1985
See also : Abstract art Abstract art II China Modern China Zao Wou-Ki Basquiat Sport in art Cars 1970s 1980s Porsche Los Angeles
1985 Pei and Zao at Raffles City
2018 SOLD for HK$ 510M including premium
The architect I.M. Pei has considerably influenced the style of the great modern cities. When his fame becomes international, he revisits his native China. In the 1970s the Far East no longer wants its urbanism to follow the West. They always desire higher, more spectacular, more functional. Pei is building an office skyscraper 198 meters high in Singapore.
Zao Wou-Ki also made his own return to his sources. In the 1980s the originality of his abstract paintings inspired by East and West met with great success in the Far East.
Pei is creating in Singapore a complex named Raffles City based on a tower and two hotels, and incorporating a shopping center and a convention center. In 1985 the project is advanced enough to anticipate the interior design. Zao is traveling in the Far East. Pei makes him visit the Raffles site and commissions him a gigantic painting for adorning the grand lobby of the main building alongside abstractions by Ellsworth Kelly and Kenneth Noland in the minimalist taste of the architect.
Back in France, Zao prepares this work with a passion comparable to Monet opening with the Grandes Décorations the ultimate phase of his career. The result is a triptych of oils on canvas, 2.80 m x 10 m overall, which is installed in 1986 as planned and will remain there until 2005. Contrary to Zao's usual practice, the title is not a mere date but a period, Juin-Octobre 1985, thus confirming the prolonged attention given by the artist in its execution.
Juin-Octobre 1985 is the most monumental artwork in Zao's entire career. According to his inspiration in that decade, it evokes the mystical unicity between nature and the infinite. The incandescent center is seen beyond a dark curtain accented by strident blue. It will be sold by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on September 30, lot 1004. The press release of September 7 indicates that this painting is expected beyond HK $ 350M.
Zao Wou-Ki also made his own return to his sources. In the 1980s the originality of his abstract paintings inspired by East and West met with great success in the Far East.
Pei is creating in Singapore a complex named Raffles City based on a tower and two hotels, and incorporating a shopping center and a convention center. In 1985 the project is advanced enough to anticipate the interior design. Zao is traveling in the Far East. Pei makes him visit the Raffles site and commissions him a gigantic painting for adorning the grand lobby of the main building alongside abstractions by Ellsworth Kelly and Kenneth Noland in the minimalist taste of the architect.
Back in France, Zao prepares this work with a passion comparable to Monet opening with the Grandes Décorations the ultimate phase of his career. The result is a triptych of oils on canvas, 2.80 m x 10 m overall, which is installed in 1986 as planned and will remain there until 2005. Contrary to Zao's usual practice, the title is not a mere date but a period, Juin-Octobre 1985, thus confirming the prolonged attention given by the artist in its execution.
Juin-Octobre 1985 is the most monumental artwork in Zao's entire career. According to his inspiration in that decade, it evokes the mystical unicity between nature and the infinite. The incandescent center is seen beyond a dark curtain accented by strident blue. It will be sold by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on September 30, lot 1004. The press release of September 7 indicates that this painting is expected beyond HK $ 350M.
1985 Untitled (with Don Quixote and Jaguar) by Basquiat
2021 SOLD for HK$ 290M by Sotheby's
Jean-Michel Basquiat comes from the street but he indeed cannot bring a wall into his studio or a fortiori into an exhibition room. During his stay in California in 1983, he appreciates that a wooden fence could be a good substitute to have the viewers remind the deep roots of his art.
This material unprecedented in pictorial art also invites to polyptychs. For the great narrative works, wood is thus an alternative to canvas of which a great example is the 1983 Undiscovered Genius of the Mississippi Delta, sold by Sotheby's in 2014 for $ 23.7M.
On June 18, 2021, Sotheby's sold for HK $ 290M an Untitled painted in 1985, lot 15. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This acrylic and oilstick on wood is a triptych 217 x 275 cm overall. The idea of using raw material in major art is reinforced by the unequal depth of the three panels, up to 30 cm for the protruding right panel.
The most visible figure is a black alien, with an extensive double row of teeth and a body transparent to the bright white digestive system. Don Quixote riding his poor horse is a direct symbol of Basquiat's impossible social fight.
