Christie's New York
7 PM, May 10, 2016
Sale 12152
Lot 36, "Untitled," by Jean-Michel Basquiat, acrylic on canvas, 94 by 197 inches, 1982
By
Carter B. Horsley
The May 10, 2016 Contemporary Art Evening Auction at Christie's New York is highlighted by a very large painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat, two Clyfford Stills, a big, dark Mark Rothko, a large Christopher Wool, a good Joan Mitchell, and an Anselm Kiefer.
The star of the auction is Lot 36, an enormous, untitled acrylic on canvas that Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) painted in 1982. It is the cover illustration of a 1996 book on the artist by R. Marshall and J. L. Prat. Basquiat was invited to Modena, Italy, in the spring of 1981 by Emilio Mazzoli "after the dealer saw the artist's work in January 1981 at the legendary New York/New Wave show at New York's P.S.1," the entry noted, adding that "After the initial trip he returned again in March 1982 and it was during this stay that he painted Untitled and a sister painting Profit 1, which are widely considered to be among the artist's most important paintings.
According to an article in the May 11, 2016 edition of The New York Times by Robin Pogrebin and Scott Reyburn, it was consigned by Adam Lindemann "who bought it for $4.5 million in 2004.
"The auction houses have been scrambling this season to wrest top works out of the hands of people no longer inclined to sell, even as the houses are trying to give away fewer guarantees to preserve their shrinking profit margins. (Christie's had 10 guaranteed lots on Thursday night compared with 49 guarantees at 82 lots last May. And its low estimate at $281 million was considerably lower than $494.5 million last May)," the article continued.
Guarantees are very controversial and it is surprising that the New York State Attorney General has not investigating the practice that has been proliferated in recent years and made the financial dealings of the auction houses less than clear.
This lot has an "estimate on request." Bidding started at $32 million and it sold for $57,285,000 including the buyer's premium as do all results mentioned in this article. It was an auction record for the artist and it sold to an Asian buyer on the phone, who, according to an article by Kelly Crow in the May 11, 2016 edition of The Wall Street Journal bought several other works including "Runaway Nurse," Lot 38, by Richard Prince (b. 1949), for $9.7 million, close to its $10 million high estimate.
The total for the sale was $318.4 million with 87 percent of the 61 offered lots selling. The pre-sale low estimate was $281 million.
The May 10, 2016 Contemporary Art Evening Auction at Christie's New York is highlighted by a very large painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat, two Clyfford Stills, a big, dark Mark Rothko, a large Christopher Wool, a good Joan Mitchell, and an Anselm Kiefer.
The star of the auction is Lot 36, an enormous, untitled acrylic on canvas that Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) painted in 1982. It is the cover illustration of a 1996 book on the artist by R. Marshall and J. L. Prat. Basquiat was invited to Modena, Italy, in the spring of 1981 by Emilio Mazzoli "after the dealer saw the artist's work in January 1981 at the legendary New York/New Wave show at New York's P.S.1," the entry noted, adding that "After the initial trip he returned again in March 1982 and it was during this stay that he painted Untitled and a sister painting Profit 1, which are widely considered to be among the artist's most important paintings.
According to an article in the May 11, 2016 edition of The New York Times by Robin Pogrebin and Scott Reyburn, it was consigned by Adam Lindemann "who bought it for $4.5 million in 2004.
"The auction houses have been scrambling this season to wrest top works out of the hands of people no longer inclined to sell, even as the houses are trying to give away fewer guarantees to preserve their shrinking profit margins. (Christie's had 10 guaranteed lots on Thursday night compared with 49 guarantees at 82 lots last May. And its low estimate at $281 million was considerably lower than $494.5 million last May)," the article continued.
Guarantees are very controversial and it is surprising that the New York State Attorney General has not investigating the practice that has been proliferated in recent years and made the financial dealings of the auction houses less than clear.
This lot has an "estimate on request." Bidding started at $32 million and it sold for $57,285,000 including the buyer's premium as do all results mentioned in this article. It was an auction record for the artist and it sold to an Asian buyer on the phone, who, according to an article by Kelly Crow in the May 11, 2016 edition of The Wall Street Journal bought several other works including "Runaway Nurse," Lot 38, by Richard Prince (b. 1949), for $9.7 million, close to its $10 million high estimate.
The total for the sale was $318.4 million with 87 percent of the 61 offered lots selling. The pre-sale low estimate was $281 million.
Lot 28, "PH-234," by Clyfford Still, oil on canvas, 69 by 59 5/8 inches, 1948
Lot
28 is a large and sumptuous abstract oil on canvas entitled "PH-234" by
Clyfford Still (1904-1980). It measures 69 by 59 5/8 inches and
was painted in 1948. It was exhibited at the Hirschhorn Museum
and Sculpture Garden in Washington in an retrospective on the artist in
2001.
