“contemporary” About 92
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Auction ResultWayne Thiebaud’s $3.3 million ‘Civic Center’ tops Sotheby’s $32 million Contemporary Curated Sale in New York
NEW YORK, NY.- Last Friday in New York, Sotheby’s Contemporary Curated sale totaled $32 million with 79% of lots sold, and more than half of all sold lots achieving prices above their high estimates. Wayne Thiebaud, Civic Center, signed and dated 1986 twice, oil on canvas.Estimate $2.5/3.5 million. Sold for $3.3 million. Courtesy Sotheby's. Charlotte Van Dercook, Head of Sotheby’s Contemporary Curated auctions in New York, said: “We are thrilled with the results from last Friday’s sale, as we continued the tremendous momentum for the sale series, achieving our fourth consecutive total above $30 million. Led by exceptional examples by Wayne Thiebaud, Donald Judd, Lee Bontecou, Yoshitomo Nara and David Hockney, we saw a depth of bidding across categories, medium, and period, with particular interest from private collectors. We were also excited to see exceptional results for contemporary female artists, which attracted strong bidding throughout both sessions, highlighted by the new auction record for Simone Leigh, as well as outstanding prices for works by Lisa Yuskavage, Elizabeth Peyton, and Julie Curtiss.” Wayne Thiebaud, Civic Center, signed and dated 1986 twice, oil on canvas. Estimate $2.5/3.5 million. Sold for $3.3 millionThe morning session began with a trio of California landscapes by Wayne Thiebaud, which together outperformed their $5 million high estimate to achieve $5.3 million. Leading the group was Civic Center, a radiant and expansive oil from 1986 that brought $3.3 million. A particularly warm and sensual example of Thiebaud’s Delta Paintings, River Ponds from 1998 sold for 1.3 million, besting its $1.2 million high estimate. The wonderfully rhythmic oil painting memorializes the artist’s deep connection with California’s Sacramento River Delta—his home for the past several decades—and demonstrates the masterful handling of pigment for which he is known. Palm Ridge Intersection, a meticulous and dynamic work on paper from 1989, more than doubled the $300,000 high estimate to achieve $698,000. Yoshitomo Nara, Fire, signed, titled and dated 2009 on the reverse, acrylic on wood panel. Estimate $700/900,000. Sold for $1.2 millionAcquired by the present owner in 2010, Yoshitomo Nara’s Fire from 2009 sold for $1.2 million, surpassing its $900,000 high estimate. In Fire, Nara…
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Art IndustryBrowngrotta Arts Presents Transforming Tradition: Japanese and Korean Contemporary Craft
An online exclusive exhibition on Artsy, March 1 - 31, 2020 | www.artsy.net | www.browngrotta.com In honor of Asia Art Week 2020 this March, browngrotta arts has collated contemporary works by 12 artists born in Japan and Korea for an online exhibition, Transforming Tradition: Japanese and Korean Contemporary Craft. The works include ceramics, weavings, baskets and sculptures made of paper and silk.Notable in the exhibition are paper sculptures by Naomi Kobayashi and an elegant silk thread assemblage by her late husband, Masakazu Kobayashi. The couple often collaborated, working on installations that combined elements created by each of them. “These works express a shared vision and such common themes as the tranquility of nature, the infinity of the universe and the Japanese spirit," Masakuzu once explained. "Naomi and I work in fiber because natural materials have integrity, are gentle and flexible. In my own work, I search for an equilibrium between my capacity as a creator and the energy of the world around me.”Keiji Nio’s interlaced wall work is inspired by a haiku, Rough Sea of Sado, from Japanese haiku master Matsuo Basho’s haiku series. In it, Basho describes the deep blue waves of the Sea of Japan as they are reflected in the night sky and the light blue waves hitting the beach. The work incorporates ribbons on which Nio has screened images from the sea and tiny pebbles from the shore. Nio is a faculty member at the Kyoto University of Art & Design, who combines industrial and natural materials in his works to make statements about nature and man’s relationship to the world.Several ceramics by Yasuhisa Kohyama, are included in Transforming Tradition. Kohyama is a renowned Shigaraki potter who uses ancient techniques to explore new forms. He gained widespread attention in Japan in the 60s when he built one of the first anagama kilns since medieval times. Collectors and museums have been quick to acquire his works, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Gardiner Museum of Art in Toronto, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Museum of Art and Craft in Hamburg and the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural…