The three panels have different dominant hues. The common character of the three images is a jaguar whose colored body is over Don Quixote on the central panel. The tail is linking it to the protruding right panel. The otherwise nearly blank left panel has an oversized black drawing of the head with terrible fangs plus a hanging colored debris of the skin.
On February 10, 1985, The New York Times Magazine reported on 'New Art New Money' about the irresistible rise in fame of the 24 year old Basquiat. The cover page was illustrated with a seated portrait of Jean-Michel in front of the unfinished triptych narrated above, when the jaguar had not yet been added.
This material unprecedented in pictorial art also invites to polyptychs. For the great narrative works, wood is thus an alternative to canvas of which a great example is the 1983 Undiscovered Genius of the Mississippi Delta, sold by Sotheby's in 2014 for $ 23.7M.
On June 18, 2021, Sotheby's sold for HK $ 290M an Untitled painted in 1985, lot 15. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This acrylic and oilstick on wood is a triptych 217 x 275 cm overall. The idea of using raw material in major art is reinforced by the unequal depth of the three panels, up to 30 cm for the protruding right panel.
The most visible figure is a black alien, with an extensive double row of teeth and a body transparent to the bright white digestive system. Don Quixote riding his poor horse is a direct symbol of Basquiat's impossible social fight.
The three panels have different dominant hues. The common character of the three images is a jaguar whose colored body is over Don Quixote on the central panel. The tail is linking it to the protruding right panel. The otherwise nearly blank left panel has an oversized black drawing of the head with terrible fangs plus a hanging colored debris of the skin.
On February 10, 1985, The New York Times Magazine reported on 'New Art New Money' about the irresistible rise in fame of the 24 year old Basquiat. The cover page was illustrated with a seated portrait of Jean-Michel in front of the unfinished triptych narrated above, when the jaguar had not yet been added.
1985 Farewell to the Ocean
2018 SOLD for $ 22.6M including premium
From 1967 to 1985 the series of paintings titled Ocean Park is the interpretation by Richard Diebenkorn of the atmosphere and colors of Santa Monica. Seeking the dazzling light as de Staël had done, he goes further by sublimating the landscape in abstract compositions.
During these two decades the emotions of the artist were changing. He interrupts Ocean Park in 1980 after opus 125. He feels the need for a greater realization of his vision on large canvases and composes opus 126 to 140 in 1984 and 1985.
On November 15 in New York, Christie's sells Ocean Park 137, oil on canvas 254 x 206 cm painted in 1985, lot 31 C estimated $ 18M.
Within the final sub-series, 137 is the only one that appears to be almost entirely devoted to the blue of the sea. Far from being monochrome, it offers shades that lead from left to right to the dominant zone in deep blue of the open sea.
The other paintings leave a significant place to the colors of the shore. The first of them, 126, is an abstract landscape in many colors with a structured geometry. This 236 x 206 cm oil on canvas was sold for $ 24M including premium by Christie's on May 17, 2018.
While still admiring the colors of what had been his frame of life since 1967, Diebenkorn was tired from Los Angeles. In 1986 he prospected to settle in the countryside and made his masterpiece of print, Green, 114 x 90 cm. A copy was sold for $ 530K including premium by Sotheby's on May 2, 2014. He bought in 1987 an old house inside a vineyard in Northern California.
During these two decades the emotions of the artist were changing. He interrupts Ocean Park in 1980 after opus 125. He feels the need for a greater realization of his vision on large canvases and composes opus 126 to 140 in 1984 and 1985.
On November 15 in New York, Christie's sells Ocean Park 137, oil on canvas 254 x 206 cm painted in 1985, lot 31 C estimated $ 18M.
Within the final sub-series, 137 is the only one that appears to be almost entirely devoted to the blue of the sea. Far from being monochrome, it offers shades that lead from left to right to the dominant zone in deep blue of the open sea.
The other paintings leave a significant place to the colors of the shore. The first of them, 126, is an abstract landscape in many colors with a structured geometry. This 236 x 206 cm oil on canvas was sold for $ 24M including premium by Christie's on May 17, 2018.
