Today, May 11, in New York will be held the evening auction Christie's «postwar and contemporary art».

In the first part of the auction will be exhibited work from the collection of Michael Crichton - famous American writer, author of the bestseller "Jurassic Park" and creator of the television series "ER" and a recognized expert in creativity Jasper Johns .

Top lots presented in this section:

• Jasper Johns (b. 1930) : "Flag" (1960-1966), estimeyt 10-15 million dollars;
• Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008): "Studio work (collage)" (1960-1961), estimeyt 6-9 million dollars, "Trapeze" (1964), estimeyt 5.7 million dollars;
• Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) "Woman with Child" (1961), estimeyt 5,5-7,5 million dollars, "Woman in a pink dress" (1917), estimeyt 5,5-7,5 million;
• Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) "Landscape with Figures" (1977), estimate: 2,5-3,5 million dollars, "Girl in the water" (in 1965), estimeyt 0,8-1,2 million dollars.

In the second part of the tender attention of buyers will be offered masterpiece Yves Klein (1928-1962) " Anthropometry 93. Buffalo "(estimate 8-12 million dollars) , the work of Andy Warhol (1928-1987)" Silver Liz "(estimate 10-15 million) and" Self Portrait "(estimate 5-7 million dollars), and also works Jean-Michel Basquiat, Mark Rothko, Roy Lichtenstein, Martin Kippenberger, and other authors.

• Yves Klein Anthropometry № 93 (Buffalo)
  1960-1961
  Christie's. 05/11/2010. Lot № 35
  estimate: 12.8 million

Monumental "Anthropometry number 93 (Buffalo), "created by Klein 1960-1961, is a massive canvas size 177,8 x 280,4 cm and comes from the famous series by" Anthropometry ". It is expected that first proposed to auction the work will go to auction with the result of nearly 10 million dollars.

Bidding almost coincides with a major U.S. exhibition - a retrospective creation of the author over the past 30 years, Yves Klein: The vacuum filled by force. " It will take place in several places: 20 May - 12 September in Washington (Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden), and October 23, 2010 - February 13, 2011 in Minneapolis (Contemporary Art Center The Walker Art Center).

considerable demand for works of Yves Klein, was demonstrated during the February trading "Postwar and Contemporary Art" conducted the largest auction houses in London, where his work had gone under the hammer for a total of 16.36 million pounds, but only at Christie's They brought 10.23 million lbs. This result reflects the general interest in the creativity of artists of the movement "Zero", an excellent example of which is "Anthropometry № 93 (Buffalo )».

Autrid Francis, Head of European Department," Post-War and Contemporary Art »Christie's, said:" We are pleased to present an important and monumental in size painting by Yves Klein Exhibition in London. In our auction, "Postwar and contemporary art in London on February 11 Klein's work" The Golden Sponge RE47II "was sold for 5.9 million pounds, and thereby setting the second-largest record price for work in this kind of art sold in Europe since October 2008. "Anthropometry number 5" was sold by auction for 4,1 million pounds, more than three times the expected lower estimeyt and more than 10 times the price index, reached at auction in London in 2001, when the work was sold for 388.5 thousands of pounds. This success clearly reflects the tendency of re-evaluation of the market works Yves Klein as the godfather of conceptualism ».

Brett Gorve, deputy director of the American Branch of Christie's, said:" Yves Klein is one of the most influential artists in Europe poslevoennom art and a pioneer line of artist-showman. Over the past three years his work became very popular, as evidenced by the significant sales of important works of Klein's auctions. We are proud to present this large-scale masterpiece at auction in New York with a unique collection of Michael Crichton, including the canonical work of Jasper Johns "Flag "».

monumental canvases, belonging to one of the most outstanding episodes of the author of Anthropometry № 93 (Buffalo) was established in 1960-1961, shortly before the sudden death of 34-year-old artist from a heart attack. Photographs taken at the beginning of 1960 year, depicting the author and the work of "Anthropometry № 93 (Buffalo), then hung on the wall in the living room of his Paris apartment. More copies of this rare collection are in the Pompidou Center in Paris and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

• Yves Klein and Martial Rice on the background of" Anthropometry
  № 93 (Buffalo) "in the living room apartment in Paris Klein

leaf, written in tones patented artist "International Klein blue," which brought him worldwide fame, is a shining example of passion Klein game form, transfers of the nuances of movement and images inspired reflections on the meaning of human life. To create works such as the one that exhibited at the upcoming auction, Klein covered the paint naked bodies of young girls, and they left imprints on the sheets of paper spread on the floor. Thus was established and this work, which became the name of "Anthropometry № 93 (Buffalo). His subtitle "buffalo" it is obliged similarity image imprinted on the canvas, with a silhouette of a wild, unrestrained animal. Yves Klein: "Personally, I would never have agreed to have my own body was used as a brush. I'd rather stand on the sidelines in his smart tuxedo and white gloves. I do not like to smudge the paint, even their own hands. The process of creating works of art should be removed from me as from the artist. I just look at it from the side and in command. This whole process of creating I have a feeling that I myself - an elegant, calm and relaxed - the presence at the ceremony of the birth of each work, I watched as it appears in our material world "(quote by: H. Rosenthal," The presence of at Levitation: creativity Yves Klein, Houston, 1982).

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Yves Klein (1928-1962) is widely recognized as one the most influential painters of the postwar period. In early 1950 he lived in Japan, where he was training as an instructor in judo. In 1954, Klein returned to Paris, where he first made a show of his monochrome works that brought him first fame, and later - became legendary exhibition Le Vide («Vacuum"), in which the attention of the audience were submitted blank (except for a large cupboard) Exhibits halls with painted white walls.

Yves Klein, a lot of experimenting with different ways of applying the paint to objects - so were created the famous bas-reliefs of the sponges and composition of the sheets of gold, mounted on movable panels. The first series of "Anthropometry" - paintings, prints created by the human body on a canvas - Klein submitted to public in 1960. The creation of these works held in public, to the accompaniment of "Monotonous Symphony" (work was performed on a single note for ten minutes, then followed a ten-silence), and the artist himself oversaw, standing on the sidelines, dressed in a tuxedo and white gloves. Series "Anthropometry" Klein has brought fame in Europe and became one of his "business cards».

Source: press release Christie's