Sotheby's New York
7 PM, May 11, 2016
Sale 9500
Lot 8, "Two Studies for a Self-Portrait," by Francis Bacon, oil on canvas, each 14 by 12 inches, 1970
By
Carter B. Horsley
The May 11, 2016 Contemporary Art Evening Auction at Sotheby's New York is highlighted by a pair of self-portraits by Francis Bacon, a self-portrait by Adrian Ghenie, a good landscape by Peter Doig, an excellent collage by Jean Dubuffet, a superb large painting by Franz Kline and two Cy Twomblys.
The May 11, 2016 Contemporary Art Evening Auction at Sotheby's New York is highlighted by a pair of self-portraits by Francis Bacon, a self-portrait by Adrian Ghenie, a good landscape by Peter Doig, an excellent collage by Jean Dubuffet, a superb large painting by Franz Kline and two Cy Twomblys.
Lot 8
is a pair of self-portraits by Francis Bacon (1909-1992). Each
oil on canvas measures 14 by 12 inches and they were painted in
1970. These paintings were on the cover of Milan Kundera's 1996
book on Bacon's portraits and self-portraits and on the cover of John
Russell's 2001 book on the artist. The catalogue entry runs 18
pages. The lot has an estimate of $20,000,000 to $30,000,000. It sold for $34,970,000 including the buyer's premium as do all results mentioned in this article.
The sale total was $242,194,000. The comparable sale last year was $379,676,000.
The sale total was $242,194,000. The comparable sale last year was $379,676,000.
Lot 21, "Untitled (New York City)," by Cy Twombly, oil based house paint and wax crayon on canvas, 60 by 68 1/8 inches, 1968
Lot
21 is a large "blackboard" painting by Cy Twombly (1928-2011) that
measures 60 by 68 1/8 inches. The oil based house paint and wax
crayon on canvas painting was executed in 1968. The catalogue
entry calls the loops "reverberant" and notes that it is only one in
his series that are blue. "The torrent of luscious vertical drip
marks that cascade down the lower left quadrant of Untitled (New York City) enhance
the expressiveness of the painting. This vigorous action results
in a surface that exposes Twombly's process of inscription and erasure
possessing a composition of loops that reveal their own creation,"
according to the glorifying, 16-page catalogue entry. A larger version
painted in 1969 that was part of the Saatchi Collection in London sold
in the Spring at Sotheby's for $70,530,000.
The lot has an estimate on
request that some observers said was about $40 million. It sold for $36.7 million.
Lot 25, "Untitled (Bacchus 1st Version V)," by Cy Twombly, acrylic, oilstick and wax crayon on wood panel, 104 3/4 by 79 inches, 2004
The auction has
another large Twombly, Lot 25, "Untitled (Bacchus 1st Version V)," an
acrylic, oilstick and wax crayon on wood panel from 2004. It
measures 104 3/4 by 79 inches. Neater versions, without the
drips, are at the Tate Modern in London. The lot has an estimate
on request. It sold for $15,370,000.
finds itself in an awkward position: Its corporate moves are garnering
the kind of gossipy attention its masterpieces typically do. Over
the past six months, at least 14 high-profile specialists - including
the former heads of its key impressionist-, modern- and
contemporary-art departments - have left the company, either on their
own or as part of a buyout instigated last fall by new chief executive
Tad Smith. The exodus has put pressure on its younger, less experienced
experts to woo and reassure collectors at a time when global art sales
are falling - and may not have yet hit bottom. On top of that,
Sotheby’s is literally pulling the beige carpet out from visitors to
its York Avenue headquarters by renovating several floors in an effort
to make its once-fusty showrooms look bigger and more downtown-gallery
sleek. Already, a few glassy, corner offices where wooden crates and
old catalogs were stored have been transformed into concrete-floor
spaces where experts now display pieces for sale by Cy Twombly and
Francis Bacon. “Why do we need six boxes of catalogs for a sale we held
in 2004?” said Amy Cappellazzo, chairwoman of Sotheby’s new fine-art
division and a former Christie’s specialist. She and her art-adviser
colleague Allan Schwartzman helped oversee the renovations shortly
after they were hired two months ago. “The issue is we need to look
like an art business, not an old-fashioned auction house....The brunt
of the shake-up is being felt at Sotheby’s contemporary-art department,
which claimed a 37% market share in the category in 2014, compared with
a 63% share at Christie’s, a few months before Mr. Smith took over as
CEO....At least nine members of Sotheby’s senior team in contemporary
art have since resigned, including Anthony Grant, vice chairman of the
Americas and international senior specialist in contemporary art, as
well as Alex Rotter and Cheyenne Westphal, former co-heads of
world-wide contemporary art in New York and London, respectively."
