1976
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Bacon Later Bacons Head triptych De Kooning Still Guston Later Warhols Lalanne French sculpture Li Keran The Man Animals Bird
See also : Bacon Later Bacons Head triptych De Kooning Still Guston Later Warhols Lalanne French sculpture Li Keran The Man Animals Bird
1976 BACON
1
Triptych
2008 SOLD for $ 86M by Sotheby's
In 1976 Francis Bacon prepares an exhibition of new works at the Galerie Claude Bernard in Paris. The highlight is a triptych in oil and pastel on canvas, 198 x 148 cm for each element. It was sold for $ 86M by Sotheby's on May 14, 2008, lot 33.
This triptych brings together a synthesis of Francis' career, as Picasso had done twenty years earlier with his series of Les Femmes d'Alger.
Five years after the suicide of George Dyer, Francis confirms that the major inspirations of his art and of his life are suffering, guilt and punishment. The main figure in the central panel is a headless Prometheus tortured by the eagle, in a composition similar to 'Painting 1946'. Other symbols on this panel include the Furies disguised as pelicans and a chalice dripping with blood.
In the 1930s and 1940s, the young artist was gradually destroying his own work. This phase of creative dissatisfaction ended after the revelation to him of the two most tragic characters in the Greek theater, Prometheus and Orestes by Aeschylus.
The very first work he considered completed, Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, in 1944, a triptych of elements 94 x 74 cm, is an interpretation of the mourners inspired by the Furies of Orestes. 'Painting 1946', 198 x 132 cm, was commented by Bacon : he had started painting a figure of a monkey, the alter ego of mankind, when the punishing eagle arrived in his subconscious.
The triptychs of 198 x 148 cm panels are the format chosen by Bacon in his later career for works he could consider as his masterpieces.
Response by Grok :
Francis Bacon's "Triptych, 1976" (also known as "Triptych 1976") was sold at Sotheby's New York contemporary art auction on May 14, 2008, for $86,281,000, setting a record at the time for the most expensive work of contemporary art ever sold at auction.
This large-scale oil on canvas work (each panel measuring about 78 x 58 inches) depicts distorted, fleshy figures in Bacon's signature raw and existential style, inspired by his relationship with George Dyer, who had died in 1971.
The buyer was reportedly Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire.This record held until 2013, when another Bacon triptych, "Three Studies of Lucian Freud" (1969), sold for $142.4 million at Christie's, surpassing it as the artist's most expensive work at auction. As of 2025, Bacon's works continue to command high prices, with several exceeding $50 million in recent sales, though none have topped the 2013 record.
This triptych brings together a synthesis of Francis' career, as Picasso had done twenty years earlier with his series of Les Femmes d'Alger.
Five years after the suicide of George Dyer, Francis confirms that the major inspirations of his art and of his life are suffering, guilt and punishment. The main figure in the central panel is a headless Prometheus tortured by the eagle, in a composition similar to 'Painting 1946'. Other symbols on this panel include the Furies disguised as pelicans and a chalice dripping with blood.
In the 1930s and 1940s, the young artist was gradually destroying his own work. This phase of creative dissatisfaction ended after the revelation to him of the two most tragic characters in the Greek theater, Prometheus and Orestes by Aeschylus.
The very first work he considered completed, Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, in 1944, a triptych of elements 94 x 74 cm, is an interpretation of the mourners inspired by the Furies of Orestes. 'Painting 1946', 198 x 132 cm, was commented by Bacon : he had started painting a figure of a monkey, the alter ego of mankind, when the punishing eagle arrived in his subconscious.
The triptychs of 198 x 148 cm panels are the format chosen by Bacon in his later career for works he could consider as his masterpieces.
Response by Grok :
Francis Bacon's "Triptych, 1976" (also known as "Triptych 1976") was sold at Sotheby's New York contemporary art auction on May 14, 2008, for $86,281,000, setting a record at the time for the most expensive work of contemporary art ever sold at auction.
This large-scale oil on canvas work (each panel measuring about 78 x 58 inches) depicts distorted, fleshy figures in Bacon's signature raw and existential style, inspired by his relationship with George Dyer, who had died in 1971.
The buyer was reportedly Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire.This record held until 2013, when another Bacon triptych, "Three Studies of Lucian Freud" (1969), sold for $142.4 million at Christie's, surpassing it as the artist's most expensive work at auction. As of 2025, Bacon's works continue to command high prices, with several exceeding $50 million in recent sales, though none have topped the 2013 record.
2
Figure in Movement
2023 SOLD for $ 52M by Christie's
Art is artificial as far as it is not an interpretation of death. The despairs of Picasso after the suicide of Casagemas and of Bacon after the suicide of Dyer are similar. Both have questioned the meaning of life through the use of their most private creativity.
George died in 1971 in the hotel room at the time of the great Parisian consecration of Francis, the opening of the exhibition at the Grand Palais. In the five following years Francis will use all the resources of his art to break free from his suffering and guilt. His art was the only possible support to meet the dead man, again and again, and to confront his own mortality.
A painting made in 1975 includes many elements of the artistic language of Francis. Two naked wrestlers mingle their bodies in a suspended showcase. They lost their individuality and have only one head that is altogether a portrait of George and a self-portrait by Francis. In the right side of the composition, the observer is an old headed dwarf perched on a bar stool.
Voyeurism now hinders the intimate message of the artist who gets the painting back to cut it in two parts before returning to Peppiatt the left side released from the dwarf. The right hand portion with the portrait of the dwarf, 160 x 58 cm, was sold for £ 13M by Sotheby's on October 16, 2025, lot 11. The video is shared by the auction house.
In 1976, the painting titled Figure in Movement is paradoxically featuring the young body immobilized on the red platform by a nude wrestler with a fist raised. The head is turned in pain to rest on the floor. Who is the torturer ? Is he Francis's remorse or an allegory of death ? The title is derived by Francis from The Human Figure in Motion, a photo sequence of nude wrestlers by Muybridge that anticipated the invention of motion pictures.
George and his fellow are staged amidst signature elements of Francis. They are displayed on a red colored bullfighting ring within a threadlike cube in the existentialist style borrowed from Giacometti. A fury is watching from behind the cube, representing Francis's impossibility to escape his fate. A mirror reveals George's nude buttocks in a surrealist way opposed to the logical transfer of the image. The carpet is a newspaper made of Letraset letters meaning that Francis's muse is escaping the present day.
This oil on canvas 200 x 147 cm was sold for $ 52M by Christie's on November 9, 2023, lot 12 B.
