PHILLIPS ANNOUNCES HIGHLIGHTS FROM MAY 2014 SALES OF CONTEMPORARY ART

 

                              

                                                                                                                                                                                   

PHILLIPS ANNOUNCES HIGHLIGHTS FROM MAY 2014 SALES OF CONTEMPORARY ART

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SALES INCLUDE WORKS BY MARK ROTHKO, ANDY WARHOL, JEAN-MICHELBASQUIAT, GERHARD RICHTER, JEFF KOONS, MARK TANSEY, VIJA CELMINS, DONALD JUDD, ALEXANDER CALDER, ROY LICHTENSTEIN, JOHN CHAMBERLAIN, WADE GUYTON, NATE LOWMAN,DAN COLEN, TAUBA AUERBACH, AND ALEX ISRAEL.

EVENING AUCTION:15 MAY 2014, 7PM

DAY AUCTION: 16 MAY 2014, 11AM

VIEWING: 3-15 MAY Phillips, 450 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022

AUCTION  LOCATION: Phillips, 450 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022

NEW YORK – 28 April 2014 – Phillips is pleased to announce the highlights from its May

Contemporary Art auctions.

“We are thrilled to present our May Contemporary Art sales, in which we will offer an outstanding selection of exemplary works by the most prominent, emerging and blue-chip Contemporary artists.”  David Georgiades and August Uribe,Worldwide Co-Heads Contemporary Art, Phillips.

 

MARK ROTHKO

Untitled (Red, Blue, Orange), 1955

ESTIMATE ON REQUEST

This seminal work, from Mark Rothko’s most iconic period, embodies the artist’s singular vision at its most refined.  Composed of rich azure floating above a vibrant orange and red field, Untitled (Red, Blue, Orange), 1955 exemplifies Rothko’s unparalleled command of color, form and technique.  Untitled (Red, Blue, Orange), 1955 possesses an enthralling luminosity that exemplifies Rothko’s enduring legacy.

ANDY WARHOL AND JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT

Zenith, 1985

ESTIMATE $10,000,000 – 15,000,000

Zenith, 1985, a monumental painting, and the largest work by this dynamic artistic duo, represents the two masters at the height of their combined prowess.  Addressing themes central to their oeuvres, such as social commentary and poignant meditations on the brevity of life, the composition prominently features a graphic skull and crossbones embellished with jewel tones.  Zenithis the epic manifestation of two masters’ artistic vision, as Warhol and Basquiat engaged in dialogue that is among the most renowned artistic collaborations of all time.

 

ANDY WARHOL

Flowers, 1964

ESTIMATE $10,000,000 – 15,000,000

Flowers, 1964, is an electric rendering of one of Warhol’s most enduring subjects.  The work represents the bold optimism of 1960’s America and the Pop Art movement. Warhol’s blossoms, silkscreened in vibrant tones of purple, orange and red, set against a verdant field of green. This example is among the most important of his Flowers series and will attract today’s most ardent enthusiast. 

JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT

Untitled, 1981

ESTIMATE $8,000,000 – 12,000,000

Jean-Michel Basquiat’s singular contribution to painting is exemplified in this ravishingly beautiful work.  Completed during Basquiat’s meteoric entrée to the art world, Untitled, 1981, depicts a central, beatific haloed figure.  Basquiat’s hero is flanked by faceless emblems of unjust power and is animated with intense and energetic brushwork.  Untitled, 1981 represents Basquiat’s ascent towards his unmistakable contribution to the canon of contemporary painting.

GERHARD RICHTER

Mädchen im Sessel (Lila), 1964

ESTIMATE $6,000,000 – 8,000,000

The sensuous surface of Gerhard Richter’s Mädchen im Sessel (Lila), 1964 is a dazzling composition that transcends the abstraction of form.  Richter’s pulsating depiction of a young woman posed in an armchair is a timeless image of feminine beauty and youth.  Executed at a moment when the artist was devising a new vision for traditional painting, Mädchen is a testament to Richter’s reputation as our greatest living painter. 

JEFF KOONS

Popples, 1988

ESTIMATE $4,000,000 – 6,000,000 

Jeff Koons, a standard-bearer for the Pop Art tradition, deftly melds luxury and popular culture in a manner that has transformed him into one of the most recognized contemporary artists in the world.  From Koons’ Banality series, Popples was conceived as a central figure in a global statement of contemporary allegory.  The exquisitely rendered porcelain surface creates a startling tromp l’oeil that confounds our expectations of medium and tactility.  Popples is an outstanding example of the artist’s unique vision of a youthful and commercially-driven culture. 

MARK TANSEY

Coastline Measure, 1987 

ESTIMATE $3,500,000 – 4,500,000

Coastline Measure, 1987, is a philosophical treatise in paint.  With an emerald palette; Tansey has visualized mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot’s call to measure every surface of a coastline. Tansey’s expansive and expressive surface is a stunning metaphor for our contemporary understanding of the sublime.

VIJA CELMINS

Night Sky #3, 1991

ESTIMATE $2,000,000 – 3,000,000

In Night Sky #3, 1991, Vija Celmins captures the infinite subtleties and distances of the vast cosmos.  Celmins’ Night Sky paintings appear rarely at auction, with the majority of these works held in important public collections. 

DONALD JUDD

Untitled (88-27 Menziken), 1988

ESTIMATE $2,000,000 – 3,000,000

Untitled (88-27 Menziken), 1988, is a prime example of Donald Judd’s continued engagement with his most well-known sculptural motif.  Executed in brushed aluminum and green Plexiglas, Untitled (88-27 Menziken), embodies Judd’s impressive contribution to Minimalism. 

In addition, the sale will feature a selection of masterful sculptures by Alexander Calder, David Smith, John Chamberlain and Roy Lichtenstein.  Today’s emerging masters will be well represented, with works by Mark Bradford, Wade Guyton, Dan Colen, Nate Lowman and Tauba Auerbach. 

The Contemporary Art Day Sale will offer 229 works. Highlights from the auction include works by WAYNE THIEBAUD, CECILY BROWN, DAMIEN HIRST, ED RUSCHA, MEL RAMOS, DONALD JUDD, JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT, SAM FRANCIS, JOHN BALDESSARI, JOHN CHAMBERLAIN, AND JAMES ROSENQUIST.

PHILLIPS:

Phillips has established a commanding position in the sale of Contemporary Art, Photographs, Design, Editions and Jewelry. Through the passionate dedication of its team of global specialists, Phillips has garnered an unparalleled wealth of knowledge of emerging market trends. Phillips conducts auctions in New York and London and has representative offices throughout Europe and in the United States.  For more information, please visit: phillips.com.

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