Modern & Contemporary Art Day Sale, Afternoon Session [catalogue]

Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

Sale Interest: 30 Lots

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Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

Sale Interest: 30 Lots

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4 May - 14 May

Monday-Saturday 10:00am-6:00pm Sunday 12:00pm-5:00pm

432 Park Avenue, New York, NY, United States, 10022

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When sending in written bids or making enquiries please refer to this sale as NY010324 or Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale.

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Carolyn Kolberg

Associate Specialist, Head of Evening Sale, New York +1 212 940 1206 CKolberg@phillips.com

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

Yayoi Kusama

Nets in the Night (TPXZZOT)

EstimateEstimate

$1,500,000 — 2,000,000

Donald Judd

Untitled

EstimateEstimate

$5,500,000 — 7,500,000

Statue of Liberty

EstimateEstimate

$800,000 — 1,200,000 17

Buste de femme au chapeau

EstimateEstimate

$12,000,000 — 18,000,000

Jean-Michel Basquiat

Untitled (Grain Alcohol)

EstimateEstimate

$1,000,000 — 1,500,000

Robert Mangold

Three works: (i) 1/2 W Series (O…

EstimateEstimate

$600,000 — 900,000

Anxious Red Painting Septembe…

EstimateEstimate

$1,000,000 — 1,500,000 15

George Condo

Focusing on Space

EstimateEstimate

$1,000,000 — 1,500,000

Nu de profil, jambe droite levée

EstimateEstimate

$600,000 — 800,000 20

Grace Hartigan

Montauk Highway

EstimateEstimate

$700,000 — 1,000,000

Rashid Johnson

Andy Warhol

Pablo Picasso

Pierre Bonnard

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

PROPERTY FROM A PRESTIGIOUS COLLECTION, CALIFORNIA

1

Noah Davis

Untitled (Boy with Glasses) signed “Noah Davis” on the reverse oil on canvas

10 x 10 in. (25.4 x 25.4 cm)

Painted in 2010.

EstimateEstimate

$150,000 — 200,000

Go to Lot

Executed in 2010, Untitled(BoywithGlasses)serves as a poignant testament to Noah Davis’ mastery in capturing the essence of everyday life while infusing it with profound emotional resonance. This intimate portrait, executed with Davis’ characteristic blend of realism and introspection, encourages close looking. His small-scale paintings stand out as some of the artist’s most powerful works. As Helen Molesworth extolled, “Davis’ paintings are a crucial part of the rise of figurative and representational painting in the first two decades of the twenty-first century... His pictures can be slightly deceptive; they are modest in scale yet emotionally ambitious.”i Davis, recognizing the potency of his craft, intricately layers his painting—both in substance and concept. Employing a distinct dry paint application, he skillfully depicts a timeless portrayal of a single figure, in the tradition of classical portraiture masters such as Rembrandt and Velázquez, while also drawing inspiration from contemporary figurative artists like Lucian Freud and Alice Neel. There is a tenderness in the mundane and something familiar, imbued with an elusive, almost mystical aura.

“My paintings just have a very personal relationship with the figures in them. They’re about the people around me. I want people to read them like this whilst taking a meaning of their own from each work.” —Noah Davis

At first glance, the composition appears straightforward—a young boy, rendered in meticulous detail, gazes directly at the viewer through oversized spectacles. His expression, a delicate interplay of curiosity and vulnerability, invites contemplation, drawing us into his inner world. The scene is spare, and the palette subdued, leaving the viewer nowhere to look but into the boy’s eyes. Davis constructs a viewing experience that is intimate and without pretense. Yet, beneath the surface simplicity lies a subcurrent of narrative potential, as Davis deftly imbues each careful brushstroke with layers of meaning. Using a mostly dry paintbrush, Davis allows the texture of the canvas to push through, creating a soft and deeply atmospheric effect. This technique imbues the figure with a gossamer-like lightness that makes them seem as if they are not so much painted on the canvas as emerging from within its fibers.

The boy's glasses, the focal point of the composition, serve as a metaphorical lens through which Davis explores themes of perception and introspection. Through these lenses, the boy observes with apprehension and the hint of a smile, as if the looking goes both ways. Davis's nuanced handling of light and shadow further heightens the sense of intimacy, casting subtle nuances of emotion across the boy's features. In the quiet contemplation and understated elegance of the present work, Davis demonstrates his unparalleled ability to infuse the ordinary with a sense of profound significance. Through his masterful use of composition and color, he transforms a seemingly prosaic subject into a poignant meditation on youth, identity, and the human experience.

“[Davis’s] paintings are both figurative and abstract, realistic and dreamlike; they are about blackness and the history of Western painting, drawn from photographs and from life; they are exuberant and doleful in their palette… They tend toward the ravishing.” —Helen Molesworth ii

Alice Neel, ASpanishBoy,1955. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Artwork: © Estate of Alice Neel

Marlene Dumas, Cupid, 1994. Sammlung Moderne Kunst, Munich. Artwork: © Marlene Dumas

While Davis' subject remains anonymous, the idea for the painting was inspired by a high school yearbook photograph that achieved moderate viral acclaim. Davis has subtly altered the boy's clothing and youthful expression, making it challenging to recognize the early visage of Jonathan H. Smith before he became better known by his stage name, Lil Jon. This portrayal captures a less recognized phase of the now flamboyant American music producer and rapper, evoking a sense of personal history and transformation. Davis' canvases often depict Black figures in everyday scenes, drawing inspiration from family photographs, conversations with friends, pop culture, and literary sources. Despite these specific references, in paintings such as Untitled(BoywithGlasses),Davis intentionally leaves the sitter's identity open-ended, which is perhaps the very point; even in anonymity, the boy draws you in. Davis celebrates Black culture and creative legacy both close to

home and in the public eye, underscoring that even before fame, the subject was worthy of the spotlight.

Davis worked mostly from photographs, in the vein of artists such as Luc Tuymans and Marlene Dumas, reminding the viewer that images aren’t unequivocal. The painting intentionally muddies the source material, demanding it’s autonomy. In series like 1975, for instance, he drew from photographs taken by his mother, Faith Childs-Davis, during her teenage years on Chicago’s South Side in the 1970s.iii Other paintings reflect images of life in Los Angeles as captured by his wife, sculptor Karon Davis.iv Asked if his paintings are autobiographical, Davis responded, “They’re not necessarily from my life. They are a mix of things like an old painting I might like and something I’m obsessed with at the moment…Things will really come to me—a family member will come and give me a photo, or I’ll turn a page and just riff on something I see.”v

Davis has described his works as “instances where black aesthetics and modernist aesthetics collide,” and indeed, the present painting is rooted in traditional formal considerations such as line, color, and scale. However, while the anonymity of the subject and the lack of visual context imbue a permanence that allows them to exist outside of time and place, there is something decidedly contemporary in Davis' attention to materiality and the psychological resonance with which he infuses the Black figure. As writer Camila McHugh argues, “Davis’s paintings combine immediacy…with a timelessness—more precisely, a sense of being unstuck in time—that derives in part from his transtemporal source material.”vi

“The references are to things that are approachable and familiar, but the inferences are frequently quite mysterious. The images and figures are often familiar but unattainable, akin to futile attempts to recall a dream after waking.” —Maikoiyo Alley-Barnes

In 2016, Untitled(BoywithGlasses)was displayed at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle as part of YoungBlood:NoahDavis,KahlilJoseph,TheUndergroundMuseum—a two-person exhibition that placed Davis’ work in the context of an extended visual dialogue with his elder brother, artist and filmmaker, Kahlil Joseph. The title "Young Blood" originates from a name given to Davis by Joseph, serving as both an endearing term and a recognition of their shared beginning. The exhibition showcased the largest selection of their work ever displayed in a museum, spanning various mediums such as painting, sculpture, film, and installation. It delved into themes central to Davis's discourse, including access, class, and the establishment of independent art spaces.

The present work installed in YoungBlood:NoahDavis,KahlilJoseph,TheUndergroundMuseum,Frye Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, April 16 – June 19, 2016. Image: Mark Wood, Artwork: © Estate of Noah Davis

“Next to portraits of Charles and Emma Frye, and surrounded by a multitude of canvases of real and imagined worlds, is Davis’s paintingUntitled (Boy with Glasses)… It facesImitation of Wealthand The Underground Museum that would be founded in honor of Keven Davis.” —Helen Molesworth

Davis passed away in 2015 at the young age of 32. He played a pivotal role in the founding of The Underground Museum in Los Angeles, a groundbreaking cultural institution that has left an indelible mark on the city's art scene. In 2012, alongside his wife Karon, Noah envisioned a blackowned-and-operated art space that would transcend traditional gallery settings, providing a platform for underrepresented artists and fostering community engagement. “I like the idea of bringing a high-end gallery into a place that has no cultural outlets within walking distance,” he told the magazine Art in America the following year.vii With a commitment to showcasing museum-quality artwork in an African American and Latinx neighborhood, The Underground Museum became a beacon of inclusivity and creativity under the Davis’ visionary leadership, offering a vibrant space for artistic expression and dialogue. Through his dedication to democratizing access to art and culture, Davis' legacy lives on as an inspiration to artists and art enthusiasts alike, and works such as Untitled(BoywithGlasses)stand as a testament to the power

of his vision.

CCollector’ollector’sDigestsDigest

•In 2022, a selection of the artist's work was presented at the 59th Venice Biennale.

•Davis also featured in historic exhibitions such as 30Americans, organized by the Rubell Family Collection, Miami, which traveled extensively from 2008-2022, and Fore, the fourth in a series of emerging artist exhibitions presented by the Studio Museum, Harlem.

•His paintings are included in numerous permanent collections, including the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.

•In September 2024, a retrospective of Davis’s work will be on view at DAS MINSK Kunsthaus, Potsdam, Germany.viii

i Helen Molesworth, “Noah Davis: Press Release,” DavidZwirnerGallery, New York, 2020, online

ii Helen Molesworth, “Noah Davis, An Introduction,” in NoahDavis. Exh. cat., New York, 2020, p. 7.

iii Exhibition text, “Noah Davis,” DavidZwirnerGallery, London, October 8—November 17, 2021, online.

iv Camila McHugh, “Noah Davis: David Zwirner, London,” Artforum, February 2022, online.

v Noah Davis, quoted in Ed Templeton, “Noah Davis,” ANPQuarterly, Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 12-13, online.

vi Camila McHugh, “Noah Davis: David Zwirner, London,” Artforum, February 2022, online.

vii Noah Davis, quoted in Yael Lipschutz, “Links: Q+A with Noah Davis,” ArtinAmerica, March 7, 2013, online.

viii “Noah Davis: Biography,” David Zwirner Gallery, New York, Accessed April 12, 2024, online.

PrProovvenanceenance

Roberts & Tilton, Los Angeles

Acquired from the above by the present owner

ExhibitedExhibited

Seattle, Frye Art Museum, YoungBlood:NoahDavis,KahlilJoseph,TheUndergroundMuseum, April 16–June 19, 2016, pp. 7, 15, 127-128, 130 (illustrated, p. 15; installation view illustrated, p. 127)

LiteraturLiteraturee

“After an Untimely Death, an Artist's Legacy Lives On in the Museum He Founded,” HuffPost, May 1, 2016, online

Jeannie Yandel, “Why you should go see 'Young Blood' at the Frye (Hint: Beyonce),” KUOW, May 4, 2016, online (Frye Art Museum, Seattle, 2016, installation view illustrated)

NoahDavis, exh. cat., David Zwirner, New York, pp. 78-79, 173 (illustrated, p. 79)

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

2

Derek Fordjour

Numbers

signed and dated "Fordjour '18" on the reverse acrylic, charcoal and oil pastel on newspaper, mounted on canvas

72 x 48 in. (182.9 x 121.9 cm) Executed in 2018.

EstimateEstimate

$400,000 — 600,000

Derek Fordjour’s 2018mixed media painting Numberscritiques the commodification and exploitation of Black labor within the high-stakes arena of professional sports in the United States, serving as a poignant metaphor for the broader stratification of identity within American democracy. Numberswas prominently featured in the 2018 exhibition Sidelinedat Galerie Lelong & Co., New York, which was curated by artist Samuel Levi Jones and inspired by the 2016 protests of NFL players during the national anthem, spearheaded by quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The exhibition brought together artists responding to injustices experienced by people of color both on and off the sports field, including Melvin Edwards and Lauren Halsey, who engage with themes of race, representation, and the spectacle of athleticism throughout their larger practices. In Numbers, Fordjour eloquently illustrates the dichotomy of spectacle versus spectator, capturing a moment that, while seemingly routine, reveals the harsh realities of an industry that thrives on the physical assessment and valuation of its players.

“At an early age, a politician told me a sports analogy that exposed societal inequalities… Essentially, he explained that performance doesn't matter if there are two different sets of rules for the same game.” —Derek Fordjour

In Numbers, Fordjour employs a vibrant, celebratory palette that juxtaposes the darker implications of his subject matter. The scene depicted—an athlete being weighed in a room where men in suits scrutinize data on sheets of paper—transforms the canvas into a theater of power dynamics. These men, representatives of the managerial and evaluative class, hold sway over the athlete's professional fate, determining his value in a system where physical attributes are quantified and monetized. With his face turned away from the viewer, the athlete is stripped of individuality and reduced to numeric values such as weight, height, and sprint times, becoming a commodity within a highly lucrative sports industry.

Here, Fordjour not only captures the literal weighing of an athlete but also invokes the metaphorical weighing of human value within a capitalistic framework. The businessmen, distant yet controlling, embody a class that consumes and judges without partaking in the physical risks, much like the spectators in the stands or the broader electorate in a democracy. This separation between those who watch and those who perform—whether on the sports field or the socioeconomic stage—serves as a critical commentary on the roles and expectations that society imposes based on race, class, and other identities.

The present work comments on the spectator culture of American sports, where audiences consume performances without always acknowledging the personal and physical toll on the players. The bright colors and dynamic composition mask a moment of valuation, pointing to the wider societal obsession with rankings and metrics. Here, Fordjour reflects on the dual existence of athletes as both celebrated heroes and exploited laborers, their identities bifurcated by the public’s adoration and the industry’s dehumanization.

“Fordjour often depicts Black athletes and performers— dancers, riders, rowers,

Mickalene Thomas, ALittleTasteOutsideofLove, 2007. The Brooklyn Museum, New York.Artwork: © 2024 Mickalene Thomas / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

drum-majors —as strivers who navigate the ambiguities that come with their achievement, and the racial scrutiny that accompanies visibility in the mainstream culture.” —Siddhartha Mitter, New York Timesi

The metaphor extends to American democracy itself, a system purportedly founded on the ideals of equality and opportunity but often criticized for its hierarchical and exclusionary practices. Just as athletes are rewarded or penalized based on physical statistics, individuals in society are frequently assessed based on socio-economic metrics, racial profiles, and other arbitrary measures that dictate access to resources and power. Fordjour's use of sports as a lens to view these disparities highlights the performative and sometimes punitive nature of American social structures.

Moreover, Fordjour's choice of materials—acrylic, charcoal, oilstick and foil on newspaper mounted to canvas—adds another layer of critique. The newspaper, a medium that traditionally conveys information and authority, becomes the substrate for a narrative about the manipulation and control of information. By fragmenting and painting over this medium, Fordjour may be signaling the occlusion and manipulation of narratives, particularly regarding the labor and contributions of Black athletes.

Fordjour's painting process is characterized by its material complexity and rich textural elements. He begins with a foundational layer of paint on canvas or wood, then adds layers of cardboard tiles and newspaper. By alternating between the addition and subtraction of materials—by turns scraping surfaces, cutting and pasting shapes, and building up and the tearing away—Fordjour crafts his own unique topography in the vein of Mark Bradford’s monumental collages. He enhances these textured surfaces with charcoal and oil pastel, which results in multi-dimensional artworks that captivate and draw viewers into intricate visual narratives.

“Experimenting with ways to create more support ended up creating a new kind of surface. Now I react to something in every painting. I never just deal with the whiteness of the canvas. I'm always reacting to an embedded history in the work. There are about ten layers on every surface.” —Derek Fordjour

This textural technique also underscores the complexity of Fordjour’s themes. The physical layering of materials in Numbersserves as a metaphor for the multifaceted nature of human identity and societal roles. Each layer contributes depth while simultaneously obscuring the underlying elements, mirroring the way societal roles and labels define and often constrain individuals. Even Fordjour’s preferred periodical, TheFinancialTimes, is used not just for its distinctive pink color, but also for its content and implications in dialogue with Fordjour’s examination of commodification and racial inequity. “I was thinking about personal value and perceived value,” he says, adding that “The Financial Times is making an effort to differentiate itself from the pool of other newsprint with its distinctive color. The idea of individuation—the desire to distinguish oneself in the face of being stereotyped or grouped—has a tension that I identify with.”ii

Georges Seurat, CircusSideshow(Paradedecirque), 1887-1888. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.Image: © Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Bequest of Stephen C. Clark, 1960, 61.101.17

Pierre Bonnard, Lasortiedelabaignoire(GettingOutoftheBath), circa 1926-1930. Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation, Athens.Image: Bridgeman Images

Elucidating on his theory of optical color mixing, Fordjour credits much his works’ optical richness to his technique, saying “By working through various surfaces and allowing space for interaction, I can achieve a vibrancy. A lot of the colors in my work are situated next to each other. The eye does the work of putting them together.”iii Fordjour's mixed media painting technique mirrors postImpressionist strategies in its vibrant layering and juxtaposition of colors, which create vivid optical depth and dynamic interplay of light and shadow. This approach enriches the visual texture and evokes a strong emotional and sensory response, similar to that found in the works of artists such as Pierre Bonnard, whose broad, dry brushstrokes create a sense of dynamism, and Georges Pierre Seurat, known for his flickering colors and Pointillism. Fordjour’s nuanced synthesis of color and

form is strikingly illustrated in Numbers, where he blurs the lines between painting and collage, dream and reality.

“It’s in that space between real life and the unreal that we create.” —Derek Fordjour

i Siddhartha Mitter, “Derek Fordjour, From Anguish to Transcendence,” TheNewYorkTimes, November 19 2020, online

ii Paul Laster, “Derek Fordjour's Vibrant Interactions,” Ocula, June 23 2021, online

iii Ibid.

PrProovvenanceenance

Galerie Lelong & Co., New York

Private Collection

Acquired from the above by the present owner

ExhibitedExhibited

New York, Galerie Lelong & Co., Sidelined, January 5–February 17, 2018

LiteraturLiteraturee

Seph Rodney, “The Political Truths That Ground Our Athletic Heroes,” Hyperallergic,February 8, 2018, online (illustrated; dated 2017)

Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

3

Michaela Yearwood-Dan

Freedom don't come for free

signed, titled and dated ""freedom don't come for free" 2021 Michaela Yearwood-Dan" on the reverse of the left canvas

acrylic, oil, gold leaf and Swarovski crystals on canvas, diptych

each 86 1/2 x 71 in. (219.7 x 180.3 cm)

overall 86 1/2 x 142 in. (219.7 x 360.7 cm)

Executed in 2021.

EstimateEstimate

$200,000 — 300,000

Executed in 2021, Michaela Yearwood-Dan’s Freedomdon’tcomeforfreeis the British artist’s largest work to come to market and explores the costs of liberty, both material and emotional. Through a diverse mix of acrylic, oil, gold leaf, and Swarovski crystals, Yearwood-Dan creates a visually striking representation that merges expressionism with contemporary mixed-media techniques. Both deeply personal and distinctly political, the present work embodies the artist’s expansive vision that reflects her own experience as a Black queer woman.

“My practice is oriented towards self-historicization, primarily through large-scale abstract painting… I create works that reference plants and poetry, and explore themes ranging from political dissection to personal narrative.” —Michaela Yearwood-Dan

Yearwood-Dan’s statement that her practice is "oriented towards self-historicization” reflects the artist’s commitment to exploring a range of themes: from political and collective to personal histories, she employs painting as a means to navigate and question the socio-political landscape and delve into the intimate corners of individual experience. Her preference for large-scale abstract painting, as evidenced in the present work, speaks to her ambition to confront and engage with vast topics, both spatially and conceptually. The sheer size of such works creates an immersive experience for the viewer, while also acting as a metaphor for the magnitude of the themes she tackles—here, the nature of freedom and the sacrifices it entails.

The references to plants and poetry within Yearwood-Dan’s works indicate a synthesis of the natural world with the literary.She merges the organic with the constructed to foster a dialogue about the transient nature of life and the quest for meaning. This intersection is particularly resonant in Freedomdon’tcomeforfree, where the presence of flora—as evinced by floral hues and sweeping brushstrokes that curve and swirl into organic shapes reminiscent of leaves, petals, and lush blossoms—connects to discussions around beauty and impermanence, as well as to

natural cycles of growth and decay. These elements serve as metaphors for human experience, while the extracts of poetry inscribed within speak to the human longing for liberation and the complexities of emotional expression. Like a call and response, fragments of loopy, disjointed handwritten cursive text question, “When will I finally figure out what it is to be free?” while others declare in capital letters “I’M STILL ME // MAYBE MORE SO THAN BEFORE / BUT I REFUSE TO / LEAVE ANY OF MY / IDENTITIES AT THE DOOR.”

The scattered lines of text, seemingly reflective and personal, introduce a narrative element and provide a glimpse into the artist's internal dialogue and emotional state. This textual component transforms the painting into a multidimensional expression, where the rhythm of twisting, spreading, swirling colors take on subtextual nuance in the context of language. Moreover, Yearwood-Dan’s use of contrasting colors and forms creates an almost landscape-like feel, offering a sense of depth and layering that one might associate with a densely packed garden or a crowded rose bush. This is turn contributes to the suggestion of plant-life and floral forms that is discernible through organic shapes and the way colors bloom and intermingle on the canvas, much like the natural growth patterns of flora.

Cy Twombly, TheRose(PartV),2008. The Broad, Los Angeles. Artwork: © Cy Twombly Foundation

Hilma af Klint, TheTenGreatest,No.3,YoungAge,GroupIV, 1907. The Hilma af Klint Foundation, Stockholm.

The addition of Swarovski crystals as surface elements serves as a form of what the artist calls “accessorization,” a technique that harkens back to Yearwood-Dan's upbringing in South London and her exposure to gold-inflected religious iconography within a Catholic educational setting. The embellishment is a nod to a broader art historical context that commenced with religious iconography and has since persisted across various cultures. Here, they signify affluence but also connect to a deeper history of spiritual and artistic expression. As seen in the present work, her compositions frequently feature a distinct void at their core, resembling a gateway. In a manner reminiscent of “grand frescoes and the Sistine Chapel and the movements of big skies and unearthly visions,” as she describes, her work echoes these majestic art forms while conveying a

far more intimate and personal sentiment. She articulates this personal aspect as the “diaristic, self-historicization of the emotions and feelings I’m going through.”i

Yearwood-Dan’s Freedomdon’tcomeforfreepossesses a Renaissance-like opulence. Her nuanced lines and sumptuous color evoke shades of Sandro Botticelli, while also revealing the influence of Black artists like Chris Ofili. In fact, it was her first encounter with Ofili’s work that inspired her to begin her journey as an artist. "Everyone talks about representation, but there are some moments of representation that do shake you to the core, and for me, it was discovering Chris Ofili at age 16 or 17," she explained.ii

Faith Ringgold, TarBeach2Quilt, 1990. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania.Image: Philadelphia Museum of Art, Purchased with funds contributed by W. B. Dixon Stroud, 1992, 1992-100-1, Artwork: ©

2024

Faith Ringgold / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY

Freedomdon’tcomeforfreeis not only a spectacle of visual and textual narrative but also a sophisticated interplay of the artist's personal and political insights, her cultural heritage, and her technical prowess. It is a vivid portrayal of the intrinsic, often exorbitant cost of freedom, both in a metaphorical sense and in its literal embodiment through the materials and labor that constitute the artwork. It challenges the viewer to introspect about the value of freedom in a world that often sees it as a commodity rather than an inalienable right. Through the layered abstraction and complex composition of this painting, Yearwood-Dan prompts us to contemplate the nature of freedom and the sacrifices made in its name, as conveyed by the visual stream of her consciousness.

CCollector’ollector’sDigestsDigest

•In October 2022, CopingMechanisms, 2021, sold through Phillips in London for £239,400 GBP, setting an auction record for the artist at the time of sale.

•Recent solo exhibitions include the 2023 presentation SomeFutureTimeWillThinkof Usat Marianne Boesky Gallery in New York and TheSweetestTaboo, staged in 2022 at Tiwani Contemporary in London.

•In Summer 2022, Yearwood-Dan created the site-specific installation LetMeHoldYou for QUEERCIRCLE charity in London, which provides a dedicated space for the LGBTQ+ community to gather.

•She has been awarded with and participated in a range of fellowships and residencies, including the third annual Great Women Artists Residency in 2021 at Palazzo Monti in Brescia, Italy, and Bloomberg New Contemporaries in Partnership with Sarabande: The Lee Alexander McQueen Foundation, London, in 2019.

•Yearwood-Dan's work is in the permanent collections of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami, and the Columbus Museum of Art.

i Tess Thackera, "Cultured | Beyond Their Lavish Aesthetic, Michaela Yearwood-Dan's Paintings Make You Feel," MarianneBoeskyGallery, New York, online.

ii Boesky, Ibid.

PrProovvenanceenance

Tiwani Contemporary, London

Acquired from the above by the present owner

ExhibitedExhibited

Nottingham, New Art Exchange, Laced:InSearchofWhatConnectsUs, October 30, 2021–January 8, 2022

LiteraturLiteraturee

Hannah Clugston, “Burps, branches and bold exploration – Laced/Cut & Mix review,” The Guardian, November 1, 2021, online (detail illustrated)

Lauren Dei, “The Black Feminine and Black Masculine Principles of Selfhood,” BlackBlossoms, December 9, 2021, online (New Art Exchange, Nottingham, 2021, installation view illustrated)

“‘Laced: In Search of What Connects Us’ at New Art Exchange in Nottingham,” TSAContemporary ArtMagazine, December 13, 2021, online (illustrated)

Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

Barkley L. Hendricks Vendetta

signed "B. Hendricks" upper right; signed, titled and dated ""VENDETTA" 1977 BARKLEY L. HENDRICKS" on the overlap oil, acrylic and Magna on canvas 35 7/8 x 48 in. (91.1 x 121.9 cm) Painted in 1977.

EstimateEstimate

$2,500,000 — 3,500,000

“Everything is up for grabs in the creative arena, and I think it’s only a limited artist that limits his or her approach to using what’s available.” —Barkley Hendricks

From its attitude to its title,Barkley L. Hendricks’ Vendetta, 1977,makes a statement—one that is bold, straightforward, and decidedly provocative. Hendricks asserts his place within the lineage of the Old Masters with the very same gestures he uses to declare them obsolete. He takes their medium, their methods, and their ideas of memento, and flips the message, declaring a new order in which ideals of whiteness and its attendant notions of beauty are ancillary, and the Black figure—in this case, the Black female figure—is in the foreground. To do this within the framework of something so traditional—and what is more traditional in art than a single-sitter oil painting portrait—and to do it in 1977? To quote the artist, "How cool is that?"i

In Vendetta, Hendricks captures the essence of his artistic philosophy and technique, blending classical training with a contemporary flair that challenged and expanded the boundaries of portraiture. Hendricks, trained in both the United States and Europe, mastered and then redefined traditional oil painting techniques to celebrate the individuality and dignity of his subjects, often African Americans, with a bold, almost photographic realism. His use of vivid, unapologetic color and dramatic, life-sized presentation pulls viewers into a direct confrontation with the subject’s gaze, a hallmark of his style that reflects his deeper philosophies of presence and representation.

“I wasn’t a part of any “school.” The association I had with artists in Philadelphia didn’t inspire me in any direction other than my own. I spent my time looking to the Old Masters.” —Barkley Hendricks

Vendettafeatured in the artist’s first career retrospective, BirthoftheCool, which toured across the United States from 2008 to 2010. Originating at the Nasher Museum of Art in North Carolina and spanning a total of 5 major museums across the country, this major exhibition, organized by then-curator (now Nasher Museum Director) Trevor Schoonmaker, not only cemented Hendricks’ status as a pivotal figure in American art but also recontextualized works including Vendettawithin broader narratives of racial identity, aesthetics, and social commentary. The exhibition, and the continued study of his oeuvre, underscore Hendricks' lasting impact on challenging and expanding the conventions of portraiture, positioning him as a critical bridge between disparate artistic and cultural discourses.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmDIqMtsV_o

Hendricks on Rembrandt

In 1966, while studying as an undergraduate at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Hendricks embarked on a transformative journey through Europe, visiting museums in the UK, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands. In a 2009 interview with The Smithsonian, he reflected on this

trip and his admiration for the work of Old Masters like Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, and Johannes Vermeer. Highlighting the court portraits of Diego Velázquez and Anthony van Dyck, he cited the latter as an inspiration for his 1972 portrait entitled SirCharles,AliasWillieHarris. “There was a cardinal with his beautiful bed robe on,' he recalls, 'and subsequently, years later, I did a painting that’s now at the National Gallery [of Art, Washington, D.C.] where there were three views of a man with a long red coat.”ii

Hendricks was keenly aware of the scarce and often dehumanizing portrayal of Black figures in European art. Returning to the United States, he was determined to apply the Old Masters' techniques in a unique way, focusing on Black subjects. Asserting "It had to be done Barkley Hendricks style—no copies," he began creating innovative portraits from the late 1960s. These works not only redefined traditional portraiture but also enriched art history with a perspective that had been previously marginalized, laying the groundwork for a new generation of artists. In Vendetta, Hendricks masterfully adapts traditional techniques, showcasing his skill in paint and color through detailed textures, shadows, and depth. Set against a white backdrop, the focus shifts entirely to the sitter—to Vendetta, and who she is—emphasizing not only Hendricks' precise and nuanced handling of light, fabric, and hue, but also his ability to bring forth the peculiarities of a person that give them tangible presence.

“Any consideration of my work has to take into mind the work of Barkley Hendricks. He is completely foundational to my understanding of how you can make painting relevant today.” —Kehinde Wiley

Vendetta, the subject of the present portrait, was a friend of the artist and dancer based in New York. Not much is known about this enigmatic figure beyond what Hendricks captures in paint and provides in the work’s title. Yet, despite her mystery, Hendricks renders her in such a way that seems to transfer an almost intimate kind of knowing to the viewer. Much of what we know has been ascertained from Hendricks' many photographs—what he called his “mechanical sketchbook.”iii Hendricks employed photography in the way many painters use drawing: as a means of giving form to his ideas and documenting not only what he saw, but how he saw it. The paintings then are often a confluence of those images and his remembrances. In considering Vendetta, we can also rely on photographs of its subject, such as VendettainLotusPosition, 1977, and Untitled(NewLondon,CT), c. 1977. In doing so, it becomes apparent that Hendricks, while mostly remaining faithful to Vendetta’s likeness, took some artistic liberties with her fashion.

Untitled(NewLondon,CT)shows Vendetta with her arms bent and hands resting on her thighs. While in the painting, Hendrick’s cropping, the sitter’s pose, and her overall demeanor—an allwhite ensemble, micro-braided hair, and an air of self-assured poise—are closely derived from the artist’s photograph, the cross-body satchel she wears in life is absent.Most notably, her tank top, which is simple in the photograph except for a small cluster of rosettes at the neckline, has been altered in the painting to include the word "bitch" in lowercase gold lamé lettering across her

chest. Moreover, in the painted version, the letters "b" and "h" are enlarged and stylized to encircle and accentuate her breasts, and Hendricks has enhanced the contrast between skin and clothing for a more striking effect. The rosettes are also brightly colored, adding primary pops of yellow, red, and blue, creating a focal point that draws the eye directly to the word emblazoned on her chest. In Hendricks's work, clothing often represents power and self-awareness through selffashioning. In Vendetta, the woman occupies the central space of the canvas confidently, and her attire is simple yet bold. Hendricks's decision to keep her clothing neutral allows the viewer's attention to focus squarely on Vendetta, and the embellishment of the word “bitch” can be interpreted as a kind of challenge—to societal labels or as an assertion of her own control over such terms.

Transporting her to the flatness of a white-on-white painting, Hendricks foregrounds Vendetta as a physical being, showcasing not only her pose and the way she inhabits the pictorial space but also her particular features and expressiveness. The depths of contrast between her skin tone, hair texture, and clothing against the distraction-free expanse are striking. An early critic accused Hendricks of using the "same all-purpose brown" for his figures, to which the artist later responded, "Damn, even Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles can see a difference in the variety of skin handling I was involved with! The attempt on my part is always to address the beauty and variety of complexion colors that we call Black."iv

Nowhere is this more evident than in Hendricks’ white-on-white paintings. Perhaps the most famous set in his experiments with different shades of the same color, the white-on-white portraits were recently showcased at New York’s Frick Collection, where a room of the 2023-2024 exhibition BarkleyL.Hendricks:PortraitsattheFrickwas dedicated to these elusive limited palette works. Painting more than a hundred years earlier, the American artist James McNeill Whistler also experimented with form, limited palettes, and flesh color in his portraits. In the present work, one can easily see the influence of Whistler’s early 1860s series, collectively referred to as Symphonies inWhite, where the paintings' true subject was his handling of the thick white paint, its textures,

James McNeill Whistler, SymphonyinWhite,No.1:TheWhiteGirl,1861-1863. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Image: National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Harris Whittemore Collection, 1943.6.2

and subtle tonal contrasts. In Whistler’s time, paintings like the National Gallery of Art’s Symphony inWhite,No.1:TheWhiteGirl,1861-1863/1872 constituted a radical break with traditions of portraiture; in the 1970s, Hendricks took that subversion a step further. In his own white-on-white paintings, Hendricks demonstrates his masterful handling of color and the painted edge, not only in his machinations of one color against itself but also in that color against its opposite. In Vendetta, white is not only a compositional device, but also a signifier and a powerful element of social commentary. By using white in portraits of Black figures, Hendricks subtly addresses themes of visibility and identity. This approach invites viewers to consider how race is portrayed and perceived in art, encouraging a deeper reflection on both the medium and the message.

Hendricks's rich treatment of color shines through in Vendetta,evident in his choice of background, displaying an intimate relationship with the materiality of clothing with great attention to how they fold or reflect light, and in minute details like how he paints the weave and fade of fabrics. Hendricks' relationship to the minutiae of lived reality transcends visual perception, engaging viewers on a multisensory level that mirrors the tactile experiences of everyday life. By emphasizing textures like the cotton weave of Vendetta’s tank top, Hendricks evokes not just sight but the sensation of touch, inviting the viewer to experience the material as if it were tangible. This depth of sensory engagement allows viewers to connect more profoundly with his work, as Hendricks masterfully blurs the line between the painted image and real-world experience.