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Auction IndustryContemporary Artists and Prisoners Collaborate on Unique Artworks in Exhibition and Online Auction
Ai Weiwei, Odyssey in Quilting, 2019. Quilt. Dimensions: 200 by 240cm. Cotton, printed with embroidery embellishments. Courtesy Fine Cell Work © Ai Weiwei. LONDON.-Fine Cell Work announces Human Touch, a ground-breaking collaboration between international contemporary artists and stitchers working in prisons, trained by this leading charity and social enterprise. Artists and stitchers have worked to create unique works of art which are on show at Sotheby’s London galleries from 26 February until 3 March 2020, and offered for sale by Fine Cell Work. All proceeds go to Fine Cell Work, working to enable prisoners across Britain to build fulfilling and crime free-lives by training them to do high-quality creative needlework, and thereby helping to foster hope, discipline and self-esteem. The participating artists are: Ai Weiwei, Idris Khan, Carolina Mazzolari, Annie Morris, Cornelia Parker, Bob and Roberta Smith, Wolfgang Tillmans, Francis Upritchard. Working with each artist’s narrative, highly skilled prisoners based around the UK have stitched the works. Pieces include Odyssey in Quilting, an intricate large-scale hand-embroidered quilt designed by Ai Weiwei, measuring 200 x 240 cm which depicts the transition of migrants across the globe. In close collaboration with the artist, 13 stitchers in eight prisons have brought this project to life. Ai Weiwei’s backing of the charity’s transformative work with prisoners builds on his ongoing political activism and passionate support for human rights. Via a personal letter to the prisoners after months of meticulous work, Ai Weiwei concluded the collaboration by saying: “Finally, you reach the point when I would say it is perfect. There is so much language in between, it does not show on the work the communication, trust and understanding of the process and joy of making pieces like this. I think the final resulting piece is a beautiful art work.” Stitcher Ben, who worked on five panels of the Ai Weiwei quilt said: “The sections took over 200 hours to complete. Being able to be part of this project has been an honour and an achievement for myself. For this piece of work to be allowed to be stitched by people who have their own battles…
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Auction IndustryKim Jones of Dior Men & Sotheby’s Team Up For ‘Contemporary Curated’ Auction This March In New York
Ed Ruscha, Oaks, Oats. 1977. Estimate: $200,000-300,000. Courtesy Sotheby's. NEW YORK, NY.- Today Sotheby’s unveiled highlights from their Contemporary Curated sale on 6 March in New York. This season, Sotheby's welcomes guest curator Kim Jones, one of the fashion industry’s preeminent voices who currently serves as Artistic Director for Dior Men Ready-to-Wear and Accessories. As the curator, Jones lends his celebrated eye to select his favourite works from the 250+ lots on offer. His selections include outstanding works by Cindy Sherman, David Hockney, Ed Ruscha, Kerry James Marshall, Nick Cave and Richard Prince, among others, reflecting his unique taste and distinct vision. The March sale presents an extraordinary selection of pieces spanning the past seven decades of art history, anchored by exceptional artworks from some of the 20th and 21st century’s greatest creative voices, such as Wayne Thiebaud, Joan Mitchell, Lee Bontecou, John McCracken, Simone Leigh, Yoshitomo Nara and George Condo. Further distinguishing the March offering, an impressive ensemble of works from renowned private collections will also be on offer, including the collection of Robert A. Bernhard, the Levy Family collection, the collection of Pat and Michael York and the collection of Marc Jacobs. An exemplary assortment of Latin American post-war and Contemporary artists, ranging from Carlos Cruz-Diez to Fernando Botero and Olga de Amaral are also represented in the March offering. “Both fashion and art are within culture, and I draw inspiration from both. And it’s an organic relationship for me. From the beginning of fashion, designers work with artists and artists work with designers, it kind of goes hand in hand.” Kim Jones In March 2018, Jones was appointed as Artistic Director of Dior Men Ready-to-Wear and Accessories collections. His first collection was presented in June 2018, during the Paris Men’s fashion week. Jones has collaborated with visual artists including KAWS, Hajime Sorayama, Raymond Pettibon, Alex Foxton and Daniel Arsham among others. In 2019, Jones received GQ China’s Designer of the Year Award, the British Fashion Council’s British Designer of the Year Award, GQ Germany’s Designer of the Year Award and British GQ’s Designer of the Year Award. Born in London…
