Earth Art at Bonhams Includes Work From Marcos Grigorian’s Personal Family Estate

Though he was a talented painter, writer, gallerist, collector, and teacher, Armenian-Iranian artist Marcos Grigorian was likely best known for his “Earthworks,” in which he experimented with earth, straw, hay, sand, and clay (along with paint).  His style suggested the outdoors by nature, and the desert more specifically, by using earthen materials. It resonated with the simple geometric signature of the square. The Marcos Grigorian Unearthed auction from Bonhams presents works from Grigorian’s personal family estate. Works under the gavel span time periods from early paintings to his later Earthworks.

Paintings in the sale include Cubist representations, such as Adam and Eve, and almost abstract works, such as Tree of Life. There are portraits, drawings, studies, and paintings in several styles leading up to Grigorian’s more mature Earthworks. The available Earthworks include a mixed media representation of an eclipse in which the Earth is represented by straw. There is also an exploration of the vertical and horizontal with a diptych made of compacted straw. Finally, there are five rugs designed and signed by the artist in the sale. View any of these lots and register to bid by visiting Bonhams.