“No

one paints jeans like me, with the consciousness of the fact that jeans are a material that is worn rather than painted… The art of painting is not only about putting paint down. I like to use the texture of the canvas as a vehicle to get the illusion that I'm interested in.”

—Barkley

Hendricks

In an interview with Thelma Golden, Hendricks called his white-on-white portraits "double whammies," referring to the combination of the figures’ strong personalities coupled with the bold formal aspect of his "limited palette series." In portraits like Vendettaand TuffTony,1978, Hendricks subjects confront the viewer with a direct gaze. The eye contact serves to draw the viewer in but also stimulates self-consciousness in viewing, speaking to the idea of viewing itself, of seeing and being seen. Hendricks captures performative attitudes in his subjects, as if they were self-conscious about the version of themselves they chose to convey. This self-consciousness comes across as much a part of Hendricks’ palette as his paint, working with tonal shades of attitude. TuffTonyframes a young man, centered in the composition, hands hung loose at his sides, his face a mask of calm and defiance, undergirded by the slightest hint of sadness. Similarly, Vendettasizes up her viewer. Her pose is confident, sitting with her legs wide and hands assertively placed below her hips. She extends outside the picture plane, seeming to spill over into the gallery space. This, combined with Hendricks’ construction of her eyeline such that she appears to be looking down at us from somewhere slightly above, contributes to the sense of monumentality that seems to far exceed the painting’s scale.

“I wanted [the image] to have some potency besides the scale element...if you get too small, you start to dwarf it. If you get too large, you get into a billboard sort of situation. But if you keep it pretty close to human scale, you have a better chance of having the human that’s looking at it interact with that... And adding the ingredient that would hopefully catch your eye, that I hope will make it linger.” —Barkley Hendricks

Hendricks’ white-on-white paintings masterfully elevate his sitters to iconic status through a simple yet potent visual strategy that mirrors the sacred aura of Byzantine and medieval religious icons. In Vendetta, Hendricks employs a monochromatic, all-white background that strips away contextual distractions, focusing the viewer’s attention solely on the figure. This deliberate sparseness and the halo-like effect created by the uniform color field not only draw parallels to the spiritual reverence of religious art but also frames the Black figure as both timeless and venerable. The lack of background emphasizes the intrinsic worth and dignity of the individual, positioning the subject almost as an archetype. In works like Vendettaand LawdyMama, 1969, at the Studio Museum in Harlem, Hendricks suggests that these women—his friend and cousin “who had a beautiful ’fro”—are akin to modern-day Madonnas.v Thus, his technique not only celebrates the individuality of his subjects but also asserts their universal significance in the broader iconography of art, readdressing historical omission and making “icons for a new era.”vi

“Using rich, bold colors, [Hendricks] documents the beauty and power of young African-Americans underrepresented in the mainstream, fromLawdy Mama, a 1969 painting of a woman on a gold background with an afro (it’s known as the Madonna of the Studio Museum in Harlem), toVendetta, a 1977 portrait of a fearless-looking woman with the word “Bitch” on her tank top. Cool, indeed.” —The Village Voice

Following his passing in 2017, Hendricks' legacy has experienced a notable resurgence, highlighted by significant exhibitions such as BarkleyL.Hendricks:PortraitsattheFrick, which ran from September 2023 to January 2024 at the Frick Collection in New York. The groundbreaking exhibition presented a selection of Hendricks’ figurative works in the context of the Frick’s holdings, emphasizing the dialogue between Hendricks’ vivid depictions of Black figures and the traditions of European art that he both drew from and challenged, and marking the first solo show for an artist of color in the collection’s 88-year history. As described by Trevor Schoonmaker, “[Hendricks] has defied easy categorization, and his unique individualism has landed him outside of the mainstream, but his bold and empowering portrayal of those who have been overlooked and underappreciated has positioned him squarely in the hearts of many…By representing the black body in new and challenging ways, Hendricks’ pioneering work has unwittingly helped pave the way for future generations of artists of color to work with issues of identity through representation of the black figure. Today his body of work is as vital and vibrant as ever, and it should prove him to be a lasting figure in the history of American art.”vii

“I like to feel that once you leave a show you remember my work either through what I’ve done with the paint or something that may have intrigued you or something that got your attention… if you’re gonna do it, you might as well be memorable.”

—Barkley Hendricks

i Barkley Hendricks, “Palette Scrapings,” pp. 105-107, in Trevor Schoonmaker, BirthoftheCool, Exh. Cat., Durham, North Carolina, 2008.

ii Anna Arabindan-Kesson, InterviewwithBarkleyL.Hendricks, 25 August 2016.

iii Arthur Lubow,What You Didn’t Know About Barkley L. Hendricks, TheNewYorkTimes, published May 14, 2021, updated May 15, 2021, online.

iv Zoé Whitley, ed., BarkleyL.Hendricks:Solid!, Milan, 2023, p. 76.

v Barkley Hendricks, quoted in Leila Pedro, “Barkley L. Hendricks with Laila Pedro,” TheBrooklyn Rail,April 2016, online.

vi C. Wiley, “Fashion and Politics in Barkley L. Hendricks’s Pictures,” TheNewYorker, May 28, 2023.

vii Trevor Schoonmaker, BirthoftheCool,Exh. Cat., Durham, North Carolina, 2008, p. 36.

PrProovvenanceenance

ACA Galleries, New York

Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2007

ExhibitedExhibited

Durham, Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University; Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; Houston, Contemporary Arts Museum, BarkleyL.Hendricks:BirthoftheCool,February 7, 2008–April 18, 2010, no. 35, pp. 38-39, 41, 85, 131 (detail illustrated, p. 38; Vendetta with the present work in the artist’s studio illustrated, p. 39; illustrated, p. 85)

LiteraturLiteraturee

TheBarkleyL.HendricksExperience, exh. cat., Lyman Allyn Museum of Art, New London, Connecticut, 2001, pp. 6, 8 (illustrated, p. 6)

Richard J. Powell, CuttingaFigure:FashioningBlackPortraiture, Chicago, 2008, no. 78, pp. 156, 166, 169, 219, 270, 275 (illustrated, p. 156)

Amy White, “Barkley L. Hendricks’ Nasher show: Art history, honored and challenged,” INDY Week, March 5, 2008, online

Araceli Cruz, “Cool Cat,” TheVillageVoice, November 5, 2008, online

Kelly Klaasmeyer, “The Art of Cool,” HoustonPress, March 10, 2010, online

“At Home in New London with Artist Barkley Hendricks,” HartfordCourant, April 30, 2010, online

Trevor Schoonmaker, “Barkley L. Hendricks: Reverberations,” FreshPaint, 2012, p. 98

Robin Cembalest, “Reinventing the African American Portrait,” ARTnews, August 1, 2013, online (dated 1978)

Jared Bowen, “With his camera, artist Barkley L. Hendricks brought his world view into focus,” GBH.BostonPublicRadio,March 16, 2022, online

Jared Bowen, “New exhibit chronicles work of late painter Barkley Hendricks and his use of the camera,” PBSNewsHour,May 18, 2022, online

Zoé Whitley, ed., BarkleyL.Hendricks:Solid!, Milan, 2023, p. 79 (illustrated; dated 1978)

BarkleyL.Hendricks:PortraitsattheFrick, exh. cat., The Frick Collection, New York, 2023, fig. 83, pp. 108-109, 158 (installation view in the artist’s studio illustrated, p. 109)

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

BASQUIAT’S WORLD: WORKS FORMERLY FROM THE COLLECTION OF FRANCESCO PELLIZZI

Jean-Michel Basquiat

Untitled (ELMAR) signed "Jean-Michel Basquiat" on the reverse acrylic, oilstick, spray paint and Xerox collage on canvas

68 x 93 1/8 in. (172.7 x 236.5 cm) Executed in 1982.

EstimateEstimate

$40,000,000 — 60,000,000

Video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/SgNWp6AuREQ

“Black and like a Jack Kerouac of painting, he was a true American artist-hero. Jean-Michel Basquiat is also, in a more general sense, one of the truly original Western artists of the 1980s. His paintings show, in retrospect, the necessity and the inevitability of all significant contributions to our poetic understanding of the world.” —Francesco Pellizzi i

Jean-Michel Basquiat's monumental painting, Untitled(ELMAR), created in 1982, is a paradigmatic representation of the artist's genius, making its auction debut after remaining in private hands for four decades. At nearly eight feet wide, this tour-de-force is a cornerstone of Basquiat's golden year, during which he transitioned from street art to gallery success. Emblematic of Basquiat’s best works, Untitled(ELMAR)is rich with historic and mythical iconography, intertwined with the artist’s invented symbols and graphic marks that accentuate the physical, gestural nature of his creative process. Boasting an equally impressive provenance and exhibition history, the present work was exhibited at Gagosian Los Angeles in 1998, as part of a memorial exhibition commemorating the 10-year anniversary of the artist’s death. Untitled(ELMAR)was notably featured on the cover of the accompanying catalogue. More recently, the work was prominently exhibited in the artist’s historical 2018 retrospective at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. This sale marks the first time that this important work is being offered publicly.

Formerly part of the original collection of Francesco Pellizzi, the present work was acquired by the renowned historian and collector from Annina Nosei in 1984, just two years after its creation, and remained in his collection for decades. An inspired collector and friend of the artist, Mr. Pellizzi acquired timeless works that underscore Basquiat's enduring significance and artistic vision, as they continue to inspire and provoke thought forty years later. Reflecting on his 40-year friendship with Francesco and the acuity of his perceptiveness, American painter David Salle remarked, “Francesco [was] always full of vitality and interests and witty observations and warmth and engagement, the same sense of deep inquiry, and also imagination.[…] And there was something else too: a quality I can only call wisdom, a macro way of seeing things at the same time as the tiniest detail… he had the close-up view and the overview, he saw the particulate and the flow. He could combine 'like with like', and also 'like with not-quite-like', which is more rare, and all the more so when done seemingly without effort.”ii

Francesco Clemente, Andy Warhol, and Jean-Michel Basquiat at the Pellizzi residence in New York, NY, 1984. Photo by Francesco Pellizzi.Image: © Francesco Pellizzi

The present work illustrated on the cover of Jean-MichelBasquiat:Paintings&Drawings 1980–1988,Gagosian Gallery, Los Angeles, 1998, exhibition catalogue.

Untitled(ELMAR)was first shown in an exhibition dedicated to the Collection of Francesco Pellizzi, which took place at the Hofstra Museum in New York in 1989. In an essay of same year, Pellizzi reminisced on his friendship with Basquiat and the artist’s insatiable hunger for absorbing information and history. Reflecting on their discussions about art and language, Pellizzi detailed the myriad ways in which Basquiat’s voracious appetite for knowledge, coupled with his unique rebelliousness and sense of freedom, manifested in the artist’s painting practice, ultimately contributing to his mastery of the medium. He contends that in Basquiat's work one finds traces of almost all the great painters of the previous two generations, though he cannot be termed a follower of any of them.

“For Basquiat, it all converges in 1982. Those of us who were there at the time and saw those paintings just couldn’t believe it…Everybody around him knew that these were extraordinary.” iii —Jeffrey Deitch

In 1982, often hailed as Basquiat's “Golden Year,” the 22-year-old artist produced approximately 200 significant works on canvas. Untitled(ELMAR), stands out for its raw, colorful, and direct style, epitomizing the lauded traits of this prolific period in Basquiat’s career. Characteristic of the work produced at this moment, the present painting constitutes a more confident prelude to the meticulous curation and self-consciousness of Basquiat’s later compositions, instead exuding an air of daring openness. Jeffrey Deitch, a prominent art dealer and friend of the artist, describes how, in 1982, “[Basquiat’s] peers had already anointed him as the best artist in the community, and he had the accolades of NewYork/NewWave.” According to Deitch, the newfound attention inspired “an increased confidence in the painting: in the strength, in the line.”iv This transformation can be partially attributed to its inception during a period of convergence, characterized by elements such as a steady supply of large-scale canvases from his new dealer, Annina Nosei, Basquiat's inaugural solo exhibition in the United States, staged at Nosei’s New York gallery, followed by a series of one-man shows worldwide, and acknowledgment from the mainstream arts establishment. These factors denoted a moment of artistic freedom and acclaim for Basquiat, preceding the onset of market pressures that would persist throughout his lifetime.

Andy Warhol, Self-PortraitwithBasquiat,October4, 1982. Private Collection.Artwork: © 2024 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Significantly, Untitled(ELMAR)was executed in the same year Basquiat was first introduced to Andy Warhol, a paramount encounter that would later lead to collaboration between the two artists. 1982 also marked Basquiat's transition from “SAMO©”—the pseudonym under which he operated as a street poet and tagger, to an influential figure in the art world. On Monday, October 4th, 1982, an ordinary entry in Warhol’s diary concealed the remarkable convergence of two avantgarde art titans: “Down to meet Bruno Bischofberger (cab $7.50). He brought Jean-Michel Basquiat with him. He’s the kid who used the name “Samo” when he used to sit on the sidewalk in Greenwich Village and paint T-shirts… then Bruno discovered him and now he’s on Easy Street. And so I had lunch for them, and then I took a Polaroid, and he went home, and within two hours a painting was back, still wet, of him and me together.”v

Indeed, we see the influence of Warhol in Basquiat’s canvases from this year, the present work included.In contrast to the pictorial abundance of many of his earlier compositions, in Untitled (ELMAR), Basquiat allows ample breathing room in which the implied connections between his signs and symbols can be lucidly drawn. This sense of spaciousness engenders an ambiguity within the painting that lends it a distinctly Warholian effect in that, despite his use of bold colors, frenetic

brushwork, and dense layers of imagery, there is often an openness and expansiveness to Basquiat’s presentation. Untitled(ELMAR)incorporates space in unconventional ways, with areas of intense activity punctuated by less vigorously worked areas and even glimpses of raw canvas that can appear spare in comparison but are by no means passive. Basquiat orchestrates a dynamic tension that allows viewers to navigate through the artwork and interpret its various elements at their own pace. In doing so, he provides a space for pausing and, in turn, for emphasis.

In Untitled(ELMAR), Basquiat’s visual cadence akin to instinctive and visceral melodies, combined with his incorporation of handwritten text elements, is also evocative of Cy Twombly’s poetic incorporation of handwritten script and calligraphic marks. In its shared engagement with classical antiquity, Greek and Roman mythology, and the malleability of language, the present work exhibits intriguing parallels with a series Twombly produced in the 1960s featuring titles indicative of famous mythological couples. Here, Basquiat infuses urban culture with references to iconic figures and symbols of ancient lore, such as Icarus and possibly Apollo, the ancient Greek god of archery, weaving a cautionary tale that illustrates a similar fascination with the intersection of ancient myth and contemporary expression. Basquiat further blurs the boundaries between text and image, creating a richly layered work that evokes emotion, memory, and the timeless resonance of classical literature and history.

Born to Haitian and Puerto Rican parents, Basquiat spoke fluent Spanish and often incorporated

Jean-Michel Basquiat, BoyandDoginaJohnnypump, 1982. Private Collection. Formerly in the collection of The Brant Foundation, Greenwich, Connecticut.Image: Archivart / Alamy Stock Photo, Artwork: © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York

Jean-Michel Basquiat

the language into the text elements of his artworks as an extension of his career-long interest in the duplicity and obfuscation of meaning. In the present work, he writes “ELMAR” above a crest of waves. As one word, the meaning (perhaps a name) is obtuse but, as two, “el mar,” it takes on new resonance. In Spanish, “el mar” means “the sea,” stemming from the Latin, “mare.” Aside from reinforcing his interest in antiquity, the root of the word becomes important in Spanish as in Latin “mare” was neither masculine nor feminine but neuter. As Spanish evolved, the word was preserved in two forms: masculine and feminine, with each form being used differently. The feminine form describes the state of the sea, while “el mar” is used to give each sea a name. This kind of wordplay speaks as well to Basquiat’s thematic interest in duality and multiple states of being, which he returned to throughout his career in works such as Baptismal, 1982, in the Collection of Valentino Garavani, London, and one of his final paintings, entitled RidingwithDeath, 1988, private collection.

[Left] Cy Twombly, LedaandtheSwan, Rome, 1962. The Museum of Modern Art, New York.Image: © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © Cy Twombly Foundation [Right] Attributed to the manner of the Bowdoin Painter, TerracottaNolanneck-amphora (jar),ca. 480–470 BCE. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.Image: © The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Rogers Fund, 1941, 41.162.114

“If Cy Twombly and Jean Dubuffet had a baby and gave it up for adoption it would be Jean-Michel. The elegance of Twombly is there [and is] from the same source (graffiti) and so is the brut of the young Dubuffet.” —René Ricard vi

From a technical standpoint, Untitled(ELMAR)is an incredible example of Basquiat’s early style

that incorporated visible pentimenti. Traditionally, a pentimento is a moment within a painting in which a previous compositional choice or image can be seen through the top paint layer.Basquiat utilized this concept to his advantage, frequently painting with a mixture of thick and thin layers that intentionally revealed the underlying strata. This is particularly evident in the anatomy of the warrior figure, where the body is composed of overlapping swathes of red and white paint, black oilstick, and gold spray paint. The expansive blue sea also provides hints of what lies beneath its surface, with indiscernible gestures peeking through. Moreover, Basquiat asserts his process and presence by incorporating visible footprints that metaphorically ground his artistic expression. He often worked his canvases horizontally on the floor, reminiscent of New York's earlier Abstract Expressionist painters like Jackson Pollock and Helen Frankenthaler.

Basquiat also credited Franz Kline as one of his most significant influences. Kline’s technique, using wide house-painter brushes loaded with paint on large canvases, inspired a freedom of mark-making evident in Untitled(ELMAR).Here, bold black lines define the warrior's frame, while broad, multidirectional strokes of color set the scene. Basquiat's use of acrylic, oilstick, and spray paint captures a flurry of gestures, showcasing his improvisational, fast-paced, and multilayered approach. Annina Nosei recalls her first encounter with the work at her SoHo gallery, sensing it as a true “painting about painting,” and the liberation that such action invites.vii

Franz Kline, Mahoning, 1956. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Image: © Whitney Museum of American Art / Licensed by Scala / Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © 2024 The Franz Kline Estate / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Basquiat took inspiration from a dizzying array of source material and his studio environment further reflected his immersion in the creative process, with open books and unfinished works strewn about, accompanied by a soundtrack of Jazz, Bebop, and television. Often combining a variety of influences, like Christianity, African rock art and hieroglyphics, and his own Puerto Rican and Haitian heritages into one piece, Basquiat’s canon of archetypal figures carry out their own ritualistic functions. In Untitled(ELMAR),Basquiat undertakes a pseudo-survey of human and art history, presenting a quasi-anthropological exploration that celebrates life and visual culture with rhapsodic fervor.

In Untitled(ELMAR),Basquiat conjures a large-scale warrior figure, using vigorous brushstrokes in the style of Jean Dubuffet's art Brut and subtly exposing its skeletal structure in a nod to his own enduring fascination with anatomy. Constructed with a mix of red flesh and oilstick bone, reinforced by metallic gold spray paint, Basquiat's creation resembles a modern-day Frankensteinian fighter, assembled with unmistakable strength. The figure is enveloped in a haloed aura (coming from the Latin “aurea” for “golden”), a vivid burst of yellow forming something loosely akin to a mandorla—an almond-shaped motif often associated with Christian iconography depicting scenes from the life of Christ—or an aureole. Adding to the sense of sanctity, Basquiat’s use of gold embellishments and a haloed figure set against a bright background mirrors the shimmering gold accents often found in similar scenes, as illustrated in Medieval illuminated manuscripts.

Extending from the warrior's raised arms are a flurry of arrows and a bow, complemented by a crown of thorns atop his head, establishing a delicate equilibrium between European monarchical and African tribal power symbols. Basquiat's inspiration here likely draws from Burchard Brentjes' 1969 text, AfricanRockArt, a volume he was known to keep in his studio. The rich array of photographs and diagrams therein appealed to Basquiat for their cultural significance, aligning with his preference for a raw and unschooled style of drawing, as well as his affinity for graffiti, with cave art arguably serving as its earliest manifestation.

“I get my facts from books, stuff on atomizers, the blues, ethyl alcohol, geese in Egyptian glyphs… I don’t take credit for my facts. The facts exist without me.”

—Jean-Michel Basquiat

vii

In a similar fashion to other large-scale single figure paintings from the period, such as Boyand

[Left]Rock art at Wadi Abu Wasil, Eastern Desert of Egypt, prior to 3000 BC. [Right]Unknown artist/ maker, TheCrucifixion, begun after 1234–completed before 1262, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.

DoginaJohnnypump, 1982, formerly in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, in Untitled (ELMAR)Basquiat conveys his warrior's strength anatomically. Curator and art historian Richard Marshall suggests that Basquiat may have been influenced to incorporate such boldness and aggression into his canvases upon encountering Picasso's "Avignon" paintings, displayed at the Pace Gallery in New York in the winter of 1981. In the works on view, Picasso returned to drawing anatomically graphic and distorted figures in bold colors, an expressive style Basquiat undoubtedly felt an affinity for, given his lifelong admiration of the Spanish artist. Reflecting on his early exposure to Picasso’s work, Basquiat once stated that, “seeing Guernicawas my favorite thing as a kid.”ix Indeed, a parallel can easily be drawn between the figure at the far right of Guernica, crying out to the heavens with arms raised, illuminated by the jagged light of a burning house behind them—along with the faded dove, a symbol of peace obscured amidst the unfolding violence—and the heroic figure in the present work, confronting their winged target.

In the present work, a “fallen angel” figure at left, birdlike and adorned with the recurring crownof-thorns motif—which doubles as a halo—hovers above a luminous blue sea of scribbled waves and the text “ELMAR”, suggesting a modern-day Icarus on the verge of descent. Through this lens, Basquiat’s archetypal warrior at right takes on an additional layer of meaning, signaling the angel’s imminent downfall. Basquiat often used variations of the fallen angel motif in his art to delve into themes of identity, power dynamics, and societal alienation. Throughout art history, artists have employed this image, notably seen in Alexandre Cabanel's eponymous painting, TheFallenAngel, 1847, at the Musée Fabre in Montpellier, to depict a majestic yet sorrowful figure symbolizing rebellion, spiritual downfall, and the eternal struggle between divine and mortal realms. In Untitled (ELMAR),Basquiat continues this tradition, portraying the figure caught between heaven and earth, poised for a fall. This concept reflects his own experiences as a Black artist navigating a

white-dominated art world, where he felt a perpetual sense of alienation and a fear of losing relevance.

New York

The winged figure in Untitled(ELMAR)also resonates with Basquiat’s recurring bird motif, notably observed in his monumental painting created the same year, Untitled(LAPainting),1982. Basquiat's birds embody bravery and freedom, doubling as messengers from celestial realms. They evoke symbolism akin to ancient Roman culture where open-winged birds represented power and divine communication, their movements believed to reflect the will of the gods. Additionally, the bird figure may be a veiled reference to one of Basquiat’s heroes, the prominent American jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker. Parker, nicknamed “Bird”, was a leading figure in the development of bebop, whose improvised style greatly influenced Basquiat.x The artist was known to listen to Parker's music in the studio.

One of the key motifs in the present painting is a depiction of a skull or human head, which originates from an important oilstick on paper drawing entitled Untitled(IndianHead). Now in the collection of Museo Jumex in Mexico City, this image later became a recurring feature in several of Basquiat’s major works. In his poem titled J.M.B.’sDehistories, Trinidadian-Bahamian poet Christian Campbell provides insightful interpretations of recurring visual motifs, such as the skulls and human heads that inhabit Basquiat’s oeuvre. He asserts that, “Basquiat’s heads are cartooned, spooked, fried, shocked, damaged. Strange as it may seem, I hear these heads laughing.” He describes them as if cackling in a mad chorus but concludes that, “They see us to the bone, just as we see them. They are witnesses. They are messengers. They have something true to tell us.”xi

Pablo Picasso, Guernica, 1937. Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid.Image: Bridgeman Images, Artwork: © 2024 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled(L.A.Painting),1982. Private Collection.Artwork: © Estate of JeanMichel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar,

Jean-Michel Basquiat

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled(IndianHead),1981, Museo Jumex, Mexico City, Mexico.Artwork: © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York

In Untitled(ELMAR),Basquiat’s replacement of the painted head with an intricate, additive rendering marks a stark complexity compared to the gestural lines created through painting, spraying, and drawing. Alongside his use of fragmented written language, inspired by William Burroughs' cut-up technique, Basquiat employed collage elements to counteract both formally and materially with his intense painterly work. This integration of collage evokes parallels with the Constructivist and Cubist movements, particularly in the way Picasso and others utilized fragmented imagery to challenge traditional notions of representation. Similarly, Basquiat's approach resonates with Robert Rauschenberg's combines, where disparate elements are amalgamated to blur the lines between painting and sculpture. By incorporating collage into his

oeuvre, Basquiat not only expands upon the rich legacy of assemblage but also engages in a broader artistic dialogue that spans across movements and generations.

Moreover, Basquiat's strategic use of collage in Untitled(ELMAR)reflects the fragmentation within diasporic narratives due to migration, highlighting the complexities of personal histories amidst received ones. In the present work, where the only collaged element is the head of the central figure, the act of severing the head from the body takes on poignant symbolism. This detachment may symbolize the fragmentation and dislocation experienced by individuals within diasporic communities, where identity and history are often separated and reassembled in complex ways. It also resonates with a Basquiat-ism that originates in a painting from the same year, CharlestheFirst, 1982: "MOST YOUNG KINGS GET THEIR HEADS CUT OFF," which speaks to the systemic erasure faced by marginalized groups, particularly young black men, in society. By isolating the head in Untitled(ELMAR), Basquiat highlights the vulnerability and precariousness of identity, as well as the pervasive violence and oppression faced by those who dare to assert their agency and cultural significance. Thus, the act of cutting off the head serves as a potent metaphor for the struggles and resilience of marginalized communities in the face of historical and contemporary injustices.

“It is only in writing these notes that I realize how difficult it is to describe Basquiat’s paintings as representational objects. Just when we think we have seized something essential about them, the essence evaporates. The paintings seem to slip away right and left, despite their remarkable compositional strength—a centripetal tension between all the elements that seems to owe more to a conceptual and poetic toughness than to Basquiat’s obvious gift for formal harmony.”—Francesco Pellizzi

In Untitled(ELMAR),a torrent of imagery—ranging from symbols and diagrams to words—dances across the canvas against a backdrop of boundless blue and electric yellow. This chaotic yet controlled display manifests Basquiat's recurring themes of identity, existentialism, and societal disillusionment. It synthesizes life, death, history, and mythology into a vibrant tapestry, where Basquiat's insatiable hunger for knowledge and boundless creativity blur the lines between street art and the established norms of the traditional art world.

While rooted in New York City, Basquiat transcended his environment, grappling with a history and identity extending beyond its confines. This duality extends beyond personal identity, reflecting complex social, political, and cultural dynamics, particularly the struggle for equilibrium between black and white worlds. Basquiat explores duality through various lenses, juxtaposing people and objects, words and images, and reimagining concepts of black and white, light and dark, challenging conventional notions of good and evil.

Central to Basquiat’s practice was representing seemingly conflicting aspects of human experience within a single work. Whether contrasting opposing colors, depicting scales of justice, or exploring themes like “God and Law,” the artist was consistently concerned with duality and reconciling

opposing forces. In Untitled(ELMAR),Basquiat portrays the duality of the hunter and the hunted, alongside the notion of ascent followed by inevitable decline, echoing his own rise in the art world. Basquiat’s fascination with stardom and "burnout" becomes apparent in references to artists like Charlie Parker. Caught between a desire for fame and a fear of being consumed or exploited, the present work captures Basquiat’s apprehension of flying too close to the sun, symbolized by the pregnant moment before the hero’s downfall. Here, the winged figure soars like Icarus toward the heavens, defying limitations in pursuit of freedom. "Only one thing worries me," Basquiat once told his father, "Longevity."xii

i Francesco Pellizzi, “Black and White All Over: Poetry and Desolation Painting,” pp. 9-17, Tracy Williams, ed., Jean-MichelBasquiat, New York, 1989, p. 15.

ii David Salle, quoted in private correspondence, n.d.

iii Jeffrey Deitch, quoted in Alexxa Gotthardt, “What Makes 1982 Basquiat’s Most Valuable Year,” Artsy, April 1, 2018, online

iv Jeffrey Deitch, quoted in Ibid.

v Andy Warhol, quoted by Pat Hackett, ed., TheAndyWarholDiaries, New York, 1989, p. 462.

vi René Ricard, “The Radiant Child,” Artforum, vol. XX, no. 4, December 1981, p. 43.

vii Annina Nosei, quoted in interview conducted by Scott Nussbaum at Phillips, New York, April, 2024.

viii Jean-Michel Basquiat cited in: Exh. Cat., London, Barbican, Basquiat:BoomforReal, 2017, p. 189

ix Jean-Michel Basquiat, quoted in “Interview by Becky Johnston and Tamra Davis,” TheJeanMichelBasquiatReader:Writings,Interviews,andCriticalResponses, Berkeley, 2021, p. 52.

x Olivier Michelon, “Time is Now,” Jean-MichelBasquiat, exh. cat., Paris, 2019, pp. 202 -208.

xi Christian Campbell, “J.M.B.'s dehistories,” pp. 209-210, Dieter Buchhart, Jean-MichelBasquiat: Now’stheTime, Ontario, Canada, 2015.

xii Jean-Michel Basquiat, quoted in Lexi Manatakis, “Jean-Michel Basquiat in his own words,” Dazed, November 21 2017, online

PrProovvenanceenance

Annina Nosei Gallery, New York

Elaine Dannheisser (acquired from the above)

Francesco Pellizzi, New York (acquired from the above via Annina Nosei Gallery in 1984)

Acquired from the above by the present owner

ExhibitedExhibited

Hempstead, Hofstra Museum, Hofstra University; Bethlehem, Lehigh University Art Galleries, 1979–1989American,Italian,MexicanArtfromtheCollectionofFrancescoPellizzi,April 16–November 2, 1989, no. 4, pp. 6, 19, 58 (illustrated, p. 19)

Los Angeles, Gagosian Gallery, Jean-MichelBasquiat:PaintingsandDrawings1980-1988, February 12–March 14, 1998, no. 13, n.p. (illustrated; detail illustrated on the front and back cover)

Houston, The Menil Collection, 17Contemporaries:ArtistsfromAmerica,Italy,andMexico-the Eighties, June 11–August 15, 1999, n.p.

New York, Gagosian Gallery, Jean-MichelBasquiat,February 7–April 6, 2013, pp. 88-89, 203 (illustrated)

Paris, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Jean-MichelBasquiat, October 3, 2018–January 4, 2019, no. 66, pp. 181-183 (illustrated, pp. 182-183)

LiteraturLiteraturee

Ted Castle, “Jean-Michel Basquiat,” ArtistesRevuebimestrielled’artcontemporain, no. 14, January-February 1983, p. 29 (illustrated)

Richard D. Marshall and Jean-Louis Prat, Jean-MichelBasquiat,Paris, 1996, no. 3, pp. 90-91 (illustrated, p. 90)

Tony Shafrazi, Jeffrey Deitch and Richard D. Marshall, eds., Jean-MichelBasquiat,New York, 1999, p. 129 (illustrated)

Richard D. Marshall and Jean-Louis Prat, Jean-MichelBasquiat, vol. II, Paris, 2000, no. 3, pp. 138-139 (illustrated, p. 138)

Léa Di Michele, “La Fondation Louis Vuitton Rend Hommage à Jean-Michel Basquiat,” Femmes Magazine, February 8, 2018, online (illustrated)

Hans Werner Holzwarth, Benedikt Taschen and Eleanor Nairne, eds., Jean-MichelBasquiatandthe ArtofStorytelling, Cologne, 2018, pp. 138-139, 494 (illustrated, pp. 138-139)

Nazanin Lankarani, “Egon Schiele & Jean-Michel Basquiat,” GagosianQuarterly, Spring 2019, p. 76

Dieter Buchhart, ed., Jean-MichelBasquiat:Xerox, Berlin, 2019, fig. 9, pp. 18, 21 (illustrated, p. 21)

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

BASQUIAT’S WORLD: WORKS FORMERLY FROM THE COLLECTION OF FRANCESCO PELLIZZI

Jean-Michel Basquiat

Untitled (Portrait of Famous Ballplayer) signed with the artist's tag, inscribed and dated "SAMO© NEW YORK 1981" on the reverse acrylic, oilstick and Xerox collage on canvas

50 1/8 x 43 1/2 in. (127.3 x 110.5 cm) Executed in 1981.

EstimateEstimate

$6,500,000 — 8,500,000

Video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/SgNWp6AuREQ

In Untitled(PortraitofFamousBallplayer), 1981, Jean-Michel Basquiat delves into "America's Favorite Pastime," juxtaposing symbols of the quintessentially all-American sport with his depiction of a central Black figure, as well as his iconic text and crown motifs. Through this work, Basquiat challenges societal norms, confronting stereotypes and initiating a nuanced dialogue on inclusion and exclusion within American culture—themes that would endure throughout the rest of his career. Created during a transformative period for Basquiat in which he first began to experience high visibility in the art world, the present work is an exploration of race, selfhood, and national identity through the lens of his signature iconography.

Untitled(PortraitofFamousBallplayer)was exhibited in historic exhibitions such as Annina Nosei’s Jean-MichelBasquiatMemorialExhibition, which opened in December 1988 shortly after the artist's passing and coinciding with what would have been his 28th birthday. The work was formerly in the collection of the renowned historian and collector Francesco Pellizzi, who acquired it the early 1980s directly from Nosei, Basquiat's primary dealer at the time. It has remained in the same collection for decades, and now represents the first time this significant work will be offered publicly.

1981 was a decisive year for Basquiat as it marked a significant turning point in his career, following his inclusion in TheTimesSquareShow(September-December 1980), a collaborative self-curated exhibition, which the Village Voice hailed as being “The First Radical Art Show of the ‘80s.” During this time, Basquiat transitioned from graffiti art to the gallery scene, where he quickly garnered recognition for his distinctive style and powerful imagery. In 1981, having gained the attention of Italian gallerist Emilio Mazzoli at the group show NewYork/NewWavecurated by Diego Cortez at P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center (now MoMA PS1) in Long Island City, Basquiat traveled to Europe for the first time in May of that year. There he staged his first one-artist exhibition at the Galleria

Jean-Michel Basquiat Wearing an American Football Helmet, 1981 by Edo Bertoglio.Image: © Edo Bertoglio, Courtesy of Maripol, Artwork: © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York

Jean-Michel Basquiat

d’Arte Emilio Mazzoli in Modena, Italy, showing the work under the pseudonym “SAMO,” pronounced Same-Oh for “Same Old Shit.” Originating from his collaboration with fellow graffiti artist Al Diaz, Basquiat adopted the “SAMO©” tag during his teenage years, spraying it across the streets of downtown Manhattan alongside succinct phrases serving as poetic and satirical advertising slogans. Throughout 1980 and 1981, Basquiat continued to operate under this alias, with many of his early canvas works, including the present painting, signed accordingly.

