“contemporary” About 92
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Auction IndustryFrom Classicism to Contemporary Art, a Collection Assembled in Paris and New York
Marie-Régine Didier followed her tastes, mixing styles in her New York and faubourg Saint-Honoré apartments without caring about trendiness. Her eclecticism is highly appealing. Jean Paul Riopelle (1923–2002), C’est rocheux (It’s Rocky), 1974, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right and numbered “AM 30”, 81 x 100 cm/31.88 x 39.37 in. Estimate: €100,000/150,000 Friends, who fondly called Marie-Régine Didier "Catoune", remember her as an elegant, cheerful and caring woman. Born in Valence in the South of France on July 20, 1936, as a little girl she would whisper, full of hope and desire, “another world awaits me”, says her friend Christian Leprette. Her dream came true when her studies and a modelling career brought her to Paris. She moved to rue de l’Université and discovered the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood, immediately falling in love with its bars, restaurants, cabarets and galleries. This cosmopolitan world opened up new horizons to her. On October 12, 1970, Catoune married Édouard and became Mrs. Marie-Régine Didier. She inherited a large press group from her father that included L’Usine nouvelle Maison française and Le Moniteur des travaux publics et du bâtiment among itspublications. Her husband was a great entrepreneur who developed his company in the United States for ten years. They rounded each other out: he was a discreet, brilliant businessman, she an open-minded, affable woman keen to bring people together around them and deepen their relationships. She also made “wise real estate investments and had a flair for decision-making,” says Mr. Leprette. She died childless on November 18, 2021, 11 years after her husband, and had asked her friend to take care of selling her collection, furniture, and other objects in her last apartment, on rue de Grenelle. Some of the contemporary works are not included in the catalog and will certainly be donated to institutions in the United States. Four crackled white-glaze ceramic statues in 18th-century style (three reproduced) depicting the four seasons, h. 156 cm/61.42 in.Estimate: €3,000/5,000 A Classic Interior…Pictures of the bourgeois apartment are striking. The classic pieces in the hallway, such as immense 18th-century style white glazed ceramic statues, are estimated €3,000/5,000. In the living room, a pair of 18th-century German Boulle marquetry…
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Auction Industry, Press ReleaseToomey & Co. Auctioneers To Hold Modern Design + Post-war & Contemporary Art Sale On August 24
Oak Park, IL — On Wednesday, August 24, 2022, Toomey & Co. Auctioneers will hold a Modern Design + Post-War & Contemporary Art sale with over 350 lots by influential figures from the mid-20th century to the present. Items on offer include paintings, prints, sculptures, furniture, lighting, metalwork, pottery, glassware, and more. Along with examples by artists and designers from Chicago and the Midwest, the sale features works by a range of American and global innovators. Preview details and bidding instructions follow the auction highlights below. Highlights of Modern Design + Post-War & Contemporary Art on August 24 Sorcerer’s Village, 1972Estimate $4,000-6,000 Paintings, Drawings, Prints & Sculptures One of the standout works on August 24 is an oil on canvas by celebrated Mexican painter Rodolfo Morales, Plaza in Four Parts (estimate $20,000-30,000), which combines elements of magic realism and surrealism to portray a traditional village scene. Robert Lostutter also draws on fantasy and the sale includes three of his watercolor and pencil drawings and an etching with unusual creatures (highest $3,000-5,000). Other illustrations of note are Patrick Nagel's drawing for COQ magazine and Bernar Vernet's conceptual, geometric work (each $4,000-6,000). Black artists with examples in the auction include Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, and Margaret Burroughs (highest $4,000-6,000). Two figural ceramic plaques will be up for bid by Marcello Fantoni and Clyde Burt and several steel sculptures by James Bearden will be offered (highest $7,000-9,000). The auction also has works by many other notable artists, such as: Marc Chagall, Alex Katz, Robert Rauschenberg, Sol LeWitt, Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Peter Max, LeRoy Neiman, and Banksy (highest $1,500-2,500). Modern American Design American design features two pine display tables by Donald Judd selected by architect John Pawson for Calvin Klein NYC (each $10,000-20,000). Another statement-making form is Vladimir Kagan’s Cloud sofa for Directional ($6,000-8,000). Several classic, mid-century furniture lines are available from Edward Wormley and Paul McCobb (highest $5,000-7,000). Iconic examples from Herman Miller and Knoll will likewise highlight the sale. From George Nelson, the auction includes a Home Office desk, X-Leg dining table, and CSS wall unit (highest $4,000-6,000). Charles and Ray Eames are well represented with four DKW-2 chairs, a 670 / 671 lounge chair and ottoman, and a Compact sofa (highest $2,500-3,500). Various seating options from Bauhaus architect Mies van der Rohe are part of the sale, in particular, two Barcelona lounge chairs and two ottomans offered together and a custom, four-seat…
