1952
See also : Sculpture The Woman Bacon Bacon < 1963 Rothko Early Rothko Giacometti Giacometti 1947-53 Femme debout Calder Post war French art Sport in art Sport Baseball Sport cards Topps Mantle Glass and crystal
masterpiece
1952 Woman by de Kooning
MoMA
De Kooning is an abstract painter, influenced by Arshile Gorky. In his return to woman and flesh, he conceives the opposite of the cubist deconstruction : the forms appear by offsetting the abstraction with very violent brushstrokes.
The woman was a major theme of De Kooning from the early time when he was experiencing with Arshile Gorky for the border between figurative and abstract. His third series of Women, from 1950 to 1955, is the most innovative, marked by alternating enthusiasms and discouragements of the artist.
De Kooning is in quest of the eternal woman who inspired artists since the age of the stone idols. More than her femininity, he expresses her fertility in a standing attitude characterized by opulent breasts. The head is only a useless excrescence in this slightly down-up vision. His drawing is reminiscent of the synthetic cubism.
The result is at the opposite of the aesthetics of his time despite an expressionist use of color. An art critic said in 1953 that De Kooning "had gone too far, but that is the only place to go".
The inspiration goes on a same path for the idols of ancient times and for the modern naive artists : the series of Corps de Dames by Dubuffet, the prophet of Art Brut, is also starting in 1950 and offers a similar vision of morphology.
Completed in 1952, Woman I arouses scandal, without even offering the disturbing humor of the Corps de Dames by Dubuffet. The new idol is standing with her ugly body, horribly close to reality, in full contrast to post-war pin-ups.
The negative reactions confirm a contrario the emotional impact of the work. De Kooning continues the series up to Woman VI, as well as many trials carried out in parallel.
The woman was a major theme of De Kooning from the early time when he was experiencing with Arshile Gorky for the border between figurative and abstract. His third series of Women, from 1950 to 1955, is the most innovative, marked by alternating enthusiasms and discouragements of the artist.
De Kooning is in quest of the eternal woman who inspired artists since the age of the stone idols. More than her femininity, he expresses her fertility in a standing attitude characterized by opulent breasts. The head is only a useless excrescence in this slightly down-up vision. His drawing is reminiscent of the synthetic cubism.
The result is at the opposite of the aesthetics of his time despite an expressionist use of color. An art critic said in 1953 that De Kooning "had gone too far, but that is the only place to go".
The inspiration goes on a same path for the idols of ancient times and for the modern naive artists : the series of Corps de Dames by Dubuffet, the prophet of Art Brut, is also starting in 1950 and offers a similar vision of morphology.
Completed in 1952, Woman I arouses scandal, without even offering the disturbing humor of the Corps de Dames by Dubuffet. The new idol is standing with her ugly body, horribly close to reality, in full contrast to post-war pin-ups.
The negative reactions confirm a contrario the emotional impact of the work. De Kooning continues the series up to Woman VI, as well as many trials carried out in parallel.
1951-1952 GIACOMETTI
1
Le Chariot
2014 SOLD for $ 101M by Sotheby's
Alberto Giacometti had been close to the Surrealists. The theme of the woman on the chariot was inscribed in his mind from 1938. It remained therein for twelve years during which the artist tried a few tests, sometimes with rotating wheels.
In 1948, Alberto populates his universe with his wire-like characters who question the existentialism. Men walk with energy without knowing where they are going. In contrast, women are straight and motionless.
The woman is still an ancient idol whose authority may not be challenged. She brings peace and truth. In Alberto's dream, she is perched on a pedestal placed on the axle of an antique chariot with very high wheels. This is the great paradox of Giacometti: the motionless woman symbolizes the movement because she is worshiped on the chariot.
Alberto is a perfectionist. He waits until 1950 to execute his fantasy. Any detail is important, such as the tightly attached legs. The arms are away from the body in a gesture of glory or freedom, but the angle of the elbows disappears when the sculpture is viewed from front. The work is of medium size, 1.45 m high, because it must not be intimidating or diminutive.
The bronze cast in 1951-1952 is a technical feat by Alexis Rudier company. The number 2/6 was sold for $ 101M by Sotheby's on November 4, 2014, lot 25. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This is an exceptional specimen by its golden patina that glorifies the subject and also because it has been carefully painted by the artist.
In 1948, Alberto populates his universe with his wire-like characters who question the existentialism. Men walk with energy without knowing where they are going. In contrast, women are straight and motionless.