Following his solo debut abroad and amidst Basquiat's rising prominence, gallerist Annina Nosei provided him with a space in New York to cultivate his vision setting him up with a studio at her

Prince Street gallery. It was within this environment that Basquiat produced some of his most significant works. This period resulted in the some of the most exciting and innovative paintings in Basquiat’s oeuvre, as he channeled his artistic prowess into paintings that spoke directly to both his own personal experiences and to a wider audience searching for a new artistic voice.

“Since I was seventeen, I thought I might be a star. I’d think about all my heroes…I had a romantic feeling of how people had become famous” —Jean-Michel Basquiati

Untitled(PortraitofFamousBallplayer)provides a window into Basquiat’s anxieties and aspirations during this critical juncture. While brimming with optimism for his burgeoning career, he remained acutely aware of the various ways he might be perceived, tokenized, and potentially exploited by the predominantly white art establishment. With a focus on themes of "royalty, heroism, and the streets," Basquiat positioned the human figure as the central motif in his art, using it as a canvas to intertwine elements of autobiography, Black history, and popular culture.ii His early exposure to art history, including visits to the Brooklyn Museum of Art near his childhood home, sparked a realization about the lack of representation of Black individuals on those walls. This awareness fueled his desire to portray Black figures as protagonists in his own work, marking a deliberate departure from conventional artistic narratives. “I realized that I didn’t see many paintings with Black people in them,” he recalled, adding that “the Black person is the protagonist in most of my paintings.”iii

One of Basquiat’s earliest and only paintings to feature the culturally loaded phrase “Famous Negro Athletes” (with “Negro Athletes” notably crossed out), Untitled(PortraitofFamous Ballplayer)serves as a potent commentary on race, identity, and representation. It also reflects Basquiat's own experience as a Black artist navigating a predominantly white art world. Through the intentional crossing out of text, Basquiat underscores the theme of exclusion while drawing attention to the obscured words beneath. Basquiat’s use of written language, both legible and obfuscated, serves as a reflection of his inner dialogue and becomes a vehicle for conveying multiple layers of meaning. Through this juxtaposition of words and imagery, Basquiat engages viewers in a complex interplay of language, identity, and societal critique, inviting interpretation and challenging traditional notions of communication and expression. In Untitled(Portraitof FamousBallplayer),Basquiat inscribes one of his soon-to-be-signature slogans—"FAMOUS NEGRO ATHLETES"—yet, while the word “FAMOUS” remains legible, the rest of the expression is intentionally concealed by a thick stripe of black spray paint. The act of crossing out text underscores the theme of exclusion, paradoxically drawing attention to the words beneath while suggesting their suppression. As Basquiat famously remarked, “I cross out words so you will see them more: the fact that they are obscured makes you want to read them.”iv

“One day I walked by the tire store near my apartment and there was a huge mural

Verso of the present work (detail)

with three angry black faces and the legend ‘FAMOUS NEGRO ATHLETES.’ When I saw [Basquiat] later, I said: ‘That’s the best thing I’ve ever seen.’ The next day he brought me one on paper.” v —Glenn O’Brien

Jean-Michel Basquiat, FamousNegroAthletes, 1981. Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut. Formerly in the collection of Glenn O’Brien.Image: Yale University Art Gallery, Gift of Nelly Bly, B.A. 1994 and Michael Arougheti, B.A. 1993, Artwork: © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York

Basquiat’s inclusion of his signature crown motif above the floating heads and oversized baseballs in Untitled(PortraitofFamousBallplayer)speaks to the majesty of these groundbreaking athletes as kings of their craft. Simultaneously, he reveals his admiration for the lone figure, the unsung hero at the center, whose crown is notably absent. In its place, Basquiat renders the head of his “FAMOUS NEGRO ATHLETE” in metallic gold, visually asserting the subject's divinity and enduring significance, while evoking the grandeur of Byzantine icons portraying saints and religious figures adorned in gold leaf. In religious icons of Christian art history, gold was frequently used to symbolize transcendent, divine light embodying the invisible, spiritual world, and could be found in the background of icons, mosaics, panel paintings, and architectural settings. Basquiat plays with this visual history, using gold in the present work not only to pay homage to the athlete’s unparalleled skill but also to suggest a spiritual reverence for their contribution to the cultural landscape, where great human achievements are still most often rewarded with gold, in the form of gold statues and other decorations, and sportsmen are usually awarded gold medals or trophies

to signify their victories.

“He had to live up to being a young prodigy, which is a kind of false sainthood”

—Keith Haring

IconofthearchangelMichael,Constantinople,first half of 14th century. Byzantine and Christian Museum, Athens.Image: The History Collection / Alamy Stock Photo

Moreover, by choosing not to name a specific “Ballplayer”, Basquiat elevates them to the status of a symbol, an archetype rather than an individual. Echoing Andy Warhol's iconic GoldMarilyn Monroefrom 1962, in Untitled(PortraitofFamousBallplayer),Basquiat further underscores the

transformative power of celebrity and the intersection between art and popular culture. Through these symbolic elements, Basquiat invites viewers to contemplate the intersection of fame, race, and iconography, challenging conventional notions of heroism and idolization.

Andy Warhol, GoldMarilynMonroe, 1962. The Museum of Modern Art, New York.Image: © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © 2024 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Basquiat ennobled his heroes, using his crowns like the royal titles that famous African American musicians have sometimes adopted or the nicknames of sporting greats—such as Duke Ellington or Muhammed Ali, interchangeably known as “The Greatest,” “The Louisville Lip,” and “The

Champ”—to create a court including renowned jazz musicians and celebrated athletes. In Untitled (PortraitofFamousBallplayer),he establishes himself in that pantheon of Black heroes, employing his distinctive crowns as symbols of his induction and investiture into the overarching storyline of art history. Basquiat's inclusion of baseball imagery reflects both his racial heritage as a Puerto Rican/Haitian American and the duality of exploitation and aspiration, mirroring his own ascendancy within the predominantly white art establishment, akin to the extraordinary success of these athletes.

In fact, Basquiat used baseball imagery and references in his work from the earliest days of his career. Starting in 1979, one of his first ventures as a professional artist was a project realized in collaboration with Jennifer Stein, whereby he produced a small number of altered baseball cards and postcard collages, collectively referred to as “Anti-Baseball Cards” or “Anti-Baseball Card Products.”vi Basquiat would customize the cards with correction fluid, erasing the faces and biographies of the players and reauthoring them with text reading “JOe,” “JERK,” and “WALLY,” to name a few.vii The cards were inspired by the world around him and included street detritus, advertisements, newspaper clippings, and photo-booth portraits. By taking a mass-produced commercial product and removing the value—in this case, the players’ identities—Basquiat subverted their meaning, instead turning them into unique art objects that he called “nonproducts.” The eclectic series of color Xerox and mixed-media collages on cardboard became a sort of calling card for the artist, who sold them on the street for $1 each, often targeting the crowd that milled outside MoMA.viii

Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jennifer Stein, Joe, 1979. Collection of Jennifer von Holstein.Artwork: © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York

At the same time, the paired arrangement of schematized heads in Untitled(PortraitofFamous Ballplayer)implies the categorization of individuals within a system, reminiscent of popular board games like GuessWho?and ConnectFour. By depicting people as mere playthings within a social structure marked by racism and profit-driven motives, Basquiat subtly critiques the societal pressures that push young African Americans toward professional sports as one of the few perceived paths to success, thus perpetuating a narrow interpretation of the rags-to-riches American Dream. This thematic exploration anticipates significant works such as David Hammons’ 1986 public art installation HigherGoals,where towering basketball hoops in Cadman Plaza Park symbolized the precariousness of such aspirations.

In Untitled(PortraitofFamousBallplayer),Basquiat pairs individuals and objects in ambiguous relationships to evoke tension and challenge perceptions. The artist is often regarded as existing in two worlds—as an "insider-outsider." However, for Basquiat, the notion of duality was complex, relating not only to his own identity but also to social systems of wealth and class. In the present work, Basquiat recasts ideas of black and white, dark and light, challenging stereotypes and defying perceptions of good and evil. On the surface, this isa painting about stardom and celebrity—and certainly the dichotomy of fame is one of the messages embedded within—yet each carefully chosen reference conceals a multiplicity of meanings. By combining disparate elements in this single image, Basquiat suggests that opposing forces can be united to create a whole, and that two seemingly contradictory truths can coexist simultaneously.

Basquiat's ability to straddle the center and the margins reflects a quintessentially American experience, where inclusion and exclusion intertwine. In Untitled(PortraitofFamousBallplayer), he delves into the contradictions and complexities inherent in this dynamic, offering profound insights into his inner world and the broader landscape of American culture and identity.

“It's a certain burden, this American-ness…I feel sometimes as an artist must feel, like a baseball player or something. Members of a team writing American history.”

—Willem de Kooningix

Eadweard Muybridge, BaseballBatting(Plate276)fromAnimalLocomotion, 1887. Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts.

As curator and Basquiat scholar Marc Meyer contends in the catalogue for his 2005 retrospective

of the artist's work at the Brooklyn Museum, Basquiat utilized art as a tool “to process what he knew about history, about the cultural richness of the African Diaspora and his Caribbean roots specifically, and about the epic historical struggle of African Americans. He knew about music, especially jazz and nascent hip-hop, and about sports, particularly boxing and baseball, and he explored this knowledge iconographically.” Meyer describes how Basquiat infused his works with totemic power as he “celebrated the black musicians and athletes who inspired him by painting dedicatory works.”x In doing so, Basquiat reclaims their images, elevating them to symbols of strength and resilience in the face of systemic oppression. Through this motif, Basquiat challenges viewers to confront the historical marginalization of Black individuals in mainstream culture while celebrating their cultural contributions and achievements. It also reflects Basquiat's personal experiences and interests, merging his love for sports and art with a profound social message about race and representation. These paintings—sometimes specifically titled but often left characteristically open-ended, such as in the case of the present work—served as tributes to childhood heroes and intimate reflections on Basquiat’s own life. They were akin to visually encoded diary entries imbued with an art brut sensibility.

In Untitled(PortraitofFamousBallplayer),Basquiat invites viewers to determine the identity of the protagonist. Could this ‘Famous Ballplayer’ be Jackie Robinson, the pioneering Black baseball player who broke the color barrier in the American major leagues during the 20th century? Basquiat saw in Jackie Robinson a resilient hero and an enduring symbol of self-made success, triumphing over the pervasive racial prejudices of the 1950s. Alternatively, it could be Hank Aaron, the inaugural figure in Basquiat’s pantheon of revered Black dignitaries. A childhood hero to Basquiat, renowned for his achievements rivaling those of Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron’s influence is palpable throughout Basquiat’s earliest works. Or perhaps, the enigmatic figure is Willie Mays, the legendary outfielder whose sensational over-the-shoulder catch—famously known as “The Catch” and considered by many to be one of the greatest defensive plays in history—during the 1954 World Series remains one of baseball's most iconic moments.

On October 3, 1981, the Mets staged an Old-Timers Day Game at Shea Stadium in which the then 50-year-old Mays “flashed back to his 20-year-old days for a few glorious seconds,” making a running catch that The New York Daily News described as “a play many modern major leaguers half his age would not make.” This game, coupled with Mays’ induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, elevated him to an even greater status in both sports’ history and popular culture. Aside from the recent media revival surrounding the player and the circulation of images showing him in his blue and white pinstriped Mets uniform, which would make him a timely reference point in Untitled(PortraitofFamousBallplayer), Basquiat was also recognized by Mays' name among his friends. Describing their first meeting at the Mudd Club, John Lurie says, “His face looked so delighted by his own dancing…it reminded me of something my father had told me about seeing Willie Mays play baseball. Mays was 19 at the time and coming up to the majors through the minor league, and my father said he’d play with this absolute delight on his face. So I started calling JeanMichel, Willie Mays.”xi Like a double portrait, Mays’ meteoric rise in professional baseball mirrors Basquiat’s own ambitions at the time. The nickname stuck, even making its way into Julian Schnabel’s 1996 film Basquiat, in which Benny, a composite character based on several of the artist’s closest real-life friends, repeatedly calls him “Willie Mays.”xii

“To friends his age he was Willie Mays. But he wasn’t a jock and would never be a

[Left]Willie Mays with the New York Mets, c. 1972-73.Image: National Baseball Hall of Fame Library [Right]Willie Mays, New York Mets Collectible Card, 1973.Image: Q20 / Alamy Stock Photo

Famous Negro Athlete…he wanted to do for art what Willy Mays did for baseball. Do it the way it had never been done before.” —Glenn O’Brienxiii

i Jean-Michel Basquiat, quoted in Cathleen McGuigan, “New Art, New Money: The Marketing of an American Artist,” New York Times Magazine, February 10, 1985, online.

ii Jean-Michel Basquiat, quoted in H. Geldzahler, “Art: From the Subways to Soho, Jean-Michel Basquiat,” Interview, January 1983.

iii Ibid.

iv Jean-Michel Basquiat, quoted in Dieter Buchhart and Sam Keller, eds., Basquiat, exh. cat., Fondation Beyeler, Basel, 2010, p. XXII

v Glenn O’Brien cited in Exh. Cat., Ontario, Art Gallery of Ontario, Jean-Michel Basquiat: Now’s the Time, 2015, p. 175.

vi Eleanor Nairne, “Postcards, 1979,” in Basquiat:BoomforReal, exh. cat., London, Barbican Art Gallery, 2017, p. 106.

vii Ibid.

viii Ibid.

ix Willem de Kooning, quoted in David Sylvester, “Willem de Kooning,” Interviews with American Artists. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2001: 43-57. Recorded March 1960 in New York City.Aired on the BBC (1960) under the title "Painting as Self-Discovery."Edited version assembled from excerpts first published as "Content is a Glimpse," Location 1, no. 1 (Spring 1963): 45-52.

x Meyer essay in BK 2005 cat

xi John Lurie, quoted in Todd Mcgovern, “A Sad and Beautiful Life. My Conversation with John Lurie,” in PleaseKillMe:theUncensoredOralHistoryofPunk, December 2, 2015, online

xii Script for movie is online & See Phoebe Hoban's, 'Basquiat' pg. 122, "When New York Beat resumed shooting in 1981, Basquiat moved into the back of the production office... Every morning the crew would arrive to find Jean-Michel and Ezter asleep in a tiny alcove at the back of the office... sometimes the pair would be woken up by John Lurie or (Danny) Rosen, shouting Basquiat's nickname, 'Willie Mays'.

xiii Glenn O’Brien, TheHandwritingonthe(Bedroom)Wall, Christie’s, March 7, 2014, online

PrProovvenanceenance

Galleria Mazzoli, Modena

Annina Nosei Gallery, New York

Francesco Pellizzi, New York (acquired from the above in 1983)

Thence by descent to the present owner

ExhibitedExhibited

New York, Annina Nosei Gallery, Jean-MichelBasquiatMemorialExhibition, December 3, 1988–January 15, 1989

Hempstead, New York, Hofstra Museum, Hofstra University; Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Lehigh University Art Galleries, 1979–1989American,Italian,MexicanArtfromtheCollectionofFrancesco Pellizzi,April 16–November 2, 1989, no. 2, pp. 32, 58 (illustrated, p. 32)

Art Gallery of Ontario, Jean-MichelBasquiat:Now’stheTime, February 7–May 10, 2015, pp. 19, 116-117, 223 (illustrated, p. 117)

Paris, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Jean-MichelBasquiat, October 3, 2018–January 4, 2019, no. 34, pp. 22, 24, 35, 116-117 (illustrated, p. 117; titled Untitled(“Famous”))

LiteraturLiteraturee

Annina Nosei Gallery, AnninaNoseiGallery:1989-1990-1991-1992, New York, 1992, p. 13 (Annina Nosei Gallery, New York, 1988-1989, installation view illustrated)

Donald Kuspit, TheCultoftheAvant-GardeArtist, New York, 1993 (illustrated on the front cover; titled FamousBlackAthlete)

Richard D. Marshall and Jean-Louis Prat, Jean-MichelBasquiat, Paris, 1996, no. 3, pp. 62-63 (illustrated, p. 62)

Tony Shafrazi, Jeffrey Deitch and Richard D. Marshall, Jean-MichelBasquiat, New York, 1999, p. 315

Richard D. Marshall and Jean-Louis Prat, Jean-MichelBasquiat,vol. II, Paris, 2000, no. 3, pp. 86-87 (illustrated, p. 86)

Jean-MichelBasquiat1981:TheStudiooftheStreet, exh. cat., Deitch Projects, New York, 2006, pp. 220-221 (illustrated, p. 221)

“Top sports art to get you psyched about the Olympics,” TimeOut, June 11, 2008, online (illustrated)

Bryan Miller, “The Ten List: Art Loves Baseball,” Glasstire, July 11, 2012, online (illustrated)

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

PROPERTY FROM THE TERNER FAMILY COLLECTION, LOS ANGELES

7

Helen Frankenthaler

Acres

signed “Frankenthaler” lower right oil on canvas

92 7/8 x 94 1/4 in. (235.9 x 239.4 cm)

Painted in 1959.

EstimateEstimate

$1,800,000 — 2,500,000

“The beauties of Helen Frankenthaler’s work are various and dramatic” —Frank O’Hara

present work installed at The Jewish Museum, HelenFrankenthalerPaintings, January 26–March 2, 1960.

Andre Emmerich Gallery Records and Papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. / © 2024 Rudy Burckhardt / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York,

Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Helen Frankenthaler's 1959 painting, Acres, stands as a testament to the artist's prowess in both material experimentation and the orchestration of color, which brought her critical acclaim in the New York School of Abstract Expressionism. Emphasizing its significance, Acresboasts a distinguished provenance and exhibition history. The year following its creation, the painting was showcased in back-to-back presentations of the artist’s work—initially shown alongside the seminal work MountainsandSea, 1952 in the artist’s first institutional solo exhibition, held at the Jewish Museum from January to March of 1960, and then at André Emmerich Gallery from March to April 1960. The painting later traveled to prestigious venues such as the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, among others. In the 1980s, Acreswas acquired directly from the artist by actor Steve Martin and has changed hands only once since then, when it was acquired by Los Angeles collectors and LACMA benefactors Sandra and Jacob Terner in 1995. For nearly three decades, Acreshas remained in the same private collection and now makes its auction debut.

Guggenheim Foundation / Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © 2024 Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

“The blazing yellow and aquamarine of ‘Acres’, another painting of 1959, not to mention its royal blue and red, explode upon the viewer as if the artist were not only committed to their intrinsic beauties but feared that anything less than such a deepdyed commitment would allow an unspecified but horrible night to return. Only from darkness could brightness come about.” i —Alexander Nemerov

Executed in 1959, Acresholds a pivotal place within the broader context of Helen Frankenthaler's six-decade career, demonstrating her capacity to surpass the prevailing modes of expression within the distinctly American painting style that thrived in New York City after World War II. John Elderfield, a foremost historian of Frankenthaler's work, aptly describes her paintings from 1959–60 as “think-tough, paint-tough,” underscoring the scale of the works and the gestural, muscular nature of her process. Elderfield asserts that, in contrast to her early 1950s works where she worked against the grain of New York School abstract painting, the late 1950s paintings, which visibly reveal the physicality to her painting process, demonstrated both her personal and artistic strength. He explains, “Clearly Helen wouldn’t have become the artist she was if she hadn’t had a personal toughness and drive—she was someone who very much wanted her own way, was strong

The

Image:

Artwork: © 2024 Helen Frankenthaler Foundation,

The present work installed at the Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin, AfterMountainsandSea: Frankenthaler1956-1959, January 16, 1998–January 31, 1999. Image: The Solomon R.

Helen Frankenthaler

about what she did and believed in what she did. But in the 1959–60 period she not only thought tough but also painted visibly tough-looking paintings.”ii

“I tend to side-develop, not to hang on, but in seeming to side-develop that’s the way I really show my mark and continuity.” —Helen Frankenthaler iii

In this monumental canvas, measuring approximately seven and a half by eight feet, Frankenthaler skillfully weaves together a visual tapestry that recalls the landscapes and pseudo-figuration found in her earlier iconic works, such as Jacob’sLadder, 1957, at the Museum of Modern Art, New York,and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's WinterHunt, 1958.In Acres, Frankenthaler invites viewers into an imaginative tableau where sun, sky, and field converge in a dynamic interplay of color, suggestion, and form.The canvas, loosely grid-like in the exchange of vertical and horizontal marks, expresses a tension between background and foreground, without any sense of traditional illusionism. The picture is expansive and lyrical, full of opposing tendencies and forms that are tangible but not specific, as well as an airiness achieved through the intentional interplay of pigment and bare canvas. It is a historic painting, exemplary of Frankenthaler's experimentation during a transitional period in her practice, and hums with layered complexity and a vibrant interplay of blues, blacks, and red accents, along with pastoral green, rose pink, and sunlit yellow hues.

Acressignifies a departure from Frankenthaler’s early work, introducing bold color and staining techniques that anticipate her atmospheric, purely abstract compositions of the 1960s onward. It also marks her return to gestural improvisation after years spent refining her signature “soakstain” technique. With its vistas of pure color and absence of drawn lines, Acresreflects Frankenthaler's move towards what critic B. H. Friedman described as the “total color image” characteristic of her later work.iv The thicker application of paint in Acresfacilitates a harmonious exploration of density and collision, showcasing Frankenthaler's distinctive mark-making approach, characterized by a synthesis of organic and controlled movement and form. Describing the influence of Frankenthaler’s work from this period, critic Grace Glueck notes that it introduced a fresh, expansive quality to the painted canvas and recognizes her soak-stain technique as “releasing color from the gestural approach and romantic rhetoric of Abstract Expressionism.v To use the artist’s own terminology denoting strokes that are spontaneous, genuine, and uncalculated, Frankenthaler's markings in Acresare deliberately “unslick” in such a way that reinforces the work’s naïve power, imparting a tangible presence that beckons the viewer to engage with the work on a profound level.In the Summer 1959 edition of Artnews, responding to Irving Sandler’s survey for artists asking, “Is there a new Academy?” Frankenthaler offered the following insight into her philosophy at the time, saying, “There can be a slickness of the unslick as well as of the obviously slick. The hand has become knowing enough to realize that authentic paintings are not “perfect” … The true beauty of unwieldiness only comes through when it is a necessary, inevitable part of the imagination.”vi

In the fluid nature of Frankenthaler’s “soak-stain” technique lies a distinct echo of the Impressionists' emphasis on capturing fleeting atmospheric effects. In Acres, this connection forms a lineage reminiscent of Berthe Morisot's pursuit of atmospheric landscapes. Frankenthaler demonstrates what Clement Greenberg termed “an art of maximum saturation,” sharing resonance with Morisot’s commitment to capturing the essence of a scene through the expressive use of color.vii In this vein, Acresalso reflects the pioneering spirit of Jackson Pollock, specifically his black and white figurative works of 1951–52. In fact, Frankenthaler expressly cited Pollock’s Number14, 1951, Tate Modern, London, as her starting point for elaborating an allusive landscape image.viii Indeed, the arching deep blue forms, yellow orb, and horizontal and vertical brown striations in Acresdistinctly echo the composition of Pollock’s Number14.

In Acres, Frankenthaler infuses the composition with dynamic tension, so that it is alive with a sense of spontaneity and movement. This tension, echoing the interplay between flatness and depth, abstraction, and recognizable imagery, not only characterizes Frankenthaler's oeuvre but also served as a catalyst for the artistic evolution of her contemporaries. Artist Morris Louis declared that Frankenthaler “was a bridge between Pollock and what was possible.”ix

Acresrepresents a particular moment of becoming when Frankenthaler was just starting to be recognized as a prominent figure in the international art scene. In 1959, not only was she invited to participate in the second edition of documenta, held in Kassel, Germany, but she went on to win first prize at the Premiere Biennale de Paris that year. It was during this time that she joined André Emmerich’s roster, who would go on to show her work in New York for the next four decades, the

Jackson Pollock, Number14,1951. Tate Modern, London. Image: © Tate, London / Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © 2024 Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

present work included. Acresalso was made on the heels of Frankenthaler's marriage in 1958 to fellow artist Robert Motherwell. During their honeymoon in Spain and France, the artists initially worked side by side in their hotel room. Subsequently, they each occupied studios in close proximity within a rented villa in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, creating paintings that subtly alluded to the places they had visited together. Critic Roberta Smith suggests that Frankenthaler's stylistic shift towards a more material Abstract Expressionism, exemplified in Acres, was potentially influenced by her recent union. She notes, “With its dark overhanging shapes, Acresmay reflect the input of Robert Motherwell, whom Ms. Frankenthaler married in 1958…”x

Robert Motherwell, ElegytotheSpanishRepublic,1958-61. Philadelphia Museum of Art. Image: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 125th Anniversary Acquisition. Gift (by exchange) of Miss Anna Warren Ingersoll and partial gift of the Dedalus Foundation, Inc., 1998, 1998-156-1, Artwork: © 2024 Dedalus Foundation, Inc./Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society, New York

Whatever the reason, upon her return to New York at the end of the summer of 1959, Frankenthaler’s work underwent a significant transformation, which critic John Elderfield described as “a shift from the soft tonalism that surrounds her prismatic colors to something crisper, brighter and more graphically stamped.”xi It was during this period of flourishing

that Acreswas created, coinciding with Frankenthaler’s preparation for her retrospective at the Jewish Museum in 1960, marking a pivotal moment in both her career and personal life. In his essay for the accompanying exhibition catalogue, the critic and poet Frank O’Hara, a curator at the Museum of Modern Art, wrote about the courage demonstrated in Frankenthaler’s recent work, saying “She is willing to risk the big gesture, to employ huge formats so that her essentially intimate revelations may be more fully explored and delineated.”xii O’Hara continued, “She is willing to declare erotic and sentimental pre-occupations full-scale and with full conviction.”xiii

“When a picture demands blank canvas to breathe a certain way, I leave it.”

—Helen Frankenthaler speaking toArtforumin 1965xiv

Acresalso encapsulates a season in Frankenthaler's artistic journey during which she delved into the realm of blank “breathing” space. This experimentation aimed to isolate the strongest and most effective elements within her compositions until she achieved the ability to phase out these vacant areas entirely. Remarking on the visual and spatial feel of her paintings, Frankenthaler has said, “I frequently leave areas of raw, unprimed canvas unpainted. That ‘negative’ space has just as active a role as the ‘positive’ painted space. The negative spaces maintain shapes of their own and are not empty.”xv

The inclusion of Acresin the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum's major touring exhibition After MountainsandSea:Frankenthaler1956-1959, which travelled across three countries between 1998-1999, attests to the work’s enduring significance. In a statement concluding her review of the exhibition for ARTnews, Maragaret Moorman determined that, “In Acres, from 1959, a work of clear, bold pinks and yellows and a thoughtfully interrupted arc of black, Frankenthaler appears to have renewed her commitment to abstract harmonies. We see her stronger, more mature, and completely secure in her uniqueness.”xvi Moreover, Roberta Smith's selection of Acresas the only image reproduced in her NewYorkTimesreview of the show, entitled “Showing the Way to The Vanguard at 23,” emphasizes the painting's prominence within the larger context of Frankenthaler's career. This recognition underscores the enduring relevance of Acresas a seminal work that not only shaped the trajectory of Frankenthaler's artistic journey but also left an indelible mark on the evolution of abstract painting in the 20th century.

CCollector’ollector’sDigestsDigest

•There are about two dozen paintings by Frankenthaler from 1957 to 1961 that are currently held in public institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Brooklyn Museum, New York, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Arkansas, Baltimore Museum of Art, Maryland, Los Angeles

Helen Frankenthaler

County Museum of Art, California, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Connecticut, and others.

i Alexander Nemerov, FiercePoise:HelenFrankenthalerand1950sNewYork, New York, 2021, pp. 192-193, 201.

ii Jon Elderfield, quoted in Lauren Mahony, "Helen Frankenthaler," GagosianQuarterly, Fall 2017, online.

iii Helen Frankenthaler, quoted in Henry Geldzahler, “An Interview with Helen Frankenthaler,” Artforum, Vol. 4, No. 2, October 1965, online.

iv B. H. Friedman titled an essay on Frankenthaler’s work “Towards a Total Color Image,” ARTnews, Vol. 65, No. 4, Summer 1966, pp. 31-33, 67-68.

v Grace Glueck, “Helen Frankenthaler, Abstract Painter Who Shaped a Movement, Dies at 83,” The NewYorkTimes, December 27, 2011, online.

vi Helen Frankenthaler, quoted in Irving Sandler, ed., “Is There a New Academy?” ARTnews, Vol. 58, No. 4, Summer 1959, p. 34, 59.

vii Clement Greenberg, quoted Alfred Frankfurter, ed., “Impress of Impressionism,” ARTnews, Vol. 55, No. 3, May 1956, p. 40.

viii Helen Frankenthaler, quoted in Henry Geldzahler, “An Interview with Helen Frankenthaler,” Artforum, Vol. 4, No. 2, October 1965, online.

ix Morris Louis, quoted in Gerald Nordland, TheWashingtonColorPainters, exh. Cat., New York, 1965, p.12.

x Roberta Smith, “Showing the Way to the Vanguard at 23,” TheNewYorkTimes, January 16, 1998, p. B35 (illustrated)

xi John Elderfield, quoted in Harry N. Abrams, Paintedon21stStreet:HelenFrankenthalerfrom 1950to1959,New York, 2013, p. 39.

xii Kaelen Wilson-Goldie, “Helen Frankenthaler: Museo di Palazzo Grimani,” Artforum, Vol. 58, No. 4, December, 2019, online.

xiii Ibid.

xiv Helen Frankenthaler, quoted in Henry Geldzahler, “An Interview with Helen Frankenthaler,” Artforum, Vol. 4, No. 2, October 1965, online.

xv Helen Frankenthaler, quoted in J. Brown,AfterMountainsandSea:HelenFrankenthaler 1956-1959, exh. cat., Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1998, p. 41.

xvi Margaret Moorman, “Up Now: Helen Frankenthaler. Guggenheim Museum Through May 3,” ARTnews, vol. 97, no. 3, March 1998, p. 171

PrProovvenanceenance

Collection Mr. Steve Martin (acquired directly from the artist in the 1980s)

James Goodman Gallery, Inc., New York

Jacob and Sandra Terner, Los Angeles (acquired from the above in April 1995) Thence by descent to the present owner

ExhibitedExhibited

New York, The Jewish Museum, HelenFrankenthalerPaintings, January 26–March 2, 1960, no. 17, p. 9

New York, André Emmerich Gallery, HelenFrankenthaler,March 28–April 23, 1960

Washington D.C., Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Smithsonian Institution, TheFifties: AspectsofPaintinginNewYork, May 22–September 21, 1980, no. 59, pp. 102, 110 (illustrated, p. 102)

Centre d'Arts Plastiques Contemporains de Bordeaux, "Depuislacouleur"1958/1964.Helen Frankenthaler,MorrisLouis,KennethNoland,JulesOlitski,January 23–March 21, 1981, pp. 14, 19 (illustrated, p. 19)

New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; Bilbao, Guggenheim Museum; Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin, AfterMountainsandSea:Frankenthaler1956-1959, January 16, 1998–January 31, 1999, no. 13, pp. 10, 78-79 (illustrated, p. 79; detail illustrated, p. 10)

Frankenthaler

LiteraturLiteraturee

Barbara Rose, Frankenthaler, New York, 1971, no. 64, p. 135 (illustrated)

Sarah Paley, “Hanging out with Steve Martin,” GQ, November 1983, vol. 53, pp. 210, 212 (Steve Martin with the present work in his home illustrated, p. 212)

John Elderfield, Frankenthaler,New York, 1989, pp. 131, 137, 397, 438 (illustrated, p. 131)

Françoise S. Puniello and Halina R. Rusak, AbstractExpressionistWomenPainters:AnAnnotated Bibliography, Maryland and London, 1996, p. 93

Roberta Smith, “Showing the Way to the Vanguard at 23,” TheNewYorkTimes, January 16, 1998, p. B35 (detail illustrated)

Hilton Kramer, “Gaga Over Guggenheim’s Frankenthaler Exhibition,” Observer,February 2, 1998, online

Margaret Moorman, “Up Now: Helen Frankenthaler. Guggenheim Museum Through May 3,” ARTnews, vol. 97, no. 3, March 1998, p. 171

Alexander Nemerov, FiercePoise:HelenFrankenthalerand1950sNewYork, New York, 2021, pp. 192-193, 201

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

8

Jadé Fadojutimi

The Pour

signed twice, titled and dated "Jadé Fadojutimi Jan '22 'The Pour'" on the reverse acrylic, oil and oil bar on canvas 63 x 59 1/8 in. (160 x 150.2 cm) Executed in 2022.

EstimateEstimate

$400,000 — 600,000

“I recall Paul Klee’s description of taking his lines for a walk. Jadé’s race by: they run, skip, jump, rest. They rouse surfaces even as they shoot arrows into the depths.”

—Jennifer Higgie

Jadé Fadojutimi’s ThePour, painted in 2022, is a glistening mosaic of gem-like hues: vivid magentas, coral reds, royal purples, and hints of turquoise that traverse the canvas in a richly choreographed dance. A central semicircle motif seems to evoke the “pouring” action that the title alludes to, while patterns reminiscent of leaves and greenery erupt in growth along the margins. Somewhere between figuration and abstraction, one can almost make out faces peeking through the frenetic brushstrokes and sunset-hued washes. Brimming with Fadojutimi’s characteristic vibrancy, ThePourenvelopes its viewer into the artist’s exuberant and precious world. As the artist elucidates, through “form, color, or texture or pattern […] they become spaces for me to exist.”i

The dynamism and sense of quick movement in ThePouris a result of Fadojutimi’s unique painting technique. The artist thins her paint with the quick drying agent Liquin, which dries fast and to a high gloss, giving the effect of a reflection on glass or water. In her more recent paintings, and in this work in particular, she draws directly onto the canvas with oil bar, a medium that accommodates both the speed and spontaneity of her painting process. The introduction of the oilstick to her practice represented a new relationship with drawing for the artist. While she previously described drawing as “an appetizer for painting,” the oilstick represents for her a hybrid between the two and is a testament to her dedication to fading the boundaries between painting and drawing.ii

Gustav Klimt, Bauerngarten, 1907. Private Collection.

Jadé Fadojutimi

“One

of my studio mates made fun of me, she said watching me paint is like watching me doing aerobics.”

