Phillips Announces Modern & Contemporary Art Highlights from the London Frieze Week Auctions on 10 & 11 October

Evening Sale to Showcase Blue-Chip Works by David Hockney, Yayoi Kusama, and Andy Warhol, Alongside Post-War Masters and a Diverse Selection of Contemporary and Emerging Artists, Including Joseph Yaeger’s Auction Debut

LONDON – 30 SEPTEMBER 2024 – Phillips unveils highlights of the Modern & Contemporary Art auctions in London on 10 and 11 October. The Evening Sale will showcase a selection of Blue-Chip, Contemporary, and Post-War masterpieces, alongside exciting works by emerging talent. Highlights include David Hockney’s vibrant Yorkshire landscape Path Through Wheat Field, July, Yayoi Kusama’s iconic Pumpkin (M), and Andy Warhol’s celebrated portraits of King Charles and Princess Diana. Notable works include Elizabeth Peyton’s Torino (Tony) Sept. 99 from the Collection of Marcel Brient and Joseph Yaeger’s auction debut, Sphinx without a secret. The auction will also spotlight prominent artists such as Derek Fordjour and Tracey Emin, Post-War artists including Marino Marini and Sigmar Polke, and rising talents Michaela Yearwood-Dan, and Jenna Gribbon. Leading the Day Sale are works by Georg Baselitz, Daniel Richter, and Lorna Simpson, alongside cutting-edge works by Francesca Mollett, Jesse Mockrin, and auction newcomer Megan Rooney. The full auction catalogues for both sales are available online, with the preview exhibition open at Phillips’ Berkeley Square Galleries from 3 October until the Evening Sale on 10 October at 5pm, followed by the Day Sale on 11 October at 11am.

Olivia Thornton, Phillips’ Head of Modern & Contemporary Art, Europe, said, “We are thrilled to present our Modern & Contemporary Art Frieze Week Sales, which feature an exceptional range of Blue-Chip works by David Hockney, Yayoi Kusama, and Andy Warhol, alongside Post-War and Contemporary names. We are especially proud to bring to auction a portrait by Elizabeth Peyton from the Collection of Marcel Brient in the Evening Sale and works by Marcel Broodthaers from the Herbig Collection in both the Evening Sale and the Day Sale, alongside fresh-to-market works from auction newcomers Joseph Yaeger and Megan Rooney. Our sales offer an exceptional array of Blue-Chip, Post-War, Contemporary, and cutting-edge works, reflecting Phillips’ unique approach to blending Modern masters with Contemporary voices. We look forward to welcoming collectors and art enthusiasts to explore these remarkable works during the preview this October.”

David Hockney’s vibrant Path Through Wheat Field, July is a tribute to both the dramatic Yorkshire landscape of the artist’s childhood and the rich tradition of landscape painting itself. Painted en plein air shortly after the artist’s return to his native Yorkshire in 2005, this painting is one of the earliest of this important body of work and was prominently featured in the major exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, David Hockney: A Bigger Picture. Representing a remarkable period of creative reinvention for Hockney as he approached his seventieth year, Path Through Wheat Field, July celebrates the energy and ingenuity of this celebrated artist.

A further highlight of the Evening Sale is Yayoi Kusama’s Pumpkin (M), crafted in mirror-polished bronze in 2016. A favourite motif of the artist, the pumpkin is instantly recognisable as belonging to Kusama’s creative universe.

Andy Warhol’s Portrait of Princess Diana and Portrait of Prince Charles were created in 1982 following the couple’s marriage the year before. These striking depictions of the young princess and (then) prince are based on Lord Snowdon’s official engagement photograph of the couple. Warhol immortalises Diana and Charles through vibrant lines and bold contrasts that recall and revitalise his celebrated 1960s Pop portraits.

Renowned French collector Marcel Brient has, over the decades, built one of the most important collections of Contemporary art and design. A highlight from this esteemed collection, Elizabeth Peyton’s Torino (Tony) Sept. 99 exemplifies Peyton's luminous, small-scale portraiture. Further Contemporary highlights of the Evening Sale include Derek Fordjour’s Tandem Blue, and Tracey Emin’s This is life without you - You made me Feel like This.

Post-War highlights of the Evening Sale include Marino Marini’s Il Cavaliere Azzurro (The Blue Rider). Though renowned as one of the 20th century’s most famous Italian sculptors, examples of Marini’s painting are highly prized and rare to auction. Created between 1952 and 1954, during a particularly triumphant stage of the artist’s career following his award-winning 1952 Venice Biennale presentation, the work is a masterful rendering of Marini’s key artistic motif of the horse and rider, and remained in his own collection until 1961.

Sigmar Polke’s Die Motte belongs to the artist’s Stoffbilder paintings, a series begun in 1964 that combines mass-produced fabrics with painterly gestures to challenge conventional painting norms. Created during a period of growing international recognition for Polke, the layers of paint in this painting exemplify his alchemical approach to materials and his playful, postmodern exploration of abstraction.