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PeopleAstrid Ullens: From Contemporary Art to Photography, a Committed Collector
Astrid Ullens de Schooten Whettnall was born into a family that entertained the doctor and writer Georges Duhamel, soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and conductor Herbert von Karajan. A contemporary art and photography collector, she created the Fondation A Stichting 10 years ago. Astrid Ullens How did you begin collecting?I started with contemporary art in the 1980s, working with the Antwerp gallerist Micheline Szwajcer. She introduced me to the great sculptors and painters of the time, like Carl Andre, On Kawara, Stanley Brouwn and Alighiero Boetti. Having grown up in a highly cultured family, it was a rejuvenating experience. Before I started working, I was an obedient housewife and the mother of four children. The two realms remained apart: I didn't dare show my acquisitions at home. What brought you to photography?When I became aware that contemporary art was turning into a business, in other words when money started to matter more than the artists’ work. That’s not my idea of how things should be. I’ve never bought anything as speculation. I felt the need to do research, meet the artists and exchange ideas with them. Some were expensive—I bought certain works for €15,000, a big effort—but prices weren’t as exorbitant as they later became. I stopped everything overnight. One year, I wanted to buy a Brancusi sculpture at the Basel fair but it cost too much so I settled for one of his prints. I didn't think I’d go any further. I went to Paris Photo, which was then at the Carrousel du Louvre, where I discovered Lewis Baltz’s “Prototypes” at Thomas Zander’s booth. That’s how I caught the bug. Adriana Lestido, Untitled, 1991-1993.© Adriana Lestido What draws you to photography?I realized that photography attests to what is doomed to disappear, and that the days of silver prints were numbered. The idea of transmitting is very important to me, especially now that I’m 83 and have 15 grandchildren. I consider art a space of dialogue. That’s why, in the 2000s, I started gathering my acquisitions in a beautiful loft apartment in Brussels to share them with an intimate circle, my grandchildren and others by hosting…
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PeopleDimitris Daskalopoulos: Contemporary Art Open to the World
On the occasion of his major donation, the Greek collector talks to us in his Athens HQ about the reasons for this decision, his passion for art and his philosophy. Dimitris Daskalopoulos in front of David Hammons' Untitled, Body Print, 1975 (106.7 x 78.7 cm/42 x 30.9 in), which he recently donated to the Tate. Photo: Natalia Tsoukalas Dimitris Daskalopoulos, a leading contemporary art collector and founder of the culture and development organization NEON, recently announced the donation of part of his famous collection—which includes works by Louise Bourgeois, Paul Chan, Robert Gober, David Hammons, Mona Hatoum, Sarah Lucas, Jannis Kounellis, Paul McCarthy, Steve McQueen, Annette Messager and Kiki Smith—to four museums in Athens, Chicago, New York and the UK. The donation includes over 350 works by 142 artists: 140 go to the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Athens, a joint donation of 100-odd to the Guggenheim in New York and the MCA Chicago, and 110 to the Tate in London. What led you to make such a significant donation?It was the next obvious stage of my journey and the way I view art, the ownership of works, and their meaning and value. I felt the time had come for me to make decisions about the future of my collection. The works that make it up ought to be seen by a large number of people; they need to be in dialogue with other forms of contemporary art, especially the art of tomorrow. This is why I decided to make them accessible to the public through museums and public institutions with the means to exhibit them. How did you become a collector?First of all, I have to say I don't consider myself a collector in the sense of someone who likes to buy beautiful things, decorate their house in a spectacular way and impress their friends. I've never been like that. I see myself as a curator of a collection. I didn't buy the works because I wanted to own them, but because I wanted to express my way of thinking. These works, which I love and admire, belong firstly to the artists who created…