The woman is still an ancient idol whose authority may not be challenged. She brings peace and truth. In Alberto's dream, she is perched on a pedestal placed on the axle of an antique chariot with very high wheels. This is the great paradox of Giacometti: the motionless woman symbolizes the movement because she is worshiped on the chariot.
Alberto is a perfectionist. He waits until 1950 to execute his fantasy. Any detail is important, such as the tightly attached legs. The arms are away from the body in a gesture of glory or freedom, but the angle of the elbows disappears when the sculpture is viewed from front. The work is of medium size, 1.45 m high, because it must not be intimidating or diminutive.
The bronze cast in 1951-1952 is a technical feat by Alexis Rudier company. The number 2/6 was sold for $ 101M by Sotheby's on November 4, 2014, lot 25. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This is an exceptional specimen by its golden patina that glorifies the subject and also because it has been carefully painted by the artist.
2
Trois Hommes qui marchent
2022 SOLD for $ 30M by Sotheby's
The story told by Giacometti takes place immediately after the war, tentatively in 1945. He goes to the cinema in Montparnasse. On the boulevard, he sees men walking and women standing. Everyone knows the reason for his or her immediate action, which is not accessible to others. A crowd is a gathering of lonely characters. Alberto is no longer inspired by cinema, which is nothing more than a projection of light on a screen. He decides that his art will be closer to real life.
He creates his world in 1947 with characters as threadlike as the barrels of the lamps which he produced before the war for Frank. His seminal trinity includes the man with the finger who will never reappear, like the Godot of his friend Beckett.
From 1948 he tries some variations of attitude such as L'Homme qui marche sous la pluie or L'Homme qui chavire. They are as ephemeral as L'Homme au doigt, because they do not deal with the mystery of the solitude of the individual in the group.
In 1948 he positions together on a tray several copies of his walking man, like a child playing with toy soldiers. The Trois Hommes qui marchent are produced in two versions, identified I and II (grand plateau and petit plateau respectively). The three characters approach or move away from each other. Compared with the petit plateau, the grand plateau provides the illusion of an open and non claustrophobic scenery.
Beside Trois hommes qui marchent, La Place, featuring four walking men and a standing woman, is also prepared in two versions. The movements in La Place cease to be incoherent : a group is being formed. These four works provide the most genuine response to the artist's existentialist quest. In 1950 his creativity will be more fanciful, with the grouping of characters of various scales.
The bronzes of such difficult figures with several thin characters were feats by the Alexis Rudier foundry.
Trois Hommes qui marchent I, 72 cm high, was edited in six copies starting in 1950. The number 2/6, made in 1950 with a dark brown patina, was sold for £ 9.4M by Sotheby's on June 25, 2008 and for £ 11.3M by Christie's on February 5, 2020, lot 14.
The 4/6, cast in 1950 with a brown and gold patina, was sold for $ 11.5M by Christie's on November 6, 2008, lot 21.
The bronze 5/6 of Trois hommes qui marchent (grand plateau), 72 cm high, was cast in 1951. Damaged in October 1951 during its custom clearance in the USA. It was sent back to Giacometti who had it recast and hand painted it in 1952 in various tones as specified by its new owner David M. Solinger.
It was sold for $ 30M from a lower estimate of $ 15M by Sotheby's on November 14, 2022, lot 8 in the auction of the Solinger collection. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
A bronze cast in 1948 of Trois Hommes qui marchent II, 76 cm high, was sold for £ 10.7M by Sotheby's on June 22, 2011.
He creates his world in 1947 with characters as threadlike as the barrels of the lamps which he produced before the war for Frank. His seminal trinity includes the man with the finger who will never reappear, like the Godot of his friend Beckett.
From 1948 he tries some variations of attitude such as L'Homme qui marche sous la pluie or L'Homme qui chavire. They are as ephemeral as L'Homme au doigt, because they do not deal with the mystery of the solitude of the individual in the group.
In 1948 he positions together on a tray several copies of his walking man, like a child playing with toy soldiers. The Trois Hommes qui marchent are produced in two versions, identified I and II (grand plateau and petit plateau respectively). The three characters approach or move away from each other. Compared with the petit plateau, the grand plateau provides the illusion of an open and non claustrophobic scenery.
Beside Trois hommes qui marchent, La Place, featuring four walking men and a standing woman, is also prepared in two versions. The movements in La Place cease to be incoherent : a group is being formed. These four works provide the most genuine response to the artist's existentialist quest. In 1950 his creativity will be more fanciful, with the grouping of characters of various scales.
