Leading the Modern Art sales this season will be one of the great titans of 20th-century modernism, Alexander Calder, whose work converses so fluently with that of his forbears and his successors.  Calder’s Untitled from 1949 (estimate $10/15 million) is a magnificent early example of the artist’s iconic hanging mobiles, the bold forms, simple shapes and delicate suspension of which speak to Modernism and Surrealism, while the movement and play of light and shadow hint both back to Impressionism and forward to Abstraction. Of impressive scale and refined palette (with a sole scarlet element boldly distinguished against a black framework), the mobile consists of fifteen metal elements of different sizes, suspended along the remarkable wingspan of the piece to create a harmonious and balanced whole. The beauty and importance of this piece is matched by its exceptional provenance: soon after it was made, it was acquired by Brazilian architect Henrique Mindlin who installed it in his award-winning residential project, the George Hime House, in Petrópolis, Brazil. For the last two decades, the work has formed part of a distinguished private collection.(1)

As previously announced, the sale will also feature Frida Kahlo’s Diego y yo (Diego and I) from 1949, Kahlo’s last fully-realized bust-length self-portrait. Diego y yo is among the finest examples of Kahlo’s self-portraits, which are some of her most famous, coveted and emblematic works. Estimated in excess of $30 million, the painting could not only set a new auction record for the artist but could also become the most valuable Latin American artwork ever sold at auction. Click here for full press release.

THE CONTEMPORARY AUCTION
EVENING SALE: 18 November │ DAY SALE: 19 NOVEMBER

“The definition of what makes something Contemporary is constantly evolving. As much as the term speaks to the art of today, for us it has come to define an entire generation of artists who changed the course of art history during the latter half of the Twentieth Century. This is a generation of artists that responded to the social, political, and technological changes that permeated the world in this moment, through work that challenged the status quo of representation and shook the very foundation of the visual arts. At the same time, what is happening today builds on that important legacy, while reflecting an entirely new generation of creative minds operating within an ever-changing world. The art of the past 20 years has ushered in a new era of artists and collectors seeking the ultra-contemporary, which can only be defined as 'The Now'.”
David Galperin, Sotheby’s Head of Contemporary Art, Americas

The Contemporary Auction will focus primarily on art spanning the latter half of the 20th century, beginning with the seismic shift in post-war art inaugurated in the 1950s by artists such as Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg, who eschewed Abstract Expressionism and the European-centered modernist structure that preceded it. They would pave the way for a number of significant artistic developments, such as pop art, minimalism, conceptual art, feminist art, arte povera, through to new media, and the critical postmodern inquiries of the 1980s and 1990s.

A star lot of the Contemporary Evening Sale, Philip Guston’s Ominous Land (estimate $6/8 million), from the Estate of Gabriele and Robert Lee, is an exceptional, large-scale piece, from the artist’s highly-regarded late body of work, treating one of his most powerful motifs. The hooded Klan-like figures, hinting to the violence and civil strife of ‘60s America, fuse politically charged imagery and satirical self-portraiture, creating a powerful social commentary that remains just as relevant and meaningful nearly 50 years later. This work is particularly noteworthy for the fact that it is one of the last works in which the artist incorporated the critical iconography of the hooded figure. A testament to the Lees’ prescient eye, the painting was purchased directly from David McKee Gallery in 1974, where it was lauded by critic Roberta Smith in Art Forum. Soon after, in 1980, it was included in the landmark retrospective of Guston’s work. Its appearance at auction now is timely, coming as it does some six months before the opening of Guston’s long-awaited retrospective. (2) Furthermore, no hooded figure painting of this quality by the artist has ever come to auction. 

“The new Contemporary Art Marquee auction platform calls into focus the significant plurality of visions and artistic innovations that reshaped the trajectory of art history in the second half of the Twentieth Century, and set the stage for subsequent generations of artists.”
Charlotte Van Dercook, Sotheby’s Head of Contemporary Evening Auctions, New York

For both the Modern and Contemporary Auctions, the parameters of date will be somewhat flexible and works will be offered in the sale to which they are best suited stylistically and aesthetically.

THE NOW EVENING AUCTION
EVENING SALE: 18 November

The introduction of “The Now” auction speaks to the emergence in recent years of a skyrocketing market focused on the art of today. There is a stronger than ever interest from collectors around the world - both established and new – in the art of our time. This new evening auction will focus on art executed in the last 20 years, offering the most exciting, cutting edge works on the market and providing a masterpiece context for well-established, newly canonized artists such as Mark Bradford and Yoshitomo Nara, as well as heightened visibility and a relevant art historical context for younger artists, establishing the masters of today and tomorrow.