"Across its expansive surface Untitled unveils the complexity of Still's oeuvre as he brings together different areas of color, creating a palpable sense of tension as large sea of deep blue tussles for supremacy with subtle passages of light pigment as a vertical expanse of scorching red, spreads across the surface like a trail of molten lava," the catalogue entry observed.
It has an estimate of $25,000,000 to $35,000,000. It sold for $28,165,000.
"Across its expansive surface Untitled unveils the complexity of Still's oeuvre as he brings together different areas of color, creating a palpable sense of tension as large sea of deep blue tussles for supremacy with subtle passages of light pigment as a vertical expanse of scorching red, spreads across the surface like a trail of molten lava," the catalogue entry observed.
It has an estimate of $25,000,000 to $35,000,000. It sold for $28,165,000.
Lot 21, "PH-66," by Clyfford Still, oil on canvas, 90 by 67 1/2 inches, 1955
Another
large Still that was included in the same exhibition at the Hirshhorn
is Lot 21, "PH-66," an oil on canvas that measures 90 by 67 1/2
inches. It was painted in 1955.
The catalogue entry includes the following quote from the artist in 1956:
"A great free joy surges through me when I work. Only, the conceptions are born too quickly. And with tense slashes and a few thrusts the beautiful white fields receive their color and the work is finished in a few minutes. Like [the Spanish matador] Belmonte weaving the pattern of his being by twisting the powerful bulls around him, I seem to achieve a comparable ecstasy in bringing forth the flaming life through these large responsive areas of canvas. And as the blues or reds or blacks leap and quiver in their tenuous ambiance or rise in austere thrusts to carry their power infinitely beyond the bounds of the limiting field, I move with them and find resurrection from the moribund expressions that held me only hours ago."
The lot has an estimate of $8,000,000 to $12,000,000. It sold for $9,125,000.
The catalogue entry includes the following quote from the artist in 1956:
"A great free joy surges through me when I work. Only, the conceptions are born too quickly. And with tense slashes and a few thrusts the beautiful white fields receive their color and the work is finished in a few minutes. Like [the Spanish matador] Belmonte weaving the pattern of his being by twisting the powerful bulls around him, I seem to achieve a comparable ecstasy in bringing forth the flaming life through these large responsive areas of canvas. And as the blues or reds or blacks leap and quiver in their tenuous ambiance or rise in austere thrusts to carry their power infinitely beyond the bounds of the limiting field, I move with them and find resurrection from the moribund expressions that held me only hours ago."
The lot has an estimate of $8,000,000 to $12,000,000. It sold for $9,125,000.
Lot 32, "Omens of Spring," by Adolph Gottlieb, oil, gouache, tempera and casein on cnnvas, 68 by 92 inches, 1950
Lot 32 is
a lovely and joyous abstraction by Adolph Gottlieb (1903-1974) entitled
"Omens of Spring" from the artist's "Pictograph" series. An oil,
gouache, tempera and casein on canvas, it measures 68 by 92 inches and
was painted in 1950. It has a modest estimate of $2,000,000 to
$3,000,000. It sold for
$2,450,000.
Lot 48, "Lorelei," by Anselm Kiefer, oil, emulsion, acrylic, lead, plaster, birdcage and lacquer on canvas, 74 3/4 by 110 1/4 by 11 inches, 2005
Lot 48 is a great and large work by
Anselm Kiefer (b. 1945). Entitled "Lorelei, the oil, emulsion,
lead, plaster, birdcage and lacquer on canvas, measures 74 3/4 by 110
1/4 by 11 inches. It was created in 2005. It has a modest
estimate of $700,000 to $1,000,000. It sold for $785,000.
Lot 10, "Sumac 17," center, by Alexander Calder, hanging mobile, sheet metal, wire and paint, 41 5/8 by 75 1/2 by 39 3/8 inches, 1955
The
auction has several works by Alexander Calder (1898-1976) and they are
related to his "Voyage to India" in 1955 in response to a letter from
Gira Sarabhai, youngest of eight children of a wealthy family in
Ahmedabad. The 18-page entry about Calder's trip in the auction's
sumptuous catalogue notes that "Gira and her brother Gautam had founded
the Calico Textile Museum - arguably the best of its kind in the world
- and had already welcomed leading figures of the European and American
avant-garde to their home, including Isamu Noguchi, LeCorbusier and
John Cage." "Others would soon follow," it continued, "including
Robert Rauschenburg, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Richard Neutra - who
visited whilst designing the U.S. Embassy for Karachi - and Charles and
Ray Eames, with whom Gira and Gautam would collaborate to establish the
city's celebrated National Institute of Design."
