Feather with Bird’s Bone by O’ Keeffe, Works from Picasso, Calder, and Tamayo lead Sotheby’s Modern-Day auction

A feather is light and signifies life, whereas a bone is heavy and signifies death. Feather with Bird’s Bone (circa 1942) is a painting by Georgia O’Keeffe available in this Modern Day Auction at Sotheby’s. As a little girl, Georgia O’Keeffe collected wildflowers and fruits to paint. O’Keeffe was born in 1887 in Wisconsin but her interest in art soon took her to Chicago and New York. There, she was inspired by the composition and color of Japanese art. Under the guidance of Arthur Wesley Dow, O’Keeffe focused on abstract representations of light, shape, and color. Her works differed from those of Cubist painters and defied easy classification. In O’Keeffe’s paintings, the lines flow in the shapes and rhythms of nature. 

The Modern Day sale draws together paintings, drawings, and sculptures shaped by movements, counter-movements, cross-currents, and revolutionized art. For Alexander Calder, even the smallest object held power and intention, and his sculptures are living examples. The available The Red Dozen (1964) by Alexander Calder is a sheet metal, wire, and paint sculpture. It has red butterfly-like wings that branch out from thin metal stems, allowing the wings to float and move. Collectors will find major works by Guston, Motherwell, de Kooning, Davis, Botero, Matta, and Tamayo alongside highlights by Chagall, Miró, Picasso, and forerunners of the modern movement, Rodin, Degas, Renoir, and Morisot. Find the listed items and more on Sotheby’s and register to place a bid.