Lot 7, "Georges Dubuffet au Jardin," by Jean Dubuffet, oil and paper collage on canvas, 60 1/2 by 36 inches, 1956
Lot 7, "Georges Dubuffet au Jardin," by Jean Dubuffet, oil and paper collage on canvas, 60 1/2 by 36 inches, 1956
Lot 7 is a superb oil and
paper collage on canvas of "Georges Dubuffet au Jardin" by Jean
Dubuffet (1901-1985). It measures 60 1/2 by 36 inches and was
created in 1956. It was once owned by the Museum of Modern Art in
New York. It has an estimate of $1,500,000 to $2,000,000. It sold for $3,250,000.
Lot 38, "Onion Gum," by Jean-Michel Basquiat, acrylic and oilstick on canvas, 78 1/4 by 80 inches, 1983
Lot
38, "Onion Gum," is a large 1983 acrylic and oilstick on canvas by
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) that measures 78 1/4 by 80
inches. The work was formerly owned by Mary Boone and Galerie
Bruno Bishofberger and was offered at Sotheby's New York November 13,
2012. It was shown at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1992 and
the Gagosian Gallery in New York in 2013. It has an estimate of
$7,000,000 to $10,000,000. It sold for $6,600,000.
Lot 24, "River II," by Joan Mitchell, oil on canvas in two parts, 59 by 118 inches overall, 1986
Lot
24 is a large oil on canvas in two parts entitled "River II" by Joan
Mitchell (1925-1992). It measures 58 by 118 inches overall and
was painted in 1986. It was offered at Christie's New York May
16, 2007 and at Christie's London July 1, 2014.
The catalogue provides the following commentary:
"The fluidity of Mitchell's gesture and the vivacity of her palette afford this painting a remarkable optimism that, as with the most superb examples of her art, is closely tied to remarkable personal circumstances at the time of its execution. Having undergone a significant surgical procedure in 1985, Mitchell has just begun to regain her physical strength by the time she created this work, marking her return to painting with a renewed sense of energy and commitment....With its expansive reach across two conjoined panels, River II broadcasts a panoramic celebration of the landscape that was instrumental in nurturing the artist....her unique insistence on the outside world as a source of inspiration sets her apart from her Abstract Expressionist contemporaries."
The lot has an estimate of $2,500,000 to $3,500,000. It sold for $3,610,000.
The catalogue provides the following commentary:
"The fluidity of Mitchell's gesture and the vivacity of her palette afford this painting a remarkable optimism that, as with the most superb examples of her art, is closely tied to remarkable personal circumstances at the time of its execution. Having undergone a significant surgical procedure in 1985, Mitchell has just begun to regain her physical strength by the time she created this work, marking her return to painting with a renewed sense of energy and commitment....With its expansive reach across two conjoined panels, River II broadcasts a panoramic celebration of the landscape that was instrumental in nurturing the artist....her unique insistence on the outside world as a source of inspiration sets her apart from her Abstract Expressionist contemporaries."
The lot has an estimate of $2,500,000 to $3,500,000. It sold for $3,610,000.