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Auction IndustryChristie’s contemporary sale fails to pack a punch as auction house records lowest total in a decade
Brexit casts a shadow over consignments in London, but young American female painters add some pizazz Andy Warhol, Muhammad Ali (1977) sold for almost £5m Courtesy of Christie's Consigning for Christie’s contemporary art evening sale last night was, by all accounts, brutally difficult and it showed in the total: £46.8m (£56.2m with fees)—down around 30% on last year and the auction house’s lowest result for this season in a decade. The pre-sale estimate was £43.4m-£62.3m. A dearth of big-ticket lots—none breached the £5m mark—contributed to the drop; last year Christie’s bottom line was boosted by a David Hockney double portrait, which sold for for £33m (£37.7m with fees). It was also a Hockney that swelled Sotheby’s coffers by £21m (£23.2m with premium) on Tuesday night, albeit on a single bid, possibly to the guarantor. Acknowledging “it was not our season for masterpieces”, Cristian Albu, Christie’s co-head of contemporary art, said after the sale that three years’ of Brexit had put a strain on business, as had the added uncertainty of a general election, which landed in the middle of the winter consignment period. Perhaps out of necessity, Christie’s “tried to make the sale more diverse”, Albu said, and generally the room responded well, with only 11 lots selling on a single bid. There was some pizazz around the first three lots, which foregrounded young female painters from the US. Jordan Casteel’s tender portrait of her mother from 2013, acquired by the consignor from the artist in 2014 and just off view from Denver Art Museum, attracted multiple bids, doubling its high estimate to sell to a phone bidder for £420,000 (£515,000)—a record for the artist. Jordan Casteel, Mom (2013) sold for £515,250 Courtesy of Chrisitie's Asian underbidders, meanwhile, drove up the prices for Dana Schutz and Tschabalala Self, in second and third place, respectively. Schutz’s cacophonous painting, Kissing the Dump (2004), just nudged its high estimate, selling to Alice de Roquemaurel, Christie’s head of private sales in Europe, for £570,000 (£695,250 with fees). Self’s, Spare Moment, executed in 2015, the year before she was propelled onto the global stage, had six phone bidders, but Katherine Arnold, Christie’s co-head of contemporary…
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ArtistsThese Major Contemporary Artists Are Passionate Collectors of Outsider Art
Helen RaeMay 10, 2019, 2019Andrew Edlin Gallery Susan Te Kahurangi KingUntitled, c. 1975Andrew Edlin Gallery Ever wondered what’s in Cindy Sherman’s art collection? Well, it certainly includes at least one quirky sculpture by Mr. Imagination, a Chicago-born outsider artist whose preferred media included bottle caps and molding sand. Sherman’s Mr. Imagination piece is a simple paintbrush that is painted to resemble a black man with a vertical shock of hair. The Pictures Generation star also owns a dramatic photo booth snap by Lee Godie; prints by Morton Bartlett, best known for staging eerie black-and-white tableaux using dolls; and a drawing by Lady Shalimar, an agoraphobic artist who expressed herself through an ongoing series of flamboyant self-portraits. These highlights from Sherman’s private collection were on loan recently for “Relishing the Raw,” an excellent mini-exhibition curated by critic Paul Laster that was hosted within this year’s edition of the Outsider Art Fair (OAF) in New York. Laster’s goal was simple: to tap well-known contemporary artists who have a passion for self-taught, marginalized, and otherwise off-the-beaten-path talents. The show wasn’t simply a voyeuristic chance to see the kind of work artists are buying in their spare time. Laster’s savvy curation connected the dots between these outsider artists and the contemporary masters who collect them, spotlighting shared resonances and styles. KAWS, for instance, contributed a lively colored-pencil drawing of a woman struggling with a pile of chairs; it’s by Helen Rae, an octogenarian artist who makes work at First Street Gallery and Art Center, a California-based center for creatives with disabilities. The piece shares a certain comic sensibility, vibrant color palette, and chaotic energy with KAWS’s own paintings. The artist, who recently joined the board of the American Folk Art Museum, is also an avid collector of the drawings of Susan Te Kahurangi King—not included in the Outsider Art Fair exhibition this year—which appropriate well-known cartoon characters into implausible, fantastical scenes. Laster was delighted to find other aesthetic connections. Chris Martin, for instance—a painter prone to messy abstraction, with the occasional collaged element—owns work by Purvis Young. The painting that hung at “Relishing the Raw” resembles a rough, colorful landscape, completed over several scraps of layered canvas. Laurie Simmons—known for carefully composed photographs…
