1965
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Sculpture Bust Giacometti Diebenkorn Zhang Daqian Sanyu Fu Baoshi Hockney Elvis and Liz
See also : Sculpture Bust Giacometti Diebenkorn Zhang Daqian Sanyu Fu Baoshi Hockney Elvis and Liz
masterpiece
1965 Pour Polyphème by Lalanne
not located as a set
The Pour Polyphème (also spelled Pour Polyphème or Pour Polypheme) sheep by François-Xavier Lalanne represent one of the most iconic and enduring motifs in his oeuvre, evolving from a singular, sensational 1965 installation into a versatile, expanding family of functional sculptures that spanned his career until his death in 2008. The series embodies Lalanne's signature blend of surrealist whimsy, classical allusion, and practical design—turning art into livable, interactive objects that "invade" domestic or outdoor spaces.
Origins: The 1965 Debut as Pour Polyphème
François-Xavier created the seminal flock in his Paris apartment (shared with Claude Lalanne) specifically for the Salon de la Jeune Peinture at the Palais de Tokyo in 1965 (sometimes dated to 1965–66 in sources). It consisted of 24 sheep (typically described as 8 standing/sheep with heads and 16 grazing/headless ones), constructed with:
Early examples featured a mix of wool-covered bodies and bronze elements, with some variations (e.g., rare black wool versions produced in limited numbers in the late 1960s–1970s, including gifts or commissions). The flock’s success led to immediate commissions for private clients, including the Schlumberger/Treilles family (Anne Gruner Schlumberger acquired an early set for her Fondation des Treilles estate), Alexandre Iolas, Günther Sachs, and others like the Agnelli family. A notable complete early flock from the collection of Edmund S. Carpenter and Adelaide de Menil (including eight sheep, one black variant, and 16 grazing ones) later appeared at auction, underscoring the rarity of intact original groupings.
1960s–1970s: Expansion and Commissions
The initial sensation prompted Lalanne to produce additional Moutons de Laine (wool sheep) flocks throughout the 1970s, often as bespoke commissions. These retained the core construction (sheepskin/wool over structure with bronze accents) but adapted to client needs. Some were photographed in high-profile interiors, such as in Life magazine (1967), cementing their status as symbols of chic, irreverent taste. Black wool variants emerged as rarities during this period. The sheep’s modular, flock-like nature encouraged grouping and rearrangement, enhancing their interactive appeal.
1970s–1980s: Material Adaptations for Durability
To extend usability—particularly for outdoor or garden settings—Lalanne introduced more weather-resistant versions:
A homogeneous group of ten Moutons de Pierre from the first edition was sold for $ 7.5M by Christie's on December 17, 2011, lot 303.
1980s–2000s: Diversification into the “Nouveaux Moutons” FamilyLalanne continued refining and expanding the motif, introducing greater variety in form, scale, and character:
Overall Evolution and Legacy
The sheep evolved from a one-off, wool-heavy conceptual statement (Pour Polyphème, 1965—emphasizing surprise, mobility, and literary wit) to a durable, multifaceted family of objects adaptable for indoor/outdoor use. Key shifts included:
Current Location
The complete original Pour Polyphème set of 24 sheep is not currently in a single public collection or on permanent public view. Individual sheep or subgroups from early flocks (including pieces directly tied to the 1965 period or executed shortly after) have been dispersed through private sales and auctions over decades.
No recent public records (as of 2026) indicate the full 1965 exhibition flock reunited in one location. The sheep's modular, edition-like nature (with later bronze or stone variants) means "the" seminal set exists more as a historical concept than a fixed object group today—pieces continue to circulate in the high-end design market, where even single early Moutons de Laine command strong prices.
Origins: The 1965 Debut as Pour Polyphème
François-Xavier created the seminal flock in his Paris apartment (shared with Claude Lalanne) specifically for the Salon de la Jeune Peinture at the Palais de Tokyo in 1965 (sometimes dated to 1965–66 in sources). It consisted of 24 sheep (typically described as 8 standing/sheep with heads and 16 grazing/headless ones), constructed with:
- Aluminum or wood armatures.
- Real sheepskin or wool coverings for the bodies.
- Patinated bronze heads and legs (some sheep were intentionally headless to evoke a grazing flock).
- Casters or wheels on the hooves for mobility, allowing easy rearrangement.
Early examples featured a mix of wool-covered bodies and bronze elements, with some variations (e.g., rare black wool versions produced in limited numbers in the late 1960s–1970s, including gifts or commissions). The flock’s success led to immediate commissions for private clients, including the Schlumberger/Treilles family (Anne Gruner Schlumberger acquired an early set for her Fondation des Treilles estate), Alexandre Iolas, Günther Sachs, and others like the Agnelli family. A notable complete early flock from the collection of Edmund S. Carpenter and Adelaide de Menil (including eight sheep, one black variant, and 16 grazing ones) later appeared at auction, underscoring the rarity of intact original groupings.
1960s–1970s: Expansion and Commissions
The initial sensation prompted Lalanne to produce additional Moutons de Laine (wool sheep) flocks throughout the 1970s, often as bespoke commissions. These retained the core construction (sheepskin/wool over structure with bronze accents) but adapted to client needs. Some were photographed in high-profile interiors, such as in Life magazine (1967), cementing their status as symbols of chic, irreverent taste. Black wool variants emerged as rarities during this period. The sheep’s modular, flock-like nature encouraged grouping and rearrangement, enhancing their interactive appeal.
1970s–1980s: Material Adaptations for Durability
To extend usability—particularly for outdoor or garden settings—Lalanne introduced more weather-resistant versions:
- Moutons de Pierre (Stone Sheep), beginning around 1979 (with a flock created for a high school in Agen-Foulayronnes). These replaced sheepskin with epoxy stone or painted stone for the bodies, while retaining patinated bronze for heads and legs. The off-white stone body gave a more sculptural, permanent feel suited to gardens or public spaces, though they maintained the life-like, grazable quality.
A homogeneous group of ten Moutons de Pierre from the first edition was sold for $ 7.5M by Christie's on December 17, 2011, lot 303.
1980s–2000s: Diversification into the “Nouveaux Moutons” FamilyLalanne continued refining and expanding the motif, introducing greater variety in form, scale, and character:
- Mouton Transhumant (around 1988/1991): A sleeker variant with a noticeably longer neck, often interpreted as introducing the ewe (brebis) to the herd. This added narrative depth, suggesting family dynamics, gender roles, or pastoral movement (“transhumant” refers to seasonal migration of flocks).
- Nouveaux Moutons (New Sheep) series, launched in 1994: This broadened the flock significantly, adding distinct “characters” such as:
- Béliers (rams).
