1957
See also : Rothko 1957-70 Calder Rockwell Magritte Sport in art Cars Post war cars Cars 1956-57 Ferrari LWB to GTO
ROTHKO
1
No 11
2013 SOLD for $ 46M by Christie's
In 1954 Mark Rothko is very irritated because his solo exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago is a great success. The public is still influenced by journalists and he fears that from then on nobody will understand the mystical meaning of his art or, still worse, will consider him as a colorist or a decorator. In the following year Yves Klein will have a similar reaction during the first exhibition of his monochromes.
Rothko's opinion is difficult to anticipate. In 1955 he was furious with an art critic who had declared that he was a leader of post-war art because he perfectly mastered the serenity of the symmetries. In 1954 he expressed a great satisfaction when another critic observed that the tension in the color relationships was so great that it gave the impression of an imminent outburst.
In his fame, Rothko became completely misanthropic and frustrated. In 1955, for the simple pleasure of getting angry with this former friend, Clyfford Still and Barnett Newman described his art as commercial and bourgeois. Subsequently Rothko worked hard on his paintings without resorting to words. He will never disclose the real causes of his unilateral abandonment of the Seagram Murals project in 1959, which was certainly due to his self-esteem.
The opus numbered 11 in the nomenclature of 1957 is in his signature style, with a background of glowing orange structures still livened up by the contrast with a luminescent rectangle. This oil on canvas 202 x 177 cm was sold for $ 46M by Christie's on November 12, 2013 from a lower estimate of $ 25M, lot 21.
Rothko's opinion is difficult to anticipate. In 1955 he was furious with an art critic who had declared that he was a leader of post-war art because he perfectly mastered the serenity of the symmetries. In 1954 he expressed a great satisfaction when another critic observed that the tension in the color relationships was so great that it gave the impression of an imminent outburst.
In his fame, Rothko became completely misanthropic and frustrated. In 1955, for the simple pleasure of getting angry with this former friend, Clyfford Still and Barnett Newman described his art as commercial and bourgeois. Subsequently Rothko worked hard on his paintings without resorting to words. He will never disclose the real causes of his unilateral abandonment of the Seagram Murals project in 1959, which was certainly due to his self-esteem.
The opus numbered 11 in the nomenclature of 1957 is in his signature style, with a background of glowing orange structures still livened up by the contrast with a luminescent rectangle. This oil on canvas 202 x 177 cm was sold for $ 46M by Christie's on November 12, 2013 from a lower estimate of $ 25M, lot 21.
2
No. 17
2016 SOLD for $ 32.6M by Christie's
Mark Rothko is a philosopher of emotion. The colors oppose together like in a composition by Cézanne. No shape is recognizable and the general structure of the abstraction varies relatively little. Each color has its own emotional properties.
The blocks are carefully filled. In 1957, the control of his technique is total. The intensity of the hue in each zone is gradual by a painstaking application of matte or glossy pigments in successive veils. The position of the blue plays a disruptive role that excites the emotion.
He seeks again and again to reveal the forces of pain, violence, tragedy and ecstasy. Also in 1957 he begins to express an intense emotion through dark colors.
On May 10, 2016, Christie's sold for $ 32.6M No. 17 from 1957, oil on canvas 233 x 177 cm, lot 17 B. Its subtitle Green on Blue on Blue is revealing about the exceptional subtlety of this opus. Please watch the video shared by Christie's.
The two green areas, or more exactly verdant, of unequal heights occupy the largest part of the surface, positioned over a thin cobalt blue rim. They are separated by a thin azure blue strip which has been entirely framed in a royal blue window.
The catalog reminds the consciousness of Rothko into his own art : "The people who weep before my paintings are having the same religious experience I had when I painted them". Pollock had expressed the soil. With No. 17 of 1957, Rothko communicates with the viewer by using the colors of vegetation and sky in a geometry and proportions that resolutely reject any figurative interpretation.
The blocks are carefully filled. In 1957, the control of his technique is total. The intensity of the hue in each zone is gradual by a painstaking application of matte or glossy pigments in successive veils. The position of the blue plays a disruptive role that excites the emotion.
He seeks again and again to reveal the forces of pain, violence, tragedy and ecstasy. Also in 1957 he begins to express an intense emotion through dark colors.