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Auction IndustryNative American Art to Hit Bonhams’ Block, From Louisa Keyser Baskets to Contemporary Paintings
On June 29, 2022, Bonhams’ Native American Art department will present a curated sale of historical and antique items. The available lots acknowledge the diversity of Native American art, which includes countless mediums and distinct styles. “‘Native American art’ is a very broad term. Plus, there are people who collect regional objects, while others who collect a little bit of everything,” the Director of Bonhams’ Native American Art Department in Los Angeles, Ingmars Lindbergs, told Auction Daily. “It can seem a bit eclectic at times.” An exceptional Louisa Keyser / Dat-so-la-lee degikup basket, Washoe. Image courtesy of Bonhams. Native American jewelry, pottery, Southwest paintings, textiles, and more will be available this June. Many of the objects date back at least 100 years. One portion of the catalog is devoted to Inuit ivory objects excavated from St. Lawrence Island, located west of mainland Alaska. The lots were primarily sourced by authorized Inuit people living on St. Lawrence Island who sell the antiques for revenue. These small figures and utilitarian objects are between 500 and 2,000 years old. “We have a very fine selection of baskets from a number of different sources, including what I believe to be the largest single-owner collection of Northern California basketry hats. An elderly couple in Oregon consigned the items after spending the last 30 to 40 years building their collection,” Lindbergs said. Among the top lots is an exceptional degikup basket from Louisa Keyser, also known as Dat-so-la-lee (lot #149; estimate: USD 150,000 - $200,000). This slightly oval basket features a stitched design of concentric triangles and chevrons. The artist favored this form between 1898 and 1916. She produced approximately 40 major ceremonial baskets like the available lot while under the patronage of Abe and Amy Cohn. A Northwest Coast raven rattle. Image courtesy of Bonhams. Another section of the sale is devoted to Pacific Northwest Coast art, which includes recognizable design elements and careful artistry. One notable piece of Pacific Northwest Coast art in the sale is a pipe bowl from the 1820s or ‘30s (lot #73; estimate: $15,000 - $20,000). It showcases the classic…
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Auction ResultJohn Moran Auctioneers Concludes Modern and Contemporary Fine Art Sale With Success
John Moran Auctioneers’ Modern and Contemporary Fine Art auction concluded on February 16, 2022. The event found success with the sale of 140 works in Impressionist, abstract, and figurative styles. Several young, emerging, and renowned modern artists were represented in the live auction, including Martha Alf, Thomas Fougeirol, and Sudarshan Shetty. Sudarshan Shetty, Untitled, 2007. Image courtesy of John Moran Auctioneers. Sudarshan Shetty's untitled work went under the hammer in John Moran Auctioneers’ recent fine art event. The oil and acrylic painting drew competitive bidding, which pushed its final price past the high estimate of USD 5,000. The hammer price was $10,000. The vibrant piece shows four sculptures of Lord Ganesh, a deity who is widely followed and celebrated in Hindu culture. The figures are seated in the same position; however, they face in different directions. Sudarshan Shetty was born in 1961 in Mangalore, India. He is best known for his contemporary paintings and sculptural installations. Cultural elements inspire many of his compositions. Shetty is currently living and working in Mumbai. “Shetty’s works are culturally grounded and contextually rooted and yet of wondrous appeal to anyone who encounters it. His seemingly simple juxtaposition invokes a visceral reaction,” writes Shraddha Nair for STIR. He Sen, Pretty Dudu and Pretty Toy, 2008. Image courtesy of John Moran Auctioneers. John Moran Auctioneers also offered He Sen's Pretty Dudu and Pretty Toy. It sold for $1,250. The acrylic and oil work has He Sen's signature at the bottom right corner. It captures the melancholy of a young woman clothed in pink and white lingerie. She holds a doll with a pink bowtie. He Sen was born in 1968 in Yunnan Province, China. He studied at the Sichuan Academy of Fine arts under the preeminent Chinese painter Zhang Xiaogang. During his study period, He Sen became familiar with the expressionist Sichuan style, which can be seen in many of his paintings. His artworks also show a blend of traditional features and contemporary styles. Lara Schnitger, Sexy Bitch, 2006. Image courtesy of John Moran Auctioneers. Also available in the online auction was a Lara Schnitger work…
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Auction IndustryUltra-Contemporary Art Ascendant: The Rise of the Market’s Newest Category