- Brebis (ewes).
- Agneaux (lambs). Materials typically combined epoxy stone bodies with patinated bronze heads/legs, or fully bronze versions in some cases. These later pieces emphasized life-like qualities while remaining functional as seating or decorative elements. Examples from 2001 or 2008 (e.g., Brebis or Agneau) show the motif’s persistence into Lalanne’s final years.
Overall Evolution and Legacy
The sheep evolved from a one-off, wool-heavy conceptual statement (Pour Polyphème, 1965—emphasizing surprise, mobility, and literary wit) to a durable, multifaceted family of objects adaptable for indoor/outdoor use. Key shifts included:
- From ephemeral/soft to permanent/hard: Wool → epoxy stone/bronze for longevity.
- From uniform flock to diverse characters: Headless grazers and standing sheep → rams, ewes, lambs with narrative potential.
- From singular event to lifelong motif: One sensational debut → decades of variations, commissions, and editions that became synonymous with Les Lalanne’s playful surrealism.
Current Location
The complete original Pour Polyphème set of 24 sheep is not currently in a single public collection or on permanent public view. Individual sheep or subgroups from early flocks (including pieces directly tied to the 1965 period or executed shortly after) have been dispersed through private sales and auctions over decades.
- One of the earliest and most historically significant versions of the Pour Polyphème set was acquired by Anne Gruner Schlumberger (1905–1993), a major early collector, for her Fondation des Treilles estate in Tourtour, Haut-Var (southern France). This set (sometimes referenced with 22 sheep in exhibition contexts) has been loaned for public display. In 2022–2023, twenty-two sheep from this group were exhibited at the Château Borély – Musée des Arts décoratifs, de la Faïence et de la Mode in Marseille (October 8, 2022 – March 12, 2023). The Fondation des Treilles continues to hold or manage early Lalanne sheep as part of its collection.
No recent public records (as of 2026) indicate the full 1965 exhibition flock reunited in one location. The sheep's modular, edition-like nature (with later bronze or stone variants) means "the" seminal set exists more as a historical concept than a fixed object group today—pieces continue to circulate in the high-end design market, where even single early Moutons de Laine command strong prices.
1965 Le Nez by Giacometti
2021 SOLD for $ 78M by Sotheby's
In his post war nightmares and hallucinations, Alberto Giacometti lost the discrimination between the living and the dead. He is a sculptor : in 1947 he manages to immobilize this ambiguity in plasters. Fragmenting the human organs, he conceives Le Nez, La Main and Tête sur tige. Questioning the beyond in the same year, he creates his existentialist trinity led by L'Homme au doigt.
Le Nez is a full head hanging to a rope within a cage, so that it cannot be perceived as a mere bust. The threadlike posts and bars of the cage are similar as those conceived by him is the 1930s for staging Surrealist figures. Such an existentialist expression of human forms in a cage had a decisive influence on Francis Bacon.
The narwhal tooth shaped straight nose extends far beyond the volume of the cage, providing a fake liberty to the encaged figure. The mouth is wide open for a scream. The very first plaster also had a red painted tongue and a spiral red clown wrap around the nose.
There is no doubt that the fragile balance of Le Nez was very difficult to transfer to bronze. That was done in 1965 by Susse in an edition of 6 plus 2 additional proofs. The head is cast from a replica of the 1949 plaster while the cage had been narrowed in the previous year for a more protruding effect of the nose. The cage is 81 cm high. Small roundels under the four posts assure a stability to that fragile piece.
The number 6/6 was sold for $ 78M by Sotheby's on November 15, 2021, lot 14.
Le Nez (The Nose) was conceived in plaster in 1947 (with a revised version in 1949). It follows a different trajectory than L'Homme au Doigt : Giacometti reworked the composition multiple times over the years (altering the cage structure, suspension, and details), but he did not authorize bronze casting until around 1964–65. This delay aligns with his postwar practice for some works—keeping plasters in the studio for ongoing modification rather than immediate editioning—possibly reflecting his relentless pursuit of capturing perceptual "reality" and distance (a phenomenological concern tied to existential themes of alienation and the absurd). The bronze edition (typically 6 casts) was produced later, with examples in institutions like the Centre Pompidou (Paris) and private collections. Original and variant plasters remain with the Fondation Giacometti.
Grok thought :
Quote
Sotheby's @Sothebys Nov 16, 2021
#AuctionUpdate: One of the artist’s most iconic sculptures, Alberto Giacometti’s ‘Le Nez’ brings $78.4M.
Le Nez is a full head hanging to a rope within a cage, so that it cannot be perceived as a mere bust. The threadlike posts and bars of the cage are similar as those conceived by him is the 1930s for staging Surrealist figures. Such an existentialist expression of human forms in a cage had a decisive influence on Francis Bacon.
The narwhal tooth shaped straight nose extends far beyond the volume of the cage, providing a fake liberty to the encaged figure. The mouth is wide open for a scream. The very first plaster also had a red painted tongue and a spiral red clown wrap around the nose.
There is no doubt that the fragile balance of Le Nez was very difficult to transfer to bronze. That was done in 1965 by Susse in an edition of 6 plus 2 additional proofs. The head is cast from a replica of the 1949 plaster while the cage had been narrowed in the previous year for a more protruding effect of the nose. The cage is 81 cm high. Small roundels under the four posts assure a stability to that fragile piece.
The number 6/6 was sold for $ 78M by Sotheby's on November 15, 2021, lot 14.
Le Nez (The Nose) was conceived in plaster in 1947 (with a revised version in 1949). It follows a different trajectory than L'Homme au Doigt : Giacometti reworked the composition multiple times over the years (altering the cage structure, suspension, and details), but he did not authorize bronze casting until around 1964–65. This delay aligns with his postwar practice for some works—keeping plasters in the studio for ongoing modification rather than immediate editioning—possibly reflecting his relentless pursuit of capturing perceptual "reality" and distance (a phenomenological concern tied to existential themes of alienation and the absurd). The bronze edition (typically 6 casts) was produced later, with examples in institutions like the Centre Pompidou (Paris) and private collections. Original and variant plasters remain with the Fondation Giacometti.
Grok thought :
Quote
Sotheby's @Sothebys Nov 16, 2021
#AuctionUpdate: One of the artist’s most iconic sculptures, Alberto Giacometti’s ‘Le Nez’ brings $78.4M.
- Sotheby's 2021 post announces the $78.4 million hammer price for Alberto Giacometti's 1947 bronze sculpture "Le Nez" (The Nose), a distorted, elongated head exemplifying his post-WWII existential themes, from the high-profile Macklowe Collection divorce sale.