On May 10, 2016, Christie's sold for $ 32.6M No. 17 from 1957, oil on canvas 233 x 177 cm, lot 17 B. Its subtitle Green on Blue on Blue is revealing about the exceptional subtlety of this opus. Please watch the video shared by Christie's.
The two green areas, or more exactly verdant, of unequal heights occupy the largest part of the surface, positioned over a thin cobalt blue rim. They are separated by a thin azure blue strip which has been entirely framed in a royal blue window.
The catalog reminds the consciousness of Rothko into his own art : "The people who weep before my paintings are having the same religious experience I had when I painted them". Pollock had expressed the soil. With No. 17 of 1957, Rothko communicates with the viewer by using the colors of vegetation and sky in a geometry and proportions that resolutely reject any figurative interpretation.
3
Saffron
2017 SOLD for $ 32.4M by Christie's
Painted in 1957, a smaller size oil on canvas 176 x 136 cm titled Saffron expresses through vivid colors the sublime desired by Rothko.
Here the intense saffron blocks look like taking their own life, hovering and floating ahead of the canvas. The two blocks are made of multiple layers of thin washes. The glowing background seems monochromatic but is in fact obtained by a wide range of pigments coalescing red, white, yellow, gold and earth brown.
Saffron was sold for $ 32.4M by Christie's on November 15, 2017, lot 6 B.
Here the intense saffron blocks look like taking their own life, hovering and floating ahead of the canvas. The two blocks are made of multiple layers of thin washes. The glowing background seems monochromatic but is in fact obtained by a wide range of pigments coalescing red, white, yellow, gold and earth brown.
Saffron was sold for $ 32.4M by Christie's on November 15, 2017, lot 6 B.
1957 Franz Kline in Action
2012 SOLD 40.4 M$ including premium
Close to De Kooning, Franz Kline is the artist of gesture. He rejects representation and even color.
Kline draws tirelessly the sketches of his automatic gestures. When he is pleased with the balance of his abstract composition, he copies it on a large size canvas.
In this phase subsequent to spontaneity, he joins the meticulous work of the other abstract expressionists. The line is then enormously widened, with blurred edges that are reminiscent of the edges of Rothko's rectangles.
The result looks like some huge imperial Chinese calligraphy, but it is quite the opposite. Forms have no meaning other than the action of the hand that created them.
A large black and white painting made by Kline in 1957, oil on canvas 200 x 280 cm, with a nice balance of the opposition of forces, is estimated $ 20M, for sale by Christie's in New York on November 14. Here is the link to the catalog.
The expression of the forces in the art of Kline is announcing the minimalism. Like him, Yves Klein is an artist of action.
POST SALE COMMENT
This highly important example of Action Painting was sold $ 40.4M including premium.
Kline draws tirelessly the sketches of his automatic gestures. When he is pleased with the balance of his abstract composition, he copies it on a large size canvas.
In this phase subsequent to spontaneity, he joins the meticulous work of the other abstract expressionists. The line is then enormously widened, with blurred edges that are reminiscent of the edges of Rothko's rectangles.
The result looks like some huge imperial Chinese calligraphy, but it is quite the opposite. Forms have no meaning other than the action of the hand that created them.
A large black and white painting made by Kline in 1957, oil on canvas 200 x 280 cm, with a nice balance of the opposition of forces, is estimated $ 20M, for sale by Christie's in New York on November 14. Here is the link to the catalog.
The expression of the forces in the art of Kline is announcing the minimalism. Like him, Yves Klein is an artist of action.
POST SALE COMMENT
This highly important example of Action Painting was sold $ 40.4M including premium.
1957 Prototipi for the Mille Miglia
2016 SOLD for € 32M including premium
The Prototipi class in endurance racing enables Ferrari to develop in the mid-1950s a range of powerful and spectacular vehicles made in very small quantities. The top goal is to win the Mille Miglia.
In 1956, Ferrari's efforts were rewarded by a return to victory with a 290 MM driven by Castellotti. Another 290 MM driven by Fangio went fourth. This latter car was sold for $ 28M including premium by RM Sotheby's on 10 December 2015.
In 1957 the 315 S with a 3.8-liter engine and the 335 S with a 4-liter engine appear as the successors to the 290 MM. A 315 S driven by Taruffi won the race ahead of another 315 S driven by Von Trips. Unfortunately the most prestigious Italian endurance competition is forbidden by the Italian government following the accident of the 335 S of De Portago.