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Auction PreviewGrand Auction to be held on the Classic and Contemporary items by Rago
A grand auction is to be held by Rago with some prominent classic and contemporary items. There are different selling pieces ranging from mid-century to modern designs which will be showcased in the upcoming auction. The auction will also feature an assortment of lighting, furniture, and ornamental metalwork by Oscar Bach. The enthusiasts with a desire to buy the classic and contemporary collections can get a large number of items at the Rago auction. You can be a proud owner of the antiques that belong to the American, Continental and English origin. Given below are some of the items that stand-apart and have a notable history too. All important information about the products is available on Bidsquare. IMPORTANT OSCAR BACH SERVING TABLE The Important Oscar Bach Serving Table is one of the most magnificent items among the Classic and Contemporary pieces. The serving table is from USA and made during 1922-23. The table is decorated with bronze, iron, copper and heraldic motifs. The item is in good condition; however, you may find a chip in the corner and bends in the elements. The marble has also undergone repairing. The starting bid of the item is $2500 that is the highest of all the Oscar Bach items. The projected estimate is $5000 to $7000. If you are interested in Oscar Bach products, then do check out the Oscar Bach Console Table with hoofed feet and the Rare Oscar Bach Tazza. LOUIS TAVELLI (American, 1914-2010) This classic painting of Louis Tavelli is named Altamira, #1. It is one of the best examples of contemporary art and has an American origin. The oil-on-canvas painting is in good condition. However, there are some abrasions present. The dimension of the item is 57 ½”x84”. The starting bid of the painting is $1800 and the estimated value is $3500 to $5500. These paintings are a delight to get hold of. A mix of definitive and modern-day art, another Louis Tavelli diptych painting that you must check is the Altamira, #0 and Untitled (abstract blue and white) triptych media on canvas. IMPRESSIVE KPM PORCELAIN MANTLE CLOCK The…
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Auction PreviewPalm Beach Modern Auctions Presents Premium-Quality Modern and Contemporary Art and Design, Nov. 24
Two days after America celebrates Thanksgiving in traditional style, Palm Beach Modern Auctions (PBMA) will add to the holiday spirit with its own bounteous feast of modern and contemporary art at a Saturday, November 24 auction. In addition to offering guests rare and impeccably documented works by the most sought-after names in design, co-owners Rico Baca and Wade Terwilliger will host a catered buffet lunch, and there will be complimentary valet parking and many other perks. Joan Miro (Spanish, 1893-1983), Personnage Au Nez Rouge, painted and glazed assembled ceramic, 17.5in. x 13in. Listed in artist's catalogue raisonne. Provenance (partial): Galerie Maeght, Paris; Pierre Matisse Gallery, Mr. & Mrs. Morton Neumann, Chicago; et al. Estimate: $300,000-$500,000 Jeff Koons, (American, 1955-), metallic Limoges porcelain animals: Balloon Swan (Yellow), Balloon Rabbit (Red) and Balloon Monkey (Blue). Ed. of 999, artist-signed, marked, individually boxed. Estimate: $40,000-$60,000 As guests settle in, they will see "one of the most beautiful and carefully vetted 'shows' in the art and design world," said Baca. Picasso, Miro, Koons, Wesselmann, Bertoia and Tagliapietra are just a few of the names gracing the 546-lot auction lineup. A premier art entry is a painted and glazed bas-relief ceramic work by Joan Miro (Spanish, 1893-1983), titled Personnage Au Nez Rouge. Highly important and listed in the artist's catalogue raisonne, its impressive trail of provenance includes, in part, Galerie Maeght, Paris; Pierre Matisse Gallery, Mr. & Mrs. Morton Neumann, Chicago; and Russeck Gallery of Palm Beach. Estimate: $300,000-$500,000 A mini menagerie of Jeff Koons metallic Limoges porcelain animals from the Celebration series consists of Balloon Swan (Yellow), Balloon Rabbit (Red) and Balloon Monkey (Blue). Artist-signed, marked and from an edition of 999, the whimsical trio is entered with a $40,000-$60,000 estimate. Palm Beach Modern Auctions is honored to be auctioning artworks from the estate of artist and fashion designer Michaele Vollbracht (American, 1947-2018). A key holding from Vollbracht's personal collection, a 1956 Francis Newton Souza (Indian, 1924-2002) painting titled Blond Nude, is estimated at $40,000-$60,000. A desirable Harry Bertoia (1915-1978) Willowstainless steel sculpture stands 68 inches high and comes with extensive provenance and a copy of a letter of authentication issued by Bertoia Studio in Bally, Pennsylvania. Its pre-sale estimate is $50,000-$80,000. A wonderful selection of pottery comes from the 40-year collection of retired magazine…