The bronzes of such difficult figures with several thin characters were feats by the Alexis Rudier foundry.
Trois Hommes qui marchent I, 72 cm high, was edited in six copies starting in 1950. The number 2/6, made in 1950 with a dark brown patina, was sold for £ 9.4M by Sotheby's on June 25, 2008 and for £ 11.3M by Christie's on February 5, 2020, lot 14.
The 4/6, cast in 1950 with a brown and gold patina, was sold for $ 11.5M by Christie's on November 6, 2008, lot 21.
The bronze 5/6 of Trois hommes qui marchent (grand plateau), 72 cm high, was cast in 1951. Damaged in October 1951 during its custom clearance in the USA. It was sent back to Giacometti who had it recast and hand painted it in 1952 in various tones as specified by its new owner David M. Solinger.
It was sold for $ 30M from a lower estimate of $ 15M by Sotheby's on November 14, 2022, lot 8 in the auction of the Solinger collection. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
A bronze cast in 1948 of Trois Hommes qui marchent II, 76 cm high, was sold for £ 10.7M by Sotheby's on June 22, 2011.
1952 ROTHKO
1
Untitled
2014 SOLD for $ 66M by Christie's
Mark Rothko was a philosopher, musician, theorist, chemist. These qualities enabled him to develop a new artistic language. He was not alone, of course, and this new path is enriched by the experiences of Barnett Newman and Clyfford Still, in contrast to the action painting of Pollock and Kline.
His theme now so recognizable of the color fields had matured over two decades. He begins by challenging the figuration considered as a betrayal of the represented subject, and welcomes the moves of De Kooning and probably also Gorky who delete the difference between figurative and abstract.
He deviates from this trend by observing the intricacies of colors in the latest works by Matisse and Bonnard. He then develops a mixture suitable for his project with the best available pigments associated with turpentine and organic materials.
His goal is reached: Rothko's paint may be placed on the canvas in thin translucent layers that dry quickly and can be spread in wash or drawn with brush.
From his first trial of his new technique in 1950, Rothko achieved by his meticulous layering an infinite variety of colors mostly visible at the limits of his large rectangles. His color fields do not have a geometric border, in opposition to Mondrian.
One of his sixteen dramas made in 1950 welcomed four players : white, yellow, pink and lavender. This painting 206 x 141 cm was sold for $ 73M by Sotheby's in 2007.
He had been working in his apartment but deserved a more suitable working place to release his creative energy. In 1952 he set up his studio in the 53rd street in Manhattan, close to the MoMA.
The paintings made in 1952 are composed in confrontations of rectangles whose loose edges offer a gradient of colors which accentuates the feeling of attraction or repulsion between the blocks. His output was rather low but his work from that year displays a remarkable diversity in his experiments of colors.
On May 13, 2014, Christie's sold for $ 66M an oil on canvas 262 x 159 cm painted in 1952, lot 31.
This work is dominated at the top of the canvas by a huge purple square whose mesmerizing effect is balanced by a solid dark rectangle at the bottom of the image. These two conflicting actors are separated by an orange field. The yellow orange outlining the scene reminds that Rothko did not want his paintings to be enclosed in frames.
The images on paper or online do not allow to understand the art of Rothko. The video shared by Christie's is a demonstration of the high quality in the art and technique of one of the most subtle colorists of all time. It is narrated by Brett Gorvy.
The low resolution image below is shared by Wikimedia for fair use :
His theme now so recognizable of the color fields had matured over two decades. He begins by challenging the figuration considered as a betrayal of the represented subject, and welcomes the moves of De Kooning and probably also Gorky who delete the difference between figurative and abstract.
He deviates from this trend by observing the intricacies of colors in the latest works by Matisse and Bonnard. He then develops a mixture suitable for his project with the best available pigments associated with turpentine and organic materials.
His goal is reached: Rothko's paint may be placed on the canvas in thin translucent layers that dry quickly and can be spread in wash or drawn with brush.
From his first trial of his new technique in 1950, Rothko achieved by his meticulous layering an infinite variety of colors mostly visible at the limits of his large rectangles. His color fields do not have a geometric border, in opposition to Mondrian.
One of his sixteen dramas made in 1950 welcomed four players : white, yellow, pink and lavender. This painting 206 x 141 cm was sold for $ 73M by Sotheby's in 2007.