- The buyer, cryptocurrency billionaire Justin Sun of Tron, outbid competitors in a heated auction, underscoring how digital fortunes fuel traditional art markets and Sun's pattern of high-profile acquisitions like Warhol works.
- By 2025, "Le Nez" sparked a public lawsuit when Sun accused entertainment mogul David Geffen of buying it via an unauthorized employee sale, revealing opaque art world dealings and ongoing litigation over ownership.
1965 Recollections of a Visit to Leningrad by Diebenkorn
2023 SOLD for $ 46M by Christie's
Richard 'Dick' Diebenkorn studied and worked in California throughout his career. Student to Still and Rothko, he does not follow their confrontations of colors and prefers the harmony.
A view through a window brings an illusion of proximity. The effect of distance is not necessary, minimizing the topographic details. Painted in 1959, Ocean through the Window was sold for $ 4M by Sotheby's on November 17, 1998.
On June 29, 2020, Sotheby's sold for $ 9M View from a Porch, oil on canvas 177 x 168 cm also painted in 1959, lot 113. The veranda partially hides the foreground of the landscape and its central post brings a symmetry which trivializes the rest of the image.
He admires Matisse's ability to transform a three dimensional space into juxtaposed surfaces on the canvas. In 1912 at Tangiers and in 1914 in Collioure and Paris, Matisse keeps the window and cancels or forgets the landscape.
Diebenkorn is invited by the State Department to visit the Soviet Union in the fall of 1964 as part of the US-USSR cultural exchange program promoted by Kennedy and Khrushchev. He had been a good candidate for that mission because he did not practice abstraction, of which the Soviets were reluctant.
The Hermitage Museum had 60 early paintings and drawings by Matisse, seized in 1917 by the state from the Shchukin collection. Diebenkorn is watching for the first time several masterpieces which he only knew through black and white reproductions. He is dazzled by the significance of these highly experimental works.
Back from Russia in the spring of 1965, he paints in that year Recollections of a Visit to Leningrad, mingling bold geometric planes with reminiscences to Matisse including the window and the floral volutes of the 1908 Desserte rouge (Harmony in Red). On the right side an abstracted shore is painted in bold colors. The area with the volutes is obscured on both sides by an opened window curtain.
This monumental oil on canvas 180 x 210 cm was sold for $ 46M by Christie's on November 9, 2023, lot 4 B.
A view through a window brings an illusion of proximity. The effect of distance is not necessary, minimizing the topographic details. Painted in 1959, Ocean through the Window was sold for $ 4M by Sotheby's on November 17, 1998.
On June 29, 2020, Sotheby's sold for $ 9M View from a Porch, oil on canvas 177 x 168 cm also painted in 1959, lot 113. The veranda partially hides the foreground of the landscape and its central post brings a symmetry which trivializes the rest of the image.
He admires Matisse's ability to transform a three dimensional space into juxtaposed surfaces on the canvas. In 1912 at Tangiers and in 1914 in Collioure and Paris, Matisse keeps the window and cancels or forgets the landscape.
Diebenkorn is invited by the State Department to visit the Soviet Union in the fall of 1964 as part of the US-USSR cultural exchange program promoted by Kennedy and Khrushchev. He had been a good candidate for that mission because he did not practice abstraction, of which the Soviets were reluctant.
The Hermitage Museum had 60 early paintings and drawings by Matisse, seized in 1917 by the state from the Shchukin collection. Diebenkorn is watching for the first time several masterpieces which he only knew through black and white reproductions. He is dazzled by the significance of these highly experimental works.
Back from Russia in the spring of 1965, he paints in that year Recollections of a Visit to Leningrad, mingling bold geometric planes with reminiscences to Matisse including the window and the floral volutes of the 1908 Desserte rouge (Harmony in Red). On the right side an abstracted shore is painted in bold colors. The area with the volutes is obscured on both sides by an opened window curtain.
This monumental oil on canvas 180 x 210 cm was sold for $ 46M by Christie's on November 9, 2023, lot 4 B.
"Recollections of a Visit to Leningrad" (1965) by Richard Diebenkorn is a monumental oil on canvas (approximately 71 3/8 x 83 1/8 inches or 181.3 x 211.1 cm), signed "RD 65" lower right and fully inscribed on the reverse. It sold at Christie's New York in the 20th Century Evening Sale on November 9, 2023, as lot 4B, achieving $46,410,000 (including buyer's premium), setting a new auction record for the artist at the time and far exceeding its estimate in the region of $25 million (with a third-party guarantee).
This work is widely regarded as a seminal masterwork and a pivotal "hinge" or turning point in Diebenkorn's career. In the fall of 1964, Diebenkorn and his wife Phyllis traveled to the Soviet Union (including Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, and Moscow) as part of a U.S. State Department cultural exchange program initiated under Presidents Kennedy and Khrushchev. As an American artist with figurative leanings (aligned with the Bay Area Figurative Movement), he was an ideal participant amid Soviet preferences for realism over abstraction. During the trip, he viewed dozens of Henri Matisse paintings firsthand at the Hermitage Museum—works he had previously known only through reproductions, including masterpieces like Harmony in Red (The Red Room) (1908)—in an intense, transformative encounter.
Previously, Diebenkorn's work featured dynamic brushwork, organic color fields (in his earlier New Mexico and California series), and figurative elements (in the late 1950s/early 1960s). The direct experience of Matisse's bold color, flattened space, decorative patterns, and window/landscape motifs prompted a shift toward greater abstraction. Painted shortly after his return, Recollections marks the beginning of this evolution, prefiguring his iconic Ocean Park series (started in 1967–1968 in Santa Monica, spanning nearly two decades and 145 works).
Key elements reflecting Matisse's influence include:
The painting has an extensive exhibition history (including retrospectives at the Whitney, SFMOMA, and the 1968 Venice Biennale) and literature presence (featured on the cover of the 2016–2017 Matisse/Diebenkorn exhibition catalogue at the Baltimore Museum of Art and SFMOMA). It was acquired by its long-term owner from Poindexter Gallery in 1969.
Overall, this work encapsulates Diebenkorn's lifelong dialogue with European modernism, bridging his figurative phase to pure abstraction and affirming his status as a major American colorist.
This work is widely regarded as a seminal masterwork and a pivotal "hinge" or turning point in Diebenkorn's career. In the fall of 1964, Diebenkorn and his wife Phyllis traveled to the Soviet Union (including Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, and Moscow) as part of a U.S. State Department cultural exchange program initiated under Presidents Kennedy and Khrushchev. As an American artist with figurative leanings (aligned with the Bay Area Figurative Movement), he was an ideal participant amid Soviet preferences for realism over abstraction. During the trip, he viewed dozens of Henri Matisse paintings firsthand at the Hermitage Museum—works he had previously known only through reproductions, including masterpieces like Harmony in Red (The Red Room) (1908)—in an intense, transformative encounter.