Other competitions continue and the cars are subject to the improvements necessary to maintain their competitiveness. The Ferrari 315 S which had been used by Von Trips receives a 4-liter engine, becoming a 335 S. It is also equipped with the fender pontoon front intended to reduce the overheating, which makes the glory in the same year of the 250 Testarossa .
After a very good competition history, the 315 S / 335 S enters the collection of Pierre Bardinon who restores it in its spider configuration while separately keeping the pontoon fender that still accompanies the car today. It is estimated € 28M for sale by Artcurial in Paris on February 5, lot 170. Here is the link to the press release.
In 1956, Ferrari's efforts were rewarded by a return to victory with a 290 MM driven by Castellotti. Another 290 MM driven by Fangio went fourth. This latter car was sold for $ 28M including premium by RM Sotheby's on 10 December 2015.
In 1957 the 315 S with a 3.8-liter engine and the 335 S with a 4-liter engine appear as the successors to the 290 MM. A 315 S driven by Taruffi won the race ahead of another 315 S driven by Von Trips. Unfortunately the most prestigious Italian endurance competition is forbidden by the Italian government following the accident of the 335 S of De Portago.
Other competitions continue and the cars are subject to the improvements necessary to maintain their competitiveness. The Ferrari 315 S which had been used by Von Trips receives a 4-liter engine, becoming a 335 S. It is also equipped with the fender pontoon front intended to reduce the overheating, which makes the glory in the same year of the 250 Testarossa .
After a very good competition history, the 315 S / 335 S enters the collection of Pierre Bardinon who restores it in its spider configuration while separately keeping the pontoon fender that still accompanies the car today. It is estimated € 28M for sale by Artcurial in Paris on February 5, lot 170. Here is the link to the press release.
1957 The Primordial Gesture
2017 SOLD for $ 27.3M including premium
Cy Twombly is interested with the illusion of gesture in the art of Franz Kline. By chance in 1953 he spends his military service as a cryptographer. During this mission he begins to draw intertwined scribbles that are tentatively the hidden expression of a primordial feeling.
In 1957 Twombly spends the summer on the island of Procida in the Bay of Naples. Dazzled by the atmosphere that transcends time, he decides to live in Italy and meets his future wife in Rome.
His art finds at that time the level of complexity which had missed until then. For the first time he positions a proto-writing on a large surface and uses colored pencils. In the midst of the tormented lines created by his impulses a few structured words become readable.
This meaningless writing does not escape the graphology. The primordial art of Twombly will later be analyzed by Roland Barthes. A rising and colorful proto-writing is a mark of optimism or enthusiasm.
On November 15 in New York, Christie's sells as lot 17B an artwork titled Sunset, 142 x 180 cm, made in Rome at the end of 1957. Twombly reinvents here according to his own emotion the creation of the written language : his gesture generated the graphic layout and finally the letter.
The sequel will come soon when he will observe the indecipherable graffiti by which ancient human beings desired to record their ephemeral passions on Roman monuments. The expression of extreme feelings through abstract art becomes the thread of Cy Twombly's lifelong career. The terrible Roman mythology feeds his inspiration.
In 1957 Twombly spends the summer on the island of Procida in the Bay of Naples. Dazzled by the atmosphere that transcends time, he decides to live in Italy and meets his future wife in Rome.
His art finds at that time the level of complexity which had missed until then. For the first time he positions a proto-writing on a large surface and uses colored pencils. In the midst of the tormented lines created by his impulses a few structured words become readable.
This meaningless writing does not escape the graphology. The primordial art of Twombly will later be analyzed by Roland Barthes. A rising and colorful proto-writing is a mark of optimism or enthusiasm.
On November 15 in New York, Christie's sells as lot 17B an artwork titled Sunset, 142 x 180 cm, made in Rome at the end of 1957. Twombly reinvents here according to his own emotion the creation of the written language : his gesture generated the graphic layout and finally the letter.
The sequel will come soon when he will observe the indecipherable graffiti by which ancient human beings desired to record their ephemeral passions on Roman monuments. The expression of extreme feelings through abstract art becomes the thread of Cy Twombly's lifelong career. The terrible Roman mythology feeds his inspiration.
