Auction house Christie's announced that, at the spring auction "Postwar and contemporary art", which will be held in New York on 11 May this year, will be exhibited outstanding works of art from the collection of Michael Crichton - author of bestsellers, translated into many languages, a talented writer, director and producer. The most famous was brought to him such books as "Andromeda Strain", "Jurassic Park", "arrow of time", "Lost World", "Rising Sun" and "State of Fear", as well as the TV series "ER." Michael Crichton is also known as a recognized expert in art of Jasper Johns.

total circulation of Crichton's novels sold worldwide, more than 150 million copies, most of them have been translated into 36 languages, many of them were filmed . Michael Crichton is a director known films, including "The Great Train Robbery" with Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland in the lead roles. In 1994, Creighton became the only man whose works have taken the first position in the lists of the best works on television (TV's "ER"), in the movie (the movie "Jurassic Park") and in the book publishing industry (novel "The exposure »).

at the dawn of his creative career at Crichton awoke keen interest in the works of contemporary artists, many of whom he was acquainted. In 1976, David Hockney to paint his portrait, and among the friends of the future writer were enrolled Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg and Claes Oldenburg. In 1970, Creighton met Jasper Johns, started collecting his work. The artist asked Crichton to write the accompanying article to the catalog of his works, issued to the retrospective exhibition, held at New York's Whitney Museum in 1977. Directory itself and the subsequent publication of his expanded and updated versions to this day remains a key research creativity Jones.

In 2006, Michael Crichton has been appointed as a board member of the District Museum of Art Los Angeles (LACMA ).

Michael Crichton has always belonged to his passion for collecting art objects with a certain degree of modesty, and only his close friends and relatives can appreciate the diversity and depth of his collection. He wrote: "I was never worried about is whether or not a work of art is significant or minor, whether it is typical for the artist's work, or distracting from the recognized framework, how representative the creation of a well-known artist represented in my collection. I always buy only those works, which I was pleased to watch. For me it was always the only deciding factor when buying. And I always liked to be surrounded by these works ».

Gorvi Brett, deputy chairman of Christie's, the U.S., said:" These auctions - is a unique opportunity for both private buyers and to museums replenish their collections of art of this outstanding collection. Michael was a rare connoisseur of art, which can rightly be called a man of the Renaissance. His passion towards the art of heated endless search for answers to eternal questions that underlie all art. At the same time, he was kind nisprovergatelem universally accepted dogma, he was constantly questioned and developed their understanding of the phenomenon of contemporary art. Michael maintained friendly relations with many artists, arguing with them on an equal basis as a unique creative unit. Formation of this collection it with devotion to this expert worked more than 30 years. He chooses products with thoughtful, trusting your intuition, supported by direct acquaintance with the creators of certain works which, in turn, were among the most prominent artists of the XX century. Attention collectors will be offered the work of artists who believed Crichton pillars of modern art - Pablo Picasso, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Rauschenberg. Estimated cost of the four paintings is a total of about 20 million pounds (30 million dollars). Of particular note is the work of Jones "Flag", which is one of the most memorable images of the XX century. This work has made an indelible impression on a whole galaxy of artists from all over the world, changing the course of the history of modern art ».

Among the top lots of the New York trading from the collection of Michael Crichton will be presented:

• Jasper Johns, "Flag», 1960-1966
• Robert Rauschenberg, "Studio work (collage), 1960-1961
• Pablo Picasso, "Woman with Child", 1961
• Roy Lichtenstein, "Girl in the water", 1965

According to the spokesman family Crichton, "Michael was a visionary. He loved art and valued its relationship with the artists. A decision to bid the work, occupying a special place in his life, was given to us easily. We are confident that people will appreciate the dignity of Michael's passion for outstanding works, which he experienced throughout his life ».

• 

work of Jasper Johns "Flag", written in the encaustic technique around 1960-1966 years and is an excellent interpretation of the image of the American flag, have never previously appeared on the market. Creighton became the canvas for more than 30 years ago directly from the artist. The last time the product was presented to the public 18 years ago, the painting exhibition of pop art, held at London's Royal Academy of Arts.

Cloth Jones historically is one of the first iconic images of Pop Art , replacing the abstract expressionism of Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning and to pave the way for new daily images of Warhol and Liechtenstein. According to Brett Gorvi, "this work Jones stands alongside the greatest cultural artifacts of all time along with the" Mona Lisa, da Vinci and Marilyn Warhol ».

well-known art historian Robert Rosenblum summarized the situation: "... This is blasphemy, daring, naivete, or something outside the mind?»

story of how a dream inspired Jones to create a series of paintings titled "Flag", artist shared with Michael Crichton. From his memoirs: "Jasper once dreamed that he depicts an American flag. Shortly thereafter, he wrote the first picture in the encaustic technique and thought that it was something by which he can express himself. Paradoxically, this very impersonal way of helping him to find the identity of myself ».

Creighton after recalled the words of Jones:" the fact that in the case with the American flag did not have to invent anything, helped me solve many problems. After that I went to work on targets and other similar images - things that are familiar to all. These are images that we see regularly, but never in them are not closely scrutinizing. It radically changed my approach - all these things are clearly defined borders that are easy to measure and transfer to the canvas ».

Next Crichton says in his memoirs that" it seemed to many that draw the flag - this is an absurd exercise. The American flag could be anything, but not art. At the same time, Jones managed to make it a graceful and carefully designed paintings. This fabric can certainly be classed in art, is not it? Product is finished, the problem posed and solved it can only be a spectator ».

It is this ambivalence and detachment attracted Michael Crichton, who wanted to better understand the artist's work. Looking back on their agreement to begin work on the catalog in 1997, Creighton said: "I agreed only because at that time Jasper was very mysterious and unapproachable figure. I decided that if I work on the catalog, he'll have to answer all my questions ».

complex mixed media encaustic (the process of writing used by the melted wax), which paint a picture Jones "Flag", is found today is rare and has its roots in ancient Egypt. This technique allowed the artist to make visible every stroke, while the stars on a blue background and red and white stripes of an American flag served as Jones' excellent structural basis for the creation of cloth whose surface is sometimes translucent, and in some places - matt.

Criticism of the book by Michael Crichton "Jasper Johns" (published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers):

• «This book helps to understand the process of how the study personality of the artist can shed light on his work. Sam Jones is very taciturn, so the key to understanding his work is the work of Crichton »(Chicago Sun-Times);

•« Crichton wrote about artist and his ideas with confidence of a man who no doubt that the art is of paramount importance not only for specialists, but also for each individual. The result is a study, a comprehensive in scope and accessible form »(Art News);

•« Perhaps Michael Crichton - this is just something lacking in contemporary avant-garde; educated layman (someone with a creative gift to another area), whose words can find an echo in the minds of a wide range of people and which has the capacity available to convey to the reader the essence of any phenomenon by showing him a new perspective »(The Washington Post).

Source : Press Release Christie's