Previously, Diebenkorn's work featured dynamic brushwork, organic color fields (in his earlier New Mexico and California series), and figurative elements (in the late 1950s/early 1960s). The direct experience of Matisse's bold color, flattened space, decorative patterns, and window/landscape motifs prompted a shift toward greater abstraction. Painted shortly after his return, Recollections marks the beginning of this evolution, prefiguring his iconic Ocean Park series (started in 1967–1968 in Santa Monica, spanning nearly two decades and 145 works).
Key elements reflecting Matisse's influence include:
- Bold geometric planes of vibrant, jewel-like color (greens, creams, azures evoking landscape through a window).
- Strong vertical lines bisecting the composition, reducing depth and perspective.
- Decorative floral/curlicue motifs in the upper left, echoing Matisse's radical interior-exterior conflations (e.g., in The Red Room or window views like Porte-fenêtre à Collioure).
- A flattened, abstracted structure with serpentine forms and layered process visible in pentimenti (uncovered lines), emphasizing color permutations over illusionistic depth.
The painting has an extensive exhibition history (including retrospectives at the Whitney, SFMOMA, and the 1968 Venice Biennale) and literature presence (featured on the cover of the 2016–2017 Matisse/Diebenkorn exhibition catalogue at the Baltimore Museum of Art and SFMOMA). It was acquired by its long-term owner from Poindexter Gallery in 1969.
Overall, this work encapsulates Diebenkorn's lifelong dialogue with European modernism, bridging his figurative phase to pure abstraction and affirming his status as a major American colorist.
FU BAOSHI
1
1964-1965 Chairman Mao's Poems Octavo Volumes
2011 SOLD for RMB 230M by Hanhai
Fu Baoshi was a native of Jiangxi province like Mao Zedong. He used to illustrate Mao's poems by mountain sceneries.
A set of eight views 33 x 46.5 cm executed in 1964-1965 is titled Chairman Mao's Octavo Volumes. It was sold for RMB 230M by Hanhai on November 17, 2011.
Chairman Mao's Octavo Volumes (also known as Mao Zhuxi Shiyi Ba Kai or Chairman Mao's Poetry Octavo Volumes) is an album of eight ink and color on paper paintings, each measuring 33 × 46.5 cm, created by Fu Baoshi (1904–1965) between 1964 and 1965.
Details of the Artwork
This set consists of landscape illustrations inspired by Mao Zedong's poems, blending traditional Chinese ink techniques with romantic, atmospheric depictions of mountains, rivers, rain, and revolutionary motifs (such as red flags or modern constructions like bridges). The eight leaves are titled as follows:
The album was sold at Beijing Hanhai Auction on November 17, 2011, starting at RMB 100 million, hammering at RMB 200 million (plus buyer's premium), for a total of RMB 230 million (approximately US$36 million at the time). It set a record for Fu Baoshi's works in 2011 and remains one of his top auction prices.
Significance in Fu Baoshi's Career
This album represents the culmination of Fu Baoshi's late-period exploration of Mao Zedong's poetry as subject matter, a theme he pioneered starting in the early 1950s (creating nearly 200 such works over 15 years). As a native of Jiangxi (like Mao), Fu felt a personal connection and was deeply moved by poems like Qinyuan Chun · Xue, which inspired his shift toward politically aligned art while retaining his innovative style.In the context of post-1949 China, where artists were encouraged to serve socialist ideology, Fu's Mao poetry illustrations revolutionized traditional guohua (Chinese ink painting) by infusing it with modern revolutionary spirit—bold compositions, splash-ink techniques, and subtle political symbols—without sacrificing aesthetic individuality. He became the most prolific and influential artist in this genre, providing a model for depicting "new China" through landscapes.
Created during Fu's absolute peak (just before his death in September 1965), this set is considered his masterpiece and a "collector's summit" in 20th-century Chinese painting. It embodies his lifelong pursuit of merging poetry, emotion, and brushwork, while navigating the political demands of the era. The work's historical, artistic, and market value (long hailed as Fu's "first masterpiece" in landscapes) underscores its pivotal role in cementing his legacy as a bridge between tradition and modern Chinese art.
A set of eight views 33 x 46.5 cm executed in 1964-1965 is titled Chairman Mao's Octavo Volumes. It was sold for RMB 230M by Hanhai on November 17, 2011.
Chairman Mao's Octavo Volumes (also known as Mao Zhuxi Shiyi Ba Kai or Chairman Mao's Poetry Octavo Volumes) is an album of eight ink and color on paper paintings, each measuring 33 × 46.5 cm, created by Fu Baoshi (1904–1965) between 1964 and 1965.
Details of the Artwork
This set consists of landscape illustrations inspired by Mao Zedong's poems, blending traditional Chinese ink techniques with romantic, atmospheric depictions of mountains, rivers, rain, and revolutionary motifs (such as red flags or modern constructions like bridges). The eight leaves are titled as follows:
- Shaoshan Shiyi (Poetic Thoughts on Shaoshan – Mao's birthplace).
- Furong Guo Li Jin Chao Hui (from the poem "Reply to a Friend").
- Shen Nü Ying Wu Yang, Dang Jing Shijie Shu (from "The Goddess").
- Hu Ju Long Pan Jin Sheng Xi (Tiger Perching, Dragon Coiling – referring to Nanjing).
- Liao Kuo Jiang Tian Wan Li Shuang (from "Heavy Yang").
- Xiao Se Qiu Feng Jin You Shi, Huan Le Ren Jian (from "Beidaihe").
- Deng Lushan Shiyi (Poetic Thoughts on Climbing Mount Lu).
- Feng Zhan Hong Qi Ru Hua (Red Flags Unfurling Like a Painting).
The album was sold at Beijing Hanhai Auction on November 17, 2011, starting at RMB 100 million, hammering at RMB 200 million (plus buyer's premium), for a total of RMB 230 million (approximately US$36 million at the time). It set a record for Fu Baoshi's works in 2011 and remains one of his top auction prices.