1957 Poisson Volant by Calder
2014 SOLD for $ 26M including premium by Christie's
narrated in 2020
The creativity of Alexander Calder is only influenced by his limitless fantasy and humor. He is a mechanical engineer and his desire is to occupy space, as nature does. The leaves of his tree do not shade each other. He hangs art on the ceiling by a string so that it moves in the air stream.
Calder's encounter with the fish was inevitable. The animal moves freely in its aquarium like the leaf of a mobile. Its shape seen by Calder is childishly simple : the lines of the body cross to form the tail.
Around 1942 he hooks two filiform fish as mobiles within a stabile surrounding of water weeds. This composite work 52 cm high was sold for $ 2.53M including premium by Sotheby's on May 16, 2018.
In 1946 he creates for Peggy Guggenheim's personal use a fish mobile which will become a subject of amusement in her cocktail parties.
Around 1952 he simulates the fish scales in many colors by tiny pieces of glass which he hangs in a structure of rods and strings. This mobile 112 cm long which is perfectly balanced under a single string was sold for $ 17.5M including premium by Christie's on May 15, 2019.
With The Fish in 1957, 175 cm long hanging by three strings, sold for $ 5.1M including premium by Christie's on November 10, 2015, the plaques of the fins form a rudder.
Poisson volant, also created in 1957, is resolutely funny. A ravenous fish in black painted metal has its mouth wide open to swallow a prey that floats in the air in front of it. The fish consists of a plaque for the body and of the tail which is a mobile in fifteen elements under three branches.
This hanging group 226 cm long achieves its incredible balance with two strings at the muzzle and one at the middle of the back. It was sold for $ 26M including premium by Christie's on May 13, 2014 over a lower estimate of $ 9M, lot 8. I invite you to turn around this mobile with the video prepared by the auction house.
Calder's encounter with the fish was inevitable. The animal moves freely in its aquarium like the leaf of a mobile. Its shape seen by Calder is childishly simple : the lines of the body cross to form the tail.
Around 1942 he hooks two filiform fish as mobiles within a stabile surrounding of water weeds. This composite work 52 cm high was sold for $ 2.53M including premium by Sotheby's on May 16, 2018.
In 1946 he creates for Peggy Guggenheim's personal use a fish mobile which will become a subject of amusement in her cocktail parties.
Around 1952 he simulates the fish scales in many colors by tiny pieces of glass which he hangs in a structure of rods and strings. This mobile 112 cm long which is perfectly balanced under a single string was sold for $ 17.5M including premium by Christie's on May 15, 2019.
With The Fish in 1957, 175 cm long hanging by three strings, sold for $ 5.1M including premium by Christie's on November 10, 2015, the plaques of the fins form a rudder.
Poisson volant, also created in 1957, is resolutely funny. A ravenous fish in black painted metal has its mouth wide open to swallow a prey that floats in the air in front of it. The fish consists of a plaque for the body and of the tail which is a mobile in fifteen elements under three branches.
This hanging group 226 cm long achieves its incredible balance with two strings at the muzzle and one at the middle of the back. It was sold for $ 26M including premium by Christie's on May 13, 2014 over a lower estimate of $ 9M, lot 8. I invite you to turn around this mobile with the video prepared by the auction house.
1957 The Pastimes of the American Teenagers
2014 SOLD 22.6 M$ including premium
In 1957, Norman Rockwell completely controls his art which is similar to no other. His compositions are increasingly complex. He captures a theme that greatly appeals to the readers of the Saturday Evening Post: the occupations of young people. Rockwell's nice irony moves the parents.
Each composition is a long development that lasts several months, forcing the artist to work in parallel on all projects still to be published. He assembles a large number of black and white photos made or collected by himself, up to 100 for a scene with many characters. The final art in color supplied to the editor is an oil on canvas.
The cover page of 2 March 1957 is entitled The Rookie (Red Sox locker room). Amidst the star players of the baseball team, a tall 17 year old boy prepares for his first game.
The original painting 104 x 99 cm is estimated $ 20M for sale by Christie's in New York on May 22.
The cover page of 25 May 1957 is entitled After the Prom. Two teenagers, boy and girl, relax sitting on bar stools after the ball of the students.
The original painting 79 x 74 cm is estimated $ 8M for sale by Sotheby's in New York on May 21. I invite you to play the video shared by Sotheby's.
POST SALE COMMENTS
1
After the Prom was sold for $ 9.1M including premium by Sotheby's.