—Jadé Fadojutimi

For Fadojutimi, it is important that her medium keep up with her fast-paced artistic process; having stated that she is most productive in the evening, Fadojutimi often completes her works in late-night bursts of creativity. Dancing and running about her studio, the artist will even pause to write in her diary; writing, for her, is as intrinsic to her practice as mark-making, which is reflected in her poetic and narrative titles. ThePour– both vague enough to be generative, and specific enough to find resonance in the visuals of the work – emblematizes her mastery of titling.

Fadojutimi’s rich canvases draw inspiration from myriad sources, the country of Japan being paramount: Japanese artists such as Makiko Kudo and Yoshitomo Nara serve as great influences to her, as well as Japanese animation; she even completed a residency in Japan in 2016.iii As a reminder of her childhood, she will often put on anime or video game soundtracks as she works. In the Western art historical canon, Fadojutimi’s work has been compared to abstract expressionists such as Joan Mitchell and Lee Krasner, whose energized, rhythmic marks and high impact color schemes seem to find a modern-day equivalent in the British artist’s practice. In response to Krasner’s 2019 exhibition LivingColour, the Fadojutimi admitted her envy of Krasner’s use of color, adding that, for herself, “Color is an invitation to someone’s eyes, and how they see life and pleasure or even the opposite of that.”iv For Fadojutimi, color always comes first.

2022, the year that ThePourwas painted, was a notable year for the artist; new paintings by Fadojutimi were on display in the Central Pavilion of the Venice Biennale, which followed her first US solo museum exhibition at ICA Miami, Yet,AnotherPatheticFallacy. The Hepworth Wakefield also displayed a solo exhibition by the artist that year, titled CanWeSeetheColourGreenBecause WeHaveaNameforIt?At age twenty-eight in 2018, Fadojutimi was the youngest artist to have her work collected by the Tate Modern, and since then her trajectory has been one to watch as she establishes herself as one of the most compelling new voices in abstract painting. Created at a high point of her continually ascending career, ThePouris a striking meditation on color, life and

Lee Krasner, DesertMoon, 1955. Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Image: © 2024 Museum Associates / LACMA. Licensed by Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © 2024 Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

growth. Thrumming with energy, Fadojutimi pours herself into this work; as she has said, “a selfportrait is not always the depiction of a face.”v

“While I’m painting, the harmonious unity of my senses becomes apparent. They muddle together, chitter-chattering about their newfound warmth as though it’s their first connection.” —Jadé Fadojutimi

i “Jadé Fadojutimi,” TateShort, 2020, online

ii David Trigg, “Jadé Fadojutimi – interview: ‘I bathe in the conversations between colour, texture, line, form, composition, rhythm, marks and disturbances’,” studiointernational, April 26, 2021, online

iii Christopher Bollen, “Meet Eight Artists Reshaping the 59th Venice Biennale,” Interview Magazine, April 21, 2022, online

iv Jadé Fadojutimi, quoted in Katy Hessel, “'The whole show feels like one painting' // Jadé Fadojutimi x Katy Hessel on Lee Krasner,” BarbicanCentre, August 9, 2019, online

v Jennifer Higgie, JadéFadojutimi:Jesture, exh. cat., Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, 2021, p. 10.

PrProovvenanceenance

Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2022

Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

PROPERTY FROM A PRESTIGIOUS COLLECTION

Donald Judd

Untitled

each inscribed and dated “94-1 A-F Judd By: HERNANDEZ” on the reverse Cor-ten steel and black Plexiglas, in 6 parts each 9 7/8 x 39 3/8 x 9 7/8 in. (25.1 x 100 x 25.1 cm)

installation dimensions 118 1/2 x 39 3/8 x 9 7/8 in. (301 x 100 x 25.1 cm)

Executed in 1994.

EstimateEstimate

$2,000,000 — 3,000,000

Go to Lot

“It isn’t necessary for a work to have a lot of things to look at, to compare, to analyze one by one, to contemplate. The thing as a whole, its quality as a whole, is what is interesting.” —Donald Judd

In the final years of Donald Judd’s life, he executed a significant body of work made of Cor-ten steel. Emblematic of his predilection for industrial media and processes, this chapter of his oeuvre marked the culmination of nearly 30 years of artmaking and highlighted the material and spatial adroitness for which he is celebrated among the most pioneering artists of the 20th century. The rare Cor-ten works showcased the evocative power of Judd’s mature approach, exemplifying the commitment to tangibility, precision, and the inherent qualities of perception that characterized his entire career. One of Judd’s final works, Untitledwas executed just before the artist’s death from cancer in February 1994. The present work is remarkable for its extension of his use of Corten to his most iconic format—the stack.

These six vertical units of weathering steel and black Plexiglas produce a dynamic interplay: the qualities of each distinctive material draw the viewer’s eye between roughness and smoothness, opacity and transparency, and sturdiness and ethereality. Steel dividers further divert our gaze, separating each unit into four evenly sized boxes. A testament to the artist’s innovative exploration of space and form, Untitledepitomizes the hallmarks of Judd's interrogation of the nature of objecthood.

The use of Cor-ten in the present work is indicative of Judd’s continued experimentation with new media until the end of his life. Before Judd began using the material in earnest in 1989, he employed it for a few site-specific works and outdoor commissions. He was attracted to the substance’s industrial connotations: Cor-ten is a popular trademark name for weathering steel, which was initially developed for train cars carrying coal. The alloy forms a durable rust coating when exposed to natural elements, which shields it from corrosion caused by wet coal and eliminates the necessity of an additional layer of paint. Its durability and distinctive red-brown patina made it the preferred medium for a few other post-war sculptors, notably Barnett

Barnett Newman, BrokenObelisk, 1963-69. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Image: © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © 2024 Barnett Newman Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Donald Judd

Newman—who utilized it in his famous sculpture BrokenObelisk,1963–1969, Museum of Modern Art, New York and Judd’s close friend, Richard Serra. In fact, Judd once remarked that he initially avoided Cor-ten as it was “Richard’s material,” but later “I realized it was just a material, and how I would use it would be different from how Richard used it.”i Captivated by its velvety-red surface, which he could use to illuminate the relationship between surface, color and volume, Judd continued to develop his approach to the medium until his death—with Untitledsymbolizing one of its final manifestations in his oeuvre.

This work also reflected the artist’s transitioning production process towards the end of his career. Looking to centralize fabrication of his artworks and furniture near his home and studio in Marfa, Texas, where he had resided since 1973, he opened a metalworking shop in an abandoned ice factory in 1988. Judd named it El Taller Chihuahuense (“The Chihuahuan Workshop”), inspired by the Chihuahuan Desert surrounding Marfa, and hired local welders to assist in the production of his Cor-ten objects—including Raul Hernandez, who fabricated the present work. As his output had been increasingly produced in Switzerland, the ability to create Cor-ten works locally enabled the artist to explore the medium quickly and to an unprecedented degree. El Taller Chihuahuense functioned as a small operation, solely dedicated to the production and revision of Judd’s conceptions. As such, its proximity to his residence and ease of fabrication marked the closest Judd would ever return to a traditional studio environment since the 1960s.

Untitledalso signified the conclusion of his stacks, a format the artist had been experimenting with since 1965. Embodying Judd’s radical redefinition of objecthood, the stack realized his intention to integrate space, color, and form as the fundamental building blocks of artmaking. As with the present example, these stacks are installed to ensure that the interval between each unit equals their volume—establishing a staccato rhythm that de-stabilizes the binary between positive and negative space. Cantilevered off the wall, these boxes appear to float like paintings; the absence of a base or podium allowed them to elude many of the illusionistic conventions commonly associated with sculpture. This format allowed Judd to achieve an unforeseen approach to abstraction that transcended the medium’s conventional structural limits.Captivated by the stacks design for the rest of his life, he continued experimenting with subtle variations in color, size, and material for nearly three decades, an exercise which culminated in the Cor-ten steel examples. “I’m interested in ideas I can work with,” Judd elucidated, “and the stack proved to have a lot of possibilities.”ii

Louise Nevelson,AtmosphereandEnvironmentX. 1969-70. The John B. Putnam Jr. Memorial Collection, Princeton University. Image: Princeton University Art Museum / Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © 2024 Estate of Louise Nevelson / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Donald Judd

Richard Serra, KittyHawk, 1983. Buffalo AKG Art Museum, New York. Image: Buffalo AKG Art Museum / Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © 2024 Richard Serra / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Through his entire corpus, Judd aimed to create self-referential artworks rooted in an uncompromising integrity of material and color. The innate physical characteristics of media were a central element of the artist’s compositions, foregrounding their specificity and phenomenological value. His ability to skillfully harness the implicit aesthetic possibilities of these seemingly utilitarian materials—iron, steel, Plexiglas—betrayed an acute eye for materiality. “A shape, a volume, a color, a surface is something itself,” Judd wrote in 1968. “It shouldn't be concealed as part of a fairly different whole.”iii The distinctive and tactile surface of Cor-ten provided the artist with a new means of approaching the themes fundamental to his practice. Among Judd’s final masterworks, Untitledis a power expression of Judd’s signature aesthetic, which stand as a cornerstone of post-war American art.

i Donald Judd, quoted in Julie Baumgardner, “Judd’s Late Cor-ten Works: Evolutionary or Unchanging?,” ArtinAmerica,December 17, 2015, online.

ii Donald Judd, quoted in John Coplans, “An Interview with Donald Judd,” Artforum,June 1971, online.

iii Donald Judd, "Statement" (1968), in DonaldJudd:CompleteWritings1959–1975,New York, 2005, p. 196.

PrProovvenanceenance

Estate of Donald Judd

PaceWildenstein, New York

Private Collection

David Zwirner, New York

Acquired from the above by the present owner

ExhibitedExhibited

Cologne, Galerie Gmurzynska, DonaldJudd:TheMoscowInstallation, March 5–May 21, 1994, pp. 48-49, 51 (illustrated, p. 49; installation view illustrated, p. 51)

New York, PaceWildenstein, DonaldJudd:Sculpture, September 16–October 15, 1994, pp. 24-25, 29 (illustrated, p. 25)

New York, PaceWildenstein, DonaldJudd:LateWork,October 27–November 25, 2000, no. 70, n.p. (illustrated)

New York, PaceWildenstein, JosefAlbers/DonaldJudd:FormandColor, January 26–February 24, 2007, pp. 47, 81 (illustrated, p. 47)

Hong Kong, David Zwirner, Flavin,Judd,McCracken,Sandback, November 15–December 21, 2018

New York, David Zwirner, DonaldJudd:Artworks:1970-1994, November 5–December 12, 2020, pp. 104-112, 281 (illustrated, pp. 105, 112; detail illustrated, pp. 106-111)

LiteraturLiteraturee

Carol Kino, "Donald Judd, Pace Wildenstein," ARTnews, vol. 93, no. 10, December 1994, p. 136

Lily Wei, "Donald Judd at Pace Wildenstein," ArtinAmerica, vol. 82, no. 12, December 1994, p. 93

Judd/Malevich, exh. cat., Galerie Gmurzynska, Zürich, 2017, p. 101

Abigail Cain, "Donald Judd’s Son Reimagines a Show His Father Conceived Two Decades Ago," Artsy, June 22, 2017, online (illustrated)

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

10

Frank

Stella

Lettre sur les sourds et muets II

synthetic polymer paint on canvas

140 7/8 x 140 7/8 in. (357.8 x 357.8 cm)

Painted in 1974.

EstimateEstimate

$5,000,000 — 7,000,000

Frank Stella's LettresurlessourdsetmuetsII, executed in 1974, hails from the artist's celebrated Diderotseries, which builds upon his iconic ConcentricSquareformat initiated in 1962. Here, Stella alternates between bands of white, darkening to gray as they approach the center, and a rich chromatic scale, which transitions from dark blues, to green, to highlighter yellows and oranges, and finally deep red. The painting was prominently featured in FrankStella:Experimentand Change, a landmark retrospective presented by NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale from 2017 to 2018, where it was independently illustrated on the exhibition poster. A pivotal work in Stella's oeuvre, this painting represents a triumphant return to his geometric compositions after a brief hiatus in the late '60s, marked by an increased scale and complexity of coloration. Through Lettre surlessourdsetmuetsII, Stella navigates the delicate balance between formal cohesion and discordant color combinations, creating a visually striking tension within the composition. Confronting his viewer with a symphony of color and form, Stella invites them into a realm where order and expression converge in captivating harmony.

The title of the present work, borrowed from a 1751 essay by the French Enlightenment philosopher Denis Diderot, adds a layer of conceptual depth to Stella's exploration. Lettresurles sourdsetmuets, or "Letter on the Deaf and Dumb," resonates with Diderot's examination of nonverbal communication methods and their impact on human consciousness. In a similar vein to Diderot's exploration of alternative modes of expression, Stella's Diderotpaintings prompt viewers to reconsider how they perceive and interpret art. Through the geometric abstraction of his work, Stella encourages viewers to look beyond conventional representations and engage with the visual language of shapes and colors. Moreover, Stella's interest in mathematics and geometry aligns with Diderot's broader exploration of the relationship between science, art, and perception.

“My Painting is based on the fact that only what can be seen there is there...What you see is what you see” —Frank Stella i

Far from improvisational, Stella’s method in LettresurlessourdsetmuetsIIdemonstrates a systematic utilization of both color and value scales. His use of mathematical principles to construct a visual composition, echoes Diderot's philosophical inquiries, suggesting a shared fascination with structured systems and their potential for communication and expression beyond linguistic confines. By titling the paintings after specific texts and collectively referring to the series as "the Diderot pictures," Stella playfully invokes what he terms "the notion of the critic," possibly alluding to his friend Michael Fried.ii Fried's criticism is renowned for its staunch opposition to the blurring of boundaries between the artwork and the act of viewing it, which he famously labeled "theatricality."iii

While Stella's earlier works were predominantly monochromatic and works like Lettresurles sourdsetmuetsIIcertainly heralded a departure into a more daring color program, what was truly novel about the Diderot pictures was their monumental scale. The individual paintings from the

Diderot series, the present work included, measure roughly 11 by 11 feet, with the double-square formats being twice as wide. Stella was eager to observe how the configurations of stripes would interact with these daring new proportions, as evidenced by his decision to keep the size of the stripe consistent with his earlier, smaller-scale paintings. The effect is trifold: it enhances the impression of immense size, exemplifies Stella’s ability to evoke a range of emotional responses from the viewer, and allows for more proximate subdivisions of hue and value. This shift lends the Diderotpaintings an intimation of ambiguous "schematic illusionism," which is emphasized by the increase in scale, and is likely what Stella had in mind when he later reflected that he particularly liked the Diderotpictures "because they had a little hint of the extravagant—but in a very simple way that I think added to their effect."iv

As a progenitor of Minimalism, Stella laid out principles essential to the ongoing practice of painting about painting. He rejected the subjective interpretations favored by Abstract Expressionists, emphasizing instead that “only what can be seen there is there. It really is an object. What you see is what you see.”v Despite this, Stella's work retains a human touch, evident in the hand-painted bands of primed canvas between colors that draw the viewer into the painting, hinting at the artist's presence behind the work. Stella gives as he pulls away, subtly showing his hand while refusing to represent an outside reality and beckoning his viewer to become a part of the space, thus engaging with the minimalist ambition to involve the viewer in responding to only what is directly in front of them.

Kazimir Malevich, BlackSquare, 1915. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.

“For me, the spiritual resides in Mondrian, Malevich and Kandinsky, they are my spiritual basis. I mean my complete belief and commitment and appreciation of their work allows me to go forward. I can take that as given and I believe in it.” —Frank

Stella vi

A central black square, reminiscent of Stella's earlier BlackPaintings, anchors the present composition, harmonizing the outermost band with the innermost point and engendering a dynamic interplay between the grayscale and colored bands. Aligning himself with the vision outlined by Kazimir Malevich in his 1913 painting BlackSquare, Stella made his intention clear: he

aimed to completely abandon the depiction of reality and instead forge a new realm of shapes and forms. In Malevich’s 1927 book TheNon-ObjectiveWorld, he wrote: “…trying desperately to free art from the dead weight of the real world, I took refuge in the form of the square.”vii As Stella's primary focus in his art was composition and maintaining perfect symmetry, the adoption of the concentric square motif marked a significant moment in his artistic development, signifying a fundamental shift in his creative approach and philosophy. "The concentric square format is about as neutral and simple as you can get," the artist explained. "It’s a powerful pictorial image that you can use, abuse, or even work against to the point of ignoring it. It possesses a strength that’s almost indestructible – at least for me."viii LettresurlessourdsetmuetsIIevokes the essence of Malevich's (in)famous icon, embodying a departure from representational art towards abstraction and the exploration of pure form and color.

This departure from traditional representation towards abstraction invites a dialogue with Bauhaus color theorist Josef Albers, who is also known for his exploration of geometric forms, particularly the square. Stella was familiar with Albers’ painting practice from his days at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, in the early '50s when European abstraction dominated studio art. He also cites Albers’ original installation of the geometric 20th-century mural, Manhattan, 1963, as a major influence on his work thereafter. Specifically speaking to his interest in Albers’ elimination of gesture and mastery of geometry, he explains “[In] Albers’ mural in Grand Central called Manhattan[he] has a big advantage. He doesn’t have to carry the gesture anywhere. You could describe it as Formica rectangles in red, white, and black and you can think of it in terms of colors, and space, and how you’re going to put things together and it's very hard to believe that such a mechanical system can carry such a large space… you could say that Albers’s geometry…laid out in such a ferocious and commanding way is what dictates the structure behind the work that I do.”ix In LettresurlessourdsetmuetsII,the influence of Albers’ Manhattanis unmistakable, evident in both its monumental scale and adherence to strict geometric principles. Both artists exhibit a shared aesthetic verisimilitude and a keen sense of pictorial space, conveying their message through a mutual lexicon of geometric grandeur and visual rhythm.

[Left] Josef Albers, HomagetotheSquare:Apparition, 1959. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. Image: The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation / Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York [Right] Josef Albers, Manhattan, ca. 1963. Photograph of original mural installed in the Pan Am Building, New York City). Image/Artwork: © The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Discussing the Diderotseries within the context of his broader artistic output, Stella emphasizes the role of these paintings as a guiding anchor amidst his more experimental works, saying “The effect of doing [the paintings] ‘by the numbers,’ so to say, gave me a kind of guide in my work as a whole… The ConcentricSquarescreated a pretty high, pretty tough pictorial standard. Their simple, rather humbling effect—almost a numbing power—became a sort of ‘control’ against which my increasing tendency in the seventies to be extravagant could be measured.”x

Stella's artistic evolution is characterized by his strategic use of each series as a steppingstone to the next phase of his creative journey, a process exemplified in the Diderotpaintings. Serving as a touchstone for his transition from the restrained aesthetic of the '70s to the more liberated style of the '80s, these works mark a significant milestone in Stella's artistic development. Lettresurles sourdsetmuetsII, in particular, can be seen as a deliberate counterbalance to the openness and complexity of his previous PolishVillageseries from the past three years. Additionally, within this work lies a foreshadowing of Stella's later emphasis on the pictorial rectangle, a motif evident in his Brazilianseries from the mid-1970s—large and elaborate metal constructions that Stella considered paintings, aesthetically influenced by the sharp angles and clustered planes of Russian Constructivism. Standing before this monumental canvas, the viewer is confronted with Lettresur lessourdsetmuetsIIextraordinary hypnotic power and reminded of Stella's words: "to me, the thrill, or the meat of the thing, is the actual painting."xi

i Frank Stella, quoted in William Rubin, FrankStella, New York, 1970, pp. 41-42.

ii Frank Stella, quoted in William Rubin, FrankStella1970-1987, exh. Cat., New York, 1987, p. 43.

iii Michael Fried, “Shape as Form: Frank Stella's Irregular Polygons,” ArtandObjecthood:Essays andReviews, pp. 88–89

iv Frank Stella, quoted in Ibid., p. 52.

v Frank Stella, quoted in Hilton Kramer, “Frank Stella: What You See is What You See,” NewYork Times, December 10, 1967, online.

vi Frank Stella, quoted in Norbert Lynton, “Interview with Frank Stella: “I started, and I think I am going to finish, as a committed abstractionist,” TheArtNewspaper, June 30, 1999, online.

vii Kasimir Malevich, TheNon-ObjectiveWorld:TheManifestoofSuprematism, 1926.

viii Frank Stella, quoted in William Rubin, FrankStella,1970-1987, exh. cat., Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1988. p. 48.

ix Frank Stella, quoted in Megan O’Grady, “Notes on the Culture: The Constellation of Frank Stella,” TheNewYorkTimes, T Magazine, March 18, 2020.

x Frank Stella, quoted in William Rubin, FrankStella,1970-1987, exh. cat., Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1988. p. 48.

xi Ibid, p. 37.

PrProovvenanceenance

Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner in 2017

ExhibitedExhibited

Rome, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, RichardMeier,FrankStella:ArteeArchitettura, July 8–August 30, 1993, pp. 267, 271 (illustrated, p. 271)

Madrid, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía; Munich, Haus der Kunst, FrankStella, September 26, 1995–April 21, 1996, p. 231

Brussels, Charles Riva Collection, FrankStella, April 19–November 3, 2017

Fort Lauderdale, NSU Art Museum, FrankStella:ExperimentandChange, November 12, 2017–July 29, 2018 (illustrated on the exhibition poster)

LiteraturLiteraturee

Andrianna Campbell, Kate Nesin, Lucas Blalock and Terry Richardson, FrankStella, New York, 2017, pp. 17, 158 (illustrated, p. 17)

Denise Colson, “Frank Stella: Experiment and Change,” ArtDistrict, 2017, online (NSU Art Museum, Fort Lauderdale, 2017, installation view illustrated)

Ted Loos, “Editor’s Pick: Frank Stella on Six Decades of Experimentation and Change,” 1stDibs, 2017, online (illustrated)

“Frank Stella: Experiment and Change at NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, November 12, 2017 –July 29, 2018,” ArtsSummary:AVisualJournal, August 23, 2017, online (NSU Art Museum, Fort Lauderdale, 2017, installation view illustrated)

Brainard Carey, “Bonnie Clearwater,” PraxisInterviewMagazine,YaleUniversityRadio, October 31, 2017, online (installation view illustrated)

Noah Becker, “At 81, Frank Stella is Still America’s Most Experimental Artist,” Vice, November 9, 2017, online (installation view illustrated)

Sandra Schulman, “Can’t-miss Stella show stuns in Fort Lauderdale,” PalmBeachArtsPaper, November 13, 2017, online (installation view illustrated)

Andrew Russeth, “Frank Stella Takes to the Sky,” ARTnews, December 5, 2017, online AmericanMasterFrankStella:PolishVillages, exh. cat., Lévy Gorvy, Hong Kong, 2019, pp. 17, 47 (illustrated, p. 17)

Hugues Cayrade, “Charles Riva and the Art of Scaling Down,” LaGazetteDrouot, September 23, 2020, online (Charles Riva Collection, Brussels, 2017, installation view partially illustrated)

Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT EUROPEAN COLLECTION

Yayoi Kusama

Nets in the Night (TPXZZOT) signed, titled and dated ""TPXZZOT" Yayoi Kusama 2007 "NETS IN THE NIGHT" [in English and Japanese]" on the reverse

acrylic on canvas

76 3/8 x 76 3/8 in. (194 x 194 cm)

Painted in 2007, this work is accompanied by a registration card issued by YAYOI KUSAMA Inc.

EstimateEstimate

$1,500,000 — 2,000,000

Evoking a cosmic sense of boundlessness, NetsintheNight(TPXZZOT) radiates as a celestial marvel from Yayoi Kusama’s iconic series. This vast canvas employs the artist’s signature visual idiom of endlessly repeating dots and is exemplary of the InfinityNetsin its expansive scale, impasto brushwork, and varying density of knots. At the same time, however, the painting is distinguished from this body of work by its subdued palette and considered marks. While many of the InfinityNetsfeature vibrant colors and looser brushwork, NetsintheNightfeatures a shimmering expanse of velvety black circles which have been painstakingly painted in a dense mesh across a moon-white ground. It transforms the confines of the square canvas into an exercise in obliteration: pulsating rhythms draw in the viewer’s gaze, which traces fugitive connections between one patch of darkness to another. Kusama has infused the present work with a compelling vitality, reflecting her persistent preoccupation with accumulation, seriality, and the infinite—an ethos that defines her artistic practice.

“My net paintings were very large canvases without composition—without beginning, end or center. The entire canvas would be occupied by a monochromatic net. This endless repetition causes a kind of dizzying, empty, hypnotic feeling.”

—Yayoi Kusama

In NetsintheNight, the artist’s notion of “infinity” is extended beyond a mere association with the repetition of visual forms to take on a more directly cosmological significance. The surface evokes an astronomical panorama of a radiant night sky ablaze with stars, each dot gleaming through Kusama’s loops like a distant ray in a vast cosmic expanse. Becoming celestial bodies that form twinkling constellations, these hints of light invite contemplation of our place within the cosmos. “My desire [with the InfinityNets] was to predict and measure the infinity of the unbounded universe, from my own position in it, with dots—an accumulation of particles forming the negative spaces in the net,” Kusama elucidated. “How deep was the mystery? Did infinite infinities exist beyond our universe?”i Both pictorially and conceptually, NetsintheNightis a manifestation of the artist’s pursuit to express the expansiveness of the universe.

The InfinityNetsconstitute the artist’s most ambitious and significant engagement with the medium of painting, one which has persisted since the late 1950s. Travelling to the United States from Japan to pursue a career as an artist in 1957, Kusama gazed out of the airplane window the wide expanse of the Pacific Ocean, captivated by the softly undulating surface of the water. This oceanic infinitude would provide the conceptual basis for the series, which she began not long after her arrival in New York. Within the context of post-war American abstraction, these intricate networks of painted loops established an important bridge between the gestural energies of Abstract Expressionism and the formal economy of Minimalism. Over the next six decades, Kusama continuously revisited and refined the InfinityNets,experimenting with different color

Frank Stella, Jill, 1959.Buffalo AKG Art Museum, New York.Image: Buffalo AKG Art Museum / Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © 2024 Frank Stella / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Yayoi Kusama

palettes, brushwork techniques, and scales; with time, the execution of the series became a serial act itself. Each painting, such as NetsintheNight, therefore constitutes a unique exploration of texture, rhythm, and space. This tension between infinity and individuality lies at the heart of Kusama’s oeuvre, and the personal significance of these works was underscored by her decision to name her autobiography InfinityNet(2023).

Coalescing the obsessional, repetitive, and immersive qualities for which she is best known, the visual language of NetsintheNightconstitutes a distillation of themain themes of her life and career. Indeed, the densely dotted “infinity net” motifis one that is deeply rooted in the artist’s own biography. Growing up on her family’s seed farm in the mountain town of Matsumoto in Japan’s Nagano Prefecture, the young Kusama began to experience the profound visual and auditory hallucinations that continue to guide discussions of her practice. Against the backdrop of a strained childhood marked by trauma and violence, Kusama has poignantly recounted these early episodes when “after gazing at a pattern of red flowers on the tablecloth, I looked up... I saw the entire room, my entire body, and the entire universe covered with red flowers, and in that instant my soul was obliterated and I was restored, returned to infinity, to eternal time and absolute space.”ii These highly personal dot patterns not only characterize her InfinityNet canvases, but also thread together much of her output, from her soft sculptural “accumulations” and provocative 1960s Happenings, to her pumpkin images and InfinityRooms

“With just one polka dot, nothing can be achieved. In the universe, there is the sun, the moon, the earth, and hundreds of millions of stars. All of us live in the

unfathomable mystery and infinitude of the universe.” —Yayoi Kusama

Lee Krasner, Untitled(LittleImagePainting), 1947-48. Munson Museum, Utica, New York. Image: Munson Museum, Utica, NY / Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © 2024 Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Oscillating between the microbial and the cosmic, the intimate and the infinite, the expanse of NetsintheNightis emblematic of Kusama’s landmark series and cornerstone of her practice. The cosmological, all-over composition of the painting may be interpreted as a reference to exterior world—specifically, the night sky and universe that engulfs us—but simultaneously reflects the artist's interiority. Its self-obliterating loops and dots, an enduring reference point in her artistic

Yayoi Kusama

journey, are a striking testament to the alluring and disorienting spatial complexity that has defined Kusama’s corpus for decades. In this way, the work emphasizes the close conceptual connections between her painting practiceand her installation and performance work, positioning it at the center of her seventy-year career.

i Kusama, quoted in Kusama, InfinityNet,n.p.

ii Yayoi Kusama, quoted in Yayoi Kusama, InfinityNet:TheAutobiographyofYayoiKusama, London, 2011, p. 23.

PrProovvenanceenance

OTA Fine Arts, Tokyo

Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney

Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2007

ExhibitedExhibited

Sydney, Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, YayoiKusama, April 26–May 19, 2007, no. 4

Yayoi Kusama

Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF HELEN LEWIS AND THE LATE MARVIN MEYER, BEVERLY HILLS

12

Donald Judd

Untitled

stainless steel and yellow fluorescent Plexiglas, in 10 parts

each 6 1/8 x 27 x 24 in. (15.6 x 68.6 x 61 cm)

installation dimensions 122 1/2 x 27 x 24 in. (311.2 x 68.6 x 61 cm)

Executed in 1978.

EstimateEstimate

$5,500,000 — 7,500,000

“I’m interested in ideas I can work with, and the stack proved to have a lot of possibilities.”

—Donald Judd

Found in almost every major museum collection across the world, Donald Judd’s stacks are a cornerstone of post-war American art, embodying the radical redefinition of art and form that characterized the emergence of Minimalist aesthetics. Though the artist did not like the term—preferring to call himself an “empiricist”—his breathtakingly austere forms and meticulous attention to materiality exemplified a profound commitment to clarity, precision, and the inherent qualities of objecthood. Executed in 1978, Untitledshowcases the evocative power of Judd’s mature approach in his mosticonic format. The work’s ten stainless steel and flourescent yellow Plexiglas units invite viewers to explore the interplay of light, color, and form—hallmarks of Judd's interrogation of the nature of perception. Disinterested in the emotive heights of Abstract Expressionism and representational art, Judd viewed painting and sculpture as stagnant “set forms,” prompting his 1965 treatise “Specific Objects.” He saw art as objects intriguing for their specificity and phenomenological value, surpassing conventional categorizations like “sculpture.”i This manifesto is encapsulated in Untitled, a powerful expression of Judd’s signature aesthetic and the conceptual rigor of his practice at the height of his career.

When Judd executed his first stack in 1965, it marked a breakthrough in the artist’s thinking about art and objecthood. The work realized his aim of integrating space, alongside color and form, as a fundamental material in his practice. As with the present example, these stacks were most often comprised of ten units and are installed to ensure that the interval between each unit equals their volume. This format establishes a staccato rhythm between positive and negative space which begins to erode the ostensibly clear distinction separating presence and absence. The stacks also allowed Judd to achieve a radical abstraction that his peers, including David Smith and Mark di Suvero, could not: by being hinged to a wall, they eluded many of the illusionistic conventions

Robert Mangold, YellowWall(SectionI+II),1964. The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Image: The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., The Nancy Lee and Perry Bass Fund, 2004.124.1, Artwork: Artwork: © 2024 Robert Mangold / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Donald Judd

commonly associated with sculpture. Indeed, as Judd explained in an interview, in 1971 “the stack going from floor to ceiling and the fact that it’s not a column and not resting on its base saves it from that figurative business.”ii Captivated by the form for the rest of his life, he continued experimenting with differences in color, size, and material for nearly three decades.

“The effect is astonishing: color glows in the interstices and, seen as a whole, the vertical stacks look like gently gleaming columns; yet the actual structures appear so light that the metal bands seem to do no more than contain the color radiating outward.” —Donald Judd

Although Judd frequently revisited and manipulated the stacks design, they were not editioned; as a unique work, Untitledexhibits the variation he was able to generate within the self-imposed formal constraints of ten parallel squares. The series demonstrated Judd’s keen eye for materiality, as its visual intricacy and diversity primarily stemmed from the inherent disparities among their industrial media. After using galvanized iron for his first stack, Judd expanded to brass, copper, aluminum, and—as in the present work—stainless steel. The curator Barbara Haskell has described how these subtle distinctions “substantiated Judd’s implicit claim that every material possessed formal properties that belonged to it alone and the artist must limit himself that best allowed the materials to speak. Materials were the parts of speech of sculpture. Their properties—surface, color, thickness, and weight—were sufficient to substitute for the role traditionally filled by ornamentation.”iii In Untitled, the sleek, opaque surface of steel is juxtaposed with the glossy Plexiglas, showcasing Judd’s ability to skillfully harness the implicit aesthetic possibilities of materials. Reminiscent of Constantin Brâncuși’s adept contrast between raw and polished surfaces, the media’s innate physical characteristics become a central element of the composition.

The artist’s use of yellow Plexiglas in the present workalso underscored the role of color in his objects, the luminosity and opulence of which opposed the stark geometry of his forms. Following Judd’s discovery of the saturated potential of the medium in the late 1960s, his use of color in the stacks intensified: in Untitled, the reflected tint of the translucent yellow acrylic illuminates the gaps between the units, coalescing form and space into one softly gleaming column of golden light. Moreover, “almost more than any other materials, Plexiglas lived up to Judd’s stipulation that material and color should form a single entity, for color is truly inherent in Plexiglas,” Dietmar Elger clarified. “It is available in an almost endless variety of factory-made colors, and can, in addition, be

Constantin Brancusi, EndlessColumnI, ca. 1925. Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris. Image: © CNAC/MNAM, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © 2024 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Donald Judd

opaque or transparent, dull, intensely glowing, or even fluorescent.”iv The authenticity of media’s intrinsic hues was key to Judd’s practice, and the silver steel and amber Plexiglas in Untitled exemplify his commitment to material integrity and color's integral role.

Installation photograph of DanFlavin:ARetrospectiveat the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (May 13 - August 12, 2007). Image: © 2024 Museum Associates / LACMA. Licensed by Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © 2024 Stephen Flavin / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Coming to the market for the first time in forty years, Untitledwas acquired by Helen Lewis and the late Marvin Meyer not long after the work’s execution, in 1984. Marvin was a celebrated entertainment attorney who co-founded the incredibly influential law firm Rosenfeld, Meyer & Susman. His client roster included many of Hollywood’s biggest names, such as Marilyn Monroe, Muhammad Ali, Grace Kelly, and Billy Wilder—the latter of whom became a particularly close friend of the couple. He also founded, along with Richard Bloch and the singer Andy Williams, the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. From 1974 to 1982, Helen worked as a curator at the Parsons School of Design, New York, and then as the curator and director at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. The couple married in 1979 and became deeply entrenched in the thriving Southern California cultural milieu. From this position, they were able to hone their vision and amass an impressive collection of contemporary art, of which the present work was a cornerstone.