Significance in Fu Baoshi's Career
This album represents the culmination of Fu Baoshi's late-period exploration of Mao Zedong's poetry as subject matter, a theme he pioneered starting in the early 1950s (creating nearly 200 such works over 15 years). As a native of Jiangxi (like Mao), Fu felt a personal connection and was deeply moved by poems like Qinyuan Chun · Xue, which inspired his shift toward politically aligned art while retaining his innovative style.In the context of post-1949 China, where artists were encouraged to serve socialist ideology, Fu's Mao poetry illustrations revolutionized traditional guohua (Chinese ink painting) by infusing it with modern revolutionary spirit—bold compositions, splash-ink techniques, and subtle political symbols—without sacrificing aesthetic individuality. He became the most prolific and influential artist in this genre, providing a model for depicting "new China" through landscapes.
Created during Fu's absolute peak (just before his death in September 1965), this set is considered his masterpiece and a "collector's summit" in 20th-century Chinese painting. It embodies his lifelong pursuit of merging poetry, emotion, and brushwork, while navigating the political demands of the era. The work's historical, artistic, and market value (long hailed as Fu's "first masterpiece" in landscapes) underscores its pivotal role in cementing his legacy as a bridge between tradition and modern Chinese art.
2
1965 Maoshan Majesty
2017 SOLD for RMB 187M by Poly
Fu Baoshi was not only the imaginative illustrator of old legends. Throughout his career, he also seeks the quintessence of the landscape, in all seasons, in all weather. He expresses snow, rain, mist, based on many sketches taken in the field.
In 1965, in a commission from the political committee of Jiangsu Province, he visits the site of Maoshan, southwest of Nanjing. This mountain is a high place of Taoism. Reforestation was initiated in 1960, in commemoration of the cantonment of Chen Yi's army during the Sino-Japanese War.
This 106 x 276 cm ink painting, completed in June 1965, includes tiny structures that attest to the civilization brought by Maoism : villages, factories and bridges in the plain, houses on the peaks. It was sold for RMB 187M by Poly on June 5, 2017, lot 2245. The image is shared by China Daily in their post sale report.
Fu Baoshi died three months later from a brain hemorrhage at the age of 61. His monumental panorama of Maoshan had been his last completed work.
Compare style and theme with Chairman Mao's Octavo Volumes.
Overview of the Two Works
Chairman Mao's Octavo Volumes (毛主席诗意八开册, 1964–1965): An album of eight small-scale leaves (each 33 × 46.5 cm), ink and color on paper, illustrating selected poems by Mao Zedong through romantic, atmospheric mountain landscapes. Sold for RMB 230 million at Beijing Hanhai in 2011.
Maoshan Majesty (茅山雄姿, English titles vary as Magnificent View of Maoshan Mountain or Majestic Maoshan, 1965): A single large-scale hanging scroll (106.5 × 276.5 cm, approx. 26.8 sq ft), ink and color on paper, depicting Maoshan Mountain near Nanjing. Created after on-site sketching in spring 1965; Fu Baoshi's final major landscape (completed June 1965, three months before his death). It is depicting a vast horizontal landscape with detailed modern elements amid towering peaks. Sold for RMB 186.875 million (hammer RMB 162.5 million + premium) at Beijing Poly Auction on June 5, 2017 (lot 2245).
Both are late-career masterpieces from Fu Baoshi's peak (1960s), embodying his revolutionary romanticism while innovating traditional guohua (Chinese ink painting).
Primary Theme
Mao Volumes : Direct illustration of Mao Zedong's classical-style poems (e.g., scenes of Shaoshan, Mount Lu, Beidaihe, red flags unfurling). Emphasizes poetic grandeur, revolutionary spirit, and visionary transformation of China.
Maoshan : Panoramic view of Maoshan Mountain (a New Fourth Army revolutionary base during the Anti-Japanese War). Celebrates natural majesty fused with socialist progress.
Political Element
Mao Volumes : Explicitly tied to Mao's poetry; symbolic motifs like red flags, bridges, and industrial hints represent "new China" amid misty, romantic landscapes.
Maoshan : Subtler "red classic" theme: historical revolutionary site integrated with modern elements (highways, factories, bridges, towns) amid lush mountains, evoking post-1949 development without overt symbols.
Overall Mood
Mao Volumes : Romantic, poetic, and inspirational—evoking Mao's lyrical vision of mountains/rivers as metaphors for revolution.
Maoshan : Heroic, majestic, and triumphant—revolutionary romanticism through monumental scale and vivid "new China" vitality.
Scale & Format
Mao Volumes : Intimate album format (eight separate leaves); encourages close, sequential viewing like reading poetry.
Maoshan : Monumental single scroll; overwhelming panoramic composition for grand display (originally hung in Jiangsu Provincial Committee hall).
Brushwork
Mao Volumes : Classic late-Fu: bold "Baoshi cun" (broken-ink splashes), chaotic yet controlled strokes, heavy mist/rain effects, dramatic ink washes for atmospheric depth.
Maoshan : More restrained and detailed: extensive use of ink dots, diffusion, layered cun (texture strokes); reduced long, swirling lines in favor of precise, realistic rendering integrated with bold ink.
Composition
Mao Volumes : Varied per leaf—dynamic, asymmetrical, often with swirling clouds/mist; focuses on evocative moods over literal topography.
Maoshan : Epic horizontal expanse: layered depths (near lush forests, mid-ground modern structures, far misty peaks); balanced yet grand, with fine details in architecture/vegetation.
Color & Tone
Mao Volumes : Subtle colors with ink dominance; romantic haze, occasional bright accents (e.g., red flags).
Maoshan : Vibrant yet harmonious—emerald greens, deep inks; lively "new China" energy through clear, detailed realism amid traditional grandeur.
Innovation
Mao Volumes : Pioneering Mao poetry as subject; merges personal expression with political service.
Maoshan : Culmination of lifelong techniques; called Fu's "peak landscape" by experts (e.g., Xiao Ping)—exhausts his arsenal of cunfa and penmanship for ultimate maturity.
Significance in Fu Baoshi's Career
Both reflect Fu's navigation of 1960s ideology: blending traditional shanshui with socialist realism, infusing landscapes with era-specific optimism.
In 1965, in a commission from the political committee of Jiangsu Province, he visits the site of Maoshan, southwest of Nanjing. This mountain is a high place of Taoism. Reforestation was initiated in 1960, in commemoration of the cantonment of Chen Yi's army during the Sino-Japanese War.
This 106 x 276 cm ink painting, completed in June 1965, includes tiny structures that attest to the civilization brought by Maoism : villages, factories and bridges in the plain, houses on the peaks. It was sold for RMB 187M by Poly on June 5, 2017, lot 2245. The image is shared by China Daily in their post sale report.
Fu Baoshi died three months later from a brain hemorrhage at the age of 61. His monumental panorama of Maoshan had been his last completed work.
Compare style and theme with Chairman Mao's Octavo Volumes.