He had been working in his apartment but deserved a more suitable working place to release his creative energy. In 1952 he set up his studio in the 53rd street in Manhattan, close to the MoMA.
The paintings made in 1952 are composed in confrontations of rectangles whose loose edges offer a gradient of colors which accentuates the feeling of attraction or repulsion between the blocks. His output was rather low but his work from that year displays a remarkable diversity in his experiments of colors.
On May 13, 2014, Christie's sold for $ 66M an oil on canvas 262 x 159 cm painted in 1952, lot 31.
This work is dominated at the top of the canvas by a huge purple square whose mesmerizing effect is balanced by a solid dark rectangle at the bottom of the image. These two conflicting actors are separated by an orange field. The yellow orange outlining the scene reminds that Rothko did not want his paintings to be enclosed in frames.
The images on paper or online do not allow to understand the art of Rothko. The video shared by Christie's is a demonstration of the high quality in the art and technique of one of the most subtle colorists of all time. It is narrated by Brett Gorvy.
The low resolution image below is shared by Wikimedia for fair use :
2
No. 15
2008 SOLD for $ 50M by Christie's
No. 15, oil on canvas painted by Mark Rothko in 1952, was sold for $ 50M by Christie's on May 13, 2008, lot 23.
This important opus looks somehow experimental, in that breakthrough year when the artist improves his working conditions in his new studio.
The format, 233 x 203 cm, is nearly square, parting from his usual vertical compositions. The blocks look like a flat piece crushed between two tall and slightly wider vise jaws. The edges of these three blocks are severely jagged in the manner of Clyfford Still.
Viewed from far away the three masses seem to be in the same scarlet red. It is not the case. The upper and lower blocks are not in the same technique. One of them is denser while the other one was made in wet in wet. Similarly an underlining of the blocks breaks the apparent symmetries.
Over the yellow background, the red blocks achieve a 'shimmer', a wording used by the artist. In their actually steady position, they acquired and display a levitation, not far from a musical vibration.
This important opus looks somehow experimental, in that breakthrough year when the artist improves his working conditions in his new studio.
The format, 233 x 203 cm, is nearly square, parting from his usual vertical compositions. The blocks look like a flat piece crushed between two tall and slightly wider vise jaws. The edges of these three blocks are severely jagged in the manner of Clyfford Still.
Viewed from far away the three masses seem to be in the same scarlet red. It is not the case. The upper and lower blocks are not in the same technique. One of them is denser while the other one was made in wet in wet. Similarly an underlining of the blocks breaks the apparent symmetries.
Over the yellow background, the red blocks achieve a 'shimmer', a wording used by the artist. In their actually steady position, they acquired and display a levitation, not far from a musical vibration.
3
Lavender and Green
2015 SOLD for $ 20.4M by Sotheby's
On November 4, 2015, Sotheby's sold for $ 20.4M an oil on canvas 172 x 113 cm painted in 1952, lot 33T.
The balance between lavender and green offers here a further refinement with a lightening effect in the middle of the upper block. It is one of the works in which the abstraction by Rothko is closest to nature with an unmistakable influence from the colors of Monet's pond.
Please watch the video in which Sotheby's introduces this lot followed by a painting made ten years later by the same artist, offered in the same sale with the same estimate.
The balance between lavender and green offers here a further refinement with a lightening effect in the middle of the upper block. It is one of the works in which the abstraction by Rothko is closest to nature with an unmistakable influence from the colors of Monet's pond.
Please watch the video in which Sotheby's introduces this lot followed by a painting made ten years later by the same artist, offered in the same sale with the same estimate.
1952 Study for a Nightmare
2019 SOLD for $ 50M including premium
Francis Bacon used to destroy his own works as soon as they did not suit him anymore. Almost everything has gone. An oil on linen simply titled and dated Painting 1946 survived because it was bought very early by the gallerist Erica Brausen for Graham Sutherland.
Painting 1946 is a surrealist work. The artist originally wanted to stage a chimpanzee because visitors like to recognize themselves in a painting as in their own mirror. The monkey turned into a bird of prey and then into a foul creature encircled behind a barrier like in a museum.
The success of Painting 1946 led in 1949 to the project of a series of six Heads, also supported by Brausen. With an increasing intensity from I to VI, Bacon frees two of his major obsessions, the snapshot of death symbolized by the scream of the old woman in Battleship Potemkin, and the vanity of power symbolized by Velazquez's Innocent X.