Grok thought :
Quote
Christie's @ChristiesInc Nov 10, 2023
#AuctionUpdate: From our 20th Century Evening Sale, Francis Bacon’s ‘Figure in Movement’ realizes $52.16M
George died in 1971 in the hotel room at the time of the great Parisian consecration of Francis, the opening of the exhibition at the Grand Palais. In the five following years Francis will use all the resources of his art to break free from his suffering and guilt. His art was the only possible support to meet the dead man, again and again, and to confront his own mortality.
A painting made in 1975 includes many elements of the artistic language of Francis. Two naked wrestlers mingle their bodies in a suspended showcase. They lost their individuality and have only one head that is altogether a portrait of George and a self-portrait by Francis. In the right side of the composition, the observer is an old headed dwarf perched on a bar stool.
Voyeurism now hinders the intimate message of the artist who gets the painting back to cut it in two parts before returning to Peppiatt the left side released from the dwarf. The right hand portion with the portrait of the dwarf, 160 x 58 cm, was sold for £ 13M by Sotheby's on October 16, 2025, lot 11. The video is shared by the auction house.
In 1976, the painting titled Figure in Movement is paradoxically featuring the young body immobilized on the red platform by a nude wrestler with a fist raised. The head is turned in pain to rest on the floor. Who is the torturer ? Is he Francis's remorse or an allegory of death ? The title is derived by Francis from The Human Figure in Motion, a photo sequence of nude wrestlers by Muybridge that anticipated the invention of motion pictures.
George and his fellow are staged amidst signature elements of Francis. They are displayed on a red colored bullfighting ring within a threadlike cube in the existentialist style borrowed from Giacometti. A fury is watching from behind the cube, representing Francis's impossibility to escape his fate. A mirror reveals George's nude buttocks in a surrealist way opposed to the logical transfer of the image. The carpet is a newspaper made of Letraset letters meaning that Francis's muse is escaping the present day.
This oil on canvas 200 x 147 cm was sold for $ 52M by Christie's on November 9, 2023, lot 12 B.
Grok thought :
Quote
Christie's @ChristiesInc Nov 10, 2023
#AuctionUpdate: From our 20th Century Evening Sale, Francis Bacon’s ‘Figure in Movement’ realizes $52.16M
- Francis Bacon's 1976 oil painting "Figure in Movement" depicts a contorted, isolated human figure within a glass enclosure, symbolizing existential isolation and drawing from his recurring themes of human suffering influenced by post-war trauma.
- The work, held in Norwegian collector Magnus Konow's family for 41 years, sold at Christie's New York 20th Century Evening Sale on November 9, 2023, for $52.16 million—exceeding its $50 million high estimate amid robust demand for Bacon's postwar masterpieces.
- This sale underscores Bacon's enduring market strength, with his works averaging over $30 million at auction since 2010, per Artnet data, reflecting collectors' fascination with his raw emotional intensity over more decorative modern art.
3
Figure Writing reflected in Mirror
2012 SOLD for $ 45M by Sotheby's
Francis Bacon was traumatized by the suicide of George Dyer, in 1971. For seven years, his relationship with this brute looking man had been ambiguous. Beyond homosexuality, Bacon was amused to see the former crook falling into alcoholism.
A time comes for every sensitive man when death of younger people creates anxieties about his own destiny. In 1976, Bacon was still haunted by the memory of Dyer. It was one of the most original and most creative periods of his artistic career.
The triptych is a way to recreate the tridimensional figure by offering different views of the same subject, and it was always a favorite mode of expression for Bacon.
The other way to achieve the same result is the juxtaposition in the artwork of the character and of his image through the mirror. The writing figure, oil on canvas 198 x 147 cm, is a single work that is in many ways comparable to the famous triptych.
This naked man sitting on a simple bar stool is George, featured by his muscular back. He is lending on a shelf and he writes. Incredible: George is writing. But let's say instead that Francis would have been keen if George had endeavoured to write. George died before Francis could fully understand him, and the mirror is also a symbol of death.
This painting was sold for $ 45M from a lower estimate of $ 30M by Sotheby's on May 9, 2012, lot 19.
Grok thought :
Quote
Olga Tuleninova @olgatuleninova Jun 1, 2020
Francis Bacon - Figure writing reflected in mirror, 1976. Oil on canvas, 78 x 57 7/8 in. (198 x 147 cm.). @ Sotheby's Images, New York
A time comes for every sensitive man when death of younger people creates anxieties about his own destiny. In 1976, Bacon was still haunted by the memory of Dyer. It was one of the most original and most creative periods of his artistic career.
The triptych is a way to recreate the tridimensional figure by offering different views of the same subject, and it was always a favorite mode of expression for Bacon.
The other way to achieve the same result is the juxtaposition in the artwork of the character and of his image through the mirror. The writing figure, oil on canvas 198 x 147 cm, is a single work that is in many ways comparable to the famous triptych.
This naked man sitting on a simple bar stool is George, featured by his muscular back. He is lending on a shelf and he writes. Incredible: George is writing. But let's say instead that Francis would have been keen if George had endeavoured to write. George died before Francis could fully understand him, and the mirror is also a symbol of death.
This painting was sold for $ 45M from a lower estimate of $ 30M by Sotheby's on May 9, 2012, lot 19.
Grok thought :
Quote
Olga Tuleninova @olgatuleninova Jun 1, 2020
Francis Bacon - Figure writing reflected in mirror, 1976. Oil on canvas, 78 x 57 7/8 in. (198 x 147 cm.). @ Sotheby's Images, New York
- Francis Bacon's 1976 "Figure Writing Reflected in Mirror" distorts a suited male figure writing at a desk, with its mirror reflection exposing a nude, contorted form slumped in vulnerability, embodying the artist's exploration of fractured identity and existential dread.
- Created using oil, sand, and dry-transfer lettering on a large canvas, the work sold for $44.9 million at Sotheby's in 2012, ranking among Bacon's top auction prices and reflecting surging demand for his post-war masterpieces.
- Shared by Olga Tuleninova, an art enthusiast with over 80,000 followers, in June 2020 amid global lockdowns, the post highlights timeless themes of isolation that resonated during the early COVID-19 era
4
Three Studies for Self Portrait
2008 SOLD for $ 28M by Christie's
Francis Bacon emphasizes the triptych. In the life size head portrait format, these oils on canvas, designated as Studies by the artist, have a unique individual dimension, 35 x 30 cm.
Made in 1974, the face of Bacon in triptych sold for $ 25.3M by Christie's on May 11, 2011, lot 36, has a revealing feature : he cannot look at himself because his eyes are shut.
A Study for Self Portrait with vague eyes painted in 1975 in the same format was sold for £ 17.3M by Christie's on June 30, 2008, lot 29.
A triptych with half closed eyes painted by Bacon in 1976 was sold for $ 28M by Christie's on May 13, 2008, lot 10.
