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A $60MILLION+ TWOMBLY AT SOTHEBY’S IN NEW YORK

Wednesday, September 16th, 2015

Cy Twombly – Untitled, 1968 [New York City] UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR $70.5 MILLION

Untitled, 1968 [New York City] – a seminal example of Cy Twombly’s ‘Blackboard’ paintings comes up at Sotheby’s in New York on November 11. It is expected to realise more than $60 million. The work is from the collection of Los Angeles philanthropist Audrey Irmas and sale proceeds will benefit The Audrey Irmas Foundation for Social Justice. The foundation supports causes including Wilshire Boulevard Temple, which will receive $30 million from the sale. The funds will launch the campaign for the Temple’s new building, designed by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) led by Rem Koolhaas, and to be named The Audrey Irmas Pavilion. The building will be OMA’s first commission from a religious institution, and the firm’s first cultural building in California.

“It is always a pleasure to welcome spectacular works of art back to Sotheby’s” said Anthony Grant, Sotheby’s Vice Chairman, Americas. “We last offered the painting in 1990 as part of the Saatchi Collection. The brilliance of the artist’s gestural genius is on full display as the written form dissolves into a nuanced grey background. All of us who know and care about the arts in Los Angeles have benefited from the extraordinary generosity of Audrey Irmas and her late husband Sydney, and so we are thrilled to be offering this Twombly masterpiece to benefit such a wonderful cause.”

Tags: Cy Twombly, sotheby's
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ANDY WARHOL’S PRINTMAKING INNOVATIONS AT LONDON SALE

Monday, September 14th, 2015

The breadth of Andy Warhol’s work and his innovations in printmaking will be highlighted at Sotheby’s biannual prints and multiples sale in London on September 29. The auction will feature more than 30 lots by the artist – 89 prints in total – comprising both single works and complete sets. There are two private collections, one a private Slovakian collection, the other from the family of Hermann Wunsche, which offer insight into Warhol’s importance in Europe. Wunsche co-ordinated the first catalogue raisonne of Warhol’s editions which was published in Germany in 1980.

Goethe
The complete portfolio, comprising four screenprints in colours, 1982 (£60,000-80,000).

The Star
Screenprint in a unique combination of colours, 1981, from Myths (£25,000-35,000)

Cowboys and Indians
The complete set, comprising ten screenprints in colours, 1986 (£130,000-180,000)

Tags: Andy Warhol, prints and multiples, sotheby's
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THE TAUBMAN COLLECTION AT SOTHEBY’S, NEW YORK

Monday, September 7th, 2015

Willem de Kooning, Untitled XXI 1976 $25/35 million

More than 500 works spanning the period from antiquity to contemporary art from the collection of A. Alfred Taubman are to come up at Sotheby’s in New York. They will be sold in a series of dedicated auctions beginning in the autumn. The sales are estimated at more than $500 million, making this the most valuable private collection ever offered at auction. Represented in the broad-ranging collection are an impressive number of iconic artists including: Mark Rothko and Frank Stella; Pablo Picasso and Egon Schiele; Winslow Homer and Charles Burchfield; and Albrecht Dürer and Raphael.

Alfred Taubman, who passed away in April at the age of 91, immersed himself in the arts throughout his life – from his early training as an architect, to critical roles as a founder of the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution, a board member of the Whitney Museum of American Art and longtime Chairman of the Arts Commission of Detroit, the entity which oversaw the Detroit Institute of Arts. A self-made man he launched The Taubman Company in 1950 with a $5,000 loan. He revolutionized the retail experience, creating many design innovations considered standard today. In 1983 he acquired Sotheby’s. He set about changing the way Sotheby’s did business opening it up beyond the dealers who were its historic mainstays and helping to create the stunning growth of the international art market.

Under his stewardship, sales such as The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor (1987), The Andy Warhol Collection (1988), and the Estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1996) were presented.

In the early 2000s, an investigation into alleged price-fixing between Sotheby’s and Christie’s led to a confession by Sotheby’s ceo Diana Brooks of a price fixing scheme. In a plea bargain arrangement prosecutors offered to keep her out of prison if she agreed to implicate Taubman. She did. Taubman was convicted in a jury trial of price fixing. He was fined $7.5 million sent to jail for ten months. After his release in 2003 he continued to insist on his innocence. Works from his collection will be presented at sales of Masterworks on November 4, Modern and Contemporary Art on November 5, American Art on November 18 and Old Masters on January 27, 2016.

