Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale

The Impressionist movement was a major shift in the way the art world perceived skill, technique, and style. Its emphasis on short, defined brushstrokes and abstraction should not be mistaken for  a lack of skill. In the upcoming Impressionist and Modern Art Works on Paper auction presented by Christie’s, sketches, subject studies, and other paper works explore the complex methods of Impressionism and future art movements. Sketches include Paul Gauguin’s study of several cats, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s pencil drawing of two horses, and Berthe Morisot’s pastel and charcoal profile of a young girl.

Salvador Dalí, the Spanish Surrealist, has become a household name equally for his artistic whimsy and his personal oddities. Featured in this sale is one of his watercolor paintings from 1953, made in the twilight of his career. Dancing women in Femmes aux Papillons wear elaborate dresses made of butterfly wings, making this painting a fitting gift for American fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert. Several of Pablo Picasso’s works will also be available in this sale, including a pencil sketch of a nude created in the summer of 1921. His early realism stands in contrast to his later contributions to Cubism, seen in Le Peintre II and Mousquetaire et nu assis. Paintings and sketches from Henri Matisse, Marc Chagall, Paul Klee, and others will also be on offer. Visit Christie’s to view the complete catalog and register to bid.