2
Baseball is more than ever a popular theme and the interest in the art of Rockwell is growing. Very good result at Christie's for the Rookie, $ 22.6 million including premium, in line with an estimate that was ambitious.
Each composition is a long development that lasts several months, forcing the artist to work in parallel on all projects still to be published. He assembles a large number of black and white photos made or collected by himself, up to 100 for a scene with many characters. The final art in color supplied to the editor is an oil on canvas.
The cover page of 2 March 1957 is entitled The Rookie (Red Sox locker room). Amidst the star players of the baseball team, a tall 17 year old boy prepares for his first game.
The original painting 104 x 99 cm is estimated $ 20M for sale by Christie's in New York on May 22.
The cover page of 25 May 1957 is entitled After the Prom. Two teenagers, boy and girl, relax sitting on bar stools after the ball of the students.
The original painting 79 x 74 cm is estimated $ 8M for sale by Sotheby's in New York on May 21. I invite you to play the video shared by Sotheby's.
POST SALE COMMENTS
1
After the Prom was sold for $ 9.1M including premium by Sotheby's.
2
Baseball is more than ever a popular theme and the interest in the art of Rockwell is growing. Very good result at Christie's for the Rookie, $ 22.6 million including premium, in line with an estimate that was ambitious.
1957 Art under Wax by Jasper Johns
2018 SOLD for $ 21M including premium
The world is changing and art will have to change as well. The work of art does not need to be figurative, nor to tell a story, nor to confront colors, and must not be a mere decoration. Young artists rediscover their prophets : the ready made by Duchamp, the assassination of the painting by Miro, the black square on white by Malevich, the path to the monochrome by Barnett Newman.
In 1957, more or less independently of one another, new teams destroy the differentiation between painting and sculpture, replace canvas and paper by ordinary materials, integrate objects into their works, attempt an abstract interpretation of poetry. These creators are named Burri, Fontana, Klein, Rauschenberg, Johns, Twombly, Cornell.
Jasper Johns conceals signs under a gray encaustic. Pigments bring a variety of texture into this neutral monochrome. Gray Numbers, 71 x 59 cm, was sold for $ 8.7M including premium by Sotheby's on November 11, 2009.
On November 13 in New York, Christie's sells Gray Rectangles, 152 x 152 cm made in 1957, lot 19 B estimated $ 18M. Three aligned rectangles had been painted in the bottom of the image respectively in red, yellow and blue. Hidden under the wax, these three colors have left a lingering trace, turning this gray monochrome into a mysterious picture.
This large-scale artwork appears as seminal of this new art and its provenance is prestigious. It was bought in 1964 by Ganz to Castelli and in 1988 by Ebsworth in the auction at Sotheby's of the Ganz collection.
In 1957, more or less independently of one another, new teams destroy the differentiation between painting and sculpture, replace canvas and paper by ordinary materials, integrate objects into their works, attempt an abstract interpretation of poetry. These creators are named Burri, Fontana, Klein, Rauschenberg, Johns, Twombly, Cornell.
Jasper Johns conceals signs under a gray encaustic. Pigments bring a variety of texture into this neutral monochrome. Gray Numbers, 71 x 59 cm, was sold for $ 8.7M including premium by Sotheby's on November 11, 2009.
On November 13 in New York, Christie's sells Gray Rectangles, 152 x 152 cm made in 1957, lot 19 B estimated $ 18M. Three aligned rectangles had been painted in the bottom of the image respectively in red, yellow and blue. Hidden under the wax, these three colors have left a lingering trace, turning this gray monochrome into a mysterious picture.
This large-scale artwork appears as seminal of this new art and its provenance is prestigious. It was bought in 1964 by Ganz to Castelli and in 1988 by Ebsworth in the auction at Sotheby's of the Ganz collection.
1957 Le Seize Septembre by Magritte
2019 SOLD for $ 19.6M by Christie's
The Moon is the king of the dark night. In 1956 Le Seize septembre by Magritte shows the crescent above a meadow centered by a large tree. In a closer inspection, the Moon is in the middle of the tree instead of being in the sky.
A 162 x 130 cm version painted in 1957 was sold for $ 19.6M from a lower estimate of $ 7M by Christie's on November 11, 2019, lot 16A.
A 162 x 130 cm version painted in 1957 was sold for $ 19.6M from a lower estimate of $ 7M by Christie's on November 11, 2019, lot 16A.
