacks, tones of slate and
golden cognac delineated by the confident but chaotic slashing gestures
across the canvas evoke the inexorable leeding of loss that undoubtedly
consumed Krasner during this period [shortly after the death of he
husband, Jackson Pollock]. Nearly abstracted, a single fiery
lily, accented in bright magenta and tangerine oranges, emerges from
the turulence, suggestive both of the pure state of peace and
tranquility which Pollock had descended into, and the hope for
Kranser's own rebirth as an independent artist."
It has a
modest estimate of $500,000 to $700,000. It sold for $1,510,000
including the buyer's premium as do all results mentioned in this
article.
The auction total was
$92,810,775.
Lot 116, "Red
Accordion Player," by Larry Rivers, oil on canvas, 49 by 52 1/2 inches,
1959
Lot
116 is a very fine oil on canvas by Larry Rivers (1925-2002) entitled
"Red Accordion Player." It measures 49 by 52 1/2 inches and
was
painted in 1959. It has been widely exhibited. It
has a
modest estimate of $100,000 to $150,000. It sold for $334,000.
Lot 124,
"Open No. 164," by Robert Motherwell, oil on canvas, 59 3/4 by 71
inches, 1970
Lot
124 is an excellent oil on canvas by Robert Motherwell (1915-1991)
entitled "Open No. 164." It measures 59 3/4 by 71
inches
and was painted in 1970. It is being sold for benefit the
Allen
Stevenson School in New York. It has an estimate of $800,000
to
$1,200,000. It
sold for $1,030,000.
Lot 127,
"Muss Es Sein? No. 1," by Robert Motherwell, acrylic and printed paper
collage on paperboard, 43 3/4 by 29 inches, 1972
Another
good Motherwell is Lot 127, "Muss Es Sein? No. 1," an acrylic and
printed paper collage on paperboard, 43 3/4 by 29 inches. It
was
created in 1972. It has an estimate of $200,000 to $300,000.
It sold for
$466,000.
Lot
218, "Turkey," by Robert Rauschenberg, silkscreen on paper collage with
objects and Plexiglass mounted on canvas in three parts, 40 1/2 by 46
1/2 inches, 1965
Lot
218 is an exellent work by Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008) entitled
"Turkey." The silkscreen on paper collage with objects and
Plexiglass mounted on canvas in three parts measures 40 1/2 by 46 1/2
inches. It was created in 1965. It is property from
the
estate of Jan Krugier and has been widely exhibited. It has a
modest estimate of $300,000 to $400,000. It sold for $694,000.
Lot
128, "China II," by Helen Frankenthaler,' acrylic on canvas, 81 by 105
1/4 inches, 1972
Lot
128 is a very strong abstraction by Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011)
entitled "China II." The acrylic on canvas measures 81 by 105
1/4
inches and was painted in 1972. It was included in the
Frankenthaler exhibition in 1975 at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. the
Seattle Art Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. It
has
a modest estimate of $500,000 to $700,000. It sold for $1,510,000.
Lot 108,
"Lexington," by Helen Frankenthaler, oil on canvas, 49 by 79 1/2
inches, 1963
Another
Frankenthaler is Lot 108, "Lexington," an oil on canvas that measures
49 by 79 1/2 inches. It was painted in 1963. She
was
married at the time to Robert Motherwell.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"Her
signature paint-thinning technique, in which she diluted the oil paint
with turpentine, coupled with an entirely revolutionary method of
staining (rather than dripping or brushing paint onto) the canvas
undoubtedly changed the course of art history and influenced the likes
of Kenneth Noland, Morris Louis and Jules Olitski....Lexington,
executed in1963, belongs to an important group aptly referred to as the
'floorboard' paintings, due to the artist's process. Thinking
she
had stained the canases to strongly, Frankenthaler would place them
face down on her wood-paneled studio floor
overnight. When
she 'pried them off the next day,' John Elderfield writes, she 'then
saw on their reverse sides the familiar sight of softly disembodied
color suprisingly trapped in the imprint of the floorboards.
She
subsequently added more opaque, intense area to sharpen the softness -
usually to frame it - and thereby produced extremely commanding,
stately works that unquesionably bear he mark and affirm her stylistic
continiuty.'"
The painting has an estimate of $500,000 to $700,000. It sold for $1,390,000.
Lot 107,
"Stripes, Beams," by Alexander Calder, gouache and ink on paper, 22 1/2
by 30 1/2 inches, 1944
The auction has several
excellent works by Alexander Calder (1898-1976).
Lot
107, "Stripes, Beams," is a Calder gouache and ink on paper that
measures 22 1/2 by 30 1/2 inches. It was painted in 1944.
It has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It sold for $56,250.
Lot 153,
"Critter innommable," by Alexander Calder, painted sheet metal, 78
inches high, 1974
Lot
153 is a rather ghostly, three-legged painted sheet metal statue of a
figure by Calder that stands 78 inches tall and was created in 1974.
It has an estimate of $800,000 to $1,200,000. It sold for $1,270,000.
Lot 155,
"Untitled," by Calder, brass, 28 by 32 1/2 by 17 3/4 inches, 1949
A
less fearsome but very impressive Calder is Lot 155, which is untitled.