“Color is one of three or four major aspects of my work. I think color is probably the most important aspect of art in this century.” —Donald Judd

Oscillating between opacity and translucency, solidity and ethereality, Untitledis a pristine testament to the materials and forms ofartmaking. In his late masterpieces, Judd attained a sublime lyricism unparalleled in his earlier creations—one which transcends Minimalism’s traditional associations with remoteness and harsh severity. “So-called minimal art is thought of as being cool, impersonal, and reductive,” John Coplans contested. “Judd’s art, however, is not concerned with minimalization, but with a meaningful re-energization of the sculptural vocabulary.”v Achieving the elegant integration of color, material, and space that has driven his entire sculptural practice, Untitled stands as a triumphant culmination of Judd's steadfast quest for the fundamental, immutable truths of artistic creation.

i Donald Judd, “Specific Objects [1965],” in DonaldJudd:TheCompleteWritings,1959–1975,New York, 2015, p. 184.

ii Donald Judd, quoted in “Don Judd: An Interview with John Coplans,” in John Coplans, DonJudd, exh. cat., Pasadena Art Museum, 1971, p. 36.

iii Barbara Haskell, “Donald Judd: Beyond Formalism,” in DonaldJudd,exh. cat., Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 1988, p. 73.

iv Dietmar Elger, “Introduction (to Don Judd, colorist),” in DonaldJudd:Colorist, exh. cat., Sprengel Museum Hannover, 2000, p. 21.

v John Coplans, “Don Judd [1971],” Provocations,ed. Stuart Morgan, London,1996, p. 113.

PrProovvenanceenance

Ace Gallery, Los Angeles (acquired directly from the artist)

Private Collection, Vancouver (acquired from the above)

Flow Ace Gallery, Los Angeles (acquired from the above)

Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1984

Donald Judd

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

13

Ο◆

Jean-Michel Basquiat

Untitled (Grain Alcohol)

signed and dated "Jean-Michel Basquiat 83" lower right

oilstick on paper

30 x 22 in. (76.2 x 55.9 cm) Executed in 1983.

EstimateEstimate

$1,000,000 — 1,500,000

Go

“As Jean-Michel’s painting took off he started spending more time inside, working in the studio, where music was always playing. Now he could have any music he wanted and he began to explore jazz seriously. It’s all there in the paintings of 1983…” — Glenn O’Brien

Arriving to auction for the first time in nearly four decades, Untitled(GrainAlcohol)exemplifies the gestural prowess and distinctive iconography that denoted the peak of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s career. Executed in 1983, soon after his meteoric rise to fame, the work features the same interrogation of “high” and “low” culture that would typify the rest of his too-brief oeuvre. In its hieroglyphic composition, crudely-rendered pictograms, and textual acronyms, the work stylistically harkens back to Basquiat’s past as a graffiti artist in the late 1970s. It also represents many of Basquiat’s pictorial interests at the time, such as crowns, superhero imagery, and jazz musicians, specifically referencing Bud Powell, Charles Mingus (CHRLES MNGS), Miles Davis (MLSDVS), Dizzy Gillespie (DZYGLPSE), Charlie Parker (C PRKR), and Max Roach (MX RCH). These citations not only showcase Basquiat's deep appreciation for jazz music and its cultural significance but also highlight his penchant for incorporating a range of influences into his work, creating a rich tapestry of diverse visual and thematic elements. Bringing together motifs drawn street art, music, and pop culture, Untitledserves as a vibrant testament to Basquiat's extraordinary vision.

Jazz music, and specifically bebop, was an enduring source of inspiration for the artist, resurfacing time and time again in over thirty of his famous paintings, such as HornPlayers,1983, The Broad, Los Angeles. Basquiat’s fascination with the genre stemmed from his upbringing in New York City, where he was exposed to the vibrant jazz scene of the 1960s and 1970s. This early exposure was later evoked in the artist’s studio practice and epitomized in Untitled, which mirrors the spontaneity and improvisation of jazz music through its rhythmic composition and swiftly drawn oilstick lines. As a musician himself, Basquiat ardently admired and identified with many of these figures—a sentiment visible in the pantheon of bebop luminaries that occupies the lower half of the image. In Untitled,Basquiat's reverence for the genre is palpable, as he pays homage to these legendary musicians while also infusing the painting with his own distinctive visual language.

“The black person is the protagonist in most of my paintings.” —Jean-Michel Basquiat

Jean-Michel Basquiat DJing at Area, New York, 1985. Photograph by Ben Buchanon.Image: © Ben

Buchanan. All rights reserved 2024 / Bridgeman Images

Jean-Michel Basquiat

Jean-Michel Basquiat, HornPlayers, 1983. The Broad, Los Angeles.Artwork: © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York

Central to Basquiat’s practice was a sanctification of notable African American figures, which Basquiat used as an iconographic device to coalesce art history, pop culture, and the Black experience. As an answer to the lack of Afro-diasporic representation he witnessed during his frequent visits to the Brooklyn Museum during his youth, the artist began to anoint cultural icons in his own distinctive form of royal portraiture, just as Western art history valorized saints and kings for millennia. In the present work, these pioneering jazz figures—as well as heavyweight champion Jersey Joe Walcott—are surrounded by superhero references, which were also found in his painting CharlestheFirst(1982). At the top of Untitledare two Superman shields; just below is a human figure labelled twice as Thor, the Germanic pagan god who holds a hammer and was

appropriated as a Marvel comic in the 1960s. Thor’s signature thunderbolt is repeated across the center of the image, elevating Basquiat’s subjects to a superheroic status.

“The crown motif that pervades Basquiat’s work…is often interpreted as an assertion of the artist’s power.” —Jordana Moore Saggese

Crowns, one of the artist’s quintessential pictorial tropes, coronate Walcott and Roach and reinforce Basquiat’s exaltation of these figures. These symbols have a double meaning of “kingship,” serving as a nod both to Basquiat’s past as a street artist and to jazz culture. The writer Jordana Moore Saggese illuminated: “Graffiti writers who admired the work of others would express their respect for a piece by painting a simple, often three-pointed crown next to the work. Accordingly, certain artists were made ‘kings’ (as in king of the whole subway car or king of the wall).”i This history also resonates with jazz notions of “royalty,” in which musicians were granted informal honorific titles, such as the “Prince of Darkness” (Miles Davis) or Nat “King” Cole. Embodying both of these traditions, Untitledpresents these figures as reigning figures within their respective realms.

Portrait of Charlie Parker, Tommy Potter, Miles Davis, Duke Jordan, and Max Roach, Three Deuces, New York, N.Y., ca. Aug. 1947.Image: Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., William P. Gottlieb Collection

While the present work renders Basquiat’s superheroes at the height of their talents, it can also be interpreted as documenting their shared hardships. The scrawl “BENZEDREX INHALERS SOAKED IN WINE” refers to an over-the-counter nasal decongestant containing amphetamine, which was often abused by many jazz musicians—most notoriously Parker. The inhalers were typically broken apart to reveal a piece of cotton soaked in the drug, which would then be dipped in alcohol or coffee. Underscored by the work’s subtitle, GrainAlcohol,this reference foreshadowed Basquiat’s own addiction and premature death just five years after the execution of Untitled.In this way, the work serves as a poignant reminder of Basquiat's kinship with his idols—illustrating how they were united by both their artistic brilliance as well as their struggles. Weaving together personal experience, popular culture, graffiti, and music, Untitledsymbolizes Basquiat’s defiance against social and artistic hierarchies.

i Jordana Moore Saggese, ReadingBasquiat:ExploringAmbivalenceinAmericanArt,Berkeley, 2014, p. 55.

PrProovvenanceenance

Galerie Bischofberger, Zürich

Galerie Barbara Farber, Amsterdam Adri, Martin and Geertjan Visser, The Netherlands

Sotheby’s, Amsterdam, March 21, 1988, lot 280 (titled Thor) Galerie Fabien Boulakia, Paris

Acquired from the above by the present owner

ExhibitedExhibited

Otterlo, Rijksmuseum Kröller-Müller, DrawingsandsculpturesfromthecollectionAdri,Martinand GeertjenVisser,October 13–November 25, 1984, no. 1, pp. 34-35 (illustrated, p. 35) Paris, Galerie Fabien Boulakia, Basquiat, September 27–November 3, 1990, p. 26 (illustrated)

LiteraturLiteraturee

Galerie Enrico Navarra, ed., Jean-MichelBasquiat:WorksonPaper,Paris, 1999, fig. 16, pp. 37-38 (detail illustrated, p. 37)

Jean-MichelBasquiat.FrenchCollections, exh. cat., Cultural Services of the Embassy of France in the United States, New York, 2007, fig. 16, pp. 21, 29 (detail illustrated, p. 21)

Jean-Michel Basquiat

Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT COLLECTION

14

Rashid Johnson

Anxious Red Painting September 24th

signed, partially titled and dated "Rashid Johnson SEPT 24TH 2020" on the reverse oil on linen

72 1/4 x 96 1/4 in. (183.5 x 244.5 cm)

Painted in 2020.

EstimateEstimate

$1,000,000 — 1,500,000

“Anxiety is part of my life… It’s part of my being and how I relate to the world, and being honest with that struggle has been rewarding for me. It has led to the kind of self-exploration that produces fertile ground for my output as an artist.” —Rashid Johnson

Executed in 2020, Rashid Johnson's AnxiousRedPaintingSeptember24themanates a raw, visceral intensity that offers a poignant reflection of our uncertain era. Distressed and agitated, the artist’s scrawled faces emerge from a thick web of brilliant red impasto. The present work is from a discrete body of work that served as Johnson’s visual exploration of communal apprehension, reflecting the shared experiences of individuals amidst the upheaval of 2020. While these deeply personal images originate from the artist’s experience during the turmoil of the year, the array of faces give tangible form to the collective sentiments that are felt concurrently among humanity. The profound resonance of AnxiousRedPaintingSeptember24this underscored by the inclusion of a similar work in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, speaking to this series’ significance within Johnson’s oeuvre. Working in the midst of great social instability, Johnson has imbued this painting with a negotiation of the complex interplays between subjectivity and universality, figuration and abstraction.

Jean Dubuffet, Dhôtelshadedwithapricot(Dhôtelnuancéd'abricot), July-August, 1947. Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.Image: © CNAC/MNAM, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © 2024 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

A strikingly poignant relic from a period of global disquiet, AnxiousRedPaintingSeptember24th encapsulates the isolation, fear, and frustration the world collectively experienced during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020. Employing one of Johnson’s most enduring pictorial tropes—wincing, nervous faces—the present work represents a progression from Johnson’s acclaimed AnxiousMenseries (2015–2017) intensified by a new medium: a singular shade of red paint (aptly titled “Anxious Red”). This bespoke hue, custom-produced to match the emotional distress caused by a global pandemic, replaced his previous black and white palette with a visceral crimson. “These new works are pared down, and I like the spartan quality of them…,” Johnson

Rashid Johnson

recalled. I associate [the vivid red] with urgency, blood, and alarm. I spent time quickly conjuring images that had a relationship to earlier works but are fresh and new because of the circumstances in which they were made. I needed a cathartic release, a way to describe my emotional state… This was something that I felt needed to happen quickly.”i This body of work captured the tumultuous emotions of a world in turmoil, executed with an amplified urgency reflecting the severity of contemporary events.

“This is an incredibly difficult time. It feels simultaneously unsettling, urgent, and radical.” —Rashid Johnson

Arranged in a gridded structure, twenty-eight abstracted visages meet the eyes of the viewer. Rendered with dynamic red gestures against a white background, Johnson's ensemble of characters coalesces the cartoon-esque whimsy of Keith Haring with the expressive fervor of Cy Twombly’s approach. Each blocked head is comprised of a pair of protruding eyes and a series of energetic lines forming clenched teeth or tightly pressed lips, depending on the application of the strokes. Enclosed within squares, the heads appear agitated, as though striving to escape their boundaries and enter physical reality. “The frazzled faces are stacked like pictures in a yearbook, or perhaps men in a cellblock,” the critic Roberta Smith remarked of Johnson’s AnxiousMenseries. “They bring to mind the work of Basquiat, Dubuffet and Gary Simmons, but mainly they surround us with an arena filled with angry or fearful spectators.”ii Despite the sinuous smoothness of the strokes, they adhere to a consistent thickness, furthering the claustrophobic nature of the composition.

Resisting a singular interpretation, AnxiousRedPaintingSeptember24thembodies the collective tumultuous energy that was catalyzed by the pandemic's profound disruption to our daily existence. Reflecting on this body of work, Johnson said, “I think that they’ve always had so much opportunity to explore themes that were related to the times which they were made.” Viewing his work as a point of reference for the current moment, the artist perceives the whole of society in these contorted faces. “[T]he characters have more or less graduated into really being deconstructed in a way where they’re just losing their minds, more or less. I think with what we’ve been facing around quarantine, in particular, the absurdity of being removed from our society and the complexity of that has definitely evolved how the characters are able to speak.”iii

i Rashid Johnson, “Anxiety is a part of my life…,” CNN,May 8, 2020, online

ii Roberta Smith, “In ‘Fly Away,’ Rashid Johnson Keeps the Focus on Race,” TheNewYorkTimes, September 15, 2016, online

iii Rashid Johnson, quoted in Mark Rappolt, “Rashid Johnson on Anxiety, Agency and Digital Exhibitions,” ArtReview, December 4, 2020, online

Cy Twombly, Untitled, 2005. Private Collection. Sold for $41,640,000 USD through Phillips, New York, November 2022. Artwork: © Cy Twombly Foundation.

PrProovvenanceenance

Hauser & Wirth

Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2020

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

15

George Condo

Focusing on Space

signed and dated "Condo 2016" upper left oil and pigment stick on canvas

77 x 75 in. (195.6 x 190.5 cm)

Executed in 2016.

EstimateEstimate

$1,000,000 — 1,500,000

“It’s

the obliteration of the characters that keep haunting me. I’m getting them out of my system.”

—George Condo

Psychological, physical, and tactile, for the past fifty years George Condo’s captivatingly discordant paintings have challenged our perception of reality. Executed in 2016 during Condo’s first wave of creativity following his recovery from cancer, FocusingonSpaceviscerally expresses primal emotions of turmoil, pain, and healing: an obliteration of the figure to project energy – sensations –through paint. A significant work belonging to Condo’s DrawingPaintingsseries, first commenced in 2008, FocusingonSpacecontinues the artist’s long-standing relationship with a repertoire of strange and recurring characters, immediately recognizable from their alarmingly exaggerated features, including bulbous eyes, oversized ears, and prominent overbites. As is more typical of the expansion of this series into the works known as Compressions, these figures are here even further abstracted and concentrated towards one edge of the composition, allowing him to draw out the contrasts between color and line, painting, and drawing.

Exploring the more improvisational and impulsive qualities of drawing alongside paint’s more retrained application, wide plains of lemon yellow are here lacerated by rapidly executed, ensnaring black loops. From within this tangled web of reverberating lines, the fractured features of a face are easily discernible. Overlarge staring eyes, ears, and flashes of gnashing teeth emerge from the lower right of the composition with remarkable energy and force, a pictorial intensity that takes on personal dimensions when we consider the artist’s own internal struggles with his health during this period. After a near death experience in 2013 when Condo contracted triple pneumonia while suffering from Legionnaires' disease, two years later the artist received another shattering diagnosis: cancer of the vocal cords. Condo poignantly recounts how “I was starting to feel very scrambled up and thinking about my kids and how bad my situation was.”i This sense of the fragmentation of the self is here expressed through violent mark-making, a seemingly destructive and deconstructive act through which new pictorial and subjective possibilities are created.

Measuring over six feet tall, FocusingonSpaceresponds to Condo’s foundational principle of “psychological Cubism” alongside his immediate tragic circumstances.ii For Condo, art provides the potential to portray extremities of emotions in simultaneity: joy to hysteria, hope to despair at once.As early as 1976, Condo records in his diary the “shapes and peaks and personalities locked up in a cage, and minds and thoughts and ideas trying to escape.”iii To explore these sensations, Condo draws consistently and consciously from the history of visual culture, incorporating elements from Old Masters to popular imagery based on the conviction that an image constructed from a broad range of formal styles results in a new, psychological vision.

“I describe what I do as psychological cubism… Picasso painted a violin from four different perspectives at one moment. I do the same with psychological states. Four of them can occur simultaneously. Like glimpsing a bus with one passenger howling over a joke they're hearing down the phone, someone else asleep, someone else crying – I'll put them all in one face.” —George Condo

As is evident in FocusingonSpace, Condo assiduously borrowed from a range of 20th century artistic sources, the rapid exchanges energizing Abstract Expressionist canvases and Cubism’s sharp dissections, spatial logic, and emphasis on simultaneity allowing him to articulate multiple emotional and psychological states concurrently. Questions of space had preoccupied Cubists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, at once reducing distinctions between figure and ground, and exploring innovative new methods of presenting multiple viewpoints simultaneously; a technique that for Picasso would find new emotional intensity in his monumental Guernicaand related

WeepingWomanseries. Similarly, in its compositional verve and complex internal rhythms, FocusingonSpacerecalls the muscular mark-making of Abstract Expressionists such as Willem de Kooning, notably in works such as PinkAngels, where charcoal and paint work together to create a frenetic network of lines and interpenetrating forms. As our eye travels across the expanse of the canvas here, compositional stability seems to break down and reinforce itself by turns as the arched, loosened ribbons of paint are met and countered with corpulent, jagged brushstrokes, all threatening to expand well beyond the picture’s surface.

[Left] Pablo Picasso, WeepingWoman’sHeadwithHandkerchiefIII, 1937, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia.Image: Bridgeman Images, Artwork: © 2024 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York[Right] Willem de Kooning, PinkAngels, c. 1945, Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, Los Angeles.Image: Bridgeman Images, Artwork: © 2024 The Willem de Kooning Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Music, like sensation, informs Condo’s practice, discernable here in the paintings syncopated rhythms and counterpointed motifs. At the University of Massachusetts in Lowell, alongside art history, Condo majored in music theory, studying the classical guitar and then the lute. His subsequent participation in the punk band called “The Girls” led Condo to meet fellow artistmusician Jean Michel-Basquiat during the band’s performance in Tribeca, New York—a friendship that would persuade Condo to move to the city and pursue art full time at twenty-three years old. A rhythm, or rather, improvision remains central to Condo’s mark-making, staccato impastos fearlessly liberated across the surface. In FocusingonSpace, Condo weaves an intricate arrangement of line and texture, where oil and pigment stick blur indistinguishably—much like the

faces and bodies of his characters—melding into a raw, graffiti-like scrawl and sinuous graphic simplicity that knits the foreground and background into cohesive alignment.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ-OKcd9CvE

George Condo: In the Studio, Hauser & Wirth, 2021.

i George Condo, quoted in Jordan Riefe, “George Condo goes from Kanye West’s dark fantasy to painting his own demons,” TheGuardian, April 20, 2016, online

ii George Condo, quoted in Stuart Jeffries, “George Condo: ‘I was delirious. Nearly died’,” The Guardian, February 10 2014, online

iii Simon Baker, GeorgeCondo:PaintingReconfigured, London, 2015, p. 7.

PrProovvenanceenance

Skarstedt, London

Private Collection

Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2017

ExhibitedExhibited London, Skarstedt, Condo,DeKooning,Kippenberger,Muñoz,Salle,Warhol,February 6–April 12, 2016

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION

Andy Warhol

Statue of Liberty

stamped twice by the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board, Inc. and the Estate of Andy Warhol and numbered and inscribed twice “PA 64.015 VF” on the overlap

synthetic polymer paint and silkscreen ink on canvas

50 x 54 1/2 in. (127 x 138.4 cm)

Executed in 1986.

EstimateEstimate

$800,000 — 1,200,000

“By bringing together into a single image a brand of cookies and one of the most distinctive emblems of American civilization, Warhol simultaneously presents two thematic veins that persist throughout his entire production.” —Jose Maria Faerna

Painted in the last year of Andy Warhol’s life, StatueofLiberty, 1986,serves as the artist’s clever meditation of one of the most recognizable symbols in the United States. The work belongs to a discrete body of paintings Warhol executed which portrays a close-up view of Lady Liberty's resolute countenance and sharp-edged crown. The present example is notable for its pale green palette evoking the statue’s copper oxidation, a faithful rendition of this civic allegorical figure. As the decade progressed, Warhol’s imagery began to include ambiguous political and religious motifs, which have been interpreted as both earnest and critical. Depicting an iconic American emblem of opportunity and unity, this significant body of paintings have been read as a reflection of the prevailing concerns of this era, such as the burgeoning AIDS crisis and tensions of the Cold War. These nuanced responses have led this image to be celebrated as a prime exemplar of Warhol’s late career, represented by the holding of similar works from the series in major institutional collections, such as The Broad, Los Angeles.

The Statue of Liberty featured prominently in media coverage in 1986, making it an ideal subject for Warhol—always an astute observer of contemporary culture. That year marked the centenary of its unveiling in New York in 1886, after the monumental statute designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and built by Gustave Eiffel, was presented as a gift as a symbolic celebration of American democracy. A century later, during the Fourth of July weekend in 1986, the United States marked this centennial anniversary with a dramatic reveal of the newly restored statue, following an expensive and ambitious two-year restoration. Amidst the media frenzy that preceded this highlytelevised event, the icon of American culture saturated the publications and images of everyday life—extensively covered not only in newspapers and magazines, but also on commemorative

Robert Rauschenberg, Estate, 1963. Philadelphia Museum of Art. Artwork:© 2024 Robert Rauschenberg Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY

trinkets such as keychains and coins. Warhol, intrigued by this overwhelming media exposure, culled the image of the Statue of Liberty depicted in the present work from a celebratory cookie tin lid. Even the original logo of the container is kept intact in the lower left corner of StatueofLiberty, featuring both the French and American flags and the inscription “Les bons biscuits Fabis.” Akin to his treatment of Coca-Cola and Campbell's Soup, the present work represents the banal objects that characterize post-war consumerism, but it also takes this branding one step further to reflect how an American symbol of democracy and opportunity had become an icon of popular culture itself.

In the last decade of his career, Warhol turned to his own corpus for source material. Beginning with his Retrospectivesseries in 1979, he returned to the very images that had solidified his position within modern art history; “like the aging Giorgio de Chirico,” Warhol’s close associate and confidant Bob Colacello reminisced, “he plundered his own past, cynically dragging out his old silkscreens from the sixties…” Warhol's first depictions of the Statue of Liberty trace back to 1962, when he executed two paintings of the structure based on a postcard image of the New York harbor. The artist returned to the subject nearly twenty-five years later, during a period in his practice that was characterized by both introspective reflection and abundant creativity. He captured the Statue of Liberty under scaffolding for the cover of his 1985 photobook, America, before employing it in the present series of paintings and portraying it in a variety of hues. Towards the end of Warhol’s life, as his position was solidified as one of the most influential post-war artists, not even his own practice remained safe from his unceasing appropriation.

Andy Warhol, StatueofLiberty, 1962. The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Artwork: © 2024 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

In StatueofLiberty,Warhol applied his fundamental principle of reproduction to an image that had already been subject to persistent reproduction itself—on the front pages of newspapers, television, biscuit tins, and even in his own previous works. The ironically gestural, schematic approach manifest in the present work, intended to produce the appearance of brushstrokes, extends his characteristically deadpan wit. As one of the most famous structures in the world, the Statue of Liberty offered Warhol the opportunity for both self-reflection and societal reflection: probing the depths of American identity, freedom, and postmodern replication, it encapsulated the core themes that wove together Warhol’s oeuvre. “By bringing together into a single image a brand of cookies and one of the most distinctive emblems of American civilization,” Jose Maria Faerna illuminated, “Warhol simultaneously presents two thematic veins that persist throughout his entire production.”

i Bob Colacello, HolyTerror:AndyWarholCloseUp, New York, 1990, p. 429.

ii Jose Maria Faerna, WarholCameo,New York, 1997, p. 5.

PrProovvenanceenance

The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, New York Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris (acquired from the above) Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1999

Cookie Tin produced by the French cookie company, “Les Bons Biscuits Fabis.”

Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

PROPERTY FROM A PROMINENT EUROPEAN COLLECTION

17

Pablo Picasso

Buste de femme au chapeau dated "9.6.39." upper left oil on canvas

24 x 15 in. (61 x 38.1 cm)

Painted on June 9, 1939.

The Comité Picasso has confirmed the authenticity of the work.

EstimateEstimate

$12,000,000 — 18,000,000

Painted on June 9, 1939, Bustedefemmeauchapeauis an elegant and enigmatic portrait of Pablo Picasso’s lover and muse Dora Maar. Renowned for her striking beauty and intense personality, Maar's presence in Picasso's life, from their first meeting in 1935 to the dissolution of their relationship around 1945, had a deep and far-reaching impact on both the artist and his work. Her visage became a recurring motif in his work, with each seated portrait exploring varied psychological nuances through distortions and abstractions. Bustedefemmeauchapeau remained in Picasso’s personal collection throughout his life, one of the so-called ‘Picasso’s Picassos’ first recorded by David Douglas Duncan in 1961. Following the artist’s death in 1973, the portrait passed into the esteemed collection of the Galerie Beyeler, where it resided alongside other noteworthy paintings of the period, including other works from the Femmesauchapeau series. Featuring the bold, serpentine line of her hair offset by the jaunty angles of the titular hat, this work incorporates key elements of Picasso’s paintings of Maar, including his distinctive rendering of her eyes, strong line of her nose, and radical combinations of frontal and profile views that recall his earlier Cubistic investigations into the simultaneous representation of multiple perspectives on a single picture plane.

‘‘The innumerable, very different portraits that Picasso did of [Maar] remain among the finest achievements of his art, at a time when he was engaged in a sort of third path, verging on Surrealist representation while rejecting strict representation and, naturally, abstraction.’’ —Brigitte Léal

Confidently balancing precise geometric angularity with a more open, sensual voluptuousness, Bustedefemmeauchapeauis a complex and captivating portrait of Maar, the innovative Surrealist photographer who became Pablo Picasso’s primary muse and paramour during the turbulent years surrounding the Second World War. With her dramatic good looks and quickwitted intelligence, Maar had immediately captured Picasso’s attention after their first meeting towards the end of 1935. The new, novel challenge of her features, combined with his own intensifying feelings around the Spanish Civil War, ushered in profound shifts in the older artist’s painterly style that are now recognized as representing one of the most radical and significantly productive periods of his career.

Pablo Picasso, Bustedefemmeauchapeaurayé, June 3, 1939. Musée Picasso, Paris.Image: © Photo Josse, Artwork: © 2024 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Painted in 1939, as Europe teetered on the cusp of war once again, Bustedefemmeauchapeau belongs to this intensely creative period, with Picasso turning increasingly to the objects and faces that he shared his immediate surroundings with. Although throughout these years the focus of his painterly attentions oscillated between Maar and his other major muse and mistress of the decade, Marie-Thérèse Walter, by the June of 1939 he was nearly completely absorbed by the beguiling Maar. With almost unmatched energy and focus, he worked and reworked her distinctive features, completing over fifteen portraits of his lover in this month alone.

This particular work was painted on the 9th of June, making it the second of a pair of portraits painted that day, the other being Bustedefemme(DoraMaar), in the Catherine Hutin-Blay Collection, Paris, which he had executed that morning. In the first painting, Picasso’s vision of Maar reflected “hair-trigger madness in the eyes” and “a blood-red birthmark on her throat,” while by afternoon “her eyes had narrowed to feline, icy slits through which she unblinkingly followed the viewer.”I Her face thus became the canvas upon which he projected his own emotional turbulence, reflecting the progressive destruction of everything dear to him in the face of looming disaster. As Douglas Duncan keenly observed in 1961, “Of course, not one of these pictures was actually a portrait but [Picasso’s] prophecy of a ruined world.”ii

Maar, Display of paintings from the seriesFemme assiseandFemmes au chapeauin the GrandsAugustins studio, Paris, 1938-1939. Image: © RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY and © 2024 Dora Maar Estate/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris

With her darker coloring, angular features, and forceful personality, Maar appeared the perfect opposite of the blonde and docile Walter. Unlike Marie-Thérèse who rarely involved herself with Picasso’s avant-garde circuit, the politically engaged Maar was already known by many of Picasso’s set; a friend of poets and painters, she was of course also a widely respected artist in her own right. A fluent Spanish speaker and committed anti-fascist, Maar was also radically left-wing, sharing Picasso’s eager anticipation of news from Spain, and his frustration and despair at the rising tide of fascism and violence tearing apart his home country.

Dora

Picasso

‘‘Vivacious, provocative, witty conversationalist—in Spanish as well as French—effervescent as plums in champagne, Dora Maar swirled into Picasso’s life [. . .] a name that would be linked always thereafter with his in art.’’ —David Douglas Duncan

hair would become the defining motif of Picasso’s work in the late 1930s and early 1940s, combining fashionable Parisian glamor with the fractured contortion of her features most expressively realized in the many studies of weeping women that preoccupied the artist for most of 1937. Returning to the motif of the human head that had first absorbed him a decade earlier in the late 1920s and early 1930s, Picasso used these intimate studies as a means of exploring, “with the concentration and intimacy of the close-up”, a complex range of emotions depicted in the larger scale and more narrative-driven works of the period.iii Indeed, emotions were running high on both personal and political fronts, the turbulence caused by the artist’s vacillation between Maar and Walter dovetailing with the anguish and pain caused by the devastation of civil war in Spain.

Overlapping with the execution of Picasso’s hugely ambitious Guernica—the evolution of which Maar was deeply involved in and recorded through a series of intimate photographs—the motif of the weeping woman, her face shattered in agonized cries, allowed Picasso to concentrate the experience of grief into a timeless and uniquely expressive image that has become absolutely intertwined with its historical moment in a way that few paintings achieve.

Pablo Picasso, WeepingWoman, 1937, Tate Gallery, London.Image: © Tate, London / Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © 2024 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

TheWTheWeepingWeepingWomanoman

Intensely fascinated by Maar, her face with its notably strong profile framed by a cascade of dark

Pablo Picasso

By the summer of 1939, the political landscape had shifted once again. Following the devastating capture of the artist’s hometown of Barcelona by Franco’s troops in the January, Republican forces were brutally suppressed and silenced. By March, the shadow of fascism loomed even larger over Europe as Hitler broke the Munich Pact, invading and annexing Czechoslovakia. Conflating personal and political uncertainty, Picasso used Maar to work through the collective emotional tumult that defined the era. When Duncan first catalogued the unseen paintings from this period some decades later, he was struck immediately by the way in which “the progressive destruction of everything dear was told in the face of his model […] gowned in the sombre greys and black of a mourning duchess of Spain.”iv

However, although tinged with anxiety and personal trials, 1939 also brought forth many triumphs for the artist, notably preparation for a major traveling retrospective organized by The Museum of Modern Art in New York and the staggering success of what would prove to be his last exhibition with the dealer Paul Rosenberg. Presenting a group of thirty-three still lifes painted between 1936 and 1938, the exhibition emphasized the beginnings of a stylistic shift in the artist’s practice, one that would earn Picasso his first Timemagazine cover, featuring a portrait of him by none other than Maar. In reference to this exhibition, Picasso’s loyal secretary Jaime Sabartés astutely described it as presenting a “narrative of the intimate life of the man in terms of familiar objects, of what he ate and drank, and loved to keep before his eyes and could not part with.”v It is upon these foundations that the intimate Femmeauchapeauseries is built, the predominance of familiar objects from the earlier years of the 1930s giving way to more intensely personal studies of Maar, characterized by combined frontal and profile views of his model and the exaggerated shape of the stylish hats that this series records.

‘‘Among the objects tangled in the web of life, the female hat is one of those that require the most insight, the most audacity. A head must wear a crown.’’ —Paul Éluard

In its palette of dominant purple and deeper blue tones and in the stylized and organic rendering of Maar’s hat, Bustedefemmeauchapeaurecalls Duncan’s memorable description of Maar as “effervescent as plums in champagne”, a force of nature who “swirled into Picasso’s life” and pushed the painter into new, revolutionary territory.[vi] The depiction of the “chapeau” in this instance extends beyond mere aesthetic appeal; it serves as a complex nod to Picasso's intimate and professional relationship with Maar. Herself a Surrealist artist, Maar famously donned a hat in her 1936-1937 photomontage, DoublePortraitwithHat, where she sandwiched two negatives of the same image together to create an image where the hat of the woman disintegrates into double vision. In the present painting, the arabesque quality of the hat’s design—fluid, dynamic, and organic— further evoke James Duncan's description of Maar. Through this interplay of form and metaphor, the hat transcends its role as part of the attire, becoming a complex symbol of Maar's artistic and emotional entanglement with Picasso, weaving together personal narrative and artistic

Dora Maar, Photograph of Picasso working on Guernica, 1937.Image: © RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY and© 2024 Dora Maar Estate/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris

[Left] Rene Magritte, TheSonofMan(Lefilsdel'homme),1964. Private Collection.Image: © Christie's Images / Bridgeman Images, Artwork: © 2024 C. Herscovici / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York [Right] Rene Magritte, TheGreatWar(LaGrandeGuerre),1964.Artwork: © 2024 C. Herscovici / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

innovation in a portrait rich with historical and emotional depth.

i David Douglas Duncan, Picasso’sPicassos:TheTreasuresofLaCalifornie, London, 1961, p. 169.

ii Ibid.

iii Elizabeth Cowling, Picasso:StyleandMeaning, London, 2002, p. 591.

ivDavid Douglas Duncan, Picasso’sPicassos:TheTreasuresofLaCalifornie, London, 1961, p. 165.

vJaime Sabartés, quoted in John Richardson, ALifeofPicasso:TheMinotaurYears,1933–1943, New York, 2021, p. 186.

vi David Douglas Duncan, Picasso’sPicassos:TheTreasuresofLaCalifornie, London, 1961, p. 127.

PrProovvenanceenance

Estate of the artist

Galerie Beyeler, Basel

Christie's, New York, May 10, 1989, lot 72

Private Collection, Europe

Acquired from the above by the present owner circa 1995

LiteraturLiteraturee

David Douglas Duncan, Picasso'sPicassos:TheTreasuresofLaCalifornie1895-1960, New York, 1961, pp. 169, 171, 242, 269 (illustrated, pp. 171, 242)

Picasso

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

18

Robert Mangold

Three works: (i) 1/2 W Series (Orange); (ii) 1/2 V Series (Green); (iii) 1/2 X Series (Blue)

each signed, respectively titled and dated “1/2 [W, V, X] Series R. Mangold 1968” on the reverse acrylic on Masonite

each 12 x 24 in. (30.5 x 61 cm) Executed in 1968.