For many years Bacon paints studies associating the same hallucinations. An impotent pope is trapped on his throne as in a cage. The resemblance to the Eisenstein film scene is reinforced by the broken nose-clip in front of the swollen eye. He no longer needs a monkey to offer to the viewer the mirror of his horror.
On May 16 in New York, Sotheby's sells Study for a Head, oil and sand on canvas 66 x 56 cm painted in 1952, lot 9 estimated $ 20M. This nightmare is heavily inspired by the character of the Potemkin. The pontifical inspiration is not obvious in this specific opus.
Painting 1946 is a surrealist work. The artist originally wanted to stage a chimpanzee because visitors like to recognize themselves in a painting as in their own mirror. The monkey turned into a bird of prey and then into a foul creature encircled behind a barrier like in a museum.
The success of Painting 1946 led in 1949 to the project of a series of six Heads, also supported by Brausen. With an increasing intensity from I to VI, Bacon frees two of his major obsessions, the snapshot of death symbolized by the scream of the old woman in Battleship Potemkin, and the vanity of power symbolized by Velazquez's Innocent X.
For many years Bacon paints studies associating the same hallucinations. An impotent pope is trapped on his throne as in a cage. The resemblance to the Eisenstein film scene is reinforced by the broken nose-clip in front of the swollen eye. He no longer needs a monkey to offer to the viewer the mirror of his horror.
On May 16 in New York, Sotheby's sells Study for a Head, oil and sand on canvas 66 x 56 cm painted in 1952, lot 9 estimated $ 20M. This nightmare is heavily inspired by the character of the Potemkin. The pontifical inspiration is not obvious in this specific opus.
1952 The Expiation of Barnett Newman
2020 SOLD for $ 31M including premium
For Barnett Newman, creation is not an empty word. The atrocities of his time made figurative art inappropriate and indecent. He will develop an expiatory art to redefine the sublime.
He finds the solution in 1948 by covering the canvas with a monochrome painting centered with a sticky strip coated with another color. This area will later be called the zip. To better express the mystical forces that govern the universe, it is strictly vertical, axial and complete from top to bottom of the image.
When the zip is narrow, it is perceived as a gathering of the left and right sides and not as a separation. For his first zipped work, Newman builds the neologism Onement, an apheresis of atonement for evoking the wholeness.
Onement II, III and IV are variations executed in 1948 and 1949. In 1949 he paints his first work with two vertical zips, appropriately titled Galaxy. This oil on canvas 63 x 51 cm was sold for $ 10M including premium by Sotheby's on May 16, 2018. Other titles will invite later for a biblical interpretation.
Onement V is painted in 1952, which coincides by chance or by intellectual refinement with the fifth year of the series. There is a minimal contrast between the monochrome blue and the green-cyan zip. His process at that date includes a lightning tear of the sticky tape.
Onement V, oil on canvas 152 x 96 cm, was sold for $ 22.5M including premium by Christie's on May 8, 2012, lot 24. It is estimated $ 30M for sale by Christie's in New York on July 10, lot 66 renumbered 52A.
With the same logic, the apotheosis of the series is Onement VI, painted during the sixth year of the creation. This large oil on canvas 300 x 260 cm is again blue but it is centered with a bright white zip. It was sold for $ 44M including premium by Sotheby's on May 14, 2013.
Barnett Newman has the same goal as Rothko to integrate the visitor into his space but his process of realization is much simpler. His minimalist art anticipates the monochromes of Yves Klein and the lacerations of Lucio Fontana.
He finds the solution in 1948 by covering the canvas with a monochrome painting centered with a sticky strip coated with another color. This area will later be called the zip. To better express the mystical forces that govern the universe, it is strictly vertical, axial and complete from top to bottom of the image.
When the zip is narrow, it is perceived as a gathering of the left and right sides and not as a separation. For his first zipped work, Newman builds the neologism Onement, an apheresis of atonement for evoking the wholeness.
Onement II, III and IV are variations executed in 1948 and 1949. In 1949 he paints his first work with two vertical zips, appropriately titled Galaxy. This oil on canvas 63 x 51 cm was sold for $ 10M including premium by Sotheby's on May 16, 2018. Other titles will invite later for a biblical interpretation.
Onement V is painted in 1952, which coincides by chance or by intellectual refinement with the fifth year of the series. There is a minimal contrast between the monochrome blue and the green-cyan zip. His process at that date includes a lightning tear of the sticky tape.