In a kinetic sequence from the right to the left panel, a medical lens floats in front of the left cheek. The right eye looks much damaged like after a brawl.
Made in 1974, the face of Bacon in triptych sold for $ 25.3M by Christie's on May 11, 2011, lot 36, has a revealing feature : he cannot look at himself because his eyes are shut.
A Study for Self Portrait with vague eyes painted in 1975 in the same format was sold for £ 17.3M by Christie's on June 30, 2008, lot 29.
A triptych with half closed eyes painted by Bacon in 1976 was sold for $ 28M by Christie's on May 13, 2008, lot 10.
In a kinetic sequence from the right to the left panel, a medical lens floats in front of the left cheek. The right eye looks much damaged like after a brawl.
1976 Hippopotame Bar by Lalanne
2025 SOLD for $ 31.4M by Sotheby's
Compare Rhinoceros and Hippopotamus in the art and career of François-Xavier Lalanne.
François-Xavier Lalanne (1927–2008), one half of the famous French artist duo Les Lalanne (with his wife Claude), is best known for his whimsical, poetic animal sculptures that blur the line between fine art and functional design. Among his most iconic and recurring motifs are the rhinoceros and the hippopotamus, both transformed into surreal, luxurious objects that became signatures of his oeuvre.
1. The Rhinocéros Series (1960s–2000s)
Primary function
Rhino : Bar / secretaire / desk
Hippo : Bathtub or bar
Symbolism
Rhino : Armor-like skin, aggression turned domestic
Hippo : Semi-aquatic, mouth as water source
Frequency of editions
Rhino : Extremely numerous (dozens of variations)
Hippo : Fewer monumental editions
Market recognition
Rhino : The absolute signature Lalanne animal
Hippo : Second most famous, but very close
Price at auction
Rhino : Often higher (Rhinocrétaire record >$10M)
Hippo : Very high, but usually slightly below rhino
Collector appeal
Rhino : Slightly more “art-world” prestige
Hippo : Slightly more “design/decoration” appeal
Humor / absurdity
Rhino : A dangerous beast hiding champagne
Hippo : A hippo you can bathe in
Summary of Their Roles in Lalanne’s Career
Rhinoceros = the origin myth and commercial triumph
Hippopotamus = the extravagant, bathroom-sized punchline
François-Xavier Lalanne (1927–2008), one half of the famous French artist duo Les Lalanne (with his wife Claude), is best known for his whimsical, poetic animal sculptures that blur the line between fine art and functional design. Among his most iconic and recurring motifs are the rhinoceros and the hippopotamus, both transformed into surreal, luxurious objects that became signatures of his oeuvre.
1. The Rhinocéros Series (1960s–2000s)
- First appearance: The rhinoceros entered Lalanne’s work in the early 1960s. The breakthrough piece was Rhinocrétaire I (1964), a life-sized rhinoceros whose body opens to reveal a bar (a “bar secretaire”).
- Concept: A surrealist combination of wild animal ferocity and domestic luxury. The rhinoceros, despite its aggressive reputation, becomes a tame, useful object—a cabinet, a desk, or a bar.
- Key editions and variations:
- Rhinocrétaire I (1966) – bronze, with gilded interior bar
- Rhinocrétaire II (smaller version)
- Rhinoceros II (1990s–2000s) – often in polished bronze or with stone textures
- Grand Rhinocéros Debout (large standing versions)
- Some versions have wheels or openable sides containing sinks, mirrors, or desks
- Materials: Usually patinated or polished bronze, sometimes with added stone or marble elements.
- Cultural impact: The rhinoceros is arguably Lalanne’s most famous single motif. It was collected by Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Bergé, Karl Lagerfeld, and many others. The original Rhinocrétaire I sold for over $10 million at auction in recent years.
- First appearance: The hippopotamus appears later, with the first major piece being L’Hippopotame I (1974), a monumental bronze hippo whose back opens to reveal a bathtub and sink.
- Concept: Like the rhinoceros, the hippo is a massive, potentially dangerous African animal turned into a functional, almost absurdly luxurious bathroom fixture. There are usually three versions:
- Hippopotame I – full bathtub in the body, faucets in the mouth
- Hippopotame II – smaller version with a bar inside (similar concept to the Rhinocrétaire)
- Hippopotame Debout – standing versions, sometimes with opening belly containing a sink
- Materials: Polished or patinated bronze, often with copper or marble details for the bathroom fittings.
- Scale: Often larger than life (the bathtub versions are genuinely usable).
- Cultural impact: Instantly iconic, especially after being photographed in the homes of collectors (e.g., the bathtub hippo in the Paris apartment of Pierre Bergé). Frequently appears in design and contemporary art auctions with prices in the multimillion-dollar range.
Primary function
Rhino : Bar / secretaire / desk
Hippo : Bathtub or bar
Symbolism
Rhino : Armor-like skin, aggression turned domestic
Hippo : Semi-aquatic, mouth as water source
Frequency of editions
Rhino : Extremely numerous (dozens of variations)
Hippo : Fewer monumental editions
Market recognition
Rhino : The absolute signature Lalanne animal
Hippo : Second most famous, but very close
Price at auction
Rhino : Often higher (Rhinocrétaire record >$10M)
Hippo : Very high, but usually slightly below rhino
Collector appeal
Rhino : Slightly more “art-world” prestige
Hippo : Slightly more “design/decoration” appeal
Humor / absurdity
Rhino : A dangerous beast hiding champagne
Hippo : A hippo you can bathe in
Summary of Their Roles in Lalanne’s Career
- The rhinoceros is the earlier, more prolific, and ultimately more iconic motif. It established François-Xavier Lalanne’s reputation in the 1960s and remains the single image most associated with his name.
- The hippopotamus arrived later (1970s) and represents the full maturation of his surrealist-functional idea: taking the largest, most imposing African animals and transforming them into luxurious domestic objects. The hippo bathtub is often cited as the ultimate expression of Les Lalanne’s playful luxury.
Rhinoceros = the origin myth and commercial triumph
Hippopotamus = the extravagant, bathroom-sized punchline
A pièce unique 105 x 190 x 68 cm of the Hippopotame bar was dated 76 by Lalanne. Made of copper, maillechort, stainless steel, brass and painted wood on commission for Anne Schlumberger in Houston, Texas, it was delivered to her in 1977.
It was sold for $ 31.4M from a lower estimate of $ 7M by Sotheby's on December 7, 2025, lot 8.
Asking Grok : Evolution of Lalanne's Hippopotame from Duchamp's bathtub, sold by Christie's on November 12, 2019, lot 13 M, to the bar dated 76 for sale by Sotheby's on December 10, 2025, lot 8, to the 78 1/8 bar sold by Christie's on May 11, 2023, lot 50A, and to the 86 4/8 bar sold by Sotheby's on November 23, 2021, lot 23.