Lot 22, "Untitled," by Joan Mitchell, oil on canvas, 79 1/8 by 73 1/4 inches, 1971
Lot
22 is a very strong, untitled abstract oil on canvas by Mitchell that
was painted in 1971. It measures 79 1/8 by 73 1/4 inches.
It has an estimate of $5,000,000 to $7,000,000. It sold for $5,738,000.
Lot 30, "Elizabeth," by Franz Kline, oil on canvas, 79 by 59 inches, 1961
Lot
30, "Elizabeth," is a powerful 1961 abstraction by Franz Kline
(1910-1962) that is named after his wife, the dancer Elizabeth
Parsons. An oil on canvas, it measures 79 by 59 inches.
The catalogue provides the following commentary:
"It was with unparalleled gestural velocity and structural elegance that Kline executed a singular oeuvre of supremely powerful canvases rendered in the stark yet eloquent polarity of his favorite bichromatic palette."
It has an estimate of $8,000,000 to $12,000,000. It sold for $7,978,000.
The catalogue provides the following commentary:
"It was with unparalleled gestural velocity and structural elegance that Kline executed a singular oeuvre of supremely powerful canvases rendered in the stark yet eloquent polarity of his favorite bichromatic palette."
It has an estimate of $8,000,000 to $12,000,000. It sold for $7,978,000.
Lot 18, "Coastal Measure," by Mark Tansey, oil on canvas, 87 by 122 inches, 1987
Lot
18, "Coastal Measure" is a very large oil on canvas by Mark Tansey (b.
1949). It measures 87 by 122 inches and was painted in
1987. It was once owned by Edward R. Downe Jr. of New York.
It was exhibited at the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo and in
Kyoto in 1989 and a 1993-4 retrospective at the Los Angeles County
Museum of Art, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Modern Art Museum of Fort
Worth, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Montreal Museum of
Fine Arts.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"Armed with compelling intellect, inspiring levity, and virtuosic painterly skill...this panoramic picture...draws us into its cerulean depths, opening a spectacular vista of rich pictorial data that is completely and utterly engrossing."
It has an estimate of $2,500,000 to $3,500,000. It sold for $3,250,000.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"Armed with compelling intellect, inspiring levity, and virtuosic painterly skill...this panoramic picture...draws us into its cerulean depths, opening a spectacular vista of rich pictorial data that is completely and utterly engrossing."
It has an estimate of $2,500,000 to $3,500,000. It sold for $3,250,000.
Lot 4, "High-Way," by Peter Doig, oil on canvas, 30 1/8 by 36 1/2 inches, 1999
Lot
4, "High-Way," is a 1999 oil on canvas by Peter Doig (b. 1959) that
measures 30 1/8 by 36 1/2 inches.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"This is the genius of Peter Doig; he is able to create images of resolute recognizability that are in the same moment wholly surreal and intangible. He achieves this delicate balance of real and surreal through a masterful appreciation of color's force and an accurate appreciation for the cinematic. Between 1998 and 2000 Doig would paint three monumental works centered on a vista of the Don Valley tunnel from the highway: a familiar landmark for Toronto residents since an anonymous artist painted a rainbow over it, at the northbound Don Valley Parkway, in 1972....High-Way belongs to the series of works based on this imagery that Doig created concurrently to these three larger masterpieces. Doig, from the seat of a car, discovered the scene and photographed it for future use. The car window in this case became a television screen, a channel for the kind of dream-like trance that travelling induces."