While still admiring the colors of what had been his frame of life since 1967, Diebenkorn was tired from Los Angeles. In 1986 he prospected to settle in the countryside and made his masterpiece of print, Green, 114 x 90 cm. A copy was sold for $ 530K including premium by Sotheby's on May 2, 2014. He bought in 1987 an old house inside a vineyard in Northern California.
1985 Ball Tank by KOONS
1
One Ball Total Equilibrium
2016 SOLD for $ 15.3M by Christie's
Jeff Koons is the star of current art since he creates what the audience wishes to see. He talks too much for the purpose that people will believe in the universality of his artistic message. With his perpetual smile, he acts as a rare example of an optimistic creator.
In 1977, aged 22, he begins by making kitsch scenes with toys and objects. On the following year he imagines inflatable flowers and rabbits and builds them in painted vinyl. In 1980 his first exhibition entitled The New is an application of the ready made conception in a simulated trade show of household electrical equipment.
He must now find an artifact and a theme that would appeal to visitors from all social classes. Basketball, this sport from yard to competition, meets this requirement by its ability to generate champions while using some very simple equipment.
He acquires balls of Spalding brand but it is not foregone to amaze the public with such everyday pieces. He decides to display them frozen in flight with no visible structure like in a sports photograph. Or like a cosmic planet.
This is of course not possible. Yet it happens. Dr. Feynman who was one of the most brilliant physicists of his time proposes a magic. In 1985 after two years of trials, Koons puts his balls in aquariums filled successively with saturated salt water and pure water. The two densities do not mingle and the ball stands still at mid height of its showcase without raising or sinking. After several weeks some maintenance will be required.
The Equilibrium exhibition is the first success for Jeff Koons. Its central work is a minimalist tank with a solitary basket ball. The technique is demythified by so called "50/50" tanks in which the ball floats at the same height on a visible surface of water. Bronzes and posters on the theme of basketball complete the display.
On May 8, 2016, Christie's sold as lot 21 A for $ 15.3M a One Ball Total Equilibrium Tank (Spalding Dr. J Silver Series). The tank 83 x 40 cm is on a steel stand for an overall height of 165 cm. This installation is the number 1 from an edition of 2.
The Equilibrium Tanks mark the first encounter between Jeff Koons and advanced technologies, anticipating the development of the reflective layers of his Celebrations. He also highlights s a symbol of life a basket ball that never deflates.
The star player "Dr J" Erving retired two years later.
In 1977, aged 22, he begins by making kitsch scenes with toys and objects. On the following year he imagines inflatable flowers and rabbits and builds them in painted vinyl. In 1980 his first exhibition entitled The New is an application of the ready made conception in a simulated trade show of household electrical equipment.
He must now find an artifact and a theme that would appeal to visitors from all social classes. Basketball, this sport from yard to competition, meets this requirement by its ability to generate champions while using some very simple equipment.
He acquires balls of Spalding brand but it is not foregone to amaze the public with such everyday pieces. He decides to display them frozen in flight with no visible structure like in a sports photograph. Or like a cosmic planet.
This is of course not possible. Yet it happens. Dr. Feynman who was one of the most brilliant physicists of his time proposes a magic. In 1985 after two years of trials, Koons puts his balls in aquariums filled successively with saturated salt water and pure water. The two densities do not mingle and the ball stands still at mid height of its showcase without raising or sinking. After several weeks some maintenance will be required.
The Equilibrium exhibition is the first success for Jeff Koons. Its central work is a minimalist tank with a solitary basket ball. The technique is demythified by so called "50/50" tanks in which the ball floats at the same height on a visible surface of water. Bronzes and posters on the theme of basketball complete the display.
On May 8, 2016, Christie's sold as lot 21 A for $ 15.3M a One Ball Total Equilibrium Tank (Spalding Dr. J Silver Series). The tank 83 x 40 cm is on a steel stand for an overall height of 165 cm. This installation is the number 1 from an edition of 2.
The Equilibrium Tanks mark the first encounter between Jeff Koons and advanced technologies, anticipating the development of the reflective layers of his Celebrations. He also highlights s a symbol of life a basket ball that never deflates.
The star player "Dr J" Erving retired two years later.
