“contemporary” About 206
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Auction PreviewRichter To Calder: Bonhams’ Auction to Feature Post-War and Contemporary Artists
This November, Bonhams will offer over 40 notable artworks by post-war and contemporary artists. Leading the sale is an oil painting from Gerhard Richter. Completed in 1988, this untitled piece comes from Richter’s Abstraktes Bild series. The series marked the peak of Richter’s career as he experimented with the idea of abstraction. In the available piece, he combined troweling, scraping, and brushing methods with his signature squeegee technique. That involves applying layers of paint and dragging them across the canvas. The auction will also highlight a sculpture from renowned American artist Alexander Calder. He revolutionized the course of Modern art with his innovation of suspended sheet metal and wire sculptures. This particular piece, titled Little Red and Blue, is associated with 20th-century sculptural abstraction. It is one of the last pieces he completed before his untimely death in 1976. Also highlighted is a sculpture of a boxing hare by Barry Flanagan, a Welsh sculptor known for his depictions of anthropomorphic figures. To view the complete catalog and register to bid online, visit Bonhams.
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Auction PreviewChristie’s to Offer a Selection of Spanish Colonial Paintings and Contemporary Masterpieces in Upcoming Sale
A well-known Nicaraguan painter, Armando Morales (1927-2011) was an acclaimed figure in Central American art. He received his first award at the Central American Painting Contest in 1956 and later exhibited at various shows in Paris. The subject matter of his paintings often referred to the Latin American region. The upcoming Latin American Art auction, presented by Christie's, features an oil on canvas piece by Morales, titled Place de la Gare, voitures, personages, III. The piece was painted in 1999. Another highlight of the auction is a plywood and maple installation by Los Carpinteros. A Cuban artist collective formed in 1992 in Havana, Los Carpinteros was founded by Dagoberto Rodriguez Sanchez, Marco Antonio Castillo Valdes, and Alexandre Arrechea. Bringing back the traditional artisan guild system, the members of the group integrated elements of design, architecture, and sculpture in their installations. Arturo Herrera’s untitled collage on acid-free paper is another lot of interest in the sale. The globally-renowned Venezuelan visual artist is best known for blending cartoons and collage. To view the complete catalog and register to bid online, visit Christie's.
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Auction PreviewBidsquare-Exclusive Auction Connects Contemporary and Historical American Art
British painter David Shepherd was working as an aviation artist when he visited Kenya for the first time in the 1960s. The trip prompted the development of his now-iconic depictions of African wildlife. Available in Coeur d’Alene Art Auction’s upcoming sale is Serengeti Skies, a 1977 painting from Shepherd. “Although I generally find most inspiration in the hot, dry, yellow bush of Africa, the Serengeti Plains at their most dramatic have a magic all their own,” he said about the work. “Surely this is the place for great African skyscapes.” The sale will feature other notable landscapes, including contemporary artist Luke Frazier’s When the Mountain Speaks. This oil painting was completed in 2020 specifically for this auction. A key historical American and Western art piece on offer is Harvey Dunn’s Midnight Posse [or] Hungry Banditos. Executed while Dunn was a rising illustrator, the painting’s success was boosted by the artist’s association with The Saturday Evening Post. An oceanic painting by Sydney Laurence will be presented alongside bronze sculptures and photographic prints depicting Native American culture. Place a bid for any of these items exclusively on Bidsquare.
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Auction PreviewRago’s Upcoming Sale Explores Modern and Contemporary Art
“Art is a simplification of life,” American artist James Brooks told The New York Times in 1975. “A distillation of life with fewer impurities in it. Fewer elements, perhaps.” Brooks used these principles to develop his distinct paintings challenging calligraphy, color, and form. Two examples of his work, respectively titled A.M. and P.M., will come to auction in October with Rago. The former uses shades of red, yellow, and orange to depict abstract, overlapping shapes. The latter offers a blue, white, and black variation on the same theme. The upcoming 20 | 21 Art auction explores Modern and Contemporary art that has pushed the boundaries of multiple mediums. A 1991 photograph from Sandy Skoglund is one example, showing dozens of squirrels positioned around a pink-hued house. The squirrels appear to be inside the home as well, transforming from a dark gray color to pastel pink. Other notable lots in the sale include two untitled sketches from Colombian painter Luis Caballero, a painted five-panel screen by Christian Peltenburg-Brechneff, and a selection of photography. To browse the catalog and place a bid, visit Bidsquare.
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Auction PreviewContemporary Native American Art
The Contemporary Native American Art auction, offered by Hindman, is anchored by several works of metal and turquoise. One such piece is a squash blossom necklace with matching earrings by Navajo silversmith Darren Livingston. He began learning his trade from his father, Paul Livingston, at the age of 13 and developed a strong interest in Navajo-style jewelry with metals and traditional stones. Both Livingston’s contemporary designs and his vintage-looking works are now in high demand. Also in the sale is a sculpture titled Earth Mother by artist and educator Allan Houser. Though well-known and respected as an artist throughout his career as a teacher, Houser was most active after his retirement in 1975. This piece is from that later period. Houser’s work has been shown at the United Nations, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Smithsonian Institution. Further pieces in the sale include redware seed jars by Joseph Lonewolf, weaving works by Carolyn Segay, fine art prints by Fritz Scholder, and more. View any of these lots and register to bid on Bidsquare.