Onement V, oil on canvas 152 x 96 cm, was sold for $ 22.5M including premium by Christie's on May 8, 2012, lot 24. It is estimated $ 30M for sale by Christie's in New York on July 10, lot 66 renumbered 52A.
With the same logic, the apotheosis of the series is Onement VI, painted during the sixth year of the creation. This large oil on canvas 300 x 260 cm is again blue but it is centered with a bright white zip. It was sold for $ 44M including premium by Sotheby's on May 14, 2013.
Barnett Newman has the same goal as Rothko to integrate the visitor into his space but his process of realization is much simpler. His minimalist art anticipates the monochromes of Yves Klein and the lacerations of Lucio Fontana.
1952 The Colors of Football
2019 SOLD for € 20M including premium
Nicolas de Staël wanted to introduce a new modernism in pictorial art at a time when American artists were developing the abstract expressionism. He tries geometric structures painted in various shades of gray sprinkled with traces of his knife in the impasto. This period culminates with a monumental opus 204 x 405 cm named Composition 1950 which was sold for € 4.2M including premium by Sotheby's on June 3, 2014.
He appreciates that a full abstraction cannot express an artist's relationship to the world. He begins to state that abstraction and figuration are not incompatible. One of his confidants is René Char, the poet who gave freedom to words.
Nicolas and his wife attend a football match at the Parc des Princes on March 26, 1952. This event was an example of modernism, being one of the first to be played in the night under the spotlights. Saturated colors are new to the sport. The atmosphere does not alter the vitality of the boys focused on their actions. The result, 1-0 for Sweden against France, probably did not interest Nicolas.
The hypersensitive artist felt a lasting empathy for both teams. Back in his workshop, he produced in a few weeks a series of 25 paintings, providing his interpretation of the variety of movements.
Almost all these Footballeurs paintings are in small sizes. An oil on canvas 200 x 350 cm is an exception. Titled Parc des Princes by the artist and differentiated from the others by its subtitle Les Grands Footballeurs, it has been kept until now by the family and is estimated € 18M for sale by Christie's in Paris on October 17, lot 12.
This series on football changes forever the style of the artist, who has regained his sensitivity to the colors of landscapes, still lifes and flowers. A bouquet in a vase, oil on canvas 147 x 98 cm painted in the countryside during the summer of 1952, was sold for € 8.3M including premium by Christie's on June 7, 2018.
He appreciates that a full abstraction cannot express an artist's relationship to the world. He begins to state that abstraction and figuration are not incompatible. One of his confidants is René Char, the poet who gave freedom to words.
Nicolas and his wife attend a football match at the Parc des Princes on March 26, 1952. This event was an example of modernism, being one of the first to be played in the night under the spotlights. Saturated colors are new to the sport. The atmosphere does not alter the vitality of the boys focused on their actions. The result, 1-0 for Sweden against France, probably did not interest Nicolas.
The hypersensitive artist felt a lasting empathy for both teams. Back in his workshop, he produced in a few weeks a series of 25 paintings, providing his interpretation of the variety of movements.
Almost all these Footballeurs paintings are in small sizes. An oil on canvas 200 x 350 cm is an exception. Titled Parc des Princes by the artist and differentiated from the others by its subtitle Les Grands Footballeurs, it has been kept until now by the family and is estimated € 18M for sale by Christie's in Paris on October 17, lot 12.
This series on football changes forever the style of the artist, who has regained his sensitivity to the colors of landscapes, still lifes and flowers. A bouquet in a vase, oil on canvas 147 x 98 cm painted in the countryside during the summer of 1952, was sold for € 8.3M including premium by Christie's on June 7, 2018.
1952 As Happy as Fish in Air
2019 SOLD for $ 17.5M including premium
The mobiles were invented by Calder. Built around a trunk or suspended from the ceiling by a string, these works of art move with the air flow. They are appealing by their humor but their balance that may seem precarious meets the design accuracy of the engineer. The materials are commonplace.
On May 15 in New York, Christie's sells Fish, hanging mobile 39 x 112 cm made by Calder around 1952, lot 14 B estimated $ 12.5M. The outline of this nice fish is made of a few metal rods in the style of a child's drawing. The mouth is wide open. The crossing of two rods binds body and tail. The signature of the initials CA of the artist, made in two folded strings, hangs from that place.
In this subtle frame that might seem rudimentary, the artist has positioned an eye and 33 fish scales. An inner circle reinforces the figure of the eye. A piece of broken glass is tied by a string in each cell. Each piece of glass has another shape and the colors are of high diversity. The movement of the mobile changes the shining effect of these colored elements.