Lot 10, "Sumac 17," is a hanging mobile by Calder of sheet metal, wire and paint that measures 41 5/8 by 75 1/2 by 39 3/8 inches. It was made in 1955. It has an estimate of $4,000,000 to $6,000,000. It sold for $5,765,000.
Lot 10, "Sumac 17," is a hanging mobile by Calder of sheet metal, wire and paint that measures 41 5/8 by 75 1/2 by 39 3/8 inches. It was made in 1955. It has an estimate of $4,000,000 to $6,000,000. It sold for $5,765,000.
Lot 29, "Red No. 1," by Sam Francis, oil and canvas, 64 by 45 inches, 1953
Lot 29 is
the first of two paintings by Sam Francis (1923-1994) in the auction
from the collection of Guy and Marie-Helene Weill. Entitled "Red
No. 1," it is an oil on canvas that measures 64 by 45 inches. It
was painted in 1953 and has been widely exhibited. It has an
estimate of $2,000,000 to $3,000,000. It sold for $4,421,000.
Lot 30, "Green," by Sam Francis, oil on canvas, 50 3/4 by 63 1/2 inches, 1953
The other
Francis is Lot 30, "Green" is a lush oil on canvas that measures
50 3/4 by 63 1/2. It was painted in 1953.
The catalogue notes that Francis was much enamoured of the waterlily paintings of Claude Monet and the catalogue entry noted that in 1957 Life Magazine
"anointed Francis as the natural heir to Monet."
"Across this rich and verdant luxuriant canvas, Francis lays out a series of corpuscular shapes that jostle and nestle together like a jigsaw....The result is a mosaic of dazzling chromatic intensity, luxurious in its variety and rich in formal interest."
It has an estimate of $1,800,000 to $2,500,000. It sold for $1,925,000.
The catalogue notes that Francis was much enamoured of the waterlily paintings of Claude Monet and the catalogue entry noted that in 1957 Life Magazine
"anointed Francis as the natural heir to Monet."
"Across this rich and verdant luxuriant canvas, Francis lays out a series of corpuscular shapes that jostle and nestle together like a jigsaw....The result is a mosaic of dazzling chromatic intensity, luxurious in its variety and rich in formal interest."
It has an estimate of $1,800,000 to $2,500,000. It sold for $1,925,000.
Lot 55, "Smooth Egg with Bow (Magenta/Violet)," by Jeff Koons, mirror-polished stainless steel with transparent color coating, 83 1/2 by 76 5/8 by 62 inches, one of five differently colored versions, 1994-2009
Lot 55, "Smooth Egg with Bow
(Magenta/Violet)," by Jeff Koons (b. 1955), mirror-polished stainless
steel with transparent color coating. It measures 83 1/2 by 76 58
by 62 inches and was created between 1994 and 2009. It is one of
five different colored versions.
The catalogue notes that the work "represents the promise of Spring and the corresponding overtures of fertility and reproduction that are embodied therein, not to mention the religious symbolism of resurrection and new life," adding that "on a more basic, carnal level, it evokes the sensorial pleasures that are unleashed when a shiny chocolate egg is unwrapped and devoured, as well as the ritualized moment of surprise emobodied by a beautifully wrapped gift." It is part of the artist's "Celebration" series.
The lot has an estimate of $7,000,000 to $10,000,000. It sold for $7,445,000.
The catalogue notes that the work "represents the promise of Spring and the corresponding overtures of fertility and reproduction that are embodied therein, not to mention the religious symbolism of resurrection and new life," adding that "on a more basic, carnal level, it evokes the sensorial pleasures that are unleashed when a shiny chocolate egg is unwrapped and devoured, as well as the ritualized moment of surprise emobodied by a beautifully wrapped gift." It is part of the artist's "Celebration" series.
The lot has an estimate of $7,000,000 to $10,000,000. It sold for $7,445,000.
Lot 17, "No. 17," by Mark Rothko, oil on canvas, 91 by 69 1/2 inches, 1957
Lot 17 is appropriately entitled "No. 17"
and is a large and very dark oil on canvas by Mark Rothko
(1903-1970). It measures 91 by 69 1/2 inches and was painted in
1957. It has an estimate of $30,000 to $40,000,000. It sold for $32,645,000.
Lot 46, "Untitled," by Mark Rothko, oil on paper mounted on canvas, 24 by 18 inches, 1968
A far more attractive Rothko is the
untitled Lot 46, an oil on paper mounted on canvas that measures 24 by
18 inches. It was painted in 1968. It has been exhibited at
the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Whitney Museum of
American Art and the Museum of Modern Art in Paris. It has an
estimate of $2,500,000 to $3,500,000. It sold for $3,189,000.
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