Thomas Gainsborough, The Blue Page c1770 $3/4 million

Martin Johnson Heade, The Great Florida Sunset 1887 $7/10 million

Tags: A ALFRED TAUBMAN, sotheby's
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THE CONTRACT THAT LAUNCHED THE BEATLES AT SOTHEBY’S

Saturday, September 5th, 2015

The contract that launched the most successful band of all time, binding together the Beatles with manager Brian Epstein, comes up at Sotheby’s London Rock & Pop sale on September 29. Signed on October 1, 1962 just days before the release of their first single ‘Love Me Do’ it is estimated at £300,000-500,000. This is the only management contract signed between the Beatles and Epstein after the band attained its final line-up of John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr.

“Without this contract, and the relationship it represents, it seems inconceivable that the Beatles could have achieved all that they did: it took more than inspired musicianship and song-writing to remake popular music. The presentation, direction, and internal harmony of the Beatles all owed a huge amount to Brian Epstein. He was, as Paul McCartney has acknowledged, the Fifth Beatle.” – Gabriel Heaton, Sotheby’s Specialist in Books and Manuscripts.

Fascinating insights revealed in the terms of the contract include that Epstein would determine “on all matters concerning clothes, make-up and the presentation” of the Beatles and a clause allowing for band members to be kicked out “should two or more of them desire to remove one or more of the other Artists … with the consent in writing of the Manager”. UPDATE: It sold for £365,000

Tags: Brian Epstein, sotheby's, The Beatles
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THE ABBA PIANO AT SOTHEBY’S IN SEPTEMBER

Thursday, August 27th, 2015

The Abba piano.

The “ABBA Piano”, the first major piece of ABBA material to be offered at auction, comes up at Sotheby’s in London on September 29. No other single instrument has featured more prominently in pop music since the 1970’s. From the opening refrain of ‘Mamma Mia’, to ‘Waterloo’, ‘Dancing Queen’ and ‘Money, Money, Money’, the sound of this piano has resonated throughout countless bedrooms, headphones and dancefloors across the world. The instrument on which ABBA recorded their best-loved songs is from the collection of Atlantis Grammofon (formerly known as Metronome Studios), where ABBA recorded their greatest hits. Estimated at £600,000-800,000, it is accompanied by a certificate of authentication signed by Benny Andersson in 2015.

“The Bolin Grand, one of a kind and a great source of inspiration while working in the recording studio during the ABBA sessions!” Benny Andersson said this year. It was originally built for American composer and jazz pianist Bill Evans (1929-1980) by the Swedish designer George Bolin (1912-1993). It was purchased by the Metronome Studios in Stockholm in 1967 and featured on virtually all ABBA recordings from 1973-77.

In 2000 John Lennon’s Steinway upright piano, on which he composed Imagine, sold for £1.67 million. The upright piano which featured in Rick’s Cafe Americain in the film Casablanca sold for $3.4 million last year.

UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

Tags: ABBA, Bolin Grand, sotheby's
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Dylan’s A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall at Sotheby’s

Tuesday, August 25th, 2015

The Dylan lyrics

In 1962, in a small room above the legendary Gaslight Folk Club in Greenwich Village, New York, the 21-year-old Bob Dylan, hunched at a typewriter, wrote what is widely considered one of the greatest songs in the history of rock music. Fifty-three years later, the original type-written manuscript for the revolutionary, A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall, has emerged for sale at Sotheby’s in London, where it is estimated to sell for £150,000-200,000.

Described by Rolling Stone magazine as “the greatest protest song by the greatest protest songwriter of his time”, it marks a key artistic breakthrough by the most influential songwriter alive today. The scratchings-out and revisions offer fresh insight into the creative process behind one of the world’s most loved songs.

The lyrics will be part of Sotheby’s “Rock & Pop” sale in London on September 29.

UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

Tags: Bob Dylan, Dylan's A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall, sotheby's
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THE SIMPSONS AT SOTHEBY’S SAM SIMON SALE IN NEW YORK

Thursday, August 20th, 2015

Fine art and memorabilia from the personal collection of television legend Samuel “Sam” Simon (1955-2015) – co-creator of The Simpsons – will come up across a series of auctions at Sotheby’s in New York this autumn. Sam Simon’s passions extended beyond television to include a notable career as a boxing manager, as well as a lasting legacy as a champion of animal rights. To that end, full proceeds from the sale of his collection will benefit the multi-platform Sam Simon Charitable Giving Foundation, which supports both animal welfare programs and poverty alleviation and disaster relief organisations. He was showrunner on Taxi and a writer/producer/director on countless pop culture icons of the small screen.