The Evolution of François-Xavier Lalanne's Hippopotame Series: From Bathtub to Bar
François-Xavier Lalanne (1927–2008), often known simply as Lalanne and part of the collaborative duo Les Lalanne with his wife Claude, was renowned for his whimsical, functional animal sculptures that blended Surrealism with everyday utility. His Hippopotame series exemplifies this approach, transforming the semi-aquatic hippopotamus into sculptural objects that serve practical purposes while evoking humor, mythology, and the natural world. The series began in the late 1960s with the Hippopotame I bathtub—a nod to ancient Egyptian blue hippo amulets and the animal's riverine habitat—and evolved into the more social Hippopotame II bar iterations in the 1970s and 1980s. These works reimagine the hippo as a guardian of revelry, with hinged compartments hiding bottles, glasses, ice buckets, shakers, and trays, drawing on Surrealist influences like Max Ernst's mechanical beasts and Meret Oppenheim's fur-covered teacup.
The bathtub-to-bar progression reflects Lalanne's philosophy: "A bathtub and a hippopotamus make a better marriage than a bathtub and a zebra," as he once quipped, emphasizing the creature's innate affinity for immersion—whether in water or spirits. Early versions were unique commissions (e.g., a blue resin bathtub for Marcel Duchamp and his wife Teeny in 1969), while later bars were produced in limited editions of eight, cast in bronze with patinated finishes for durability and patina. The sculptures' dimensions typically span around 58–60 inches high, 78–86 inches long, and 30–36 inches deep when closed, expanding when opened for use.
The auction history you referenced traces key sales of Hippopotame I (bathtub) and Hippopotame II (bars), highlighting the works' rising market value—from under $200,000 in the early 2000s to multimillion-dollar records today.
Nov 12, 2019 Christie's, New York (La Ménagerie sale) lot 13M, Unique 'Hippopotame I' Bathtub (1969)
Unique; welded brass and copper 50½ × 114 × 33 in. (128 × 289.6 × 83.8 cm) (closed). Signed and dated 'FxL 69 FRANÇOIS-X LALANNE'. Commissioned alongside Duchamp's blue resin version; previously sold for $168,000 at Sotheby's in 2006 (25x return).
A functional bath/sink with unironic humor, evoking ancient Egyptian fertility symbols.
Dec 10, 2025 (upcoming) Sotheby's, New York (Inaugural Design sale at Breuer; from Schlumberger Collection) lot 8. Hippopotame Bar (1976). Unique; hand-wrought copper. Approx. 58 × 76 × 36 in. (147 × 193 × 91 cm) (closed)
Commissioned for collector Anne Schlumberger; only copper version (pre-bronze), with russet/red/black patina. Includes two preparatory drawings. Highlights her patronage of Les Lalanne in the 1970s; embodies "wonder, humor, and love of life."
May 11, 2023 Christie's, 20th/21st Century sale) lot 50A. 'Hippopotame II' Bar (1978) 1/8; patinated bronze, stainless steel, copper, nickel silver, brass, painted wood. 39⅜ × 78¾ × 31½ in. (100 × 200 × 80 cm) (closed)
Monogrammed 'FXL', stamped 'LALANNE', dated '78'. Earliest bronze bar edition; nods to Egyptian goddess Taweret. Part of a broader Lalanne resurgence post-2019 estate sales.
Nov 23, 2021 Sotheby's, Paris (Important Design sale) lot 23, Hippopotame II Bar (1986) 4/8 ; patinated bronze, copper, brass, stainless steel, nickel silver. Approx. 39 × 86 × 31 in. (99 × 218.4 × 78.7 cm) (closed)
Monogrammed 'FxL', stamped 'LALANNE', dated '86'. Larger iteration with intricate bar compartments; reflects Lalanne's shift to bronze editions for broader accessibility. Sold amid strong demand for functional Surrealist design.
This list illustrates the Hippopotame's market ascent: the 2019 bathtub sale ignited fervor, with bars now commanding premiums for rarity (e.g., the unique copper piece). Editions like 1/8 and 4/8 are highly sought by collectors for their interplay of art and utility, often fetching 2–3x estimates. The series' evolution—from solitary bathing to communal toasting—mirrors Lalanne's vision of art as "at the heart of life," free from sacralization. For the 2025 sale, previews begin in October at Sotheby's Paris and Hong Kong; it anchors a multi-sale series of Schlumberger's eclectic trove, blending Monet, Dalí, and Lalanne.
It was sold for $ 31.4M from a lower estimate of $ 7M by Sotheby's on December 7, 2025, lot 8.
Asking Grok : Evolution of Lalanne's Hippopotame from Duchamp's bathtub, sold by Christie's on November 12, 2019, lot 13 M, to the bar dated 76 for sale by Sotheby's on December 10, 2025, lot 8, to the 78 1/8 bar sold by Christie's on May 11, 2023, lot 50A, and to the 86 4/8 bar sold by Sotheby's on November 23, 2021, lot 23.
The Evolution of François-Xavier Lalanne's Hippopotame Series: From Bathtub to Bar
François-Xavier Lalanne (1927–2008), often known simply as Lalanne and part of the collaborative duo Les Lalanne with his wife Claude, was renowned for his whimsical, functional animal sculptures that blended Surrealism with everyday utility. His Hippopotame series exemplifies this approach, transforming the semi-aquatic hippopotamus into sculptural objects that serve practical purposes while evoking humor, mythology, and the natural world. The series began in the late 1960s with the Hippopotame I bathtub—a nod to ancient Egyptian blue hippo amulets and the animal's riverine habitat—and evolved into the more social Hippopotame II bar iterations in the 1970s and 1980s. These works reimagine the hippo as a guardian of revelry, with hinged compartments hiding bottles, glasses, ice buckets, shakers, and trays, drawing on Surrealist influences like Max Ernst's mechanical beasts and Meret Oppenheim's fur-covered teacup.
The bathtub-to-bar progression reflects Lalanne's philosophy: "A bathtub and a hippopotamus make a better marriage than a bathtub and a zebra," as he once quipped, emphasizing the creature's innate affinity for immersion—whether in water or spirits. Early versions were unique commissions (e.g., a blue resin bathtub for Marcel Duchamp and his wife Teeny in 1969), while later bars were produced in limited editions of eight, cast in bronze with patinated finishes for durability and patina. The sculptures' dimensions typically span around 58–60 inches high, 78–86 inches long, and 30–36 inches deep when closed, expanding when opened for use.
The auction history you referenced traces key sales of Hippopotame I (bathtub) and Hippopotame II (bars), highlighting the works' rising market value—from under $200,000 in the early 2000s to multimillion-dollar records today.