Overview of the Two Works
Chairman Mao's Octavo Volumes (毛主席诗意八开册, 1964–1965): An album of eight small-scale leaves (each 33 × 46.5 cm), ink and color on paper, illustrating selected poems by Mao Zedong through romantic, atmospheric mountain landscapes. Sold for RMB 230 million at Beijing Hanhai in 2011.
Maoshan Majesty (茅山雄姿, English titles vary as Magnificent View of Maoshan Mountain or Majestic Maoshan, 1965): A single large-scale hanging scroll (106.5 × 276.5 cm, approx. 26.8 sq ft), ink and color on paper, depicting Maoshan Mountain near Nanjing. Created after on-site sketching in spring 1965; Fu Baoshi's final major landscape (completed June 1965, three months before his death). It is depicting a vast horizontal landscape with detailed modern elements amid towering peaks. Sold for RMB 186.875 million (hammer RMB 162.5 million + premium) at Beijing Poly Auction on June 5, 2017 (lot 2245).
Both are late-career masterpieces from Fu Baoshi's peak (1960s), embodying his revolutionary romanticism while innovating traditional guohua (Chinese ink painting).
Primary Theme
Mao Volumes : Direct illustration of Mao Zedong's classical-style poems (e.g., scenes of Shaoshan, Mount Lu, Beidaihe, red flags unfurling). Emphasizes poetic grandeur, revolutionary spirit, and visionary transformation of China.
Maoshan : Panoramic view of Maoshan Mountain (a New Fourth Army revolutionary base during the Anti-Japanese War). Celebrates natural majesty fused with socialist progress.
Political Element
Mao Volumes : Explicitly tied to Mao's poetry; symbolic motifs like red flags, bridges, and industrial hints represent "new China" amid misty, romantic landscapes.
Maoshan : Subtler "red classic" theme: historical revolutionary site integrated with modern elements (highways, factories, bridges, towns) amid lush mountains, evoking post-1949 development without overt symbols.
Overall Mood
Mao Volumes : Romantic, poetic, and inspirational—evoking Mao's lyrical vision of mountains/rivers as metaphors for revolution.
Maoshan : Heroic, majestic, and triumphant—revolutionary romanticism through monumental scale and vivid "new China" vitality.
Scale & Format
Mao Volumes : Intimate album format (eight separate leaves); encourages close, sequential viewing like reading poetry.
Maoshan : Monumental single scroll; overwhelming panoramic composition for grand display (originally hung in Jiangsu Provincial Committee hall).
Brushwork
Mao Volumes : Classic late-Fu: bold "Baoshi cun" (broken-ink splashes), chaotic yet controlled strokes, heavy mist/rain effects, dramatic ink washes for atmospheric depth.
Maoshan : More restrained and detailed: extensive use of ink dots, diffusion, layered cun (texture strokes); reduced long, swirling lines in favor of precise, realistic rendering integrated with bold ink.
Composition
Mao Volumes : Varied per leaf—dynamic, asymmetrical, often with swirling clouds/mist; focuses on evocative moods over literal topography.
Maoshan : Epic horizontal expanse: layered depths (near lush forests, mid-ground modern structures, far misty peaks); balanced yet grand, with fine details in architecture/vegetation.
Color & Tone
Mao Volumes : Subtle colors with ink dominance; romantic haze, occasional bright accents (e.g., red flags).
Maoshan : Vibrant yet harmonious—emerald greens, deep inks; lively "new China" energy through clear, detailed realism amid traditional grandeur.
Innovation
Mao Volumes : Pioneering Mao poetry as subject; merges personal expression with political service.
Maoshan : Culmination of lifelong techniques; called Fu's "peak landscape" by experts (e.g., Xiao Ping)—exhausts his arsenal of cunfa and penmanship for ultimate maturity.
Significance in Fu Baoshi's Career
- Octavo Volumes: Represents the apex of Fu's prolific Mao poetry illustrations (nearly 200 works over 15 years). A personal, portable "summit" of poetic-landscape fusion.
- Maoshan Majesty: His literal final grand statement—largest circulating late masterpiece, embodying full technical mastery just before death. Often hailed as the pinnacle of his monumental revolutionary landscapes.
Both reflect Fu's navigation of 1960s ideology: blending traditional shanshui with socialist realism, infusing landscapes with era-specific optimism.
1963-1965 Silver Liz by Warhol
2015 SOLD for $ 28M by Christie's
Andy Warhol was a clever businessman of his own art. In 1963, when he executed his series of Liz Taylor pictures, he made it as multiple single paintings of the same design instead of positioning many images on one canvas. A silver Liz was sold for £ 6.7M by Christie's on June 30, 2010.
He maintained however the illusion of wall advertising by exhibiting side by side the similar elements of the group. Afterwards each artwork could be sold separately by the owner of the set.
The Silver Liz diptych was sold by Sotheby's for $ 18.3M on May 11, 2010, and by Christie's for $ 28M on May 11, 2015, lot 19A.
This specimen has a specific history. It was included in the exhibition of ten Silver Liz 101 x 101 cm at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles in September-October 1963. When he prepared another exhibition to be held in Philadelphia in 1965, Andy recuperated this specific copy and flanked it on its left with a blank canvas of same size and same silver shade.
In this new configuration which has never been disassembled, the Silver Liz diptych remained a tribute to Liz while also imitating the wide screens of the movie theaters.
He maintained however the illusion of wall advertising by exhibiting side by side the similar elements of the group. Afterwards each artwork could be sold separately by the owner of the set.
The Silver Liz diptych was sold by Sotheby's for $ 18.3M on May 11, 2010, and by Christie's for $ 28M on May 11, 2015, lot 19A.
This specimen has a specific history. It was included in the exhibition of ten Silver Liz 101 x 101 cm at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles in September-October 1963. When he prepared another exhibition to be held in Philadelphia in 1965, Andy recuperated this specific copy and flanked it on its left with a blank canvas of same size and same silver shade.
In this new configuration which has never been disassembled, the Silver Liz diptych remained a tribute to Liz while also imitating the wide screens of the movie theaters.
1965 Brushstrokes by LICHTENSTEIN
Intro
Roy Lichtenstein had questioned the fundamental principles of painting by appropriating images from the comics, coloring large surfaces on his canvases with Ben-day dots and transforming a masterpiece into a reference for derision.
He finds in the comics the most varied inspiration. A book entitled The Painter was published in October 1964 : a furious artist cancels with a red cross a portrait he had just painted. The image shows dripping, single drops and even the fraying when the paint becomes rarer on the bristles of the brush at the end of the raging gesture.