EstimateEstimate

$600,000 — 900,000

“From roughly 1968-70 I worked with a more rigid serial intent, in that I conceived ideas—the W, V, X Series (1968-69), for instance—that attempted to work out all the possibilities of a given idea.” —Robert Mangold

With 1/2W,V,XSeries(Orange,Green,Blue), executed in 1968, Robert Mangold presents a trio of colored semicircles featuring various geometrical zigzagging motifs. Here, Mangold takes a literal approach in shaping his paintings, utilizing Masonite supports and flat colors to create a sense of spatial distortion through carefully scored diagonal and vertical incisions that mark the eponymous “W,” “V,” and “X” letter forms. This important suite stands as a touchstone of Mangold’s fascination with line and form, as well as the intellectual rigor synonymous with the onset of his mature artistic period in the mid-1960s.

The present works stem from Mangold's association with the Fischbach Gallery in New York from 1964 to 1973. In this period, he forged his signature Minimalist style and gained prominence through his inclusion in the Jewish Museum's Spring 1966 survey show, PrimaryStructures, which marked the first American museum exhibition to showcase Minimalist painting and garnered critical acclaim for introducing a new visual lexicon to the Western art canon. Mangold's positioning alongside pioneers of the movement—such as Sol LeWitt, Dan Flavin, and Donald Judd—came on the heels of his first-ever solo exhibition, WallsandAreas, which he staged at the Fischbach Gallery in the fall of 1965. Following this exhibition, where he debuted a series of the same name expressing his perception of urban structures—windows, walls, obfuscated buildings, and the sharp spaces created between them—he held a second solo show at the gallery in 1967, titled RecentPaintings, introducing his initial experiments with sections of circles on board. In his curved paintings stemming this period, the present works included, Mangold set out to exhaust all possibilities within the part-circle format—dividing them into halves, quarters, and segments, flipping the position of the quadrant, doubling and inverting sectors, and negotiating line and meaning within variations of symmetry and asymmetry.

Robert Mangold, WVXSeries, 1970. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D. C.Image: © National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, Patrons' Permanent Fund and Gift of Dorothy and Herbert Vogel, Artwork: ©2024 Robert Mangold / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

“I was sitting there looking at curved hills and I started doing some funny kind of landscape works that had a slightly atmospheric rectangular top and then a curved bottom. I think it may have come from that summer where I was just looking at that space in nature, but when I got back to the city I started working with a compass curve, in a sense, and did a series of paintings that were parts of circles, a half circle broken in different ways.” —Robert Mangold i

In his initial experiments with sections of circles, Mangold allowed the edges of his panels to dictate the placement of linear divisions, but by 1968, he introduced additional internal dissonance by cutting the panels from corner to corner. The added cuts connecting the diagonals in the 1/2W, V,XSeriesworks marked a decisive change in Mangold’s practice, anticipating the abstract linear forms that would figure in much of his subsequent output..Indeed, the present works are representative of the first decade of Mangold's artistic maturity. They feature industrial supports and colors, reflecting his initial serial intent—the emphasis of which he would later shift in favor of variation and thwarting formal considerations as a means by which he can, in his own terms, “set up problems for the viewer.”ii In three iterations, forming and reforming each of their eponymous letters, Mangold explored the fragmentation of shapes derived from a bisected circular form. Posing the letters themselves as an extension of that fragmentation, he separates them from any verbal structure and runs them together in burbled repetition so that they lose all meaning. In doing so, Mangold uses not only the formal language of geometric abstraction but also the building blocks of actual written language to challenge the nature of painting.

1968 marked a pivotal transition for Mangold as he shifted from oil to acrylic paint, in turn changing his application process from spraying to rolling it onto industrially oriented supports like Masonite and Plywood. In 1/2W,V,XSeries(Orange,Green,Blue), the smooth surface of the Masonite allows for a precise application of paint, emphasizing its crisp edges and clean lines. Moreover, his use of acrylic paint, a medium known for its vibrancy and durability, ensures that the hues retain their luminosity over time, while the flatness of the colors, muted and devoid of tonal variations, intensifies the visual impact, creating a surface that is simultaneously soothing and assertive.

While other Minimalists were primarily driven by concepts and theoretical frameworks, Mangold's approach was distinct; he reacted viscerally to color and environment, setting him apart. The early application of monochromatic surfaces with a roller, the present works included, aimed to avoid the intimate traces of brushstrokes, known as "surface incidents." In these works, Mangold drew color inspiration from his immediate surroundings—mundane elements like filing cabinets, school buses, subway stations, and loft buildings. His careful compositions embody subtle complexity, whereby Mangold invites his viewer to contemplate the manifold possibilities of line, as well as the nuanced interactions of form and color. The 1/2W,V,Xelements exhibit their strongest impact when presented together, as demonstrated with the present selection of works. Displayed as a complete set of the three color and letter variations, the suite is a visually striking coexistence of contrast and seriality that skillfully balances form, color, and line.

John A. Ferrari, RobertMangoldholdingadrawing,1968. Fischbach Gallery records, 1937-2015. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.Image: Courtesy John A. Ferrari and Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Fischbach Gallery records, 1937-2015, Artwork: ©2024 Robert Mangold /

Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Frank Stella, AgbatanaII, 1968. Musée d'art moderne et contemporain de Saint-Étienne Métropole.Image: Bridgeman Images, Artwork: © 2024 Frank Stella / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Mangold’s attention to the architecture of his part paintings—both in terms of each panel’s own internal structure as well as its relationship to the wall on which it hangs—reflects the development of his engagement with art history in these pivotal years. While as a young artist he was primarily inspired by contemporary American artists, particularly Barnett Newman and the Abstract Expressionists, the influence of pre-Renaissance panel paintings and frescoes by Giotto, Piero, and other master painters of the Quattrocentotakes on increasing importance at this stage in his career.Drawing inspiration from Newman, Mangold extends an intuitive sectioning of the Masonite surface through line and colored panes, increasing the pitch between line and frame and, ultimately inviting a dialogue between the painting and the wall. Likewise,in his exploration of the symbolic associations of shape, Mangold frees the fresco from the structure of the building, so to speak. Whereas a half-moon panel like Neroccio de’ Landi’s TheAnnunciation, ca. 1480, would have been intended to adorn the upper register of a large altarpiece and thus been distanced from and seen at an angle by the viewer, Mangold’s own ‘lunettes’ are brought down to eye level and isolated against an otherwise white wall. This allows for a more direct experience of looking and responding.

In 1/2W,V,XSeries(Orange,Green,Blue),Mangold draws out this idea of removal and fragmentation, exposing the junctures of his painting to further counteract the illusion of depth

and draw attention to the work's physical support. He removes any semblance of narrative while, with a further nod to classical motifs, maintaining a certain linearity, as well as an overall shape that is both historically and architecturally evocative, thus offering and obstructing his viewer’s window onto another reality.

In an interview with the artist conducted in 1974, critic Rosalind Krauss described the late 60’s works as being highly emblematic and commenting specifically the works with curved lower edges, saying that they appear “very shieldlike.”iii Speaking to the tension orchestrated by Mangold in the contrast of the wall works’ curved and sharp edges juxtaposed with the flatness of field, she suggests a connection with the polychromatic painted shields of the Italian Renaissance, saying, “They recall to me a fifteenth-century kind of painting which one gets with Castagno painting on a shield, in that frontal, holistic sense of the shield as both a picture and an emblem.”iv

Neroccio de' Landi, TheAnnunciation, ca. 1480. Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut.Image: Yale University Art Gallery, University Purchase from James Jackson Jarves, 1871.63

Andrea del Castagno, DavidwiththeHeadofGoliath, c. 1450/1455. The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.Image: National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Widener Collection, 1942.9.8

Certainly, the sheer sculptural power inherent in Andrea del Castagno’s DavidwiththeHeadof Goliath, c. 1450/1455, for example, as well as the implicit connection between form and the significance of form, is evoked in the play of incised line and colored shape in the present works Mangold himself approved the interpretation but stressed an important distinction—the intervention of his interior cut lines in breaking apart the subdued surface, which helps to dilute that sense of the outer structure and the connotations of that shape. Further reflecting on the consequence of not just shape but surface, he adds, “in the earlier paintings where the surface was sprayed, it got you involved in the internal surface in a way that seemed to get away from the pressure of the external shape.”v By working on the surface and never going over the edges of a

painting, Mangold resists the work becoming “any more of an object than it had to be” and, in doing so, toes the line between painting and sculpture.vi

CCollector’ollector’sDigestsDigest

•A larger-format trio of segments from Mangold’s 1968-1969 1/2W,V,X series—presented in the same colorway as the current work—graced the Oval Office of the White House throughout Barack Obama’s two terms as President, from 2009 to 2017. These pieces were on loan from the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., where they had been gifted by Dorothy and Herbert Vogel.vii, viii, ix The grouping was featured in a 2016 issue of Architectural Digest, pictured alongside an article by Mayer Rus discussing the array of 20th and 21stcentury artworks on display in the president’s private quarters.x

i Robert Mangold, quoted in John Yau, “In Conversation: Robert Mangold with John Yau”, The BrooklynRail, March 2009, online

ii Robert Mangold, quoted in “Art in the 21st Century: Balance,” Art21, Season 6, Episode 4, May 3, 2012, video, online

iii Rosalind Krauss, quoted in “Robert Mangold: An Interview,” Artforum, vol. 12, no. 7, March 1974, online.

iv Ibid.

v Ibid.

vi Robert Mangold, quoted in John Yau, “In Conversation: Robert Mangold with John Yau”, The BrooklynRail, March 2009, online.

vii NGA record for 1/2 W Series (Medium Scale), 1968, online.

viii NGA record for 1/2 V Series (Medium Scale), 1969, online.

ix NGA record for 1/2 X Series (Medium Scale), 1968, online.

x Mayer Rus, “Executive Order,” ArchitecturalDigest, vol. 73, no. 12, December 2016, pp. 83, 87 (White House, Washington D.C., installation view illustrated, p. 87)

PrProovvenanceenance

(i)

Fischbach Gallery, New York

Private Collection, Italy

Private Collection, New York

Acquired from the above by the present owner

(ii)

Fischbach Gallery, New York

Private Collection, Switzerland

Private Collection, Chicago

Private Collection, New York

Acquired from the above by the present owner

(iii)

Fischbach Gallery, New York

Studio La Città, Verona

Gallerie Rene Ziegler, Zürich

Marischa Burckhardt, Basel

Private Collection

Sotheby’s, New York, November 14, 2012, lot 265

Galleria Elvira Gonzalez, Madrid

Private Collection, New York

Acquired from the above by the present owner

ExhibitedExhibited

New York, Fischbach Gallery, RobertMangold, February 22–March 13, 1969

New York, Mnuchin Gallery, RobertMangold:ASurvey1965-2003, February 14–March 25, 2017, pp. 11, 44-45, 69 (illustrated, p. 45)

LiteraturLiteraturee

RobertMangoldPaintings1964-1982, exh. cat., Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1982, nos. 81, 85, 88, n.p.

John Yau, “Robert Mangold’s Sense of Things,” Hyperallergic,February 26, 2017, online (Mnuchin Gallery, New York, 2017, installation view illustrated)

David Carrier, “Robert Mangold: A Survey, 1965-2003,” TheBrooklynRail, March 2017, online

Robert Mangold

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT PRIVATE AMERICAN COLLECTION

19

Pierre Bonnard

Nu de profil, jambe droite levée stamped “Bonnard” upper left oil on canvas

20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.6 cm)

Painted circa 1924.

EstimateEstimate

$600,000 — 800,000

Go to Lot

“I have all my subjects to hand. I go and look at them. I take notes […] And before I start painting I reflect, I dream.” —Pierre Bonnard

Balanced poignantly between intimacy and intrusion, Pierre Bonnard’s portraits of his primary model and wife, Marthe de Méligny bathing or engaged at her toilette are amongst the artist’s most immediately recognizable and well-known works. Offering new variations on the established motif of the artist and model (even when the artist himself is not immediately visible), it is in this body of work that Bonnard’s presence as an attentive observer of everyday life is most keenly felt. Painted around1924, coinciding with Bonnard’s marriage to Marthe, Nudeprofil,jambedroite levéeis a pivotal work from this larger series, highlighting subtle shifts in his practice during this period, and combining key influences and compositional concerns that preoccupied the painter throughout his career.

Closely related to a sister work completed in the same year and now held in the permanent collection of the Dallas Museum of Art in Texas, Nudeprofil,jambedroitelevéeevidences the artist’s keen sense of color, pattern, spatial ambiguity, and compositional balance. The rigid and rhythmic intersections of vertical and horizontal lines generate a tight pictorial framework here that both contains and counterpoints the more sensitively modelled curves of the bending figure at its center, vividly demonstrating the extent to which Bonnard succeeded in making his “subject an integral part of the formal structure.”i While the spatial arrangement of later interiors tends to be dominated by rounded, hollow forms, here the exchange between flat, square passages and the rounded edge of the tub documents a transitional moment in the artist’s treatment of pictorial space. Bonnard’s mastery of light and color plays its part here too. Highly patterned areas collide

Pierre Bonnard, Nufondjaune, c. 1924, Dallas Museum of Art, Texas. Image: Bridgeman Images

Pierre Bonnard

with more solid passages of strong, dark pigments, the ochre tones of the wash basin appearing to come forward, while the darker rectangular section behind the figure draws our eye deeper into the space beyond.

It is the carefully defined geometry of these flattened planes of color and pattern that articulates the boundaries between material reality and emotion that so fascinated the artist whose working method involved “looking, taking notes, reflecting, and dreaming […] allowing his imagination to take possession of a motif.”ii The motif that would preoccupy the artist more than any other was of course Marthe herself and, through her, the quiet sensuality of everyday domesticity most iconically realized in the images of her floating weightlessly in the bathtub that he would commence in the year following the present work’s execution.

Intimacy and InteriorsIntimacy and Interiors

From the very outset of his career, Bonnard gravitated towards the subjects and scenes with which he was intimately familiar. Capturing moments of quiet domesticity, his paintings from the 1890s frequently featured his immediate family preoccupied by their daily routine at Le Clos,the old family house in the village of Le Grand-Lemps near the French Alps. The thematic intimacy of these gentle scenes is further emphasized by the flattened treatment of interior space, honed by the artist through his early associations with the Nabis group and the radical influence of Paul Gauguin’s reduction of painting to its essentials of line, color, and surface.

Gauguin’s search for modes of expression outside of the western canon would prove hugely instructive to the Nabis painters, who responded enthusiastically to the craze for Japonismethat swept Paris in the last decades of the 19th century. Characterized by a shallow sense of pictorial space achieved through combined perspectives and flattened blocks of color stacked close to the picture plane, these woodblock prints with their emphasis on sinuous line and pattern had proven hugely influential to Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists, cemented by the large exhibition of Ukiyo-eprints mounted by the École des Beux-Arts in Paris during the spring of 1890. Bonnard’s compositions with their foreshortened angles, vertiginous perspectives, and flattened areas of bold color and pattern clearly speak to the profound influence of these woodcut prints on his own practice.

Marthe gradually started appearing in Bonnard’s work shortly after their first meeting in 1893. She provided Bonnard with a vehicle to channel a unique sensuality and emotional intensity into his chromatically luminous scenes of the everyday. Making a lasting contribution to the art historical tradition of the female nude, Bonnard’s eroticized depictions of Marthe engaged in various bathing and grooming rituals occupied a central position in his practice between 1900 and his death in 1947. Now ranking amongst his most famous works, they have subsequently been cited as an influence for future generations of figurative artists, including postwar master Lucian Freud, and a host of emerging contemporary painters such as Doran Langberg and Antonia Showering.

Marthe struggled with poor health in an age where modernist discourses around the body, wellness, and hygiene were at their most pronounced, manifesting most notably in Le Corbusier’s infamous 1923 dictum that “A house is a machine for living in. Baths, sun, hot water, cold water […] hygiene, beauty in the sense of good proportion.”iii Encouraged to take long baths to relieve a mysterious respiratory ailment and calm an anxious disposition, Marthe and Bonnard both adopted this new approach to the promotion of wellness and the benefits of certain therapeutic practices on the body, renovating their home to incorporate these modern conveniences. However, as has often been noted, these scenes should not be read in isolation, but as connected to a

[Left] Utagawa Kunisada, TaleoftheCourtesanShiratama, 1861.Image: CPA Media Pte Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo[Right] Pierre Bonnard, Nudanslebain, 1925, Tate Collection, London.Image: akg-images

Pierre Bonnard

broader art historical tradition of depicting women at their toilette, notably Edgar Degas’ Impressionistic renderings of the motif in pastel, and Georges Seurat’s statuesque nudes.

Degas, Femmeàsatoiletteessuyantsonpiedgauche, 1886, Musée d’Orsay, Paris.Image: Bridgeman Images [Right]Georges Seurat, Poseuses, 1886-8, The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia.Image: Courtesy of the Barnes Foundation, Merion and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Bonnard, like Degas, was fascinated by the immediacy and compositional potential introduced by new photographic techniques, which could capture fleeting poses not unlike the one recorded in the present work with fidelity and directness. While Bonnard drew on Degas’ aesthetic elevation of these intimate, everyday moments, his formal treatment of the figure is more robust and considered, connected through Seurat to the traditions of antique sculpture. Statuesque and still, his nudes are often “caught in a tension between supporting leg and free leg […] so that she seems suspended in a moment of fixity on the canvas; like Seurat, he binds her as if in a film still, transforming the models into classical sculptures, lending them an aura.”iv Set at the center of the composition in a dynamic pose that activates the more textured elements of the patterned floor and wall behind her, the sculptural qualities of the figure here are further emphasized by the softer folds of the crumpled sheets, and the rigid, repeating geometries of the square and rounded forms of the tub and washstand.

Concerned primarily with the translation of perception and sensation into pictorial form, Bonnard’s project is at once tied to and exceeds the experiments of Impressionism, representing “an ardent effort to solve, on a strictly pictorial plane, the problem of vision and its plastic expression.”v Going considerably further than mimetic representation, Bonnard’s contemplative approach enabled him to use painting as a means of extracting meaning, memory, and atmosphere from daily life. As John Rewald poetically suggested: “With the exception of Vuillard, no painter of his generation was to endow his technique with so much sensual delight, so much feeling for the indefinable

texture of paint, so much vibration. His paintings are covered with color applied with a delicate voluptuousness that confers to the pigment a life of its own and treats every single stroke like a clear note of a symphony.”vi

i Sarah Whitfield, ‘Fragments of an Identical World’, in Bonnard, exh.cat., Tate Gallery, London, 1998, p. 10

ii Sarah Whitfield, ‘Fragments of an Identical World’, in Bonnard, exh.cat., Tate Gallery, London, 1998, p. 13.

iii Le Corbusier, VersunArchitecture, Paris, 1923, trans. by Frederick Etchells, TowardsaNew Architecture, London, 1923, p. 95.

iv Evelyn Benesch, ‘Bonnard Through the Mirror’, in PierreBonnard:TheColourofMemory, exh. cat., Tate Modern, London, 2019, p. 32.

v Efstratios Tériade, quoted in Matthew Gale, ‘Pierre Bonnard: Suspended in Mid-Air’, in Pierre Bonnard:TheColourofMemory, exh. cat., Tate Modern, London, 2019, p. 21.

vi John Rewald, PierreBonnard, exh. cat., The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1948, p. 48.

PrProovvenanceenance

Estate of the artist

Wildenstein & Co., Inc., New York

Hal B. Wallis, Los Angeles

The Collection of Hal B. Wallis, Christie’s, New York, May 10, 1989, lot 4

Private Collection

Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2002

ExhibitedExhibited

Rome, Studio A, Bonnard,Vuillard,Roussel, April 1964, n.p. (illustrated; illustrated on the cover; dated 1935)

Los Angeles, County Museum of Art (on long term loan, January 1987–February 1989)

LiteraturLiteraturee

Jean and Henry Dauberville, Bonnard.Catalogueraisonnédel’oeuvrepeint1920-1939, vol. III, Paris, 1973, no. 1277, pp. 230, 458 (illustrated, p. 230)

[Left]Edgar

Pierre Bonnard

Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

PROPERTY FROM THE TERNER FAMILY COLLECTION, LOS ANGELES

20

Grace Hartigan

Montauk Highway

signed, inscribed and dated "Hartigan '57 E.H." lower right

oil on canvas

91 3/8 x 128 1/8 in. (232.1 x 325.4 cm)

Painted in 1957.

EstimateEstimate

$700,000 — 1,000,000

Grace Hartigan photographed in front of the present work. Reproduced in Matt Schudel, “Abstract Expressionist painter Grace Hartigan dies at 86,” TheLosAngelesTimes, November 22, 2008. Image: © 2008. Los Angeles Times,Artwork: © Estate of Grace Hartigan

“[Grace Hartigan] is one of the most personal and talented artists of her generation.” —J.T. Soby,Saturday Review,1957

MontaukHighway,1957, seamlessly combines Grace Hartigan’s interest in the landscape and infrastructure of 1950s America with her ceaseless commitment to the vanguard of Abstract Expressionism. The workrepresents the artist at the peak of her critical and artistic success; it was created the year after her participation in the pivotal TwelveAmericansshow at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the year before her inclusion in NewAmericanPaintingat the same institution, which traveled to eight European cities and firmly established Abstract Expressionism as the dominant strain of avant garde painting worldwide. In 1997, Los Angeles collectors and LACMA benefactors Sandra and Jacob Terner acquired the painting, where it has remained for almost three decades. This sale marks the first occasion of this important artwork being made available for auction.

Hartigan was the only female artist included in these canonical exhibitions, a professional achievement that speaks to the strength of her work in this period. Looking back on this phase of her career, Hartigan projects a confident self-assurance. When MontaukHighwaywas procured by the Four Seasons restaurant and hung in their famous dining room in the Seagram building, she said she thought “it would be fun to let it compete for attention in that setting,” alongside works by Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró, among others.i

Hartigan came of age alongside the second generation of New York-based Abstract Expressionists, finding companionship and inspiration in the vibrant artists’ community of the Lower East Side. In the summer of 1957, Hartigan moved out to Long Island for a year, a geographic shift that would prove essential, and produce some of her best work. MontaukHighwayis an early example from Hartigan’s “place” series, a set of large-scale paintings “as big as all outdoors,” in the artist’s words, that are well-represented in museums across the United States.ii Early “place” works, created while Hartigan lived on Long Island, use the landscape of the East Coast as the basis for abstraction, while later works, painted after Hartigan traveled to Europe for the first time in 1959, shift to European settings. Regardless of whether her inspiration was on Long Island or in the United Kingdom, Hartigan was adamant that these paintings were not landscapes: “I don’t see

Tony Vaccaro, Grace Hartigan and MontaukHighway, c. 1960. Image: © Tony Vaccaro Archives, Artwork: © Estate of Grace Hartigan

Grace Hartigan

how anyone can paint just landscape. The proper subject of man is man.”iii

Out on Long Island, Hartigan benefited from an abundance of space and solitude that her Lower East Side studio lacked. The openness of the landscape enabled her to “open [her] paintings” more than ever. She became fascinated by the concept of “nature as imposed on by man,” a relationship perfectly encapsulated by the U.S. highway system on Long Island, where Hartigan drove though nature in a man-made machine.iv

MontaukHighwayassembles a series of subjects that interested the artist while driving—billboards, embankments, and the road itself—with the speed and technicolor vibrancy of midcentury American life. For Hartigan, the scenery out her car window became a surreal montage: “in the Four Roses whisky billboards”—which appear as spots of red encircled in goldenrod at top left in MontaukHighway—“a rose is a big as a human head.”v She found her impressions on the highway to be “real and pure;” unfiltered by logic or chronology, they were a series of sensations that translated the immediacy of lived experience to the canvas.

“I wanted every section of the final image to vibrate with life.” —Grace Hartigan on Montauk Highway

Hartigan conceptualized MontaukHighwayas an expression of “the soul of a car, so to speak, with emphasis on how the planes fall and are separated, in billboards, for example, and the further reaches of land.”vi MontaukHighwayseparates spatial planes into bright, rectangular blocks of color—pumpkin orange, sea green, and grey the color of asphalt under the summer sun. In the upper reaches of the composition, these blocks splinter into smaller, multicolor sections, like glimpses of billboards in one’s peripheral vision.

Hartigan purposefully rejected spatial depth in MontaukHighway;rather, “the idea behind [MontaukHighway] is surface projection,” she said, achieved by working “outward, so that the painting vibrates out, as does the painting of [Willem] de Kooning, [Jackson] Pollock, and [Clyfford] Still.”vii In the present work, Hartigan uses the tension between contrasting colors such as orange and green to create a sense of space that moves outward, towards the viewer, as if one is sitting at the dashboard of a car, with the whole world speeding towards them.

She credits this innovation in outward space to Willem de Kooning, a friend and mentor, who also summered on Long Island in the 1950s. He created his own painting titled MontaukHighwayin 1958,the year after Hartigan painted the present work. As Cathy Curtis argues in her biography of Hartigan, de Kooning’s MontaukHighwayis “totally abstract,” with its golden rendition of the blurred scenery and curves of the road. In contrast, Hartigan’s MontaukHighwayretains the grittiness of everyday life, rearranged into a “rhythmically persuasive picture. With its bravura juggling of planes of color and small eruptions of linear brushwork, MontaukHighwayis one of [Hartigan’s] masterpieces.”viii

Grace Hartigan, ShinnecockCanal,1957. Museum of Modern Art, New York. Image: © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © Estate of Grace Hartigan

Willem de Kooning, MontaukHighway,1958. Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Image: © 2024 Museum Associates / LACMA. Licensed by Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © 2024 The Willem de Kooning Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

“Our highways are fantastic,” Hartigan explained in a 1957 interview, a statement which evokes the highway as a unique environment full of possibility and adventure.ix Hartigan cleverly taps into the zeitgeist of midcentury America in MontaukHighway, rendering the distinctly American fantasy of the open road in visual terms through the juxtaposition of color, line, and plane. Her techniques parallel the literary achievements of Jack Kerouac’s OntheRoad,perhaps the most iconic novel to come out of the Beat Generation, which was published in the autumn of 1957 (MontaukHighway was painted that summer). Hartigan’s sense of montage and the imposition of advertising on nature predates the work of Pop artists like Robert Rauschenberg, and Wayne Thiebaud’s highway

paintings of the 1970s. In these respects, Hartigan is ahead of the curve, and it is this modern sensibility that elevates MontaukHighwayabove its exceptional abstract qualities to a plane of historic and symbolic resonance. The work makes a strong argument for Abstract Expressionism as a distinctly American style, and MontaukHighwayas the type of painting that could only be made in America. MontaukHighwaypaints a world of post-War optimism and endless possibility, thick and bright and fast as the scenery of the open road.

i Grace Hartigan, quoted in Robert Saltonstall Mattison, GraceHartigan:apainter’sworld,New York, 1990, p. 43.

ii Ibid.

iii Ibid., p. 42.

iv Hartigan, quoted in James Thrall Soby, “Interview with Grace Hartigan,” SaturdayReview, vol. 40, issue 40, Oct. 5, 1957, p. 26. Accessed via Internet Archive.

v Ibid.

vi Ibid., p. 27.

vii Ibid.

viii Cathy Curtis, RestlessAmbition:GraceHartigan,Painter,New York, 2015, p. 158.

ix Hartigan, quoted in Soby, p. 26.

PrProovvenanceenance

Signa Gallery, East Hampton

Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc., New York

William Zierler, Inc., New York

Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation, Houston (acquired by 1984)

Collection of Dr. and Mrs. James Christensen, Buchanan, Michigan (acquired by 1990)

Manny Silverman Gallery, Los Angeles

Jacob and Sandra Terner, Los Angeles (acquired from the above in May 1997)

Thence by descent to the present owner

Grace Hartigan

ExhibitedExhibited

East Hampton, Signa Gallery, SecondExhibition, July 28–August 10, 1957

New York, Seagram Building, Four Season’s Restaurant, 1957 (on loan)

New York, Whitney Museum of American Art, 1957AnnualExhibition, November 20, 1957–January 12, 1958, no. 92, n.p.

Boston, Institute of Contemporary Art, CorporationsCollect:ArtintheBusinessEnvironment, January 9–February 21, 1965, no. 14, n.p. (installation view illustrated)

Santa Barbara Museum of Art, AmericanAbstractExpressionistPaintingsfromtheCollectionof SarahCampbellBlafferFoundation, February 4–March 3, 1983, n.p.

Newport Beach, Newport Harbor Art Museum, Action/Precision:TheNewDirectioninNewYork, 1955-60, June 28–September 9, 1984, no. 16, pp. 33, 84-85 (illustrated, p. 85; detail illustrated on the cover)

México, D.F., Centro Cultural Arte Contemporáneo, Fundación Cultural Televisa, Pintura

Estadounidense:ExpresionismoAbstracto, October 11, 1996–January 12, 1997, no. 32, pp. 378-379, 569 (illustrated, pp. 378-379)

LiteraturLiteraturee

James Thrall Soby, “Interview with Grace Hartigan,” SaturdayReview, no. 25, October 5, 1957, pp. 26-27

Charlotte Willard, “Women of American Art,” LookMagazine, vol. 24, no. 20, September 27, 1960, p. 72 (the artist with the present work illustrated)

TheJamesThrallSobyCollectionofworksofartpledgedorgiventoTheMuseumofModernArt, exh. cat., The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1961, p. 47

Charles Moritz, ed., CurrentBiographyYearbook:1962, New York, 1963, p. 194

Robert Saltonstall Mattison, “Grace Hartigan: Painting Her Own Story,” ArtsMagazine, vol. 59, no. 5, January 1985, pp. 69-70

EastHamptonAvant-Garde.ASalutetotheSignaGallery1957-1960, exh. cat., Guild Hall Museum, East Hampton Center for Contemporary Art, East Hampton, 1990, p. 16 (Signa Gallery, East Hampton, 1957, installation view illustrated)

Robert Saltonstall Mattison, GraceHartigan:APainter'sWorld, New York, 1990, pl. 16, pp. 6, 43-44 (illustrated, p. 44)

John Mariani and Alex von Bidder, TheFourSeasons:AHistoryofAmerica’sPremierRestaurant, New York, 1994, p. 70

Françoise S. Puniello and Halina R. Rusak, AbstractExpressionistWomenPainters:AnAnnotated Bibliography, Maryland and London, 1996, p. 224

Matt Schudel, “Grace Hartigan, 1922-2008. Abstract Expressionist Painter,” LosAngelesTimes, November 22, 2008, p. B7 (the artist with the present work, 1984, illustrated)

Cathy Curtis, RestlessAmbition.GraceHartigan,Painter, New York, 2015, pp. 157-158, 192, 343, 409

Sarah Boxer, “A Studio of Her Own. The Abstract Expressionist Grace Hartigan battled with every canvas: ‘I beat it up and it beats back,’” WallStreetJournal, May 22, 2015, online

Mary Gabriel, NinthStreetWomen, New York, 2018, pp. 645, 906

Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

PROPERTY FROM THE BAKWIN FAMILY COLLECTION

21

Henri Matisse

Portrait de femme

signed "Henri Matisse" upper right oil on panel

13 3/4 x 10 1/2 in. (34.9 x 26.7 cm)

Painted circa 1917.

Georges Matisse has kindly confirmed the authenticity of the work.

EstimateEstimate

$600,000 — 800,000

Henri Matisse’s Portraitdefemme, executed circa 1917, captures the essence of a transformative period in the artist’s career, marking the bridge between his time in Paris and his impending move to Nice in the winter of that year. This portrait, thought to be part of a series of approximately fifty paintings produced between 1916 and 1917, likely represents Lorette (alternatively spelled Loretta and Laurette), the young Italian model whose versatility of mood and appearance was instrumental to Matisse's shift from the Cubist influences of the war period to a more naturalistic and traditional postwar artistic expression. A testament to the intense fervor with which Matisse approached his paintings of Lorette, Hilary Spurling, author of MatissetheMaster, writes “No other model ever absorbed him so exclusively and at this degree of intensity either before or afterward.”.i

Christie’s New York for $40,336,000 USD in 2006.Image: © Christie's Images / Bridgeman Images

Portraitdefemmehas a distinguished provenance and exhibition history, residing in the collections of some of the most prominent American collectors of Modern art over the past century, including Anna Warren Ingersoll. Miss Ingersoll was the sister of Robert Sturgis Ingersoll, who served as Chairman of the Board and President of the Philadelphia Museum of Art from the 1940s through the 1960s. During that time, Portrait de femme was showcased in two major exhibitions at the Philadelphia, including a private collections show in 1947 and a major retrospective the following year. In 1964, following Robert’s retirement, the Ingersoll Family gifted the present painting to the Museum’s collection. Years later, the work was acquired by Harry and Ruth Bakwin and it has remained in the care of their family since. The Drs. Bakwin, both esteemed pediatricians, were prolific collectors who made their foray into the art world shortly after their marriage in Paris in 1925. They amassed a remarkable collection that highlighted the rich tapestry of School of Paris artists, including luminaries such as Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall. Their collection began with the purchase of a Renoir oil painting in Paris and grew to encompass seminal works by Cézanne, Gauguin, Modigliani, and Picasso. This collection, often enriched during their annual European trips with their four children, reflected not just their aesthetic appreciation but also their deep engagement with the transformative art movements of the early twentieth century. Beyond their artistic legacy, Harry Bakwin was the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1955–56 and co-authored influential pediatric texts, while Ruth Bakwin held prestigious positions such as the director of pediatrics at the New York Infirmary and was an heir to the Chicago meatpacking fortunes of the Armour and Swift families.

By 1929, the Bakwins had amassed a collection prominent enough to be included in the Museum of Modern Art's first New York exhibition. This legacy of art and enthusiasm was inherited by their children, fostering a familial tradition steeped in appreciation for the arts. Their son Edward once reflected on the collection's impact, noting, "Each piece has a story, not just of the art but of our family's journey and the eras they encompassed."ii Describing the story of how his parents first embarked on their collecting journey, favoring what was at the time radical and unpopular art, Edward explained "My parents were doing postgraduate medical work in Vienna and Berlin," humorously adding that, "The classes were in the morning, and people drank beer in the afternoon. My parents weren't beer drinkers, so they took up looking at art instead."iii

In Portraitdefemme, Matisse captures Lorette in a state of repose, distilling her form to the essentials. She is depicted seated, relaxed into the suggestion of a wooden chair that barely asserts itself against the formless backdrop. Lorette has her hand raised, gently supporting her cheek in a traditional posture of melancholy. Lorette's distant gaze suggests she is rapt by something unseen, imbuing the portrait with an air of introspective longing. She wears what appears to be a plain white blouse—possibly the same one Matisse first painted her in TheItalian Woman(L'Italienne), 1916, part of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum's collection. Her dark hair is styled away from her face and closely cropped, accentuating the contours of her face and the

Vincent van Gogh, L'Arlésienne,MadameGinoux,1890. Property of the Bakwin Collection, sold through

formal qualities of the painting.