Nov 12, 2019 Christie's, New York (La Ménagerie sale) lot 13M, Unique 'Hippopotame I' Bathtub (1969)
Unique; welded brass and copper 50½ × 114 × 33 in. (128 × 289.6 × 83.8 cm) (closed). Signed and dated 'FxL 69 FRANÇOIS-X LALANNE'. Commissioned alongside Duchamp's blue resin version; previously sold for $168,000 at Sotheby's in 2006 (25x return).
A functional bath/sink with unironic humor, evoking ancient Egyptian fertility symbols.
Dec 10, 2025 (upcoming) Sotheby's, New York (Inaugural Design sale at Breuer; from Schlumberger Collection) lot 8. Hippopotame Bar (1976). Unique; hand-wrought copper. Approx. 58 × 76 × 36 in. (147 × 193 × 91 cm) (closed)
Commissioned for collector Anne Schlumberger; only copper version (pre-bronze), with russet/red/black patina. Includes two preparatory drawings. Highlights her patronage of Les Lalanne in the 1970s; embodies "wonder, humor, and love of life."
May 11, 2023 Christie's, 20th/21st Century sale) lot 50A. 'Hippopotame II' Bar (1978) 1/8; patinated bronze, stainless steel, copper, nickel silver, brass, painted wood. 39⅜ × 78¾ × 31½ in. (100 × 200 × 80 cm) (closed)
Monogrammed 'FXL', stamped 'LALANNE', dated '78'. Earliest bronze bar edition; nods to Egyptian goddess Taweret. Part of a broader Lalanne resurgence post-2019 estate sales.
Nov 23, 2021 Sotheby's, Paris (Important Design sale) lot 23, Hippopotame II Bar (1986) 4/8 ; patinated bronze, copper, brass, stainless steel, nickel silver. Approx. 39 × 86 × 31 in. (99 × 218.4 × 78.7 cm) (closed)
Monogrammed 'FxL', stamped 'LALANNE', dated '86'. Larger iteration with intricate bar compartments; reflects Lalanne's shift to bronze editions for broader accessibility. Sold amid strong demand for functional Surrealist design.
This list illustrates the Hippopotame's market ascent: the 2019 bathtub sale ignited fervor, with bars now commanding premiums for rarity (e.g., the unique copper piece). Editions like 1/8 and 4/8 are highly sought by collectors for their interplay of art and utility, often fetching 2–3x estimates. The series' evolution—from solitary bathing to communal toasting—mirrors Lalanne's vision of art as "at the heart of life," free from sacralization. For the 2025 sale, previews begin in October at Sotheby's Paris and Hong Kong; it anchors a multi-sale series of Schlumberger's eclectic trove, blending Monet, Dalí, and Lalanne.
1976 Untitled XXI by de Kooning
2015 SOLD for $ 25M by Sotheby's
East Hampton is the closest land's end to New York City, facing from the eastern side of Long Island the vastness and violence of the ocean. The big city is not conducive to the communion of an artist with nature. Adroitly pushed by Lee Krasner, Jackson Pollock established their workshop in a barn near the village.
The countryside is flat like in Holland, but the nature explodes in rich colors. Around Leo and Ileana Castelli who also settled in East Hampton, the artists of abstract expressionism and of action painting come to imbibe themselves within the purity of that place.
Willem de Kooning visits the Castelli in East Hampton in 1951 and moves his studio and home in the village in the early 1960s. His early intention of making abstract landscapes is ephemeral. Returning to the representation of human nature, he devotes his art primarily to sculpture in 1969.
The series of Untitled paintings of 1975-1977 is a turning point in De Kooning's art. The artist was happy and intensely enjoying the nature. The shining colors that he dispositioned on the whole surface of his large paintings express such deep feelings. His painting is a landscape without drawing.
On November 4, 2015, Sotheby's sold for $ 25M the Untitled XXI of 1976, oil on canvas 203 x 178 cm, lot 15T. The artist added thinning oils to the paint for displaying sculptural effects on the canvas. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The passion of action painting liberates to the viewer's imagination the waves breaking on the rocks, the color of gorse in blossom on the dune and a woman standing in a long dress who observes all this beauty. Alfred Taubman enjoyed this specific opus.
Some smaller paintings of similar technique are titled East Hampton, revealing the inspiration of the whole. East Hampton VI, oil on canvas 77 x 91 cm painted in 1977, was sold for $ 10.4M by Christie's on May 13, 2021, lot 3 B.
Untitled XXI (1976)
A bold abstraction from de Kooning's prolific mid-1970s, this work highlights his paradox of controlled chaos through thinned oils creating slippery, limpid forms and sculptural effects. Oil on canvas, 80 x 70 inches (203.2 x 177.8 cm), signed on the reverse. It showcases vibrant, fluid motifs oscillating between abstraction and subtle objectivity, with ribbons of color in blues, yellows, and pinks applied, scraped, and removed for complex textures. Part of the East Hampton-inspired series, it reflects a gamble-like creativity during his revival. Sold at Sotheby's on November 4, 2015 (lot 15T) for $25 million.
Comparison of Willem de Kooning's East Hampton VI (1977) and Untitled XXI (1976)
Willem de Kooning's works from the mid-1970s represent a transformative period in his career, characterized by a renewed vigor after relocating to East Hampton, New York, in 1963. Influenced by the coastal light, water, and landscapes of Louse Point, these paintings blend gestural abstraction with subtle figurative elements, marking a departure from his earlier "Woman" series toward more fluid, nature-inspired compositions. Both East Hampton VI (1977) and Untitled XXI (1976) exemplify this era, capturing the artist's experimentation with paint viscosity, chromatic richness, and the integration of figure and landscape. However, they differ in scale, compositional focus, and market performance, with Untitled XXI embodying a transitional fluidity and East Hampton VI foreshadowing the exuberant abstractions of his final phase.
East Hampton VI (1977)
This painting is a product of de Kooning's creative resurgence in East Hampton, where the dramatic coastal light inspired a new reconciliation of form and surface. Oil on canvas, measuring 30 1/8 x 36 inches (76.5 x 91.4 cm), signed and dated on the reverse. It features baroque flourishes of heavily laden brushwork against a golden ground, with high-keyed ribbons of paint tracing elemental figurative forms—such as pale legs silhouetted in red in the lower right and a torqued figure above—subsumed in abstraction. Colors include electric blue, verdant green, warm pinks, mauves, blue-greens, and reddish oranges, evoking sun-drenched vibrancy and coastal clarity, akin to Claude Monet's late abstract celebrations of light. Exhibited widely in Europe, including at the Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam, 1983) and Kunsthal Rotterdam (2005), it marks a bridge from his Abstract Expressionist roots to his late-career innovations. Sold at Christie's on May 13, 2021 (lot 3B) for $10,436,000.