Roy uses this theme in the next year while removing the text that expressed the artist's madness. His first painting simply titled Brushstroke is close to the original drawing with hand and brush in the foreground. He goes further : is a painting anything else than a set of brush strokes on a surface ? In the rest of his series he removes the hand and the brush.
His Brushstrokes series is made up of fifteen oil and acrylic works on canvas executed in 1965 and 1966. One or more brushstrokes have left scars of white, red, yellow or green paint disproportionately magnified over a blue background built with his signature Ben-Day dots.
Any painter would want their brush stroke to be perfect. Roy shows that it is not. Defects include furrows, fringes, transparencies, drips and spots.
Lichtenstein's Brushstrokes do not include any direct narrative. This opaque paint applied with great energy can however hide another figure. With his usual humor close to self-mockery, Roy does not omit to state that the meticulous execution of his own painting has nothing to do with this violent trace. No one is inspecting a painting in such a magnification. The doubt then comes on the constitution of the angles, by a rotation of the wrist or by the resumption of a new stroke.
Going much deeper than the author of the comics Roy reaches the quantum element of painting. He moves in the same line as Jasper Johns or Frank Stella for whom the theme is less important than the process for building the artwork.
By transforming his Brushstrokes into sculptures three decades later Roy completes this ingenious journey in the mockery of painting. After all, if we look for a parallel in other artistic actions, is cinema anything else than a projection of light through a scrolling sequence of colored filters ?
He finds in the comics the most varied inspiration. A book entitled The Painter was published in October 1964 : a furious artist cancels with a red cross a portrait he had just painted. The image shows dripping, single drops and even the fraying when the paint becomes rarer on the bristles of the brush at the end of the raging gesture.
Roy uses this theme in the next year while removing the text that expressed the artist's madness. His first painting simply titled Brushstroke is close to the original drawing with hand and brush in the foreground. He goes further : is a painting anything else than a set of brush strokes on a surface ? In the rest of his series he removes the hand and the brush.
His Brushstrokes series is made up of fifteen oil and acrylic works on canvas executed in 1965 and 1966. One or more brushstrokes have left scars of white, red, yellow or green paint disproportionately magnified over a blue background built with his signature Ben-Day dots.
Any painter would want their brush stroke to be perfect. Roy shows that it is not. Defects include furrows, fringes, transparencies, drips and spots.
Lichtenstein's Brushstrokes do not include any direct narrative. This opaque paint applied with great energy can however hide another figure. With his usual humor close to self-mockery, Roy does not omit to state that the meticulous execution of his own painting has nothing to do with this violent trace. No one is inspecting a painting in such a magnification. The doubt then comes on the constitution of the angles, by a rotation of the wrist or by the resumption of a new stroke.
Going much deeper than the author of the comics Roy reaches the quantum element of painting. He moves in the same line as Jasper Johns or Frank Stella for whom the theme is less important than the process for building the artwork.
By transforming his Brushstrokes into sculptures three decades later Roy completes this ingenious journey in the mockery of painting. After all, if we look for a parallel in other artistic actions, is cinema anything else than a projection of light through a scrolling sequence of colored filters ?
1
White
2020 SOLD for $ 25.4M by Sotheby's
White Brushstroke I is one of the very first in the series. It features three overlapping segments that make up a sort of Z or N with rounded corners.
This oil and Magna on canvas 122 x 142 cm was sold for $ 25.4M from a lower estimate of $ 20M by Sotheby's on June 29, 2020, lot 107. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This oil and Magna on canvas 122 x 142 cm was sold for $ 25.4M from a lower estimate of $ 20M by Sotheby's on June 29, 2020, lot 107. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
2
Red and White
2017 SOLD for $ 28M by Christie's
Red and White Brushstrokes features two wide stripes reproducing beside their friction the avatars of the original gesture, slightly rising. It is probably not by chance that the whole image resembles a damaged flowing flag. Their drips that look like handles, perhaps as a wink for Jasper Johns.
This canvas 122 x 173 cm painted in 1965 was sold for $ 28M by Christie's on May 17, 2017, lot 57 B.
This canvas 122 x 173 cm painted in 1965 was sold for $ 28M by Christie's on May 17, 2017, lot 57 B.
1965 Nu by Sanyu
2019 SOLD for HK$ 198M by Sotheby's
The female nude is a favorite theme to Sanyu. His art is profoundly authentic but integrates also within the Art Déco trends of his youth. The drawings are often erotic but the oil paintings are studies of forms with a deliberately minimalist palette, same as in his potted plants and animals of the same period.
Sanyu was not tempted by total abstraction. The flesh is contained in a black outline which thickens over time. Under the influence of photography, his compositions are freed from the three dimensional space, displaying from the early 1930s an exaggerated preponderance to the legs and narrowing the head.
Throughout his life, Sanyu was exercising his creativity without succeeding in pushing his career. In 1964 the project of a solo exhibition at the National Museum of History in Taipei brought hope for an international recognition. He sent 42 artworks, including a new 47 x 50 cm Nu in oil on paper.
The project is going badly and Sanyu has no longer access to his own works. In April 1965 he compensates for this frustration by making a larger version of his Nu, an oil on masonite 123 x 135 cm. The simplicity of the forms and the monochrome body on a white background bring a fine readability to this work, like a wall poster.
The nude woman is reclining with her legs in the foreground. The right leg is raised up to the top of the image like a rocky peak in a traditional Chinese landscape. The breasts and the head form a horizon of hills. This metaphor is perceived more clearly when we consider the swaying of the raised leg and the apparent distance of the head.
Inscribed with a nostalgic autograph comment dated April 1965, this 123 x 135 cm oil on masonite may be considered as his ultimate work. A pathetic autograph inscription on the back of the masonite testifies that the aging artist felt with this composition the maturity which he had been seeking for several decades and regretted the time lost during the years of poverty.
To compensate for Sanyu's disillusionment, Natacha and Etienne Lévy organize a private exhibition in their residence in Paris from December 17 to 21, 1965. The invitation is illustrated with that masterpiece.
This ultimate Nu was sold for HK $ 198M from a lower estimate of HK $ 150M by Sotheby's in October 5, 2019, lot 1029. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The Lévy family preserved photos of their event. Their friend Sanyu appears in a photo in front of another Nu of the same woman, painted in the same minimalist style and to the same scale, with an almost monochrome skin within thick black outlines over a blank background.
In this image, both legs are raised and the left foot is posed like a finial on the right knee. The outline of legs and buttocks now form a square, in an ultimate Chinese refinement that evokes yin and yang. The breasts and head now appear through a triangular opening between the legs. This undated work is almost certainly in the follow of the April 1965 version.
This oil on masonite 125 x 95 cm was sold for HK $ 170M by Sotheby's on October 5, 2020, lot 1016.