“[Matisse] responded to Lorette’s expert lead as spontaneously as a dancer taking to the floor. She released in him an observant gaiety… He painted her energetically from odd angles and in exotic outfits, but mostly he returned to her simplest pose, seating her in front of him in a plain, long-sleeved top and improvising endlessly inventive rhythmic variations on the central theme of her strong features, heartshaped face and the black ropes of her hair.”iv —Hilary Spurling

A departure from the vivid hues characteristic of his earlier Fauvist style, Matisse here employs a subdued palette. His use of color is deliberate and restrained, underscoring the introspective quality of the piece and highlighting the central figure of Laurette. Her skin is rendered in warm, earthy tones, a counterbalance to the cool, neutral background that seems to both frame and recede behind her. The simplicity of her white blouse draws focus to her face, which is awash with light and shadow. Matisse renders Lorette's features with a sculptural quality that gives a palpable sense of volume and solidity. Her brow, cheeks, and chin are modeled with deft strokes that carve out her form in space, reminiscent of the way light plays across the surfaces of a sculpture. The pronounced delineation of her jawline and the contour of her nose give her face a chiseled appearance, emphasizing the three-dimensionality amidst the otherwise flat, neutral backdrop. Matisse's technique here bridges painting and sculpture, lending a tangible presence to the model’s visage.

During the years leading up to Portraitdefemme, Matisse engaged in a visual dialogue with the Cubists, the influence of which is evident in the structural rigor and near geometric quality of the present painting. Nevertheless, Portraitdefemmereveals a persistent allegiance to the figure and to the sensuality of the natural world. In other works from this period, such as ViewofNotreDame,1914 and ThePianoLesson, 1916, both in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and BathersbyaRiver,1916, at the Art Institute of Chicago, Matisse explored the boundaries of representation, dissecting and reconstructing form and space. Yet, in the group of portraits that includes Portraitdefemme, Matisse allows the austerity to recede, giving way to a more intimate and personal exploration of his subject. In the present painting we see the culmination of these years of experimentation. Matisse presents us with a figure that is at once a formal exploration of line and color and a deeply human presence. The pale green backdrop against which Lorette sits serves to heighten the emotional tenor of the piece, while each visible brushstroke creates a sense of temporal immediacy, as if the artist had captured a fleeting moment in the sitter’s life. Through the intimate scale and the resonant psychology of the portrait, Matisse forges a connection with viewers that transcends time, inviting us into a silent dialogue with the past.

From one to the next, Matisse’s portraits of Lorette reflect his evolving focus. Over the course of one year, he skillfully captures her varying expressions and postures and, through them, offers a meditation on the human experience amidst the turbulence of war. In her 2005 biography of the

artist, Hilary Spurling wrote that Matisse’s departure to the South of France in the Winter of 1917 "put a stop to his sessions with Lorette, who, after twelve months of intensive, even obsessive collaboration, stopped posing for him that winter and never sat for him again."v

iHilary Spurling, Matisse:InSearchofTruePainting, exh. cat., New York, 2012, p. 101.

iiEdward Bakwin, quoted in Hilarie M. Sheets, “Parting with the Family van Gogh,” TheNewYork Times, April 22 2006, online

iiiIbid.

ivIbid., pp. 200-201.

vHilary Spurling, MatissetheMaster:ALifeofHenriMatisse, New York, 2005, p. 204.

PrProovvenanceenance

Valentine Gallery, New York (possibly)

Anna Warren Ingersoll, Penllyn, Pennsylvania (possibly acquired from the above)

Philadelphia Museum of Art (gifted by the above in 1964)

Sotheby's, New York, May 10, 1989, lot 345 (consigned by the above)

Private Collection, Switzerland (acquired at the above sale)

Galerie Schmit, Paris

The Drs. Bakwin, New York (acquired from the above by July 4, 2000)

Thence by descent to the present owners

ExhibitedExhibited

Philadelphia Museum of Art, MasterpiecesofPhiladelphiaPrivateCollections, Summer 1947, no. 68, p. 75 (titled HeadofWoman)

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Matisse,1948, no. 45, pp. 39, 80 (illustrated, p. 80; titled Headof Woman)

LiteraturLiteraturee

Jean Charlot, “Pinning Butterflies,” CreativeArt, May 1933, p. 358 (illustrated; titled Têtede Femme)

Alexander Romm, Henri-Matisse, Moscow, 1937, no. 24, pp. 74, 85 (illustrated, p. 85; titled Headof Woman; dated 1916)

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

PROPERTY FROM A PROMINENT COLLECTION

22

oil on linen

60 x 48 in. (152.4 x 121.9 cm)

Painted in 1981.

EstimateEstimate

$350,000 — 500,000

Alex Katz

Martha

Go to Lot

“My contention is that my paintings are as realistic as Rembrandt’s… it was realistic painting in its time. It’s no longer a realistic painting. Realism’s a variable. For an artist, this is the highest thing an artist can do—to make something that’s real for his time, where he lives. But people don’t see it as realistic, they see it as abstract. But for me it’s realistic.” —Alex Katz

Painted in 1981, Alex Katz’s Marthais at once intimate and monumental, capturing the very essence of the artist’s decades long investigation into the genre of portraiture. Executed larger than life, the titular subject Martha is likely the artist’s friend and fellow painter Martha Diamond, who is also depicted in Katz’s February5:30pm, executed nearly a decade prior in 1972. Featured as the leftmost figure in a row of six, it is as though Katz has cropped Martha from the larger scene and given herown canvas. She is shown in the same turquoise polo shirt, against what appears to be the same windowpane. The resulting single portrait otherwise eliminates all specific background references to focus on what is most essential: Martha herself.

Katz routinely painted the same subject time and time again throughout his career, and Martha exquisitely demonstrates Katz’s keen and careful observation of the defining features of his sitters. Here, Martha’s features are even more refined than in his 1972 painting, as if he spent more time on each strand of hair to get it just right. The tendrils of Martha’s brown, straight hair, which frame her face, blow in an unseen breeze, adding a sense of motion to the otherwise still, serene scene. Her warm, almond-shaped eyes gaze off into the distance, placing the viewer within her peripheral vision, while the soft light peering in at right highlights the subtleties of her nose, lips and planes of

her face.

Throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, Katz’s paintings became increasingly larger in size. Throughout those decades, Katz’s figures also became increasingly and often dramatically more cropped, culminating in the zoomed-in compositions of the 2010s. As compared to her scale in February5:30PM, here Katz paints Martha’s portrait on a canvas measuring exactly five-feet-tall. By cropping and enlarging Martha’s profile in the present composition, Katz elevates his subject to even greater importance. In removing all recognizable surroundings less the suggestion of a window, Katz strips Martha from her narrative context, and instead promotes a sense of anonymity. Here, Martha could be in any place at any given time. The resulting portrait is timeless, transcending eras, as Martha could just as easily be from 1981 as from 2024.

PrProovvenanceenance

Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner

ExhibitedExhibited Toronto, Mira Godard Gallery, AlexKatz:RecentPaintingsandPrints,March 31–April 25, 1990 New York, Marlborough Gallery, ATributetoAlexKatz, November 3, 2022–January 14, 2023

Alex Katz, February5:30P.M., 1972.Artwork: © 2024 Alex Katz / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Alex Katz

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

PROPERTY FROM THE BAKWIN FAMILY COLLECTION

23

Marc Chagall

Fleurs chez Bella

signed “Chagall Marc” lower left oil and pencil on canvasboard 21 5/8 x 18 7/8 in. (54.9 x 48.1 cm) Executed in 1935-1938.

The authenticity of this work has kindly been confirmed by the Comité Chagall.

EstimateEstimate

$800,000 — 1,200,000

“Flowers? I can’t watch them die… I put them into my canvases and so they live a little longer”i —Marc Chagall

Marc Chagall's FleurschezBella, translated as "Flowers in Bella's Room," is an enchanting interior scene painted between 1936 and 1938, a period of intense personal happiness and artistic innovation for the artist. This work captures an idyllic moment with his beloved wife, Bella, in their Paris apartment during the relatively peaceful years before World War II. The painting is a lyrical celebration of love, featuring a rich tapestry of Chagall's personal iconography—intertwined lovers, vibrant flowers, an open window, and an imagined view of Vitebsk, his hometown in Russia. These elements fuse the everyday with the fantastical, creating a narrative tableau that encapsulates domestic bliss and nostalgic reminiscence against the backdrop of the pre-war 1930s. FleurschezBellastands as a vivid testament to Chagall’s ability to intertwine memory, emotion, and place, offering a glimpse into his emotional landscape during these lighter years.

FleurschezBellahas a distinguished provenance, residing in the collections of some of the most prominent American collectors of Modern art over the past century. The painting was originally owned by Samuel Maslon, a Minneapolis lawyer, who formed an impressive collection of modern paintings and sculptures over a period of 50 years. Mr. Maslon donated numerous works to esteemed institutions, including his gift of the first painting by Amedeo Modigliani to enter the Minneapolis Institute of Art's collection: TheLittleServantGirl, c. 1916.In 1954, Harry and Ruth Bakwin acquired the painting, and it remained in the care of their family for almost 70 years. The Drs. Bakwin, both esteemed pediatricians, were prolific collectors who made their foray into the art world shortly after their marriage in Paris in 1925. They amassed a remarkable collection that highlighted the rich tapestry of School of Paris artists, including luminaries such as Marc Chagall and Henri Matisse. Their collection began with the purchase of a Renoir oil painting in Paris and grew to encompass seminal works by Cézanne, Gauguin, Modigliani, and Picasso. This collection, often enriched during their annual European trips with their four children, reflected not just their aesthetic appreciation but also their deep engagement with the transformative art movements of the early twentieth century. Beyond their artistic legacy, Harry Bakwin was the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1955–56 and co-authored influential pediatric texts, while Ruth Bakwin held prestigious positions such as the director of pediatrics at the New York Infirmary and was an heir to the Chicago meatpacking fortunes of the Armour and Swift families.

collection of Drs. Harry and Ruth Bakwin, New York, Bought by American businessman Samuel Irving Newhouse Jr. and sold for $59,295,000 USD through Christie’s New York as part of the historic grouping Newhouse:Masterpiecesfromthe CollectionofS.I.Newhousein 2019.Image: © Christie's Images / Bridgeman Images

Displayed in their Manhattan townhouse, artworks like FleurschezBellawere integral to the Bakwins' intellectual and cultural milieu, extending an open invitation to conversations about art and life. By 1929, the couple had amassed a collection prominent enough to be included in the Museum of Modern Art's first New York exhibition. This legacy of art and enthusiasm was inherited by their children, fostering a familial tradition steeped in appreciation for the arts. Their son Edward once reflected on the collection's impact, noting, "Each piece has a story, not just of the art but of our family's journey and the eras they encompassed."ii Describing the story of how his parents first embarked on their collecting journey, favoring what was at the time radical and unpopular art, Edward explained "My parents were doing postgraduate medical work in Vienna and Berlin," humorously adding that, "The classes were in the morning, and people drank beer in the afternoon. My parents weren't beer drinkers, so they took up looking at art instead."iii

Paul Cézanne, Bouilloireetfruits, 1888-1890. Previously in the

“To see the world through bouquets! Huge, monstrous bouquets in ringing profusion, haunting brilliance. Were we to see [Chagall] only through these abundances gathered at random from gardens... and naturally balanced, we could wish for no more precious joy!”iv —Jacob Baal-Teshuva

At the heart of FleurschezBellais a vibrant explosion of red roses—a traditional subject Chagall approached with an emotional intensity that suggests both a celebration of natural beauty and a deeper, symbolic significance. As he reflected upon his time in France, these flowers became a visual metaphor for the country itself, echoing James Johnson Sweeney's observation of Chagall's association of bouquets with the French landscape—a symbol of the peace and wonder that France represented to him. Chagall began incorporating floral still lifes into his art in the mid-1920s after moving back to France from Russia. His renewed appreciation for nature, particularly flowers, soon became a central theme in his works. Chagall described his floral works as "exercises in the equation of color and light," a theme vividly captured in FleurschezBella v This painting exemplifies how Chagall translated the luminous colors of his environment into his unique, often dreamlike artistic language. Françoise Gilot, an artist and former lover of Pablo Picasso, recounted Picasso's praise: "When Matisse dies, Chagall will be the only painter left who understands what color really is... there’s never been anybody since Renoir who has the feeling for light that Chagall has."vi

Chagall’s biographer (and son-in-law), Franz Meyer, described the "new natural sensuousness of Chagall’s art" during this period, attributing it to positive developments in his personal life—such as his acquisition of French citizenship, improved financial stability, and relocation in 1936 to a new studio in Paris where he "felt particularly at ease."vii In his essay for the 1963 catalogue raisonné, Meyer remarked on the influence of Chagall's new studio environment on his artwork, singling out the serene ambiance of FleurchezBellaas a demonstration of the artist’s change in mood. He noted that, "The cool haze that flows in from the blue distance surrounds everything in the room—the roses with their dark bushy foliage, the tables, and chairs."viii

In Chagall's inclusion of the lush bouquet of red roses there is an assertion of defiance against the encroaching darkness of world events. The flowers' vibrancy and life stand as an affirmation of beauty and vitality amidst a backdrop of fear and uncertainty. They are a life force, symbolizing perhaps the resilience of the human spirit, and a hope that love and art might endure despite the shadows cast by the impending conflict. As Elisabeth Pacoud-Rème observed, “From 1923 to 1935, Chagall experienced a period of happy acclimatization, the effects of which shine through his work. He painted numerous bouquets, exuberant and luminous, showing through this, a taste for nature that in his maturity he would also express through landscape […]. The bouquets of this period, veritable exercises in painting, are not however exempt from the symbolism often associated with this genre or allusions to the passage of time.”ix

Marc Chagall's time in interwar Paris was marked by artistic innovation and emotional complexity, framed by the aftermath of World War I and the growing tensions before World War II. Fleurschez Bellaencapsulates this period, a delicate balance of memories of the past and looming threats of the future. As Paris thrived as the epicenter of radical artistic movements, Chagall, a Jewish artist, absorbed its innovative spirit while also navigating the growing anti-Semitism and political turmoil that colored his work and perceptions. The present painting can be seen as a deeply personal reflection on Chagall's experience of this uncertain time. The interior scene, bathed in a gentle light, is a sanctuary from the growing tumult of the outside world. The intimate portrayal of

Marc Chagall, LoversamongLilacs, 1930. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.Image: © The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image source: Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © 2024 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

Marc Chagall

Chagall with Bella suggests a search for solace in the private realm, a haven where the love and beauty found in their relationship offer a counterpoint to the instability and insecurity that characterized the interwar years. The theme of embracing lovers surrounded by colorful bouquets is one Chagall consistently returned to throughout the years, with FleurschezBellarepresenting an early example of this motif, along with the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Lovers amongLilacs, 1930. In these paintings, Chagall creates a safe haven for himself and Bella. The pseudo self-portrait of the couple shelters them within Chagall’s narrative universe, ensuring that they might always, in some way, remain in Paris together and at ease on a sunny afternoon.

The window looking out onto Vitebsk, though painted from Paris, symbolizes a past that was both idyllic and irretrievable, a pre-war world that Chagall knew he could never return to in the same way. This serves as a visual metaphor for the artist's feelings of displacement and longing for a simpler time. It speaks to the universal experience of exile and the artist's concerns about the future, especially as dark clouds loom on the horizon, overshadowing this idyllic moment. Additionally, Chagall's reference to the Nabis and their integration of art into everyday life through the rendering of the tablecloth textile and the background painting speaks to a desire to hold onto cultural and artistic legacies during times of great change. It reflects a continuity with the past, maintaining a thread of artistic heritage even as the future was fraught with unpredictability.

FleurschezBellarepresents a melding of time and place, of memory and hope, where the personal becomes universal. It is a snapshot of an artist who finds himself at a crossroads, looking back to the traditions and memories that shaped him, standing in a present that is vibrant yet uncertain, and facing a future that is ominous and unknown. It is a canvas on which Chagall has projected his love, his fears, his past, and his anticipations, all intertwined in the quiet intimacy of a room filled with flowers.

iIbid.

iiEdward Bakwin, quoted in Hilarie M. Sheets, “Parting with the Family van Gogh,” TheNewYork Times, April 22 2006, online.

iiiIbid.

iv"Chagall and Romantic Painting", in Jacob Baal-Teshuva, ed., Chagall:ARetrospective, New York, 1995, p. 136.

vMarc Chagall, quoted in Franz Meyer, MarcChagall, New York, 1964, p. 369.

viFrancoise Gilot, quoted in Francoise Gilot and Carlton Lake, LifewithPicasso, New York, 1964, p. 282.

viiFranz Meyer, MarcChagall.LifeandWork, New York, 1963, pp. 422.

viiiIbid.

ixElisabeth Pacoud-Rème, Chagallentreguerreetpaix,Exh. Cat., Paris, 2013, p. 88, translated from French

PrProovvenanceenance

Sam H. Maslon, Minneapolis

M. Knoedler & Co. Inc., New York (acquired from the above)

The Drs. Bakwin, New York (acquired from the above on November 26, 1954)

Thence by descent to the present owners

ExhibitedExhibited

New York, Wildenstein & Co. Inc., AnExhibitionofPaintingsandSculptureFortheBenefitofthe AssociationforMentallyIllChildreninManhattan,Inc.TheDr.andMrs.HarryBakwinCollection, October 4–November 4, 1967, no. 9, pp. 17, 54 (illustrated, p. 17; titled FleursdansunVase; dated 1942)

LiteraturLiteraturee

Franz Meyer, MarcChagall.LifeandWork, New York, 1963, no. 633, pp. 422, 756 (illustrated, n.p.)

Marc Chagall

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

24

María Berrío

The Lovers 2

signed, titled and dated ““The lovers 2” María Berrío 2015” on the reverse watercolor, Swarovski rhinestones and Japanese rice paper collage on canvas 72 x 71 7/8 in. (182.9 x 182.6 cm) Executed in 2015.

EstimateEstimate

$250,000 — 350,000

Colombian artist María Berrío is a storyteller whose intricate and large-scale collage paintings unfold layers of narrative through lush, fantastical landscapes populated by enigmatic female figures. Executed in 2015, TheLovers2encapsulates this distinctive style, melding influences from magical realism and her own lived experience into a deeply introspective artwork that engages on multiple sensory and emotional levels. A patchwork of diversely sourced decorative papers, rhinestone elements and a delicate veneer of watercolor, TheLovers2interprets a Surrealist dreamscape that blurs Berrío’s biographical memory with South American mythology. Here, she explores themes spanning from beauty and the divine feminine, to intercultural connectivity and humankind’s relationship to nature.

Berrío, originally from Colombia and now based in New York, crafts a vibrant and tactile tapestry of cross-cultural history in her work, offering a personal perspective. Berrío utilizes a variety of materials, primarily Japanese print paper, which she collages across the surface of the canvas, forming textured, dimensional portraits that confuse and delight the eye. This technique not only encourages close looking but also enriches the narrative, imbuing each constructed image with a tangible sense of time and place. The works become self-contained vessels that reflect not only the stories they tell, but the stories of their creation.

“An individual work usually starts out very abstract, and then I build it up layer by layer, resulting in hundreds of layers of paper that are all woven together into one coherent piece. The work is thus informed by every bit of material layered in it, and by every place the materials hail from. This process of fusing cultural production from a wide range of places is inherent to the form and, more importantly, to the meaning.”

—María Berrío

In TheLovers2, this synthesis is evident in the intricate materiality of the expansive canvas. Berrío initiates each collage with a sketch, a blueprint that she says “inevitably changes” while making the piece. This fluidity allows her to weave together a narrative that transcends borders and cultures, echoing the diverse origins of materials sourced from a wide range of craft traditions. “I use handmade and machine-made paper produced almost exclusively in countries of the global south: Nepal, India, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Mexico, and Brazil,” she elaborates, adding “I gravitate toward paper with natural motifs such as floral, plant, and animal patterns, as well as solid colors that evoke [nature].”i On top of this she adds areas of watercolor and, in the present work, individually applied Swarovski rhinestones which add touches of fluorescence, amplifying an otherworldliness and creating a picture of varying depths and frequencies. Berrío describes the process of working with collage as one filled with sensory delights—"Working with collage there is such a marvelous diversity of textures,” she enthuses. “Different sounds made as they are torn… I love the spreading of glue with sticky fingers, the stretching, the cutting. These collages are built layer by layer forming the topographical features upon the canvas.”ii These physical sensations manifest in the pictorial and emotional attributes of her work, as TheLovers2beckons not just a visual but also a tactile experience of viewing.

late 16th century, based on a work of circa 1533-1536. National Portrait Gallery, London.Image: Shawshots / Alamy

Discussing the women in her pictures, the artist says, “They are embodied ideals of femininity. The ghostly pallor of their skin suggests an otherworldliness; they appear to be more spirit that flesh. These are the women I want to be: strong, vulnerable, compassionate, courageous, and in harmony with themselves and nature.”iii In TheLovers2, Berrío’s heroine is at once central and elusive. She transcends traditional space, enshrined in a protective tableau of flowers that evokes a sense of suspended time. The indeterminate setting and the figure's interaction with symbolic elements like the bird and veil underscore a timeless narrative rooted in the feminine experience, one that floats between reality and myth.

Berrío’s collage portraits are characterized both by the enigmatic women who inhabit them and the colorful, richly decorated clothing they wear. In TheLovers2, this costuming is taken to new heights. Berrío’s subject is clothed in a multi-textured shawl and ornate, bejeweled headpiece, complete with a transparent veil. In the figure’s finery and positioning against a lush crimson backdrop, there is an evocation of the aesthetic and symbolic richness of Tudor and Elizabethan portraits from the late fifteenth to early seventeenth centuries. Both styles utilize elaborate regalia and intricate details to convey power and status, yet Berrío modernizes this concept by infusing her work with contemporary cultural and fantastical elements. Like the jewel-encrusted sitters of royal portraits past, Berrío's figure is similarly crowned and pallid. Her powdery complexion recalls the lead-whitened skin fashionable among high-ranking women of the period and even the

AnneBoleyn, by Unknown English artist,

Stock Photo

presence of a bird motif is reminiscent of the pelican broach that Queen Elizabeth I was known to wear as a symbol of Christian sacrifice.

Berrío clads her subject in the same current of symbolism and intricate clothing meant to express the identity and societal role of the sitter. However, she diverges by incorporating diverse, multicultural influences and materials, which breathe new life into the traditional portrait form. Through this process, she creates a dialogue between historical grandeur and modern expressions of femininity and empowerment. “The costumes are a way for me to bring these idealized images

of women into reality,” she says, adding “my interest in collage grew out of my early days drawing patterns from wallpaper and fabric samples. The patterns I see in clothing inspire the patterns I use in my work. I get ideas from the Costume Institute at the Met, contemporary designers, and ballet costumes.”iv The designs found on the Japanese paper Berrío favors were themselves based on traditional kimono motifs. In Berrío's practice, these configurations seamlessly resurface in her multi-patterned upcycled couture, clothing her women in a fusion of heritage and innovation. However, rather than simply replicating existing designs, she revises them with a unique twist. By manipulating their symmetry, she fragments and reassembles them, infusing her creations with a raw, organic aesthetic.

“I am also deeply influenced by the work of Leonora Carrington [who] created powerful depictions of women in dialogue with animals, tapping into mythology and psychology to render an imaginary world in which all beings live in perfect harmony.” —María Berrío

Berrío's collage paintings are steeped in magical realism. They sit at a crossroads of visual and literary traditions, highlighting a continuum of artists who blur the boundaries between reality and fantasy. The present work, with its contrast of traditional modes of portraiture executed in an incongruous and highly non-traditional manner, interlaces the familiar and the bizarre in a manner reminiscent of Latin American Surrealist pioneer Frida Kahlo’s deeply personal and symbolic portraits that blend elements of her Mexican heritage with surreal and mythic motifs. Similarly, Berrío’s use of embellishment and elaborate floral dreamscapes draws parallels to Austrian Secession leader Gustav Klimt’s luxurious, gilt accents, jewel-toned flower fields, and intricate patterns imbued with symbolism and psychological resonance. In the literary realm, Berrío’s narrative approach reflects the complex, labyrinthine universes of Jorge Luis Borges and the poignant, interwoven realities characterized by Gabriel García Márquez’s magical realism.

“I spent much of my youth in Colombia on my family’s farm. There, surrounded by animals and plant life… we were given free rein in nature, and among the trees my imagination was free to roam…”—María Berrío

Berrío draws on South American folklore and personal memories, such as those from her childhood in rural Colombia and urban Bogotá. TheLovers2features a towering woman, her presence and that of the flamingo alongside her, invoking figures like Madremonte, or “Mother Mountain,” the mythical protector of forests from Colombian lore.v These elements symbolize the integration of Berrío's cultural heritage with her artistic expression, using animals to represent the deeper aspects of the human spirit, a theme originating from her childhood connection to the natural world. Birds specifically recur throughout her oeuvre, including in her 2023 solo presentation, The SpiritintheLand, staged at the Nasher Museum at Duke University in North Carolina, which

Gustav Klimt, PortraitofAdeleBloch-BauerI, 1907. Neue Galerie, New York.Image: Luisa Ricciarini / Bridgeman Images

focused entirely on a series of hummingbird-themed works inspired by the Mojave peoples’ belief that the birds were pathfinders who lead the way from darkness into the light.

In the context of TheLovers2, the flamingo is not just a companion but a part of the woman’s identity. The pastel-pink feathers of the bird blend seamlessly with her pale, tattooed arms and shimmering veil, creating a visual continuity that makes it difficult to discern where the woman ends, and the flamingo begins. This blending is further emphasized by the bird's neck contorting behind the woman’s head, its feathers merging into the fabric of her dress. Such imagery suggests a symbiotic relationship between the two, highlighting themes of unity and the merging of separate entities into a single, harmonious whole. Through this interplay of human and animal elements, Berrío not only explores the aesthetic dimensions of her subjects but also delves into deeper themes of identity, coexistence, and the intrinsic ties that bind us to the natural world.

“Birds have been a source of inspiration to people across the world for centuries. To me, birds symbolize freedom of the soul and transcendence of the earthly human form. The dove is a sign of peace in Judeo-Christianity; the hummingbird is a sign of good luck in Latin America; the eagle was thought to bring messages in Ancient Rome; the parrot was worshipped by the Maya. In my collage, all of these beautiful traditions come together to provide a global portrait of hope.”

—María Berrío

The choice of the flamingo—often associated with beauty and balance but also with rarity and an almost surreal appearance—enhances the painting's ethereal quality. Berrío’s use of this bird underscores her nuanced approach to depicting femininity and strength, showing that these qualities are not just inherent but are often acquired and expressed through relationships. Moreover, the woman's expression, veiled yet palpable through the transparent fabric adorned with pink geometric shapes, contrasts with that of her animal companion. The flamingo’s direct gaze contrasts with the woman’s distant stare, an unexpected detail that draws the viewer into a silent exchange. This interaction is heightened by the reflective quality of the rhinestones in the headdress, which parallels the eye-like ocelli on the peacock feather tassels, creating a visual rhythm that echoes themes of observation and perception, characteristic of Surrealism. Here, Berrío eloquently captures a sense of gestalt, where the individual components of the artwork contribute to a larger, integrated whole that represents more than the sum of its parts.

CCollector’ollector’sDigestsDigest

•Major solo exhibitions include MaríaBerrío:TheChildren’sCrusade, ICA Boston, USA (2023); MaríaBerrío:Esperandomientraslanocheflorece(WaitingfortheNightto Bloom), The Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, Florida, USA (2021).

•Berrío's work is included in the permanent collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; Nasher Museum of Art, Durham, NC; Pérez Art Museum, Miami, FL; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR; and the Ford Foundation, New York, NY.

i María Berrío, "‘As Complicated and Elusive as Reality’: María Berrío’s Many-Layered Collages (with an interview by C. J. Bartunek),” TheGeorgiaReview, Spring 2019, online

ii Ibid.

iii Ibid.

iv Ibid.

Leonora Carrington, Self-Portrait, c. 1937-1938. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.Image: © The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image source: Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © 2024 Estate of Leonora Carrington / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

v Alexxa Gotthardt, “María Berrío Uses South American Folklore and Myth As Her Muses,” Artsy

Editorial, October 5 2015, online

PrProovvenanceenance

Praxis Gallery, New York

Private Collection, Chicago

Acquired from the above by the present owner

ExhibitedExhibited

New York, Praxis Gallery, MaríaBerrío:TheHarmonyoftheSpheres, September 10–November 7, 2015, n.p. (illustrated)

New York, Rachel Uffner Gallery, AllThatGlitters, June 29–August 2, 2017

LiteraturLiteraturee

Alexxa Gotthardt, “Maria Berrio Uses South American Folklore and Myth as Her Muses,” Artsy, October 5, 2015, online (illustrated)

María Berrío

Modern

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

25

Kent Monkman

The Storm

signed and dated "MONKMAN 2020" lower right

acrylic on canvas

116 x 72 in. (294.6 x 182.9 cm)

Painted in 2020.

EstimateEstimate

$300,000 — 500,000

The Mountie as a romanticized symbol has promoted Canadian values of fairness and equality internationally for over a century. To the Indigenous people of Canada, the Mountie is the enforcer of the brutal colonial project that dispossessed Indigenous peoples of their lands and cultures. In a scene inspired by Pierre Auguste Cot’s painting TheStorm, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle confronts this idealized stereotype and complicates the narrative with a seductive twist. Ensnaring a

Mountie in the folds of a gossamer sash, she steals through the forests of Turtle Island, eyeing the gathering storm clouds above. She knows what the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are capable of when it comes to enforcing Western settlement and forced Indigenous assimilation. Miss Chief will go all the way to stop the impending storm of colonization.

Canada is well-known for its Royal Canadian Mounted Police or “Mounties”, a masculine, upright, scarlet-clad organization of law enforcers that endures as a nationalist symbol of ostensible Canadian values: peace, equality, and fairness. To the Indigenous people of Canada, the Mountie represents the brutal enforcer of the colonial project that continues to dispossess Indigenous peoples of their lands and cultures.

Canada’s First Prime Minister John A. Macdonald established the RCMP in the 1870s to enforce settlement on Indigenous lands in the west. The Mounties were present when the Canadian government forced Indigenous nations into unfair agreements known as the Numbered Treaties. Since the 19th century, the RCMP upheld the goals of the settler state by confining Indigenous peoples onto reservations and into jails and residential schools.

Pierre-Auguste Cot, TheStorm, 1880. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.Image: © The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Collection, Bequest of Catharine Lorillard Wolfe, 1887, 87.15.134

TheStormTheStorm

Kent Monkman, DeathofAdonis, 2009. Art Bridges Foundation, Arkansas.Image/Artwork: Courtesy of the artist

Miss Chief and The MountiesMissMounties

Kent Monkman has explored the dynamics between Indigenous people and settler law enforcement in his art for over twenty years. He returns to the figure of the Mountie in a series of paintings that focus on his alter ego Miss Chief Eagle Testickle’s complicated relationship with representatives of colonial power. Taking inspiration from works such as Pierre Auguste Cot’s painting TheStorm(1880, oil on canvas, 92 1/4 in. x 61 3/4 in.), entries in Monkman’s series such as TheStorm(2020, acrylic on canvas, 116 in. x 72 in.) and Section69oftheIndianAct(2021, acrylic on canvas, 24 in. x 18 in.) use encounters between Miss Chief and Mounties to confront issues of sovereignty currently being played out on Turtle Island. Canada uses the symbol of the clean-cut Mountie to promote itself internationally as a multicultural nation of equality and inclusion while it continues to subjugate Indigenous people. Drawing on her own anticolonial techniques, Miss Chief challenges what the Mounties stand for and upholds her people’s resistance.

—Text Contributed by Kent Monkman, April 2024

Kent Monkman, TheImpendingStorm,FromtheTrilogyofSt.Thomas, 2004. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Quebec.Image/Artwork: Courtesy of the artist

CCollector’ollector’sDigestsDigest

•Kent Monkman (b. 1965) is an interdisciplinary Cree visual artist. A member of Fisher

River Cree Nation in Treaty 5 Territory (Manitoba), he lives and works in New York City and Toronto.

•Monkman was recently featured in NewTerrains, Phillips’ landmark exhibition in January 2024 tracing the evolution of Indigenous art from the 1950s to the present moment.

•His monumental painting, DeathofAdonis, 2009, one of two works by the Cree artist to appear in NewTerrains, was subsequently acquired by the Art Bridges Foundation.

•Monkman’s painting and installation works have been exhibited at institutions such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal; Musée d’artcontemporain de Montréal; The Royal Ontario Museum; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Arkansas; Hayward Gallery, London; Philbrook Museum of Art, Oklahoma; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; and numerous others.

PrProovvenanceenance

Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner

LiteraturLiteraturee

Kent Monkman and Gisèle Gordon, TheMemoirsofMissChiefEagleTestickle:ATrueandExact AccountingoftheHistoryofTurtleIsland, vol. II, Toronto, 2023, p. 48 (illustrated)

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

26 Ο

George Condo

Rodrigo and His Mistress signed and dated "Condo 07" on the reverse oil on canvas

53 x 46 in. (134.6 x 116.8 cm) Painted in 2007.

EstimateEstimate

$600,000 — 800,000

“What are

the

forbidden apples of art that should not be picked?” —George Condo

One of George Condo’s most striking compositions, RodrigoandHisMistress, 2007, centers on the painter’s notorious valet character and his romantic exploits. The flirtatious scene is a pinnacle of Condo’s exploration of the fiery and depraved character Rodrigo, who he describes as “the valet wearing his red jacket and his bow tie [who] when you hand him the keys to your car he drives off and you never see him again… He’s the guy you read about in the newspapers, he’s the politician that was leading a double life.”i Here, Rodrigo grins mischievously while presenting his risqué companion, who wears a sheer negligee and makes a suggestive gesture.

RRodrigoodrigo’’sMistrsMistressess

RodrigoandHisMistresswas initially exhibited at Andrea Caratsch Gallery in GeorgeCondo:New Worksin 2007. Hung alongside the similarly composed RodrigoathisWedding, 2007, the present example represents the titular character’s descent into impropriety. Presenting the wife and the mistress side-by-side, Condo highlights the duplicity of Rodrigo’s maneuvers. The raunchy mistress is a colorful addition to the cast of characters who populate, in Jennifer Higgie’s words, “a ribald world of crazed, comic engagement, theatrical logic, and a furious indifference to conventional niceties.”ii Her presentation alongside Rodrigo exemplifies Condo’s aptitude for exploring human folly.