Size
VI : 30 1/8 x 36 in (76.5 x 91.4 cm) – Smaller, more intimate format.
XXI : 80 x 70 in (203.2 x 177.8 cm) – Larger scale emphasizing expansive abstraction.
Key Stylistic Elements
VI : Baroque flourishes with heavily laden brush; union of figurative (e.g., silhouetted legs, torqued figures) and abstract elements; reconciliation of 3D form with surface; influenced by Matisse's fluid forms.
XXI : Slippery, limpid forms via thinned oils for sculptural effects; bold, gestural abstraction with scraped textures; paradox of control and chaos.
Colors & Composition
VI : Golden ground with electric blue, verdant green, warm pinks, mauves, blue-greens, reddish oranges; high-keyed ribbons tracing elemental forms subsumed in abstraction; sun-drenched vibrancy from coastal light.
XXI : Vibrant spectrum of blues, yellows, pinks; fluid motifs and complex layering; all-over composition evoking water-like surfaces.
Inspirational Context & Significance
VI : Inspired by East Hampton's light and landscape; blends earlier figuration with abstraction; foreshadows late-career phase; part of series exhibited at Guggenheim (1978); reaffirms de Kooning's innovation as a "late flowering."
XXI : East Hampton revival; transitional work bridging dry spell to peak 1977 mastery; captures joyous, gamble-like creativity; highly coveted for fluidity and depth.
Provenance & Exhibition History
VI : Acquired from Xavier Fourcade, Inc. (1979); exhibited in Los Angeles (1977), Amsterdam (1983), Stockholm (1983), Rotterdam (2005).
XXI : From A. Alfred Taubman collection; exhibited at Whitney (1983, hung in place of similar museum-owned work on loan).
Auction Details & Price
VI : Christie's, May 13, 2021 (lot 3B); $10,436,000.
XXI : Sotheby's, Nov 4, 2015 (lot 15T); $25 million.
Comparison Notes
VI : More intimate and figurative-leaning, with explicit landscape integration and Monet-like light breakdown; lower price reflects smaller size and subtler market appeal.
XXI : Larger, more purely abstract with sculptural emphasis; higher value due to scale, boldness, and alignment with peak revival works.
Overall, while both paintings draw from de Kooning's East Hampton environment to fuse abstraction with natural essence, Untitled XXI (1976) prioritizes expansive, fluid experimentation, whereas East Hampton VI (1977) offers a compact, transitional synthesis hinting at his mature style—differences amplified by their scales and auction outcomes.
The countryside is flat like in Holland, but the nature explodes in rich colors. Around Leo and Ileana Castelli who also settled in East Hampton, the artists of abstract expressionism and of action painting come to imbibe themselves within the purity of that place.
Willem de Kooning visits the Castelli in East Hampton in 1951 and moves his studio and home in the village in the early 1960s. His early intention of making abstract landscapes is ephemeral. Returning to the representation of human nature, he devotes his art primarily to sculpture in 1969.
The series of Untitled paintings of 1975-1977 is a turning point in De Kooning's art. The artist was happy and intensely enjoying the nature. The shining colors that he dispositioned on the whole surface of his large paintings express such deep feelings. His painting is a landscape without drawing.
On November 4, 2015, Sotheby's sold for $ 25M the Untitled XXI of 1976, oil on canvas 203 x 178 cm, lot 15T. The artist added thinning oils to the paint for displaying sculptural effects on the canvas. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The passion of action painting liberates to the viewer's imagination the waves breaking on the rocks, the color of gorse in blossom on the dune and a woman standing in a long dress who observes all this beauty. Alfred Taubman enjoyed this specific opus.
Some smaller paintings of similar technique are titled East Hampton, revealing the inspiration of the whole. East Hampton VI, oil on canvas 77 x 91 cm painted in 1977, was sold for $ 10.4M by Christie's on May 13, 2021, lot 3 B.
Untitled XXI (1976)
A bold abstraction from de Kooning's prolific mid-1970s, this work highlights his paradox of controlled chaos through thinned oils creating slippery, limpid forms and sculptural effects. Oil on canvas, 80 x 70 inches (203.2 x 177.8 cm), signed on the reverse. It showcases vibrant, fluid motifs oscillating between abstraction and subtle objectivity, with ribbons of color in blues, yellows, and pinks applied, scraped, and removed for complex textures. Part of the East Hampton-inspired series, it reflects a gamble-like creativity during his revival. Sold at Sotheby's on November 4, 2015 (lot 15T) for $25 million.
Comparison of Willem de Kooning's East Hampton VI (1977) and Untitled XXI (1976)
Willem de Kooning's works from the mid-1970s represent a transformative period in his career, characterized by a renewed vigor after relocating to East Hampton, New York, in 1963. Influenced by the coastal light, water, and landscapes of Louse Point, these paintings blend gestural abstraction with subtle figurative elements, marking a departure from his earlier "Woman" series toward more fluid, nature-inspired compositions. Both East Hampton VI (1977) and Untitled XXI (1976) exemplify this era, capturing the artist's experimentation with paint viscosity, chromatic richness, and the integration of figure and landscape. However, they differ in scale, compositional focus, and market performance, with Untitled XXI embodying a transitional fluidity and East Hampton VI foreshadowing the exuberant abstractions of his final phase.
East Hampton VI (1977)
This painting is a product of de Kooning's creative resurgence in East Hampton, where the dramatic coastal light inspired a new reconciliation of form and surface. Oil on canvas, measuring 30 1/8 x 36 inches (76.5 x 91.4 cm), signed and dated on the reverse. It features baroque flourishes of heavily laden brushwork against a golden ground, with high-keyed ribbons of paint tracing elemental figurative forms—such as pale legs silhouetted in red in the lower right and a torqued figure above—subsumed in abstraction. Colors include electric blue, verdant green, warm pinks, mauves, blue-greens, and reddish oranges, evoking sun-drenched vibrancy and coastal clarity, akin to Claude Monet's late abstract celebrations of light. Exhibited widely in Europe, including at the Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam, 1983) and Kunsthal Rotterdam (2005), it marks a bridge from his Abstract Expressionist roots to his late-career innovations. Sold at Christie's on May 13, 2021 (lot 3B) for $10,436,000.
Size
VI : 30 1/8 x 36 in (76.5 x 91.4 cm) – Smaller, more intimate format.
XXI : 80 x 70 in (203.2 x 177.8 cm) – Larger scale emphasizing expansive abstraction.
Key Stylistic Elements
VI : Baroque flourishes with heavily laden brush; union of figurative (e.g., silhouetted legs, torqued figures) and abstract elements; reconciliation of 3D form with surface; influenced by Matisse's fluid forms.