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Auction PreviewContemporary Curated
This Contemporary Curated Sale, presented by Sotheby’s, offers more than 200 works of fine art. Highlighted among the lots is a painting from Kenneth Noland’s Target series, inspired by the Color Field art movement. Noland created these works by spreading thinned paint on a canvas and then moving his colors in concentric circles. The available piece, titled Ember, is a strong example of Noland’s painting style. Other contemporary art on offer includes Robert Indiana’s Love sculpture. This particular design became widely popularized in the American art scene in 1970. The offered piece depicts the iconic Pop Art image in red with a blue and green interior. According to the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Barbara Haskell, the tilted O in the word indicates the instability of relationships. Also available is an alkyd on paper piece by American artist Christopher Wool. Against the white background, Wool employs some of his recurring flora and fauna motifs. This piece was produced between 1993 and 1994. Those interested in this or any other lot can register to bid on the Sotheby’s website.
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Auction PreviewPost War and Contemporary Art
Alexander Calder, Mel Ramos, and Bob Thompson are just a few of the artists highlighted in the upcoming Post War and Contemporary Art auction, presented by Hindman. At the top of the sale is a sculpture by Alexander Calder, an American artist known for his abstract hanging sculptures made with bent and twisted wire. The artist is also known for his public sculptures throughout the United States and around the world. Featured in this auction is his 1947 piece titled Triple Cross. It measures 31.5 inches tall by 37 inches long. The sculpture is comprised of sheet metal, wire, and paint. Mel Ramos was an American Pop Art painter who specialized in female nudes and superheroes combined with everyday consumer goods, including candy and cigarette packs. Showcased here is an oil painting titled Mixed Nuts: The Lost Painting of 1965. The piece features a pin-up model leaning over a can of Planters Mixed Nuts. It is signed and dated on the back. Works by Alfredo Jarr, Jenny Holzer, and Keith Jacobshagen can also be found. View the whole collection and register to bid at Bidsquare.
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Auction PreviewContemporary, Outdoor and Decorative Arts
The work of Scottish artist Jacqueline Marr can be compared to the old Renaissance masters, especially given the artist’s close attention to lighting. “I strive to bring the paint to life,” she says in her biography, “to allow my figures, my subject to emerge from the canvas, stepping out from the stretched linen and into reality.” An oil painting from Marr will be featured in the upcoming Contemporary, Outdoor, and Decorative Arts sale, presented by Nadeau’s Auction Gallery. The piece is a variation on Théodore Géricault’s 19th-century Romantic painting titled The Raft of the Medusa. Pulling a small detail from the center of the shipwrecked scene, Marr depicts a survivor lying face-down in a pair of jeans. Porcelain collectors will find a selection of Boehm birds in the sale, including a woodpecker designed by Edward Marshall. The black-and-white bird is shown perched on a piece of wood with outstretched wings. Pairs of wood thrushes, red-winged blackbirds, swans, and horned larks will also be available from Boehm. Other offerings range from a D.H. Baldwin baby grand piano to vintage class rings. Register to bid for any of the above items on Bidsquare.
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Auction PreviewSouth Asian Modern + Contemporary Art
Christie’s will present 56 lots of South Asian contemporary and modern art during the upcoming Asian Art Week. Vasudeo S. Gaitonde’s untitled 1983 painting is among the lots coming to auction for the first time. This green and blue piece grew out of Gaitonde’s exposure to Abstract Expressionism in the 1960s and was one of the last large paintings he completed before a debilitating car accident. Several other prominent South Asian artists are also represented, including Maqbool Fida Husain and Francis Newton Souza. The sale also features rising contemporary artists, from a lighted installation by Shilpa Gupta to miniature painting by Imran Qureshi. Opening the sale is a portfolio of seven prints from prominent Indian-American artist Zarina. Active through the 20th century, she experienced temporary displacement early in life due to the Partition of India. The available portfolio continues the artist’s career-long discussion of the concept of ‘home,’ something she felt she never found. “I do not feel at home anywhere,” she said, “but the idea of home follows me wherever I go.” Seven prints, each paired with a short line of text, are included in the portfolio. Find out more information about Zarina in this Auction Daily article. Visit Christie’s for the complete auction catalog and to place a bid.
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Auction PreviewModern & Contemporary African Art
Irma Stern’s Swahili Woman is one of the highlighted lots in the upcoming Modern & Contemporary African Art auction, presented by Bonhams. The 1945 oil painting depicts an East African woman in a traditional hand-painted robe, slightly smiling and lost in thought. A South African painter, Stern was known for her Zanzibar paintings, mainly portraits of Arab and East African subjects. As the auction house notes, “In Zanzibar, she found a different stimulus in the narrow streets and ancient houses of Stone Town, and the striking faces and distinctive robes of its residents.” This event offers 40 modern and contemporary African fine art pieces. Among them is Athi-Patra Ruga’s Ilulwane as uNtsikana, a portrait of a male figure. Many of Ruga’s works examine the physical body related to sexuality and culture— often expressed using the artist’s own experiences. The piece shows the titular character reflected in the mirror as the visionary Xhosa prophet, Ntsikana. Those interested in modern African art can also consider Toyin Ojih Odutola’s The Original (Binary State). Executed in 2008, the work shows the use of ballpoint pens, pencils, and ink. Register to bid for these lots by visiting Bonhams.