Rodrigo and Jean Louis, a similarly bow-tied butler, make up the two of Condo’s most recognizable recurring characters. In Condo’s elaborate but loosely defined narrative, each holds a day job in the

service industry while also leading an extraordinary double life. The formal smoking jacket and frilly tuxedo shirt worn by Rodrigo belie what he feels beneath the surface and his escapades afterhours. To this point, a pair of Condo’sRodrigo works, TheInternalRageofRodrigoand TheInfernal RageofRodrigo, spotlights the character’s emotional turbulence. Jean Louis, who first appeared in 2005, laid the groundwork for his more volatile counterpart. As Simon Baker identifies: “The tightrope walk of appearance, propriety and repression that marks out Jean Louis… turns into an explosion in the firework factory for Rodrigo, who seems about a millisecond away from his ‘id’ at all times.”iii

“The message I have distilled is ‘The artist must attack his canvas like a hunter attacks his prey,’… That is the spirit of painting.” —George Condo

PPssyychchologicalCubismologicalCubism

The expressions of the titular subjects in RodrigoandHisMistressexemplify Condo’s concept of psychological cubism. As Calvin Tompkins defines the term: “instead of showing different facets of an object simultaneously, as Picasso and Braque did, [Condo] paints different and often conflicting emotions in the same face.” The exaggerated features of Rodrigo and his mistress are difficult to read, grinning on the surface but seemingly enraged and unsettled. Rodrigo’s bulbous nose, cheeks, eyes and ears typify Condo’s unique cartoonish stylization, while the mistress’ face nods more directly to Picasso’s formal influence. A row of pearly teeth extends beyond her mouth while mismatched eyes—one more realistically fleshy and one raw and exposed—sit atop Condo’s signature clown-like nose. At the same time, Condo riffs on formal portrait conventions: the female subject is seated while her male partner, positioned behind her, rests a familial but distanced hand on the back of her chair. Condo’s choice is all the more surprising—and ingenious—when comparing this work to the wedding portrait in which Rodrigo is groping his bride.

CCondoondo’’s Cast of CharacterssCharacters

William Holman Hunt, TheAwakeningConscience, 1853. Tate Gallery, London

On his strategy of ‘Psychological Cubism,’ Condo explains: “Picasso painted a violin from four different perspectives at one moment. I do the same with psychological states. Four of them can occur simultaneously. Like glimpsing a bus with one passenger howling over a joke they’re hearing down the phone, someone else asleep, someone else crying – I’ll put them all in one face.” In this way, the grinning couple is both seemingly inviting us to watch their indecency and seething that they’ve been caught. The blend of seduction and repulsion is like watching a train wreck from which we can’t look away. Knowing that the extramarital exploit can’t end well for Rodrigo, we view them with wry amusement.

CCollector’ollector’sDigestsDigest

•A major figure of late 20th and 21st century painting, the influence of George Condo’s unique approach to figuration and the tradition of portraiture can be felt in the work of a diverse range of contemporary artists including Nicole Eisenman and Dana Schutz.

•Since his major international travelling mid-career survey MentalStatesin 2011, Condo has continued to exhibit widely, representing the United States at the 2013 and 2019 International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia.

•Now represented by Hauser & Wirth, his paintings are held in important international collections including the Museum of Modern Art, New York and the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., amongst others.

i George Condo in Simon Baker, GeorgeCondo:Paintingreconfigured, London, 2015, p. 238

ii Jennifer Higgie, “Time’s Fool,” Frieze, 5 May, 2007, online

iii Simon Baker, GeorgeCondo:Paintingreconfigured, p. 241

PrProovvenanceenance

Galerie Andrea Caratsch, Zürich

Acquired from the above by the present owner

ExhibitedExhibited

Zürich, Galerie Andrea Caratsch, GeorgeCondo:NewWorks, June 10–July 27, 2007

Paris, Fondation Dina Vierny - Musée Maillol, GeorgeCondo:LaCivilisationperdue, April 17–August 17, 2009, pp. 108, 162 (illustrated, p. 108)

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

PROPERTY FROM THE JOSEPH AND JEANNE SULLIVAN COLLECTION

27

Jean Dubuffet

Paysage à la vache (Le rendez-vous)

signed and dated "J. Dubuffet 57" upper right; signed, titled and dated "Paysage à la vache (Le rendez-vous)

J. Dubuffet juin 57" on the reverse oil on canvas

35 x 46 in. (88.9 x 116.8 cm)

Painted on June 11, 1957.

EstimateEstimate

$700,000 — 1,000,000

Perhaps best known as the founder of Art Brut, Jean Dubuffet eschewed conventional beauty in favor of raw, visceral expression in his 40-year practice, often seeking inspiration from the unlikeliest places. Paysageàlavache(Lerendez-vous)—or "Cow Landscape (The Meeting)"—emerges from a limited series of 24 paintings that epitomize this quest. These works capture the essence of Dubuffet’s Lieuxcursifs(Cursive places) period, which spanned from April to September of 1957, with remarkable clarity and intensity. In 1955, Dubuffet moved to Vence in the South of France to escape the turbulence and loneliness of city life in Paris. The open landscape of the countryside and the cyclical simplicity of agricultural life served as the necessary impetus for Dubuffet to drastically shift his compositional structure, resulting in a body of work that put forth a vision of raw landscape populated by figures and animals. Articulated in the artist’s archetypally naïf or ‘rough’ manner, Paysageàlavache(Lerendez-vous), with its scraped landscape seemingly grazed down by the titular cow, underscores a connection to the natural world and exemplifies Dubuffet’s signature Art Brut, or “Raw Art,” style. Created during his productive tenure in Vence in June 1957, the present work stands as a testament to Dubuffet’s commitment to exploring the tactile possibilities of the painted medium, as well as his ongoing dialogue between rural tranquility and urban frenzy.

Dubuffet first exhibited the work at his inaugural Paris retrospective, held at Musée des arts décoratifs from 1960 to 1961. “Now it is the unreal that enchants me,” wrote Dubuffet in Apercevoir, his introductory text for the accompanying catalogue.i “I have an appetite for the untrue, the false life, the anti-world; my work is launched on the path of unrealism. I find that realism and unrealism are the two poles between which art is divided, much more than the ridiculous notions of the abstract and the figurative, chased after by all the simplistic and uninformed minds of today, and which are purely illusory."ii Notably, the present work was also showcased in a second lifetime retrospective at Waddington Galleries in London in 1983. It was following this exhibition that the work was purchased by the prominent Chicago collector couple Joseph and Jeanne

Jean Dubuffet in Vence, c. 1960. Photograph by Paolo Monti.Image: Paolo Monti, Artwork: © 2024 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

Sullivan, in whose care it remained until Jeanne’s passing in 2023 (Joseph having preceded her in death almost two decades prior, in 2006). The Sullivans, renowned art lovers, were also committed humanitarians who founded The Jeanne and Joseph Sullivan Program for Human Rights in the Americas at DePaul University in 1992. Focused on indigenous rights, human trafficking, and postconflict justice, their program aimed to enhance human rights protections and empower victims through direct advocacy within the Inter-American Human Rights System.

“My

art is an attempt to bring all disparaged values into the limelight.” —Jean

Dubuffet

Dubuffet's choice of method and material in Paysageàlavache(Lerendez-vous)speaks to a broader narrative about the physical act of painting. Starting with a thick base of the darkest pigments first, Dubuffet applied touches of earthy ochre and pops of cadmium red before covering the surface in a generous layer of alabaster white. He then carved into these densely painted layers with aggressive, incisive strokes that define and disrupt the pastoral scene, drawing forth his figures from the ground up so that they appear as one with the surface, rooted in its depths. Reflecting on what he calls the “primordial figuration” of this period, Dubuffet writes, “I feel that this hasty and very sketchy character of their delineation gives them an effective and tragic shock value—at least it affects me.”iii Of the process, he continues “In these paintings I have experimented with this mechanism in various ways: sometimes by means of lines carved in the paste with the round edge of a spatula, sometimes using rather unattractive heavy black lines painted with a large brush, sometimes, on the contrary, by lines so lightly traced that one can hardly make out the object delineated.”iv This technique not only imbues the work with a dynamic sense of movement but also reflects the chaotic interplay between man and nature—a theme recurrent throughout the Lieuxcursifsseries. The rich palette of walnut, umber, and iridescent gray evokes the earthy tones of the Vence countryside, grounding the abstraction in a tangible reality.

de Kooning, Woman, c. 1952. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.Image: © The Metropolitan Museum of Art / Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © 2024 The Willem de Kooning Foundation/ Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

In the artist's 1969 catalogue raisonné, a rare glimpse into his working method for the Lieuxcursifs reveals how Dubuffet meticulously honed his technique. His notes, translated from the original French, read as follows:

“From a canvas that has previously been painted with black lacquer:

Paint over the black lacquer base with black paint and let it dry for twenty-four hours.

Apply (with a large putty knife), by scraping and smoothing thinly over the surface, several strong

Willem

dark brown tones, a range of reds (obtained by mixing cadmium red with black) and yellows (yellow-orange with black). (These darker tones can only be achieved by using pure cadmium pigments). Scrape thoroughly to have very little thickness.

Apply (with a large putty knife), in a perfunctory and quick manner, layers of light ochre paint in some places, layers of very light and vivid paint in other places, going over the latter with the former; after which smooth the surface over – always quickly and roughly – with the large putty knife.

With the tip on a rounded knife, trace the graffiti. Finally, scrape the area of the sky.”v

At the heart of Paysageàlavache(Lerendez-vous)lies a profound contemplation of space and belonging. The titular cow at upper left, an emblem of pastoral life, anchors the narrative in the rural landscape. Yet the presence of abstract, almost graffiti-like figures suggests an intrusion, or perhaps integration, of human and urban elements into this bucolic setting. The addendum to the title as well, Lerendez-vousor “The meeting,” implies a deliberate convergence or clash of these disparate worlds. Dubuffet navigates these intersections with a characteristic blend of irony and affection, challenging the viewer to reconsider the boundaries between nature and human imposition.

“A crack in the ground, sparkling gravel, a tuft of grass, some crushed debris offer equally worthy subjects for your applause and admiration.” —Jean Dubuffet

Dubuffet’s practice in the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s represents a unique manifestation of post-World War II aesthetics, as he explored new artistic expressions that celebrated unpolished creativity while consciously moving away from traditional academic styles. Although influenced by the spontaneous, gestural mark-making of the Abstract Expressionists, Dubuffet’s approach was distinctly individualistic. He shunned the constraints of convention, often incorporating tactile elements into his works that emphasized their immediate and primal qualities. These ideas, which are central to the Art Brut style he fathered, underscore his desire to connect more deeply with the natural world and the unfiltered expressions of everyday people, which he believed captured a more authentic and visceral form of beauty. Rooted in these principles, Dubuffet’s approach celebrates the untrained, the unsanctioned, and the unconventional. Paysageàlavache(Le rendez-vous)exemplifies this philosophy through its embrace of primal forms and spontaneous execution. The present work’s rough, almost primitive appearance belies a sophisticated understanding of human psychology and societal structures. Dubuffet does not merely paint a landscape; he constructs an arena in which the raw complexities of human experience are laid bare.

“The objective of painting is to animate a surface which is by definition twodimensional and without depth. One does not enrich it in seeking effects of relief or

trompe-l’oeil through shading; one denatures and adulterates it... Let us seek instead ingenious ways to flatten objects on the surface; and let the surface speak its own language and not an artificial language of three-dimensional space which is not proper to it” —Jean Dubuffet

Paysageàlavache(Lerendez-vous)not only encapsulates a moment in Dubuffet's personal and artistic journey but also prefigures broader movements in modern and contemporary art. The painting's prophetic quality, with its blend of textural dynamism and linear narrative, anticipates the explosive expressions of urban street art of artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, and more recently anxious scrawls of Rashid Johnson. In this respect, Dubuffet’s work remains remarkably contemporary in character.

Through Paysageàlavache(Lerendez-vous),Jean Dubuffet invites viewers into a world where the lines between the physical landscape and internal psyche are blurred, where the crude markings of a paintbrush reveal deeper truths about our world. As such, the painting stands as a crucial pivot in Dubuffet's oeuvre, encapsulating the essence of a period marked by bold experimentation and a redefinition of what art could be.

iMusée des arts décoratifs, JeanDubuffet1942-1960, Paris, 1961, n.p.

iiIbid.

iiiJean Dubuffet, “Leux Cursifs (Cursive Places). Notes on the twenty-four pictures painted in Vence between April 1 and August 31, 1957,” TheWorkofJeanDubuffet, exh. cat., Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1962, p. 125.

ivIbid., p. 126.

vJean Dubuffet, extract from the artist’s sketchbook reproduced in Max Loreau, ed., Cataloguedes travauxdeJeanDubuffet,FasciculeXIII:CélébrationdusolI,lieuxcursifs,texturologies, topographies, Lausanne, 1969, p. 44.

PrProovvenanceenance

Studio Paul Facchetti, Paris

Arthur Tooth & Sons Ltd., London

Collection E. J. Power, esq., London (acquired by 1960)

Waddington Galleries, London

Joseph and Jeanne Sullivan, Chicago (acquired from the above on May 16, 1995)

Thence by descent to the present owner

Jean Dubuffet

ExhibitedExhibited

Paris, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, RétrospectiveJeanDubuffet1942-1960,December 16, 1960–February 25, 1961, pl. 78, no. 163, pp. 230, 328 (illustrated, p. 328)

London, Waddington Galleries, JeanDubuffet:ARetrospective, October 5–29, 1983, no. 16, pp. 3, 23 (illustrated, p. 23)

LiteraturLiteraturee

Paul Facchetti, ed., CataloguedespeinturesfaitesàVencedu1eravrilau31août1957, 1958, Paris, no. 14, n.p. (illustrated)

Max Loreau, ed., CataloguedestravauxdeJeanDubuffet,FasciculeXIII:CélébrationdusolI,lieux cursifs,texturologies,topographies, Lausanne, 1969, no. 55, pp. 43, 150, 152 (illustrated, p. 43)

Jean Dubuffet

Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

28

Salvo

Maggio

signed, titled and indistinctly inscribed “Salvo “MAGGIO”” on the reverse oil on burlap

71 1/8 x 51 1/4 in. (180.7 x 130.2 cm)

Painted in 2009, this work is registered in the Archivio Salvo, Turin, under the number S2009-145 and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by the Archivio Salvo, Turin.

EstimateEstimate

$300,000 — 500,000

In Maggio, 2009, Italian Modernist Salvo, born Salvatore Mangione, conjures a vernal late-Spring Eden. With a title translating to “May,” Salvo's highly stylized landscape appropriately depicts a rolling “Primavera” hillside, clear blue skies above, and the sleepy countryside gleaming in the afternoon sun's embrace. The scene was likely inspired by Salvo’s time spent in the valley of Costigliole d’Asti, nestled between the vineyard scenery of Langhe and Monferrato, whose picturesque views appear in many of his mature works. The wistful stillness in Maggioreflects Salvo’s distinctive approach to capturing nature’s beauty—distilling it to its essential component parts—as well as themes of identity, memory, and cultural heritage, showcasing his skillful merging of avant-garde conceptualism with a vibrant, representational aesthetic.

Beginning in late 1979, Salvo embarked on a three-decades-long exploration of the landscape genre, becoming renowned for his signature vivid, hyper-saturated depictions of nature and a visual language of trees and vegetation inspired by Giotto’s Scrovegni Chapel frescoes in Padua, Italy.i Maggioserves as an archetypical example of this evocation, distinguished by its monumental proportions, architectural rigor, and idyllic beauty. It epitomizes Salvo’s decades-long commitment to the genre of landscape and demonstrates his mastery in the manipulation of light and color, especially as concerns his ability to convey the passage of time.

In the spirit of Giorgio de Chirico and Carlo Carrà, Salvo's landscapes found inspiration in the imagery of the Italian Renaissance. Dreamlike elements, simplified forms, and sharp contrasts of light and shadow in Maggioevoke imaginative depictions of nature and disquieting effects reminiscent of the Metaphysical Painting movement. In addition to exploring the psychology of place and abstract concepts like time, Salvo's earliest landscapes, characterized by their vibrant palettes and distinctive spheroid elements, defied contemporary aesthetics. They foreshadowed the resurgence of figurative painting in the mid-1980s—a vision that Salvo continued to embrace and refine throughout his career, as evidenced in his present work. Additional connections can be drawn between Salvo’s bold use and variation of color and the chromatic scale employed in models of postmodern design and architecture, such as the Milan-based Memphis Group’s highly ornamental, loud, and zany design style.

Giotto di Bondone, Gioacchinotraipastori(Joachim Among the Shepherds), c. 1304 - 1306. Scrovegni Chapel, Padua, Italy. Image: Manuel Cohen / Art Resource, NY

Giorgio de Chirico, TheSoothsayer'sRecompense, 1913. The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania. Image: Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Louise and Walter Arensberg Collection, 1950, 1950-134-38, Artwork: © 2024 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome

Starting in the late 2000s, Salvo’s paintings embraced the subject of the lowlands, introducing a new, more cinematic perspective in his landscapes. In Maggio, Salvo interrupts the line of vision, orchestrating a discordant exchange between the jagged peaks of mountains and rooftops. Meanwhile, the pillowy curvature of the clouds mingles with the puffball-like “Tiglio”—Italian for “Lime” or “Linden”—trees that are common to the area and after which the region was named.

“These valleys that are ranged one behind the other…They are springtime scenes, because that allows me to use spots of yellow, pink, and white, the colors of trees in the spring…In my view there has to be a pattern of colors in a large picture, and only a spring scene lets me do that.” —Salvo

In Maggio, Salvo’s placid, almost still life-like, depiction of country life is replete with the promise of light. Yet, within these Elysian fields, nothing stirs, and there are no signs of life. The falseness in the repetition and fixedness of form—a kind of artificiality—belies an uneasy sense of paradise

lost. He centers as his subject the interplay of light, color, and shape, without any reference to the figure or a clear narrative. The effect is that of a tableau, something fixed and fully realized that sits in dialogue with the simplicity and stillness in Giorgio Morandi’s intimate displays of cups, vases, and other household objects.

Salvo's reflection on his choice of spring scenes, characterized by colors inspired by nature's seasonal shifts, suggests a deliberate exploration of seriality within his paintings. He elaborates, "A picture is always a part of a sequence, and so you produce variations, a bit like Morandi’s subjects." This recognition of the iterative process mirrors Morandi's methodical exploration of variations within his still life compositions, whether through adjustments to the color palette or manipulation of forms. Shifting perspectives, altering the time of day, or adjusting the compositional relationships among familiar shapes, Salvo captures the elusive essence of portraying a definitive world image. Maggioemerges as a timeless testament to nature's fleeting phenomena, revealing its own limitations artfully.

Giorgio Morandi, StillLife, c. 1955. The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Image: National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lenart in honor of Rusty and Nancy Powell, 1997.112.2, Artwork: © 2024 Giorgio Morandi, Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/SIAE, Rome

“Every figure is contaminated with stasis, taken as something absolute, pulled outside of time and reproposed as a literal example of a still life: nature frozen into immobility,nature morte.” —Angela Vettese ii

Salvo demonstrates an architectural focus in Maggioby simplifying natural forms into fundamental geometric shapes. In this way he echoes Paul Cézanne's stylistic approach to painting but removes every trace of his predecessor’s broken brushstrokes. Today, this stylized sensibility finds resonance in Nicolas Party's work, where his color palette and reductive forms visually echo Salvo's paintings. In Maggio’s simplified scenery, an essentially abstract composition of illusionistic color fields in foreshortened perspective, glowing unseen light sources, and neatly shaped topiary balance inaccessible and windowless buildings that seem hardly designed with human beings in mind, let alone lived in. The absence of any trace of human presence invites the viewer to connect with the idyllic beauty of this captivating scene.

i Archivio Salvo, Biography, 2016, accessed March 20, 2024, online.

ii Angela Vettese, “Salvo: Egoistic Painting,” in FlashArtInternational, no. 141, July 1988.

PrProovvenanceenance

Private Collection, Turin

Mazzoleni Art, Turin

Private Collection, New York

Acquired from the above by the present owner

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT PRIVATE AMERICAN COLLECTION

29

Milton Avery

Sunset Sea

signed and dated “Milton Avery 1960” lower right; signed and titled ““Sunset Sea" by Milton Avery” on the reverse oil on canvas

32 1/8 x 49 in. (81.6 x 124.5 cm)

Painted in 1960.

EstimateEstimate

$1,000,000 — 1,500,000

Milton Avery occupies a pivotal position in the trajectory of American art, bridging the gap between pre-war realism and post-war abstraction. His unique style, characterized by emotionally evocative scenes composed of vibrant colors and simplified forms, typified in SunsetSea, 1960, contributed significantly to the emergence of chromatic abstraction in American art. Understated and ambiguous, this daringly simplified, almost abstract, painting of land, sea and sky is a poignant example of the mature work that characterized the artist’s last decade. In a handful of tonal and textural variations and with not one brush mark more than is necessary, Avery conjures all the contemplative silence of a sunset.

“I like to seize the one sharp instant in Nature, to imprison it by means of ordered shapes and space relationships. To this end I eliminate and simplify, leaving apparently nothing but color and pattern. I am not seeking pure abstraction; rather, the purity and essence of the idea—expressed in its simplest form.” —Milton Avery

SunsetSeatransports viewers to a serene coastal setting, inspired by the landscape of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where Avery spent four successive summers between 1957 and 1960, staying at an artists’ colony in Provincetown. A rocky outcropping dominates the foreground of the canvas, smooth surfaces of various grays jutting out above a vast expanse of burnished sea, its surface rendered in staccato ribbons of mauve and brownish crimson. As the sun dips behind the horizon, pulling its golden rays from the sky, the water below transforms into a reflective surface, echoing the magnificent hues above. The water takes on an ethereal blush, with patches of shadow and light, suggesting a soft evening wind dancing across its uneven surface. Avery has interspersed dry brushstrokes, seemingly applying paint directly from the tube to further enliven the surface. He allows the rough, woven texture of the canvas to peek through in places, embracing texture to differentiate planes and express a sense of place. The sand dunes in the distance, hazily delineated in horizontal layers of purple and blue, serve as a visual anchor, grounding the viewer amidst the ephemeral beauty of the sunset scene.

Avery's artistic journey began with his exploration of deeply saturated hues and distinct planes of color, earning him the moniker “American Fauve.”i Upon joining Paul Rosenberg's esteemed New York gallery in 1943, renowned for its representation of both European avant-garde figures and American luminaries like Max Weber and Marsden Hartley, Avery found himself immersed in the works of European masters such as Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse.ii This exposure ignited his experimentation with non-associative color and simplified forms.The period marked a departure from traditional pictorial conventions as Avery increasingly embraced color as his foremost mode of expression, simultaneously delving into the manipulation of space and depth within the picture plane, marking a profound evolution in his artistic style.

SunsetSeais characterized by its formal simplicity, yet Avery's mastery lies in his ability to capture the essence of a moment rather than its precise details. He employs a reduced palette and flattened forms to distill the scene to its essential elements, inviting viewers to immerse

themselves in the mood and atmosphere of the painting. This economy of form encourages contemplation, allowing the mind to wander and form personal connections.

As Avery's career progressed, particularly throughout the 1950s, he honed his compositional elements while exploring the handling of his painted surfaces. Sunset Sea demonstrates this refinement, showcasing expansive zones of color that contribute to the unity of the composition. Avery's technique involved delicately applying thin washes of diluted pigment, sometimes rubbing the solution into the canvas to achieve a smoother, more even appearance and a shimmering

Milton Avery at Peter Hunt House, Provincetown, Massachusetts, 1958. Photograph by Philip Cavanaugh. Image: © 2024 Milton Avery Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Milton Avery

luminosity. This approach, cultivated through his experimentation with monotype prints, infuses his later works with a subtle richness. In works like Sunset Sea, Avery continued to innovate, adopting a technique where he meticulously applied oil paint as if it was watercolor, building up numerous layers of thin, diluted wash. With the careful use of a rag, he then deftly manipulated the paint within each shape on the canvas, emphasizing their translucency, and allowing him to achieve subtle modulations of tone and create the luminous colors and dynamic interplay between surface and depth characteristic of his mature style.iii

Avery found significance in working directly from his immediate surroundings, often beginning with watercolor sketches before translating them into oil-on-canvas—an immersive approach that remained consistent throughout his practice. In SunsetSea, his brushwork is characterized by its fluidity and expressiveness, imbuing the work with a sense of movement and vitality. The rhythmic strokes of his brush echo the ebb and flow of the tide, infusing the painting with a palpable sense of life. The loose, gestural quality of his technique lends the artwork an air of spontaneity, as if it were captured in a fleeting moment of inspiration. This sense of immediacy allows viewers to experience the painting as if they were witnessing the sunset firsthand, enveloped in its passing beauty.

“One feels looking at an Avery landscape or seascape that the highest human experience is being alone and at peace with the land and the sea” —Barbara Haskell

The sea held a profound significance for Avery throughout his career. Drawing inspiration from his environment, Avery frequently depicted motifs such as his wife Sally, daughter March, and the rocky beaches of Massachusetts. His affinity for coastal landscapes connects him to predecessors like Winslow Homer and Edward Hopper, who also found inspiration along the Atlantic coastline. In the mid to late 1950s, Avery vacationed each summer in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where he fell in love with the New England waterfront. In its subject, SunsetSeashows the clear influence of the artist’s summers spent in the seaside town. “We were followers of the sea,” Sally Avery recalled. “On the beaches of Provincetown, Gloucester and Gaspe we braved the surf and rocky shore, spending endless hours contemplating the sea... Always the sea beckoned, at times with figures, at times with boats. But it was the sea, alternately black and mysterious or ruddy and gay that expressed the mystery and independence that makes its lure unfathomable. For Milton this was a subject to challenge again and again.”iv

The picturesque scenery provided Avery with endless inspiration, offering tonal and textural variations between natural elements, shoreline, and open water. In 1957, fellow artists like Mark Rothko and Adolph Gottlieb joined him in Provincetown, sparking a richness of artistic exchange in this seaside town. During this period, a pivotal visit from critic Clement Greenberg also bolstered Avery's reputation. As the decade progressed, Avery, whose success as a colorist undoubtedly influenced the younger generation of abstract and color field painters working alongside him, began to increasingly embrace abstraction in his own practice.

Despite becoming more abstract, Avery's output from the late 1950s to the early 1960s retained recognizable shapes and horizon lines, hinting at his chosen subject matter, often reflected in his straightforward titles, such as SunsetSea. In the artist’s typically laconic style, this painting is identified by its restrained presentation of harmonious colors and simplified forms, serving as a testament to both the specificity of place and the universality of experience. Critics praised these new works, further bolstering support for his 1960 retrospective exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. Another notable piece from this period, DunesandSeaII, added to the Whitney Museum's collection as a 50th Anniversary Gift from Sally Avery, shares the uniformity of color and stark spatial juxtapositions typical of Avery’s late style, as seen in the present work.

In SunsetSea, the setting sun casts long shadows across the water, imbuing the scene with a sense of quiet introspection. The chiaroscuro of light and darkness creates a dynamic contrast, enhancing the depth and dimensionality of the painting. One of his later works, by 1960 Avery had already had two heart attacks. He would die a few years later, in 1964, having made his final painting in 1963. Sunsets were a recurring motif during this final period. One can almost feel the

Milton Avery, DunesandSeaII, 1960. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Image: © Whitney Museum of American Art / Licensed by Scala / Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © 2024 Milton Avery Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Milton Avery

Avery

warmth of the fading sunlight against their skin and hear the gentle lapping of waves against the shore. Avery's choice of subject matter further reflects his fascination with the natural world and its capacity to evoke profound emotional responses. The sea, a timeless symbol of infinity and boundless possibility, serves as a metaphor for the human experience—ever-changing yet eternal. In portraying the tides at sunset, Avery explores themes of transition and impermanence, inviting viewers to contemplate the fleeting nature of existence and the passage of time.

SunsetSeaspeaks to the universal human longing for connection and transcendence. The vastness of the sea evokes a sense of awe and wonder, prompting viewers to contemplate their place within the greater cosmos. As the sun dips below the horizon, casting its final rays of light across the water, one cannot help but feel a sense of reverence for the beauty and majesty of the natural world. In this moment of quiet reflection, Avery invites us to pause, to breathe, and to appreciate the fleeting beauty of life.

“What was [his] repertoire? His living room, Central Park, his wife Sally, his daughter March, the beaches and mountains where they summered; cows, fish heads, the flight of birds; his friends and whatever world strayed through his studio; a domestic, unheroic cast. But from these there have been fashioned great canvases, that far from the casual and transitory implications of the subjects, have always a gripping lyricism, and often achieve the permanence and monumentality of Egypt.”

—Mark Rothko, speaking at Avery’s memorial in 1965 v

i Ted Loos, “Art/Architecture; A Flashy Museum Gives a Quiet Painter a New Look,” TheNewYork Times, Section 2, p. 39, December 23 2001, online

ii “Milton Avery: Biography,” DCMooreGallery, New York, Accessed April 17 2024, online.

iii Paul Richard, “Avery: Ally of the Weekend Painter,” TheWashingtonPost, May 21 1977, online.

iv Sally Avery, quoted in Milton Avery and Sally Michel Avery, Seascapes, New York, 1987, n.p.

v Mark Rothko, quoted from his memorial address delivered at the New York Society for Ethical Culture. 2 West Sixty Fourth Street, on January 7, 1965

PrProovvenanceenance

Grace Borgenicht Gallery, New York

Private Collection (acquired from the above in 1960)

Private Collection, United States (by descent from the above)

Acquired from the above by the present owner in May 2019

New York Auction / 14 May 2024 / 5pm EDT

PROPERTY FROM THE TERNER FAMILY COLLECTION, LOS ANGELES

30

Jules Olitski

Boyar Time (The Small Painting)

signed and dated "Jules Olitski 1962 1962" on the reverse; partially titled and dated "Small 1962 ptg" on the stretcher

Magna on canvas

81 1/4 x 93 7/8 in. (206.4 x 238.4 cm)

Painted in 1962.

EstimateEstimate

$400,000 — 600,000

Amid the vibrant cultural landscape of 20th-century Los Angeles, Sandra and Jacob Terner stood as pioneers, their foresight and passion guiding them to assemble a remarkable collection ahead of its time. Rooted in a dual commitment to Abstract Expressionism and the burgeoning local arts scene, their collection includes pieces by some of the most acclaimed artists of the 20th century. Initially focused on American 19th Century art, Sandra and Jacob transitioned to collecting abstraction in the 1990s, including their acquisition of Jules Olitski’s BoyarTime(TheSmall Paintings), 1962, in 1995. The present work has remained in their collection for the past three decades and, alongside Helen Frankenthaler’s Acresand Grace Hartigan’s MontaukHighway, speaks to their discerning eye in acquiring only paramount examples by the artists they favored. Hailing from the most important decade of Olitski’s carrer, BoyarTime(TheSmallPaintings)is a masterpiece by the artist that stands as a reflection of the Terner’s collecting vision.

BoyarTime(TheSmallPaintings)morphs surface, color and form on a grand scale. One of the artist’s enigmatic Corepaintings, the present work marks the fusion of surface and medium, one which consistently informed the artist’s oeuvre. A prominent member of the then-burgeoning Color Field movement and once referred to by critic Clement Greenberg as the “best painter alive,” Olitski was the first living American artist to have a solo exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, in 1969.i With a career spanning six decades, Olitski's works are held in the permanent collections of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, The Tate Modern, London, and the Art Institute of Chicago, among others.

Jules Olitski, CadmiumOrangeofDr.Frankenstein, 1962, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift from the Vincent Melzac Collection.Image: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC / Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © Estate of Jules Olitski/Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Returning to the United States following his first solo exhibition in 1951 at Galerie Huit, Paris, Olitski engaged in a ten-year reevaluation of his painting practice. Having originally relied on heavy, thick brushstrokes rendered in the ArtInformelstyle of Jean Dubuffet and Jean Fautrier, the artist eventually turned to his now-considered signature style of anthropomorphic shapes that are at once abstract and natural. Globular forms first appeared in the artist’s work in 1959, just three years before the creation of BoyarTime(TheSmallPaintings). Turning to a pour and stain technique in 1960, similar to that pioneered by Helen Frankenthaler in 1952, Olitski began to create

Jules Olitski

huge canvases, which were, according to Roberta Smith, “dominated by irregular spheres of saturated color... these seemingly simple works mess with space and scale in a visceral, almost sculptural way.”ii

Helen Frankenthaler, Fire, 1964. Sold through Phillips New York in November 2023 for $2,480,000. USD. Formerly Property of An Important Private Collector Being Sold to Benefit The Geisel School of Medicine At Dartmouth College.Artwork: © 2024 Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

At almost eight feet long, the present work presents color in a uniquely monumental way. On a large-scale, raw canvas—a surface which he committed to almost exclusively in 1962— Olitski’s composition consumes the viewer, asserting the importance of form and hue over anything else. Ovoid circles and thick pools of paint in blue, orange and yellow are barely overlapping, fighting for space within the canvas. The shapes are organic and imperfect, as if created by natural forces rather than the artist’s hand. Through his expressive use of color and biomorphic forms, Olitski explored an infinite sense of space, beautifully demonstrated in BoyarTime(TheSmallPaintings), in particular by the orange shape that spills over the upper edge of the canvas. Indeed, “it is Olitski who has developed and revised Jackson Pollock’s central innovation, the allover picture, in order to make it serve color. In so doing he has drawn radical and far-reaching conclusions about the nature

of the abstract picture – conclusions that have taken on an inescapable authority.”iii

“Edge is drawing and drawing is always on the surface. The color areas take on the appearance of overlap, and if the conception of form is governed by edge – no matter how successfully it possesses the surface – paint, even when stained into raw canvas, remains on or above the surface. I think, on the contrary, of color being in, not on the surface.” —Jules Olitski

i Clement Greenberg, quoted in Don Buschlen, ed., JulesOlitski:CommuningwiththePower,exh. cat., Vancouver, 1989.

ii Roberta Smith, “The Great Beginning of Jules Olitski,” NewYorkTimes, January 28, 2021, online.

iii Kenworth Moffett, JulesOlitski,exh. cat., Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1973, p. 7.

PrProovvenanceenance

David Mirvish Gallery, Toronto (acquired in October 1966)

Dr. and Mrs. Hilbert Delwater, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Donald Morris Gallery, Detroit

André Emmerich Gallery, New York

The ALCOA Collection, Pittsburgh

Sotheby’s, New York, November 16, 1995, lot 295

Lebron Bros. Inc., Woodside

Jacob and Sandra Terner, Los Angeles (acquired from the above on December 4, 1995)

Thence by descent to the present owner

ExhibitedExhibited

Rochester, Michigan, The University Art Gallery, Oakland University, ArtoftheDecade1960–1970: PaintingsfromtheCollectionsofGreaterDetroit,November 14–December 17, 1971, n.p. (illustrated)