XXI : Slippery, limpid forms via thinned oils for sculptural effects; bold, gestural abstraction with scraped textures; paradox of control and chaos.
Colors & Composition
VI : Golden ground with electric blue, verdant green, warm pinks, mauves, blue-greens, reddish oranges; high-keyed ribbons tracing elemental forms subsumed in abstraction; sun-drenched vibrancy from coastal light.
XXI : Vibrant spectrum of blues, yellows, pinks; fluid motifs and complex layering; all-over composition evoking water-like surfaces.
Inspirational Context & Significance
VI : Inspired by East Hampton's light and landscape; blends earlier figuration with abstraction; foreshadows late-career phase; part of series exhibited at Guggenheim (1978); reaffirms de Kooning's innovation as a "late flowering."
XXI : East Hampton revival; transitional work bridging dry spell to peak 1977 mastery; captures joyous, gamble-like creativity; highly coveted for fluidity and depth.
Provenance & Exhibition History
VI : Acquired from Xavier Fourcade, Inc. (1979); exhibited in Los Angeles (1977), Amsterdam (1983), Stockholm (1983), Rotterdam (2005).
XXI : From A. Alfred Taubman collection; exhibited at Whitney (1983, hung in place of similar museum-owned work on loan).
Auction Details & Price
VI : Christie's, May 13, 2021 (lot 3B); $10,436,000.
XXI : Sotheby's, Nov 4, 2015 (lot 15T); $25 million.
Comparison Notes
VI : More intimate and figurative-leaning, with explicit landscape integration and Monet-like light breakdown; lower price reflects smaller size and subtler market appeal.
XXI : Larger, more purely abstract with sculptural emphasis; higher value due to scale, boldness, and alignment with peak revival works.
Overall, while both paintings draw from de Kooning's East Hampton environment to fuse abstraction with natural essence, Untitled XXI (1976) prioritizes expansive, fluid experimentation, whereas East Hampton VI (1977) offers a compact, transitional synthesis hinting at his mature style—differences amplified by their scales and auction outcomes.
1976 GUSTON
Intro
After a three years hiatus in his artistic career, Philip Guston left forever in 1968 the abstract expressionism for displaying his anguished view of the brutal modern world. He left New York City at the same time.
A world that did not eradicate the Ku Klux Klan is full of many threats including the horrible wars of the 20th century accompanied by dictatorships and unrest. He paints cartoonish forms in a reduced palette of bright colors.
Ominous Land, painted in 1972, gathers three of Guston's recurring symbols in fleshy pink, mauve, red and orange. The radiant sun cannot be joyous when it falls on a devastation, symbolized by an entanglement of human legs and shoe soles. This stack is observed by a typical hood of the Klan. The title is significant. This oil on canvas 183 x 206 cm was sold for $ 9.5M by Sotheby's on November 18, 2021, lot 105.
After that political phase, Guston turns his frustrated fury onto his own self. An artist is an abject hopeless creature that desperately paints, eats and smokes, and that's it. His symbols now include a square canvas painted in a fleshy monochrome pink with the only figure of a mystic eye of God in a bushy brow. The canvas is fitted on a metal box of same size closed by a row of nails.
A painting titled The Canvas features that weird one eyed object leaning onto his signature brick wall with nothing else to counter the closed nightmare. This oil on canvas 170 x 200 cm painted in 1973 was sold for for £ 3.1M by Sotheby's on October 12, 2023, lot 114.
A world that did not eradicate the Ku Klux Klan is full of many threats including the horrible wars of the 20th century accompanied by dictatorships and unrest. He paints cartoonish forms in a reduced palette of bright colors.
Ominous Land, painted in 1972, gathers three of Guston's recurring symbols in fleshy pink, mauve, red and orange. The radiant sun cannot be joyous when it falls on a devastation, symbolized by an entanglement of human legs and shoe soles. This stack is observed by a typical hood of the Klan. The title is significant. This oil on canvas 183 x 206 cm was sold for $ 9.5M by Sotheby's on November 18, 2021, lot 105.
After that political phase, Guston turns his frustrated fury onto his own self. An artist is an abject hopeless creature that desperately paints, eats and smokes, and that's it. His symbols now include a square canvas painted in a fleshy monochrome pink with the only figure of a mystic eye of God in a bushy brow. The canvas is fitted on a metal box of same size closed by a row of nails.
A painting titled The Canvas features that weird one eyed object leaning onto his signature brick wall with nothing else to counter the closed nightmare. This oil on canvas 170 x 200 cm painted in 1973 was sold for for £ 3.1M by Sotheby's on October 12, 2023, lot 114.
1
masterpiece
Monument
Tate Gallery
Monument, painted in 1976 by Philip Guston, displays an architecture made of a stack of bare legs and overturned shoes viewed from the sole. The legs are perpendicularly bent at the knee and all other parts of corpses are missing.
The whole is reminding bones in an ossuary. Guston, who was a son of Russian Jews and had a social sensitivity, had such a lasting nightmare as a reminiscence of the concentration camps.
In 1976 these legs and shoes are also included beside other nightmarish elements. Strong Light, oil on canvas 204 x 175 cm, was sold for $ 24.4M by Sotheby's on November 15, 2021, lot 8.
In 1978 with Steppes, their unlimited and dense row beside a bleak wall is another reminder of the camps. By homophony with steps, Steppes is altogether referring to a place for Soviet camps, to the horror scene of the Potemkin and to the normal use of legs and shoes.
Steppes, oil on canvas 173 x 223 cm, was sold for $ 6.7M by Christie's on May 16, 2024, lot 43 B
The whole is reminding bones in an ossuary. Guston, who was a son of Russian Jews and had a social sensitivity, had such a lasting nightmare as a reminiscence of the concentration camps.
In 1976 these legs and shoes are also included beside other nightmarish elements. Strong Light, oil on canvas 204 x 175 cm, was sold for $ 24.4M by Sotheby's on November 15, 2021, lot 8.
In 1978 with Steppes, their unlimited and dense row beside a bleak wall is another reminder of the camps. By homophony with steps, Steppes is altogether referring to a place for Soviet camps, to the horror scene of the Potemkin and to the normal use of legs and shoes.
Steppes, oil on canvas 173 x 223 cm, was sold for $ 6.7M by Christie's on May 16, 2024, lot 43 B
2
Strong Light
2021 SOLD for $ 24.4M by Sotheby's
In his later career, an embittered Philip Guston was displaying his anguished view of the modern world.
A world that did not eradicate the Ku Klux Klan is full of many threats including the horrible wars of the 20th century accompanied by dictatorships and unrest. He paints cartoonish forms in a reduced palette of bright colors. The scenery may be lit by day by a full sun or by night by a huge bare electric bulb.
