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

(Drivebycuriosity) - It´s auction season again. This week the global auction houses have their huge spring 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 pre-auction exhibition for their "20th Century and Contemporary Art Sales".

The company has a 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 a lot big names. I display here some of my favorites from the exhibition - as usual a very subjective selection (No guarantee for mentioned price estimates).

The girl above is taking a picture of Jean-Michel Basquiat`s "Flexible" (Estimate On Request), on of their top lots.



                                                      Followed By Sharks

China is gaining more importance on the art market, but is still underrepresented in this week`s auctions. Above an exception: Zeng Fanzhi`s "Mask Series" (Estimate $3,200,000 - 4,200,000). Men wearing masks are followed by sharks.

Adrian Ghenie, born in Romania, belongs to the up-and coming artists. Last year I reported about his show @ Pace Gallery New York ( driveby). Above his  "Elvis" (Estimate $250,000 - 350,000).

 Rudolf Stingel is one of the most fascinating artists of today. His oeuvre has a remarkable breadth, including hyper photorealistic paintings, abstracts, melancholic self portraits and much more. Stingel was born in 1956 in Merano, Italy and lives in New York and Merano (here my report about his show @ Gagosian driveby). Above his "Untitled" (Estimate $5,000,000 - 7,000,000).

No auction without the ubiquitous Andy Warhol. Above his reference to Leonardo da Vinci "Last Supper" (Estimate $8,000,000 - 12,000,000 ).


 
The Colombian artist Fernando Botero likes bulk. Above his "Yellow Niña" (Estimate $400,000 - 600,000)





                                                             German Super Stars

Phillips dedicated one room to the German super stars: Above Gerhard Richter with "Italienische Landschaft (Italian Landscape)" (Estimate $1,500,000 - 2,000,000) followed by "Abstraktes Bild (811-2)" (Estimate $12,000,000 - 18,000,000)

and his close friend, the late Sigmar Polke with "Köchin (Cook)" (Estimate $4,000,000 - 6,000,000) followed by  "Stadtbild II (City Painting II)" (Estimate $12,000,000 - 18,000,000).

Above "Schwarze Säule (Black Column)" by Georg Baselitz (Estimate $1,200,000 - 1,800,000)

Anselm Kiefer`s Mao reference "Laßt 1000 Blumen blühen (Let 1000 Flowers bloom)" (Estimate $1,200,000 - 1,800,000)

Above Mark Bradford`s impressive wall-filling "Black Venus" (Estimate $5,000,000 - 7,000,000)

Equally impressive: "At Five in the Afternoon" by Robert Motherwell (Estimate $12,000,000 - 18,000,000) 

There were more brand names of the art market: Lucio Fontana`s "Concetto spaziale, Attese" (Estimate $2,500,000 - 3,500,000) followed by Willem de Kooning`s "Untitled 13" (Estimate $1,500,000 - 2,000,000); Theodoros Stamos` "The Reward" (Estimate $150,000 - 250,000) & Lesley Vance`s "Untitled" (Estimate $30,000 - 40,000) .

I loved to see Wayne Thiebaud`s expressionist "Valley Ranch" (Estimate $800,000 - 1,200,000).

Above "Untitled (cartoon)" by Richard Prince (Estimate $350,000 - 450,000 )

The strange Os Gêmeos with "Untitled" (Estimate $100,000 - 150,000)

The surrealist Max Ernst with "Clouds, Sun and Sea" (Estimate $200,000 - 300,000)




                                                       How She Sees The Moon

I also had a lot discoveries, including the fantastic Zbigniew Rogalski with his "How She Sees the Moon" (Estimate $8,000 - 12,000).

Other unknown artists caught my eyes as well: "Untitled" by David Salle (Estimate $10,000 - 15,000) followed by Steven Parrino`s "Blood Rite" (Estimate $15,000 - 20,000).

"Measurement: 48 (Black/Red)" by Mel Bochner (Estimate $50,000 - 70,000) followed by Jules de Balincourt`s "Close Out Sale" (Estimate $25,000 - 35,000)

"Landscape with a Pioneers Camp, 1973" by Ilya Kabakov (Estimate $180,000 - 220,000) followed by  "Vanity" by Shara Hughes (Estimate $10,000 - 15,000)  & "The Hero Centaur" by Hernan Bas (Estimate $30,000 - 40,000) .

Armando Morales`beautiful "Deux nus assis" (Estimate $70,000 - 90,000) & "Dos mujeres frente al espejo" (Estimate $40,000 - 60,000).

   

To be continued