Sotheby's November 11: Yves Klein, Roy Lichtenstein, Philip Gaston
ARTinvestment.RU   01 ноября 2008

At the tender pieces of postwar and contemporary art Sotheby's will be the rare works of famous artists

An important part of the fall season in New York constitute the tender pieces of postwar and contemporary art. ARTinvestment.RU already wrote about auction at Christie's on 12 November , which have pictures of Francis Bacon ( Francis Bacon), Luchio Fountains (Lucio Fontana) and Jean-Michel Basque (Jean-Michel Basquiat). A bid will be held November 11, Sotheby's, the top lots are works by Yves Klein (Yves Klein), Roy Lichtenstein (Roy Lichtenstein), and Gaston, Philip (Philip Guston).

Let's start with the most expensive, from Klein. This painter, belonged to the movement «New realists» , is the author of the most expensive work of post-war French artists. Klein - one of the most original artists of the XX century: the unprecedented concept is still interested in the arts make people wonder - «and have also had to invent such a». He created paintings with the help of women's bodies and flamethrower, selling nothing for gold and patented one of the shades of blue, which is called «International Klein Blue» (IKB) - «The International Klein Blue». It is the blue of the best-known creations are the artist. He created a blue «monohromy» (monochrome images), causing the paint on the surface of the canvas using sponges, then he noticed that the sponges impregnated with IKB-color is so beautiful that, throw them a pity and should show them as separate objects. Klein began to create reliefs of sponges, Clamps them filled in blue canvas. Thus a whole series of reliefs, the chief of which, «Arhigubka (RE 11)», to appear November 11 at Sotheby's. I must say that the «blue» Klein's works sold better: according to Artprice.com, 29 works from the artist, the auction brought in more than a million dollars, almost all have been implemented in this color. Nevertheless, the most expensive piece of Klein's ever sold at auction is a gold «MONOTONE». This work (under the title «MG 9») left at the May Sotheby's for 21 million dollars. But the auction on 11 November offers a chance aftergame blue: a preliminary assessment «Arhigubki (RE 11)» is about 25 million dollars. The main inspiration for this work was the philosophy of Zen and Japanese gardens of stone. Klein considered metaphysical blue color: the view of the artist, «immersion» in this color brings man to space.

however, is depicted on the cover of the catalog is not the product of Klein, a picture of Roy Lichtenstein. Liechtenstein - «King auctions»: almost all large (and small), tender pieces of contemporary art is his work. True, mostly prints. But Sotheby's plays were big. The most expensive «Liechtenstein» at the auction was the picture «Gender-face with the collar» (estimeyt 15-20 million dollars). Liechtenstein is known as a painter, «friends» high art with mass culture: inspired by the most famous of his paintings have become comic. Basically, the truth, the artist wrote damochek beautiful, so the picture with a man - a rare phenomenon. Works of Liechtenstein are popular: they are very stylish look in the offices of young energetic entrepreneurs in the room secular lioness. Of the other works of artists represented at the Sotheby's, is to provide a picture «Sketch of wall murals for the State of New York (Town and Village)» and sculpture «Five strokes brush». Both show that the artist was famous for not only the aesthetics of comics. He created a workshop in the style of the great songs of the early modern centuries, inspired by Art Deco design. The painting «Sketch of wall murals for the State of New York (Town and Village)» Liechtenstein pays tribute to one of his idols - the French artist Fernand Leger (Fernand Léger). Estimeyt canvases of 4-6 million dollars. With regard to the sculpture of Liechtenstein, it really is nothing more than a monument to the brush stroke. However, to make strokes on a canvas of this size, you must be a giant: the height of the sculpture entire 6 meters. Her estimeyt - 6-8 million dollars.

In contrast to the bright pop artovskih creations Liechtenstein paintings Philip Gaston is decorative not call. This artist was famous for the first time in the 1950's as an abstract expressionist. His works of that period is not rife with color: the artist mainly uses black, white, gray and red. The most recognizable, perhaps, are the «red» canvases that resemble spots of blood on the dirty-white wall. Gaston friends with Jackson Pollock (Jackson Pollock), and his paintings are the same energetic. However, the works of artists such as dark and «existential», as the canvases of abstract expressionism other classics, Mark Rothko (Mark Rothko) and Barnett Newman (Barnett Newman). Creativity Gaston was a kind of bridge from abstract expressionism to neoekspressionizmu, the most famous of which is probably Jean-Michel Basque. In the late 1960's Gaston returned to figurative art. In his paintings he caricatured, «cartoon» manner depicted various urodtsev, including Ku Klux klanovtsy, unshaven drunkards, бомжи ... First, critics ridiculed the new direction in the artist's works, but then most of them changed their opinions. Towards the end of life Gaston became very popular not only among professionals but also among art lovers. And abstract and figurative art by this artist distinguishes dark and uncompromising.

Paintings Gaston appears at a public auction is not very often. For example, in database Artprice.com are only 90 paintings by this artist, at that time, such as paintings of Liechtenstein is 335. Mostly sold at auction later, Gaston figurative work, which can be purchased for several hundred thousand dollars. The works in the style of abstract expressionism, were written in the mid 1950's, is valued above all. The highest auction result for the works of the artist is 6.5 million dollars per picture «street», sold at Christie's in May 2005. Cloth «Joy poor», exhibited at Sotheby's November 11, very similar to the «Street». Therefore, an estimated 15 million. Prices for art took off - it's time to catch up and Gaston.

Richard Dibenkorn (Richard Diebenkorn) - a rare visitor to the auction. This exciting artist is one of the leading representatives of a California school. As Philip Gaston, Dibenkorn initially keen to abstract expressionism, and later took up figurative painting. However, unlike Gaston, he later returned to abstraction. At the end of his career, he has created over 140 paintings, consisting of a series «Ocean Park» (Ocean Park - a place in Santa Monica, which then worked as an artist). This series consists of «abstract landscapes», mostly inspired by whimsical as the Californian landscape. At Sotheby's exhibited painting «Ocean Park # 44», estimated at 6-8 million. Its subtle color reminiscent of sunlight on the warm shores of the Pacific.

It will cost at Sotheby's, and without Lusiena Freud (Lucian Freud), which is currently the author of the most expensive work of living artists . His «Portrait of woman standing naked» estimated at 9-12 million dollars. At the auction also exhibited a steel installation Richard Serra (Richard Serra) «12-4-8» (2-3 million dollars), a sculpture of steel crumple John Chamberlain (John Chamberlain) «Ca-d'Oro» (1,8-2,2 million dollars), which resembles a large eye alabaster sculptures Anisha Kapoor (Anish Kapoor), and much more.

Of the 64 lots, one - the creation of our compatriot. This large canvas «New York II» Erik Bulatov , estimated at 0,9-1,2 million dollars. The most expensive at the moment the product Bulatova - «Glory to the CPSU» - was sold in February this year at London's Phillips de Pury for 1.084 billion pounds (more than two million dollars for the then course).

Julia Maksimova

Sources: sothebys.com , artprice.com , artinvestment.ru