The spring season in the northern hemisphere of the great auction houses Christie’s and Sotheby’s in New York will begin this Monday the 13th and will include works by creators of the 20th and 21st centuries such as Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Andy Warhol either Jean-Michael Basquiat. Christie’s, like Sotheby’s, are exhibiting numerous museum-worthy pieces for free until auction day at their respective headquarters in the Big Apple, with starting prices ranging from tens of thousands of dollars to 50 million, according to the most optimistic estimates.
This season, Christie’s offers the late businesswoman’s Latin art collection Rose of the Crosson Tuesday, May 14, with works by Felix Gonzalez-Torres, among others; in addition to its usual auction of 21st century artists, also on Tuesday the 14th; and the 20th century auction, on Thursday the 16th. For its part, Sotheby’s will offer its auctions on Monday the 13th and Wednesday the 15th, among which works by Warhol and Basquiat stand out, in addition to “the most important selection of Joan Mitchell that has seen the light”, depending on the house, or Portrait of George Dyer Crouching of Francis Bacona portrait of his lover.
Christie’s estimates that its 21st century auction alone, consisting of a total of 35 works, will generate more than 100 million dollars. It includes the painting Eventfrom the American Brice Marden ($30-50 million); another of Jean-Michael Basquiat, The Italian Version of Popeye has no Pork in his Diet (30 million); and two canvases –mumbaphilia and Fever graph‘- from the Ethiopian-American Julie Mehretu (5-7 million). This house’s 20th century auction will include Impressionist, modernist and post-war works, with a range of unique artists ranging from Andy Warhol to Pablo Picassogoing by Alberto Giacometti, Georgia O’Keefe, David Hockney either Rene Magritte.
One of the jewels in the crown is the painting Garden coin with papillons (1887), from Vincent van Gogh (28-35 million), in which the Dutch painter “began to show his unique seal and revealed the transition of his style,” he told the media today. Imogen Kerr, one of the auction curators. She’s not far behind either. flowers (1964), by Warhol (20-30 million), the “verification that the artist was abandoning obscurity and heading towards a new era,” another curator highlighted, Emily Kaplan.
In addition, three paintings by Picasso will go on sale, the main one being Woman with hat assise‘ (1971), painted in the town of Mougins (France), and also in the sales range of 20 to 30 million. After reaching record prices in 2021, the art market is in an uncertain situation evident last year, when global auction sales of all categories fell 27% compared to 2022, according to a report on the sector carried out by Bank of America.
[Fotos: EFE/Sarah Yenesel]