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ExhibitionsArt Cologne Adds Exhibitors to Its Strong Roster of International Modern to Contemporary Art Galleries
Stand: Laurent Godin, Halle 11.2 200 globally renowned galleries from 28 countries will gather in Cologne, Germany, from April 26-29, showing works by around 2,000 artists The 51st ART COLOGNE promises to be the best yet, presenting 200 of the most important galleries of the international art world, including renowned new participants like Gagosian, David Kordansky, Daniel Templon and WHITE CUBE. The range of offerings extends from Modern and Postwar Art to Contemporary Art in the sector GALLERIES. The NEUMARKT section, composed of two areas, will celebrate its premiere in the coming year, presenting a new focus on young galleries and on selected curated projects between galleries in the NEUMARKT COLLABORATIONS section. Stand: Werble, Halle 11.3 ART COLOGNE 2017 gathers together the most relevant galleries from the international and German art scenes including 39 newcomers. Particularly worthy of mention in the contemporary section are Hauser & Wirth, David Zwirner, Sprüth Magers, Thaddaeus Ropac, Hans Mayer, OMR, Pearl Lam, Max Hetzler, Karsten Greve, Daniel Buchholz as well as high quality newcomers like Gagosian, David Kordansky, Daniel Templon and White Cube amongst others. New exhibitors participating in the Modern and Postwar section include Le Minotaure (Paris), Thole Rotermund (Hamburg), Derda Berlin (Berlin) and Zlotowski (Paris), who join long term exhibitors Thomas (Munich), von Vertes (Zurich) as well as Ben Brown Fine Arts (Hong Kong, London). Stand: Klaus Benden, Halle 11.1 Numerous young French galleries are participating in the NEUMARKT section for the first time, including Samy Abraham (Paris), Antoine Levi (Paris) and Joseph Tang (Paris) along with other leading cutting edge galleries such as ESSEX STREET (New York), LambdaLambdaLambda (Pristina), Project Native Informant (London), Deborah Schamoni (Munich), The Journal Gallery (New York), Teminkova & Kasela (Taalin), Max Mayer (Dusseldorf) and Jan Kaps (Cologne).
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Auction IndustryBowl by rising star potter expected to deliver a handsome return on investment
The 18cm high hand-built black and white stepped rim bowl by John Ward (b.1939), bought two decades ago for £595, has a guide of £8000-12,000. STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET.- A vendor who bought a piece of studio pottery simply ‘because she liked it’ is expected to receive a handsome return on her investment when the piece comes to auction in October. The 18cm high hand-built black and white stepped rim bowl by John Ward (b.1939), bought two decades ago for £595, has a guide of £8000-12,000 at Sworders on October 13. The vendor is a friend of dealer Ian Courcoux whose gallery Courcoux & Courcoux Contemporary Art in the picturesque village of Nether Wallop in Hampshire represented then rising star potter John Ward. In April 2001, having “been hankering after one of his black and white a pots for sometime”, they finally purchased one. It retains its original receipt for £595. In the intervening years the market for contemporary British ceramics, often referred to as studio pottery has changed markedly. Alongside the superstar names such as Dame Lucie Rie (1902-95) and her protegé Hans Coper (1920-81), the market had broadened to embrace a wider number of first, second and third generation potters. Ward’s prices in particular have spiked in the last decade with the current record standing at £18,000. It is the minimalist black and white coiled stoneware vessels with matt glazes that have become his signature pieces. Sworders’ vendor had been unaware of the changing values until recently flicking through a copy of Country Life magazine. “We bought it because we liked it and were intrigued that it was a hand-built pot. We read in Country Life that its brethren had recently sold well and decided to sell. We will replace it with a young potters work.” Ward came to his career in ceramics later in life, having first worked as a cameraman at the BBC. Studying under both Rie and Coper at the Camberwell School of Art in the late 1960s, he took his first workshop in London in 1971 before moving to Pembrokeshire to pursue a full-time career in 1979.