Tomokazu Matsuyama, Mrs. Omega, July 2011 - June 2013. Image courtesy of Phillips. For years, the auction industry has had a problem with language. Terms such as “post-war” and “modern” stretch gingerly to cover the market’s holes, and their meanings often differ from one auction house to the next. While unclear terminology is the stuff of scholarly debates, it also creates confusion for analysts and collectors looking to assess value. The category of contemporary art is particularly troublesome. The dictionary offers limited guidance. An artist need only be “marked by characteristics of the present period” or “happening, existing, living, or coming into being during the same period of time” to be considered “contemporary,” according to Merriam-Webster. Yet this definition has also proved too fluid for the auction market, like when works by Georgia O’Keeffe appear alongside those by Jeff Koons. To address this issue, Artnet News coined a new term to describe the latest and greatest: ultra-contemporary art. Since the term’s debut in 2019, “ultra-contemporary art” has increasingly made its way into common auction world parlance. British auction house Phillips has taken a particular shine to it. In fact, Phillips has positioned itself as a market leader in fresh works by young artists. How did this new auction category evolve, and what might the future hold for ultra-contemporary art? Auction Daily investigates. Amoako Boafo, Golden Frames, 2018. Image courtesy of Phillips. What Is Ultra-Contemporary Art? According to Artnet News’ original definition, ultra-contemporary art “strictly applies to artists born from 1975 to the present day, as a way to bring valuable visibility to the youngest talents with strengthening secondary markets.” The term implies the sharpest part of the cutting edge. Ultra-contemporary artists usually are extremely new to the market, have comparatively small price history lists, and boast a Goldilocks amount of available work. Some have not even enjoyed their first museum exhibition before their art crosses the auction block. Today, ultra-contemporary art is a rapidly expanding terrain. New auction stars emerge regularly as collectors turn away from the predominantly white and male old guard to more diverse upstarts. These artists often…
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Auction ResultA Historical Document and Important Pieces of Contemporary Art Fetch Record Prices During Sotheby’s New York Marquee Week
Roy Lichtenstein, Two Paintings, 1983, from the Collection of Douglas S. Cramer. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s. A series of major auctions during Sotheby’s New York marquee week offered some of the most prized and valuable assets in the auction industry. The historic week totaled a record USD 1.33 billion in sales for the auction house. Kicking off Sotheby’s New York marquee week auctions was the white-glove Macklowe Collection. The first part of the famed collection brought in a whopping $676 million. Sotheby’s witnessed strong results throughout the week, breaking the record for an important historical document. A single copy of the United States Constitution sold for $43.2 million in a single-lot auction. The selling price listed is inclusive of Sotheby's buyer's premium and overhead premium. Claude Monet, Coin du bassin aux nymphéas, 1918. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s. Modern Evening Auction The first event of Sotheby’s New York marquee week fetched a total closing amount of $282.9 million. The Modern Evening Auction, led by one of Frida Kahlo’s last and most important masterpieces, yielded a personal record for the artist. Diego y yo, dated 1949, sold for $34.9 million. It also set a new benchmark for a work of Latin American art at auction. Claude Monet’s Coin du bassin aux nymphéas sold for $50.8 million, topping the sale with the highest closing bid. Featuring the theme of water lilies, the painting enjoys a profound spot in the artist’s oeuvre and remains one of the most iconic pieces of the Impressionist movement. Yoshitomo Nara, Nice to See You Again, 1996. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s. The Now Evening Auction Bridging the various techniques and trends that shaped art over the last 20 years, the Now Evening Auction highlighted works by notable contemporary artists like Mark Bradford and Matthew Wong. A 1996 artwork by Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara titled Nice to See You Again sold for $15.4 million. Another important lot from the evening event was a Banksy artwork titled Trolley Hunters. This particular lot sold for $6.7 million. The painting previously appeared in Barely Legal, a Banksy exhibition in Los Angeles that helped…
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Auction IndustryUnderappreciated Contemporary Artists in the Limelight at Stair’s December Auction