Made in 1957, a hanging fish 2.26m long was sold for $ 26M including premium by Christie's on May 13, 2014 over a lower estimate of $ 9M. This terrible specimen is entirely made of black painted metal. The body is bulky. The prey hangs in front of the voracious mouth. The tail is a mobile with three branches in the signature style of the artist with a total of 14 plaques.
On May 15 in New York, Christie's sells Fish, hanging mobile 39 x 112 cm made by Calder around 1952, lot 14 B estimated $ 12.5M. The outline of this nice fish is made of a few metal rods in the style of a child's drawing. The mouth is wide open. The crossing of two rods binds body and tail. The signature of the initials CA of the artist, made in two folded strings, hangs from that place.
In this subtle frame that might seem rudimentary, the artist has positioned an eye and 33 fish scales. An inner circle reinforces the figure of the eye. A piece of broken glass is tied by a string in each cell. Each piece of glass has another shape and the colors are of high diversity. The movement of the mobile changes the shining effect of these colored elements.
Made in 1957, a hanging fish 2.26m long was sold for $ 26M including premium by Christie's on May 13, 2014 over a lower estimate of $ 9M. This terrible specimen is entirely made of black painted metal. The body is bulky. The prey hangs in front of the voracious mouth. The tail is a mobile with three branches in the signature style of the artist with a total of 14 plaques.
1952 Topps Mantle
2022 SOLD for $ 12.6M by Heritage
The bubble gum has somehow succeeded to tobacco : Topps Chewing Gum becomes a leader in its market by using the previous distribution networks of a tobacco company.
At the instigation of Sy Berger, Topps makes a sensational entry into the edition of baseball cards. After a first trial in 1951, they launch in 1952 an extensive series with sharp pictures, pretty colors and a pleasantly didactic inscription on the back.
The project is ambitious and innovative. The image of the player printed in beautiful colors is accompanied by a fac simile of his autograph signature. The back side lists the statistics and feats of the player as well as his personal attributes and some laudatory comments.
The printing of the 1952 series is made in several batches including the selection of additional players. Topps wanted to keep going but their extension of the 1952 series, numbers 311 to 407, was not released on suitable time.
The unsold stock was of no further use to them and they drowned in 1960 in the Atlantic Ocean a barge loaded with the huge remains of the second part of the 1952 edition.
Mickey Mantle is that young handsome player who was iconic of the postwar American dream.
1952 had begun quite bad for him. The New York Yankees' great prospect, highlighted in early 1951 as Joe DiMaggio's designated successor, had finally made a dull season. After being downgraded to the Minor League, he returned to the Major League but suffered a severe injury to his right knee in an action with DiMaggio.
His father who was also his mentor dies on May 7, 1952 at the age of 40 of a blood disease. It was not known at the time that his illness was lead poisoning developed when mining. The young Mickey who was psychologically fragile believed in a hereditary curse. On July 8 Mickey is selected for the All-Star Game as an outfielder but left in reserve.
Mantle's omission in the first 310 players is probably due to his poor start of the season. When he becomes the first of the final 311-407, it is too late. The 1952 season is already well underway and Topps is slowing down the distribution to prepare for 1953 with suitably updated attributes.
An excellent participation at the beginning of October in the World Series launches the career of Mickey Mantle in a sustainable way. Although 1952 is not his rookie year, the rare Topps 1952-311 will become the most desirable of the modern baseball cards.
Owning a high grade 1952-311 card is currently recommended as a strong investment. The date of this edition is not so old and our grandfathers are feverishly searching into the shoeboxes of their youth. The population of PSA graded cards is growing significantly : 1,225 in December 2015, 1,392 in October 2016, and approaching 1,600 in 2019.
The top of the scale at PSA is occupied by 3 cards graded Gem Mint 10 and 6 graded Mint 9.
The dealer Alan Rosen was using the self attributed moniker Mr Mint for his business. Renowned for his offerings of high condition baseball cards, he sold a T206 Wagner for $ 76,000 in 1990. He edited with Doug Garr in 1991 an "Insider's Guide to Investing in Baseball Cards and Collectibles".
Mr Mint acquired in 1985 a collection of high number 1952 Topps cards in mint condition. He will say that his best # 311 Mantle from that set was in his opinion"the finest known example in the world".
Investment went fast. Mr Mint soon sold his # 311 for a reported $ 3,500. He reacquired it in 1991 for $ 40,000 and sold it to a demanding collector for $ 50,000 during the 1991 New York Post Card show.