Sanyu died accidentally in his workshop in August 1966.
Sanyu was not tempted by total abstraction. The flesh is contained in a black outline which thickens over time. Under the influence of photography, his compositions are freed from the three dimensional space, displaying from the early 1930s an exaggerated preponderance to the legs and narrowing the head.
Throughout his life, Sanyu was exercising his creativity without succeeding in pushing his career. In 1964 the project of a solo exhibition at the National Museum of History in Taipei brought hope for an international recognition. He sent 42 artworks, including a new 47 x 50 cm Nu in oil on paper.
The project is going badly and Sanyu has no longer access to his own works. In April 1965 he compensates for this frustration by making a larger version of his Nu, an oil on masonite 123 x 135 cm. The simplicity of the forms and the monochrome body on a white background bring a fine readability to this work, like a wall poster.
The nude woman is reclining with her legs in the foreground. The right leg is raised up to the top of the image like a rocky peak in a traditional Chinese landscape. The breasts and the head form a horizon of hills. This metaphor is perceived more clearly when we consider the swaying of the raised leg and the apparent distance of the head.
Inscribed with a nostalgic autograph comment dated April 1965, this 123 x 135 cm oil on masonite may be considered as his ultimate work. A pathetic autograph inscription on the back of the masonite testifies that the aging artist felt with this composition the maturity which he had been seeking for several decades and regretted the time lost during the years of poverty.
To compensate for Sanyu's disillusionment, Natacha and Etienne Lévy organize a private exhibition in their residence in Paris from December 17 to 21, 1965. The invitation is illustrated with that masterpiece.
This ultimate Nu was sold for HK $ 198M from a lower estimate of HK $ 150M by Sotheby's in October 5, 2019, lot 1029. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The Lévy family preserved photos of their event. Their friend Sanyu appears in a photo in front of another Nu of the same woman, painted in the same minimalist style and to the same scale, with an almost monochrome skin within thick black outlines over a blank background.
In this image, both legs are raised and the left foot is posed like a finial on the right knee. The outline of legs and buttocks now form a square, in an ultimate Chinese refinement that evokes yin and yang. The breasts and head now appear through a triangular opening between the legs. This undated work is almost certainly in the follow of the April 1965 version.
This oil on masonite 125 x 95 cm was sold for HK $ 170M by Sotheby's on October 5, 2020, lot 1016.
Sanyu died accidentally in his workshop in August 1966.
1965 California by Hockney
2024 SOLD for £ 18.7M by Christie's
David Hockney finishes his art studies in London in 1962. He admires the false childishness of Dubuffet's graphics.
Eager for exotic sensations, he got a mission from Sunday Times magazine for a trip to Egypt in 1963. Excited by local solutions to the problem of water, he painted on his return a Great Pyramid at Giza with Broken Head from Thebes where the foreground is invaded by a water pipe. This 183 x 183 cm oil on canvas was sold for £ 3.5M by Christie's on February 13, 2013.
Made in the same year, Two Men in a Shower is an early representation of a couple of naked men.
In his early art David Hockney acted deliberately as a rebel. His exceedingly naive figures are a response to the abstract minimalism of his friends Kenneth Noland and Frank Stella. The use of cylinders, spheres and cones pushes to the absurd the statements by Cézanne on the geometrical construction of still lifes.
Until 1967 the homosexual act will remain a crime in the United Kingdom. To become a leading gay artist, Hockney prefers to leave. In 1964 he arrives in New York where he gets imbued with pop art.
His plane flies over San Bernardino. His first vision of California is the pattern of pools hidden behind the bungalows, which allow the residents to discreetly practice all forms of hedonism under the bright sun. He is enchanted by the atmosphere of freedom, the apparent ease of life, and the tanned bodies of half naked young men at the pool and on the beach.
In his early style, a view of Different kinds of water pouring into a swimming pool located in Santa Monica, acrylic on canvas 183 x 162 cm painted in 1965, was sold for £ 2.7M by Sotheby's on March 5, 2019, lot 50. As in the Pyramids the pipe has the main role in this naive composition without people. Its water flows down to the floor of the pool. In the distance a row of trees benefits from the irrigation.
Back in England in 1965, Hockney begins with the theme of the Californian swimming pools as a bliss offered to couples of men, with now the realism required for the contemplation of bodies.
California, acrylic on canvas 168 x 200 cm, features two naked men, each of them floating on his stomachs on an air mattress. The pool has a blue background with the moving surface represented without depth effect by wavy lines in the style of the Hourloupe series started by Dubuffet in 1962.
California was sold for £ 18.7M by Christie's on March 7, 2024, lot 24.
Eager for exotic sensations, he got a mission from Sunday Times magazine for a trip to Egypt in 1963. Excited by local solutions to the problem of water, he painted on his return a Great Pyramid at Giza with Broken Head from Thebes where the foreground is invaded by a water pipe. This 183 x 183 cm oil on canvas was sold for £ 3.5M by Christie's on February 13, 2013.
Made in the same year, Two Men in a Shower is an early representation of a couple of naked men.
In his early art David Hockney acted deliberately as a rebel. His exceedingly naive figures are a response to the abstract minimalism of his friends Kenneth Noland and Frank Stella. The use of cylinders, spheres and cones pushes to the absurd the statements by Cézanne on the geometrical construction of still lifes.
Until 1967 the homosexual act will remain a crime in the United Kingdom. To become a leading gay artist, Hockney prefers to leave. In 1964 he arrives in New York where he gets imbued with pop art.
His plane flies over San Bernardino. His first vision of California is the pattern of pools hidden behind the bungalows, which allow the residents to discreetly practice all forms of hedonism under the bright sun. He is enchanted by the atmosphere of freedom, the apparent ease of life, and the tanned bodies of half naked young men at the pool and on the beach.
In his early style, a view of Different kinds of water pouring into a swimming pool located in Santa Monica, acrylic on canvas 183 x 162 cm painted in 1965, was sold for £ 2.7M by Sotheby's on March 5, 2019, lot 50. As in the Pyramids the pipe has the main role in this naive composition without people. Its water flows down to the floor of the pool. In the distance a row of trees benefits from the irrigation.
Back in England in 1965, Hockney begins with the theme of the Californian swimming pools as a bliss offered to couples of men, with now the realism required for the contemplation of bodies.
California, acrylic on canvas 168 x 200 cm, features two naked men, each of them floating on his stomachs on an air mattress. The pool has a blue background with the moving surface represented without depth effect by wavy lines in the style of the Hourloupe series started by Dubuffet in 1962.
California was sold for £ 18.7M by Christie's on March 7, 2024, lot 24.