Robert Mapplethorpe, Patti Smith (With Neck Brace), 1978. Image courtesy of Stair. Stair’s early December art auction will put underappreciated contemporary artists on the global map this season. Stair is summing up 2021 with an amalgamation of works spanning the 20th and 21st centuries. The sale offers paintings, works on paper, sculpture, and photography from European and American artists working in modern and post-war modalities. The catalog includes a sculptural chair by Donald Judd, as well as photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe, Brassaï, and Andy Warhol. However, it’s the works from Pintupi artist Ronnie Tjampitjinpa, Iraqi artist Saadi Al Kaabi, Polish sculptor Igor Mitoraj, and American artist Jane Hammond that cannot be missed. Before the bidding begins, Auction Daily takes a look at these underappreciated contemporary artists who are showcasing their culture in the form of fine art. Igor Mitoraj, Luci di Nara, 1988. Image courtesy of Stair. Fragmented Faces by Igor Mitoraj Fragmented sculptures made Igor Mitoraj (1944 - 2014) one of Europe’s leading sculptors. Mitoraj’s works appear publicly in Washington, Los Angeles, Rome, and London to be observed and, for those who understand their value, admired. “Igor knew how to shape his sculptures drawing inspiration from ancient arts that he made contemporary, that he revived in a personal way,” says his friend and art dealer Stefano Contini. Mitoraj's sculptures are built like the classical Roman ones, but there is a twist. Their fragmented limbs and torsos, their bandaged faces speak volumes about how the artist viewed human bodies that go through degeneration and perhaps a lot of suffering. Luci di Nara, a bronze figure from 1988 by the Polish sculptor is available in Stair’s upcoming sale (estimate: USD 15,000 - $30,000). The British Museum in London installed a large-scale version of this sculpture in 2002. Saadi Al Kaabi, Untitled, 1998. Image courtesy of Stair. Untitled Paintings From Saadi Al Kaabi Like Mitoraj, human forms have an important place in Saadi Al Kaabi’s paintings. A graduate of Baghdad’s Institute of Fine Arts in 1960, Al Kaabi was also actively involved in the avant-garde modern art scene. His take on the human…
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Auction Industry, Press ReleaseWith a Stellar Panel of Collectors, Curators, Gallerists and Auction House Experts, Asia Week New York Zooms-in on Collecting Contemporary Asian Art, Thursday December 2 at 5:00 p.m.
New York: Continuing their series of lively and thought-provoking webinars, Asia Week New York is pleased to present Ahead of the Curve: Collecting Contemporary Asian Art, a webinar on Thursday, December 2 at 5:00 p.m. EST. To register click here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4ZviiQjzQruACvCh40kdNA As contemporary Asian artists find more inventive forms, styles and media to express their creativity, there are more opportunities to entice collectors–both novice and seasoned–to start or build upon a new or existing collection. Whether it’s a geometric-shaped Japanese bamboo basket, a complex Chinese ink drawing from a young emerging artist, a dramatic contemporary Japanese photograph or a contemporary Indian painting, there is one thing that unites them: the collector’s discerning eye. The Diane and Arthur Abbey Collection of Japanese Bamboo Baskets at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Courtesy Diane and Arthur Abbey) In partnership with Joan B Mirviss LTD, the panel discussion will spotlight four areas of contemporary Asian art: Chinese ink painting, bamboo art, South Asian art, and Asian photography. With expert insights from gallery owners, auction house experts and curators, alongside their passionate collecting clients, Ahead of the Curve will examine how this flourishing of contemporary Asian art has opened up exciting avenues of interest for savvy collectors. The panelists will discuss the challenges of being at the forefront of their fields: in introducing and promoting an unfamiliar medium, changing public perceptions, establishing new relationships with artists, and illuminating their quality and artistic merits to institutions and the general public. This essential discussion will be moderated by Joan Mirviss, who herself has pioneered the collecting of contemporary Japanese ceramics. The distinguished panel includes: Diane and Arthur Abbey have been collecting Japanese bamboo baskets for over 25 years. The culmination of their collecting resulted in a 2017-2018 groundbreaking eight-month exhibition of 90 of their pieces in the Japanese galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, attended by more than 400,000 visitors. Their outstanding collection, which has been gifted to The Met, helped fill a museum gap in the Met’s Japanese Collection. The couple worked closely with the entire Met’s Asian Department–particularly with Monika Bincsik, who served as…