It has an estimate of $2,000,000 to $3,000,000. It sold for $3,946,000.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"This is the genius of Peter Doig; he is able to create images of resolute recognizability that are in the same moment wholly surreal and intangible. He achieves this delicate balance of real and surreal through a masterful appreciation of color's force and an accurate appreciation for the cinematic. Between 1998 and 2000 Doig would paint three monumental works centered on a vista of the Don Valley tunnel from the highway: a familiar landmark for Toronto residents since an anonymous artist painted a rainbow over it, at the northbound Don Valley Parkway, in 1972....High-Way belongs to the series of works based on this imagery that Doig created concurrently to these three larger masterpieces. Doig, from the seat of a car, discovered the scene and photographed it for future use. The car window in this case became a television screen, a channel for the kind of dream-like trance that travelling induces."
It has an estimate of $2,000,000 to $3,000,000. It sold for $3,946,000.
Lot 41, "Untitled," by Jasper Johns, encaustic on canvas, 32 by 22 1/2 inches, 1991
Lot
26 is an untitled encaustic on canvas by Jasper Johns (b. 1930) that
measures 32 by 22 1/2 inches and was painted in 1991. It was
exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Metrpolitan Museum of
Art in New York in 2007-8. It has an estimate of $1,500,000 to
$2,500,000. It sold for $1,930,000.
Lot 10, "Sacco," by Alberto Burri, oil and burlap on canvas, 39 3/4 by 34 1/4 inches, 1954
Lot
10, "Sacco," by Alberto Burri
(1915-1995) is an oil and burlap on canvas work that measures 39 3/4 by
34 1/4 inches. It was created in 1954. Burri is the subject
of an exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and
this work was exhibited at the National Gallery of Art in 1981 and
1990. It has an estimate of $6,000,000 to $8,000,000. It sold for $7,306,000.
Lot 28, "Zig I," by David Smith, painted steel, 96 1/2 inches high, 1961
Lot
28, "Zig I," is a 1961 painted steel sculpture by David Smith
(1906-1965). It is 96 1/2 inches high. It has been widely
published and was included in a David Smith exhibition at the National
Gallery of Art in Washington in 1983.
Other works in this clunky series are at the Des Moines Art
Center, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York, the Fine
Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Tate Modern, the Museum of Modern
Art in New York and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and one is in a
private collection. The catalogue entry notes that "Named for the
ancient terraced pyramidal form of a ziggurat, the Zigs exhibit a
monumental presence consisting of tiered combinations of convex and
concave forms derived from sections of tubular cylinders."
It has an estimate of $8,000,000 to $12,000,000. It sold for $9,200,000.
It has an estimate of $8,000,000 to $12,000,000. It sold for $9,200,000.
Lot 1, "Self-Portrait as Vincent Van Gogh," by Adrian Ghenie, oil on canvas, 19 by 12 inches, 2012
Lot
1 is a strong "Self-Portrait as Vincent Van Gogh" by Adrian Ghenie (b.
1977). An oil on canvas, it measures 19 by 12 inches and was
painted in 2012.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"In layers that are pastose and wonderfully variegated, this painting embodies a painterly palimpset of masked and spliced identity and identification."
It has an estimate of $200,000 to $300,000. It sold for $2,590,000.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"In layers that are pastose and wonderfully variegated, this painting embodies a painterly palimpset of masked and spliced identity and identification."
It has an estimate of $200,000 to $300,000. It sold for $2,590,000.
Lot 37, "Red Head," by Marlene Dumas, oil and acrylic on canvas, 90 1/2 by 23 1/2 inches, 2001
Lot
37 is an oil and acrylic on canvas entitled "Red Head" by Marlene Dumas
(b. 1953). It measures 90 1/2 by 23 1/2 inches and was painted in
2001. It has an estimate of $2,000,000 to $3,000,000. It sold for $3,250,000.
Lot 44, Boneyard," by Christian Marclay, hydrostone casts of telephone receivers in 750 parts, 1990
Lot
44 is a 1990 work by Christian Marclay (b. 1955) that consists of 750
hydrostone casts of telephone receivers in a variable layout.
It has an estimate of $600,000 to $800,000. It sold for $550,000.
It has an estimate of $600,000 to $800,000. It sold for $550,000.
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