It is brass and measures 28 by 32 1/2 by 17 3/4 inches and
was
created in 1949. It resembles a butterfly that, according to
the
catalogue entry, "seems to be on the verge of motion as the wings are
rendered as they are about to flutter. It has an estimate of
$500,000 to $700,000. It
failed to sell.
Lot 117, "Le
Corset Bleu," by Alexander Calder, painted metal and wire, 39 1/4 by 56
1/2 by 27 1/2 inches, 1968
Lot
117 is a very good Calder mobile entitled "Le Corset Bleu."
It measures 39 1/4 by 56 1/2 by 27 1/2 inches and was created
in 1968. It has an estimate of $1,200,000 to $1,800,000. It sold for $1,690,000.
Lot 135, "Le
Pirate," by Jean Dubuffet, polyurethane paint on polyester resin and
epoxy resin, 43 by 37 1/2 by 24 inches, 1975
Lot
135 is a good sculpture by Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985) entitled "Le
Pirate." The polyurethane paint on polyester resin and epoxy
resin work measures 43 by 37 1/2 by 24 inches. It was created
in 1975. It has an estiamte of $600,000 to $800,000.
It sold for
$1,090,000.
Lot
141, "Table Piece, Catalan Story," by Antony Caro, rusted and fixed
steel, 38 1/4 by 29 by 11 inches, 1987-8
Lot
141 is a good rusted and fixed steel scupture by Anthony Caro
(1924-2013) entitled "Table Piece, Catalan Story." It
measures 38 1/4 by 29 by 11 inches and was created in 1987-8.
It has an estimate of $20,000 to $30,000. It sold for $40,000.
Lot 263,
"Untitled," by Keith Haring, oil and watercolor on paper, 38 1/4 by 50
inches, 1981
Lot
263 is a very fine untitled oil and watercolor on paper from 1981 by
Keith Haring (1858-1990) that measures 38 1/4 by 50 inches.
It looks like a great and relatively uncluttered Jackson
Pollock and is devoid of Haring's familar "characters." It
has an estimate of $80,000 to $120,000. It sold for $187,500.
Lot
266, "Fall 2," by Alex Katz, oil on canvas, 48 by 96 inches, 2004
Lot
266 is a surprisingly handsome abstraction of autumn leaves by Alex
Katz (b. 1927) whose Times Square mural of an unattractive model
tormented many staff members of The
New York Times everyday for several years in the 1980s.
This oil on canvas measures 48 by 96 inches and
was created in 2004. It has an estimate of $125,000 to
$175,000. It
sold for $250,000.
Lot 247,
Thruston 3x," by Frank Stella, oil, oilstick, glitter and lacquer on
etched magnesium, 75 by 85 by 15 inches, 1982
Lot
247, "Thurston 3x," is a great and extravagant wall sculpture by Frank
Stella (b. 1926) of oil, oilstick, glitter and lacquer on etched
magnesium. It measures 75 by 85 by 15 inches and was created
in 1982. It was included in the artist's retrospective
exhibition in 1987-9 at The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the
Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Musée National d'Art Moderne and the
Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis,
the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston and theLos Angeles County
Museum of Art.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"Thruston 3x is
an impressive example of the ecstatic physicality of the artist's
post-minimalist oeuvre. As he steadfastly redirected his
artistic vision after the early 1970s, Stella departed from his
minimalist aesthetic of the 1950s and 1960s with is maximalist
sculptures of the 1970s and 1980s. Stella refused to abide by
the preconceived notion, followed by many of his European and American
predecessors, that an artist should not taint his or her previous work
by drastically switching styles or pictorial contents....His relief
series...demonstrates Stella's relentless commitment to freshness,
diversity of concept and to redefining the spatial boundaries of
painting."
It has an estimate of $500,000 to $700,000. It failed to sell.
Lot 292,
"Wake Island Rail," by Frank Stella, acrylic, metallic paint, wax
crayon and glitter on canvas in artist's chosen frame, 60 3/4 by 85 1/4
inches, 1981
Lot
292, "Wake Island Rail," is a good acrylic, metallic paint, wax crayon
and glitter on canvas by Stella that measures 60 3/4 by 85 1/4 inches.
It was painted in 1981. It has an estimate of
$60,000 to $80,000. It
sold for $106,250.
Lot 253,
"Tabasco Fiasco," by John Chamberlain, painted and chrominium plated
steel, 8 1/4 by 9 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches, 2003
Lot
253 is a very fine and very small painted and chrominium plated steel
sculpture by John Chamberlain (1927-2011) with the wonderful title of
"Tabasco Fiasco." It measures 8 1/4 by 9 1/2 by 5 1//2 inches
and was created in 2003. It has an estimate of $80,000 to
$120,000. It
failed to sell.
Lot 172,
"Untitled," by Ellsworth Kelly, painted aluminum, 52 by 162 by 3
inches, 1983
Lot
172 is a large dark painted aluminum sculpture by Ellsworth Kelly (b.
1923) that is untitled. It measures 52 by 162 by 3 inches and
was created in 1983. It has an estimate of $800,000 to
$1,200,000. It
sold for $2,170,000.