Sam Simon’s creative eye manifested itself in his extensive art collection, which spans an impressive range of styles, genres and mediums. The strong figurative vein that runs throughout the group is evidenced in paintings such as Thomas Hart Benton’s T.P. and Jake, in which the artist communicates the emotional connection between a boy and his dog in beautiful detail ($1.5/2.5 million). That work held such personal significance to Simon that it is pictured in the logo for the Sam Simon Foundation.

Thomas Hart Benton, T.P. and Jake.

Auguste Rodin, Balzac en robe de dominic

Circa 1990 The Simpsons Data East Pinball Machine

An interior shot of Sam Simon’s house in Los Angeles.

Mel Ramos, Val Veeta

Simon’s Personal The Simpsons Jacket

Tags: Sam Simon, sotheby's, The Simpsons, Thomas Hart Benton
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A COMPANION TO A PAIR OF COMMODES AT THE FRICK

Wednesday, August 19th, 2015

A magnificent companion pair to the Blake of London commodes in the Frick Collection will come up at Sotheby’s in New York on October 15. The estimate is $300,000-500,000. Sotheby’s auctions of 19th Century Furniture & Decorative Arts in New York will feature both a dedicated single-owner sale from a distinguished Asian collection and a various owners auction. The collection was formed over 50 years with the help of renowned dealers in London and Paris. There are 18th and 19th century pieces based on royal and aristocratic models of the ancien regime as well as creations from Francois Linke and Leon Message.

The Frick Commodes’ Companion Pair Boulle Style Marquetry Commodes by George-Henry Blake (19th Century Furniture & Decorative Arts)

A Large Louis XVI ormolu mantle clock (Property from a Distinguished Private Asian Collection)

A Large Louis XVI ormolu mantle clock, Paris c1765 – (Property from a Distinguished Private Asian Collection) ($25,000-35,000).

Tags: Blake of London, Frick Collection, sotheby's
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A GREAT HOUSE RE-AWAKENED IN DORSET

Monday, August 10th, 2015

The re-awakening of one of Britain’s great houses, St Giles House in Dorset ancestral seat of the Earls of Shaftesbury, has emerged as the winner of the 2015 Historic Houses Association (HHA) & Sotheby’s Restoration Award. St. Giles, which has remained in the family since the 14^th-century, had been abandoned and derelict for over 50 years. It was transformed over the past four and a half years through a restoration project undertaken by the 12^th Earl and Countess of Shaftsbury. Lord Shaftesbury inherited the house and 5,000 acre estate in 2005, aged only 25, following the tragic death of his father and, only a few months later, of his elder brother. With the help of grants from Natural England and the Country House Foundation, the grounds and grand interiors of St Giles House have now been returned to their former glory.

Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftsbury (1621-1683), a founder of the Whig party, built the nucleus of the house. The estate continued to be developed over successive generations. It was uninhabited for the latter part of the 20th century. Only a few years ago snow was blowing into the library and sections of the house were at risk of collapse.

Lord Shaftesbury said: “It is a huge honour to receive this award after four and a half years of hard work. It’s amazing now to look back at the project and think where we’ve come – it’s safe to say we’ve achieved far more than any of us imagined possible. Hopefully it will inspire others to do the same.”

Library (copyright Marcus Peel)

North Drawing Room (copyright Marcus Peel)

St Giles House 1862 (copyright St Giles House Archives)

Great Dining Room (copyright Marcus Peel)

St Giles House from Great Avenue (copyright Philip Hughes)

Tapestry Room (copyright Justin Barton)

Tags: Historic Houses Association, sotheby's, St. Giles House Dorset
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WORKS FROM YOSHIHARA JIRO COLLECTION AT SOTHEBY’S

Friday, July 31st, 2015

Yoshihara Jiro’s Work (1971) (US$129,000-258,000).

The first dedicated sale of works from the Yoshihara Jiro collection ever to appear on the market will come up at Sotheby’s Contemporary Asian Art sale in Hong Kong on October 5. It will feature works both created and coveted by Yoshihara, the celebrated founder of Japan’s 20th-century avant-garde Gutai movement. There are more than 20 original Yoshihara canvas, paper and ceramic works, many from his iconic Circle series.

Evelyn Lin, Head of Contemporary Asian Art, Sotheby’s, said: “Dating from the mid-1930s to the early-1970s, Full Circle encompasses a comprehensive array of works rarely seen on the market, showcasing Yoshihara’s immaculate art, vision and taste, as well as his exploration on the circle motif in the later stage of his artistic career. At a time when Gutai has received much international acclaim on its art-historical contributions, we look forward to presenting the collection this autumn, as a much deserved tribute to the contemporary master.”

Tags: GUTAI, sotheby's, YOSHIHARA JIRO
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Posts Tagged ‘sotheby’s’

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