Contemporary Art: Fall Auctions 2018 - A Visit @ Phillips, New York

(Drivebycuriosity) - It´s auction season again. This week the global auction houses have their huge fall auctions in New York City. So my wife and I went to Phillips on 450 Park Avenue (phillips),  the No. 3 of the global auction empires, and visited the preauction exhibition for their "20th Century and Contemporary Art Sales".

The company has the reputation to be more focused on contemporary works than her bigger competitors and to show more cutting edge art by up-and-coming artists. But they also had some big names. I display here some of my favorites from the exhibition - as usual a very subjective selection. On top of this post you can see "Club Mature" by Tomoo Gokita (Estimate $250,000 - 350,000, Sold for $807,000), followed by Marlene Dumas`"Cultural Exchange (Mummy wants to go home)" (Estimate $1,000,000 - 1,500,000,  Sold for $975,000).

They had some superstars of course. Above the both ubiquitous Jean-Michel Basquiat with his "Untitled" (Estimate $9,000,000 - 12,000,000, Sold for $8,977,500) and Andy Warhol`s "Gun" (Estimate $7,000,000 - 10,000,000, Sold for $9,540,000).

Above more top stars: Gerhard Richter with "Abstraktes Bild " (Estimate $1,800,000 - 2,500,000, Sold for $2,295,000) &  Jackson Pollock`s "Number 16" (Unsold).


                                                              Dreaming Nude

The always funny George Condos seems also to belong to the auction standard. Above his "Dreaming Nude" (Estimate $600,000 - 800,000, Sold for $1,095,000).

Another funny and popular artist: Takashi Murakami with "Kurage-bo" (Estimate $120,000 - 180,000, Sold for $150,000).

Julio Larraz also caught my eyes with "His Last Dream, 29 July" (Estimate $80,000 - 120,000, Sold for $112,500)

Above "Nadar`s Grey" by David Salle (Estimate
$350,000 - 450,000, sold for $495,000) .

 Zhang Huan´s "American Flag No. 7" belongs to the surprises of the show (ash on linen, Estimate $60,000 - 80,000 ,Sold for $175,000).

The American expressionist Wayne Thiebaud belongs to my favorites. Above "San Francisco Shore" (Estimate $450,000 - 600,000, unsold)  plus his "Food Bowls" (Estimate $1,500,000 - 2,000,000 , Sold for $1,635,000).



                                                       Model System

Above Adam Pendleton`s "Four Works: (i) History (Lab 01 Red); (ii) History (People Yellow); (iii) History (So I White); (iv) History ('68 Grey)" (Estimate $15,000 - 20,000, Sold for $31,250).

I really love Terry Winters´s "Model System" (Estimate $50,000 - 70,000, Sold for $62,500).

More amazing abstracts:  Albert Oehlen`s "Untitled" (Estimate $1,000,000 - 1,500,000, Sold for $1,515,000 ) followed by Fritz Bultmann`s "Rosa Park - The Nurses of the Afternoon"(Estimate
$30,000 - 40,000, 
sold for $52,500); Pat Steir`s (Top of Niagara Daylight Waterfall" (Estimate $200,000 - 300,000, Sold for $471,000) & Herbert Brandl`s "Untitled" (Estimate $20,000 - 30,000, Sold for $75,000).

To be continued.