The highly anticipated Phillips New York 20th Century and Contemporary Art Evening Sale of the year will take place at 7 am Hong Kong time on May 19th, with a global live stream on their official website. Despite featuring only 37 pieces, each one is a masterpiece in the art market, making this auction lineup the strongest ever, with hopes of setting a new record for Phillips’ evening sales total! Below, we will introduce some selected auction items for you:
This season’s New York evening auction is led by Jean-Michel Basquiat’s monumental masterpiece “Untitled” from the renowned collector and entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa. Estimated at around $70 million, this over 500 cm wide masterpiece is also one of the most iconic works, created in the peak of his artistic career in 1982. “Untitled” will also become the highest-priced lot ever to accept payment in virtual currency.
右：《明星(葛麗泰.嘉寶飾瑪塔.哈里)》1981 年作 壓克力 絲網印刷 畫布 152.4 x 152.4 公分
估價：7,000,000 – 10,000,000 美元 Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol created this “Flowers” in 1964 during the height of the classic Pop Art era, reflecting a shift in the artist’s creative style. During this time, he moved away from depicting recognizable advertising language and popular products, towards portraying abstract and eternal themes, while still retaining elements from popular culture and printed magazines.
The work “Star (Greta Garbo as Mata Hari)” is one of the artist’s Myths series in 1981, depicting Hollywood legendary actress and Swedish national treasure Greta Garbo portraying the beautiful female spy in the 1931 film “Mata Hari”, which caused a sensation in Europe and America at the time, propelling Garbo to superstar status.
估價:6,000,000 – 8,000,000 美元
右：《無題》Cy Twombly 2006 年作 壓克力 畫布,215.6 x 167.6 公分 估價:7,000,000 – 10,000,000 美元
Untitled preserves Mark Rothko’s iconic color field painting style, continuing the most classic creative lineage of this artist. This work not only embodies the ethereal mood formed by color and structure in his works in the 1950s, but also shows his transition from the soft brushstrokes of feather-like edges between color fields in the late 1950s to a more solid style of color blocks.
Cy Twombly’s work “Untitled” is one of the six “Untitled” works completed in the autumn of 2006, and it is also one of his masterpieces at the end of his creative career. This piece combines swirling circular shapes against a monochromatic background, a fascination with mythology and history, and the writing and linguistic traces that form the basis of the artist’s abstract creative concepts, showcasing the artist’s various explorations in artistic techniques.
估價 :4,000,000 – 6,000,000 美元
Created on April 4, 1932, “Figures and Plants” is a brilliant masterpiece by Picasso depicting his muse and lover Marie-Thérèse. 1932 was the “miraculous year” in Picasso’s illustrious artistic career, and during this year, his love for this muse reached its peak, creating many iconic works that would be remembered for generations.
天然海綿 鵝卵石 木板122.6 x 99.4 x 10.8 公分
估價:14,000,000 – 18,000,000 美元
右：《無題(網)》草間彌生 1959 年作 油彩 畫布 130.8 x 116.5 公分
估價:5,000,000 – 7,000,000 美元
French artist Yves Klein is a pioneer of minimalism and pop art, known for his monochromatic paintings. In “Blue Sponge Relief Untitled (RE 49)”, natural sponges and pebbles are soaked in the classic Klein blue, evoking thoughts of the mysterious deep sea or an alien landscape covered in rocks. The “Relief éponges” series showcases the artist’s ability to give three-dimensionality to his created “International Klein Blue”, making abstract images more captivating.
Yayoi Kusama’s “Untitled (Net)” was created in 1959, from her famous early work in the white “Infinity Net” series. The piece marks a crucial chapter in post-war abstract art history, showcasing Yayoi Kusama’s unique avant-garde style as she navigates between the splendor of abstract expressionism and the simplicity of minimalism.
右：《第一天》王俊傑 2018 年作 油彩 畫布 177.8 x 152.4 公分
估價 :2,000,000 – 3,000,000 美元
Amy Sherald is known for her portraits of Black individuals. When creating this painting, she was chosen by former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, as the portrait artist. The clothing worn by the figure in the painting, as well as the inspiration for the dress selected for the former First Lady, both come from a patchwork quilt made by a female member of a small African American community in Alabama called “Gee’s Bend”.
Wang Junjie’s work “River of Sunset” sold for over $4.8 million at the 2020 Christie’s Hong Kong Autumn Auction, setting a world record for the artist. The pieces “The First Day” and “River of Sunset” auctioned this time were both created in 2018, showcasing the effects of light and shadow through his exploration of colors. The vast fields in the paintings evoke the “Pointillism” of Georges Seurat and Paul Signac, as well as Yayoi Kusama’s “Infinity Nets.” The brushstrokes depicting grass apply techniques from Chinese painting, demonstrating the artist’s ability to blend Eastern and Western artistic vocabularies.
In addition to gathering works by a group of post-war and modern art masters, this auction also presents some of the hottest contemporary artists in the art world. Art enthusiasts can visit the official website for more auction information!
Image source and learn more: Phillips