The grading systems were in infancy. PSA was created in 1991 as the very first grading and authentication company. The happy collector treasured his # 311 for 31 years without grading it.
Now aged 76 and considering that all his friends have seen it, he consigned it to Heritage after reportedly refusing an offer for a $ 10M private deal. After a transfer in armored truck, it is now the one off # 311 Mantle graded MT+ 9.5 by SGC. This high grading rewards a perfect centering, sharp corners and beautiful colors. The SGC label designates it as the "finest known example".
It was sold for $ 12.6M by Heritage on August 27, 2022, lot 53014. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Three other # 311 have been graded Gem Mint 10 by PSA. Heritage comments that "graded standards have changed over the decades" and that the Rosen find would arguably win against them.
At the instigation of Sy Berger, Topps makes a sensational entry into the edition of baseball cards. After a first trial in 1951, they launch in 1952 an extensive series with sharp pictures, pretty colors and a pleasantly didactic inscription on the back.
The project is ambitious and innovative. The image of the player printed in beautiful colors is accompanied by a fac simile of his autograph signature. The back side lists the statistics and feats of the player as well as his personal attributes and some laudatory comments.
The printing of the 1952 series is made in several batches including the selection of additional players. Topps wanted to keep going but their extension of the 1952 series, numbers 311 to 407, was not released on suitable time.
The unsold stock was of no further use to them and they drowned in 1960 in the Atlantic Ocean a barge loaded with the huge remains of the second part of the 1952 edition.
Mickey Mantle is that young handsome player who was iconic of the postwar American dream.
1952 had begun quite bad for him. The New York Yankees' great prospect, highlighted in early 1951 as Joe DiMaggio's designated successor, had finally made a dull season. After being downgraded to the Minor League, he returned to the Major League but suffered a severe injury to his right knee in an action with DiMaggio.
His father who was also his mentor dies on May 7, 1952 at the age of 40 of a blood disease. It was not known at the time that his illness was lead poisoning developed when mining. The young Mickey who was psychologically fragile believed in a hereditary curse. On July 8 Mickey is selected for the All-Star Game as an outfielder but left in reserve.
Mantle's omission in the first 310 players is probably due to his poor start of the season. When he becomes the first of the final 311-407, it is too late. The 1952 season is already well underway and Topps is slowing down the distribution to prepare for 1953 with suitably updated attributes.
An excellent participation at the beginning of October in the World Series launches the career of Mickey Mantle in a sustainable way. Although 1952 is not his rookie year, the rare Topps 1952-311 will become the most desirable of the modern baseball cards.
Owning a high grade 1952-311 card is currently recommended as a strong investment. The date of this edition is not so old and our grandfathers are feverishly searching into the shoeboxes of their youth. The population of PSA graded cards is growing significantly : 1,225 in December 2015, 1,392 in October 2016, and approaching 1,600 in 2019.
The top of the scale at PSA is occupied by 3 cards graded Gem Mint 10 and 6 graded Mint 9.
The dealer Alan Rosen was using the self attributed moniker Mr Mint for his business. Renowned for his offerings of high condition baseball cards, he sold a T206 Wagner for $ 76,000 in 1990. He edited with Doug Garr in 1991 an "Insider's Guide to Investing in Baseball Cards and Collectibles".
Mr Mint acquired in 1985 a collection of high number 1952 Topps cards in mint condition. He will say that his best # 311 Mantle from that set was in his opinion"the finest known example in the world".
Investment went fast. Mr Mint soon sold his # 311 for a reported $ 3,500. He reacquired it in 1991 for $ 40,000 and sold it to a demanding collector for $ 50,000 during the 1991 New York Post Card show.
The grading systems were in infancy. PSA was created in 1991 as the very first grading and authentication company. The happy collector treasured his # 311 for 31 years without grading it.
Now aged 76 and considering that all his friends have seen it, he consigned it to Heritage after reportedly refusing an offer for a $ 10M private deal. After a transfer in armored truck, it is now the one off # 311 Mantle graded MT+ 9.5 by SGC. This high grading rewards a perfect centering, sharp corners and beautiful colors. The SGC label designates it as the "finest known example".
It was sold for $ 12.6M by Heritage on August 27, 2022, lot 53014. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Three other # 311 have been graded Gem Mint 10 by PSA. Heritage comments that "graded standards have changed over the decades" and that the Rosen find would arguably win against them.