Strong light, painted in 1976, has the radiant bulb and the black background. Three elongated tightly knit human legs probably from dead humans mingle with five shoe soles on a carpet posed on a parqueted wood. This simplified composition does not include other symbols of the continuous social revolt of the artist.
This oil on canvas 204 x 175 cm was sold for $ 24.4M from a lower estimate of $ 8M by Sotheby's on November 15, 2021, lot 8.
Chair, oil on canvas 173 x 205 cm painted in 1976, also gathers several symbols of the nightmare of the artist. It was sold for $ 9.6M by Christie's on May 11, 2023, lot 22A.
A tangle of bare hairy legs raised from the ground is representing the doomed mankind. All are bent at the knee with no foot visible, either cut off off or hidden behind an accumulation of overturned nailed soles. A sole is laid on a chair viewed from profile.
The window is walled with bricks, obstructing the access to the world. The ring to pull the window is an oversized pendulum which expresses the inexorable run of time. Its rope is a reminder of the suicide of the artist's father half a century earlier
The rich surface in soft rose and pale gray of the wall of that bleak room may be a reminiscence from the abstract period of the artist two decades earlier.
A world that did not eradicate the Ku Klux Klan is full of many threats including the horrible wars of the 20th century accompanied by dictatorships and unrest. He paints cartoonish forms in a reduced palette of bright colors. The scenery may be lit by day by a full sun or by night by a huge bare electric bulb.
Strong light, painted in 1976, has the radiant bulb and the black background. Three elongated tightly knit human legs probably from dead humans mingle with five shoe soles on a carpet posed on a parqueted wood. This simplified composition does not include other symbols of the continuous social revolt of the artist.
This oil on canvas 204 x 175 cm was sold for $ 24.4M from a lower estimate of $ 8M by Sotheby's on November 15, 2021, lot 8.
Chair, oil on canvas 173 x 205 cm painted in 1976, also gathers several symbols of the nightmare of the artist. It was sold for $ 9.6M by Christie's on May 11, 2023, lot 22A.
A tangle of bare hairy legs raised from the ground is representing the doomed mankind. All are bent at the knee with no foot visible, either cut off off or hidden behind an accumulation of overturned nailed soles. A sole is laid on a chair viewed from profile.
The window is walled with bricks, obstructing the access to the world. The ring to pull the window is an oversized pendulum which expresses the inexorable run of time. Its rope is a reminder of the suicide of the artist's father half a century earlier
The rich surface in soft rose and pale gray of the wall of that bleak room may be a reminiscence from the abstract period of the artist two decades earlier.
1976 Skull by Warhol
2022 SOLD for $ 24M by Christie's
Obsessed with death, Warhol managed to modernize in his signature technique the old theme of the vanities.
In 1976 he went to be busy with a skull found by him in a flea market in Paris, complete with two full rows of teeth. His photographer assistant endeavored to obtain the most dramatic effect, with the jaws open in an appealing laugh and the piece posed on the floor.
A large size painting 183 x 203 cm in acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas was sold for $ 24M by Christie's on May 12, 2022, lot 24C. This psychedelic example displays a highly disturbing bright blue color of the skull and a weird butter yellow shadow.
In the same technique, a pink skull on a sky blue floor on canvas 38 x 48 cm was sold for £ 700K by Phillips on June 27, 2013, lot 13.
A chromolithography 40 x 34 cm edited in 125 copies was gathering the same image in three rows of two columns in various colors.
These images may have influenced the skull paintings made by Basquiat in 1982, the year when he first met Warhol. The series of jawless skulls by Richter was executed in 1983.
In 1976 he went to be busy with a skull found by him in a flea market in Paris, complete with two full rows of teeth. His photographer assistant endeavored to obtain the most dramatic effect, with the jaws open in an appealing laugh and the piece posed on the floor.
A large size painting 183 x 203 cm in acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas was sold for $ 24M by Christie's on May 12, 2022, lot 24C. This psychedelic example displays a highly disturbing bright blue color of the skull and a weird butter yellow shadow.
In the same technique, a pink skull on a sky blue floor on canvas 38 x 48 cm was sold for £ 700K by Phillips on June 27, 2013, lot 13.
A chromolithography 40 x 34 cm edited in 125 copies was gathering the same image in three rows of two columns in various colors.
These images may have influenced the skull paintings made by Basquiat in 1982, the year when he first met Warhol. The series of jawless skulls by Richter was executed in 1983.
1976 PH-1044 by Still
2011 SOLD for $ 19.7M by Sotheby's
PH-1044, oil on canvas 237 x 210 cm painted in 1976, represented the final years of Clyfford Still among the four lots consigned to Sotheby's on November 9, 2011 for financing the development of the Denver museum. It was sold for $ 19.7M, lot 13. The availability on the market of a Still painting from his most secret period is extremely rare.
It was later sold by Christie's for $ 17.5M, on May 13, 2014, lot 35.
This opus contributes to the ultimate quest by Still to thr sublime, viewed as a whole new world for which there are no words.
It was later sold by Christie's for $ 17.5M, on May 13, 2014, lot 35.
This opus contributes to the ultimate quest by Still to thr sublime, viewed as a whole new world for which there are no words.
1976 Jinggang Mountain by Li Keran
2019 SOLD for RMB 138M by China Guardian
The Jinggang mountain, located in Mao's native Hunan, is a high place of Maoism as the birthplace of the Chinese Red Army and the cradle of the Chinese revolution.
Dated 1976, the year of Mao's death, Jinggang Mountain by Li Keran is politically correct. Its tiny animation is not assured by a philosopher and his followers but by a schoolmaster and his pupils under the protection of the red flag on the border of the foreground hill.
This hanging scroll on paper 177 x 127 cm is slightly colored in the grand tradition of classical landscapes. It was sold for RMB 138M by China Guardian on November 20, 2019, lot 930.
Another copy, 180 x 130 cm, also painted in 1976, was sold for RMB 127M by China Guardian on May 17, 2015, lot 716. It is extremely similar as the example narrated above, with the same groups of Maoist students. An example of difference is in the shape of some pine trees.
Dated 1976, the year of Mao's death, Jinggang Mountain by Li Keran is politically correct. Its tiny animation is not assured by a philosopher and his followers but by a schoolmaster and his pupils under the protection of the red flag on the border of the foreground hill.
This hanging scroll on paper 177 x 127 cm is slightly colored in the grand tradition of classical landscapes. It was sold for RMB 138M by China Guardian on November 20, 2019, lot 930.
Another copy, 180 x 130 cm, also painted in 1976, was sold for RMB 127M by China Guardian on May 17, 2015, lot 716. It is extremely similar as the example narrated above, with the same groups of Maoist students. An example of difference is in the shape of some pine trees.