2
Two Ball Total Equilibrium
2014 SOLD for $ 6.9M by Christie's
On May 12, 2014, Christie's sold for $ 6.9M a Total Equilibrium Tank with two Spalding Dr J Silver balls, lot 7.
This installation is the number 2 from an edition of 2.
This installation is the number 2 from an edition of 2.
3
Two Ball 50-50
2021 SOLD for £ 2.8M by Sotheby's
A Two Ball 50/50 Tank was sold for £ 2.8M by Sotheby's on June 29, 2021, lot 122. This installation is the number 2 from an edition of 2.
One of the balls is the Spalding Dr J Silver usual in that series. The other ball is a Wilson Supershot.
One of the balls is the Spalding Dr J Silver usual in that series. The other ball is a Wilson Supershot.
1985 The Action of the Colors
2021 SOLD for HK$ 118M by Sotheby's
Gerhard Richter redefines painting. He joins Malevich when he considers that an oil on canvas is a finished product which does not need figurative references. In the 1970s, he attempts several forms of abstraction, including gray monochromes and color charts.
1982 is a year of great experimentation. On the figurative side, Richter paints icebergs. The shapes and colors dissolve, in a smoother way than in the weird blurry photo-realisms of the previous phase. In the same year, the candles are a pretext to approach the full extent of the colored spectrum.
The step is quickly taken. Also in 1982, the artist paints abstractions in very large format. Opus 492, Gelbgrün, is a diptych measuring 260 x 400 cm overall, sold for £ 10.9M including premium by Sotheby's on March 7, 2018, lot 28.
On a light blue background, the artist added large floating shapes in strident yellow and bright green, through ample gestures inspired by Franz Kline's Action Painting. The squeegee appears as a complement to brush and knife for providing a semi-automatism.
These experiments are convincing, and abstractions become predominant in Richter's art.
The opus 573-1, Schwefel, oil on canvas 200 x 300 cm painted in 1985, was sold twice by Sotheby's : for $ 12.5M on November 14, 2018, lot 37, and for HK $ 118M on April 19, 2021, lot 1127.
The bright colors are more varied than in the example above, over a green background. The gestures are less ample, reducing the scarring effect. The composition is a clever mix between order and chaos. By this aspect, Schwefel is a precursor of the Abstraktes Bild 599, oil on canvas 300 x 250 cm painted in 1986, in which Richter adds the confrontation of horizontal and vertical. 599 was sold for £ 30.4M including premium by Sotheby's on February 10, 2015.
1982 is a year of great experimentation. On the figurative side, Richter paints icebergs. The shapes and colors dissolve, in a smoother way than in the weird blurry photo-realisms of the previous phase. In the same year, the candles are a pretext to approach the full extent of the colored spectrum.
The step is quickly taken. Also in 1982, the artist paints abstractions in very large format. Opus 492, Gelbgrün, is a diptych measuring 260 x 400 cm overall, sold for £ 10.9M including premium by Sotheby's on March 7, 2018, lot 28.
On a light blue background, the artist added large floating shapes in strident yellow and bright green, through ample gestures inspired by Franz Kline's Action Painting. The squeegee appears as a complement to brush and knife for providing a semi-automatism.
These experiments are convincing, and abstractions become predominant in Richter's art.
The opus 573-1, Schwefel, oil on canvas 200 x 300 cm painted in 1985, was sold twice by Sotheby's : for $ 12.5M on November 14, 2018, lot 37, and for HK $ 118M on April 19, 2021, lot 1127.
The bright colors are more varied than in the example above, over a green background. The gestures are less ample, reducing the scarring effect. The composition is a clever mix between order and chaos. By this aspect, Schwefel is a precursor of the Abstraktes Bild 599, oil on canvas 300 x 250 cm painted in 1986, in which Richter adds the confrontation of horizontal and vertical. 599 was sold for £ 30.4M including premium by Sotheby's on February 10, 2015.
1985 The Hell of the Rubber
2020 SOLD for £ 7.5M including premium
The art of Jean-Michel Basquiat is political, and he is a remarkable connoisseur of the history of slavery. During 1981 and most of 1982, he had also been an entertainer, basing many works on street life including the hide and seek game with the cops.
From the start, he uses words that imitate the tags. The bourgeois see it as an irreverent complement to the illustration, but the message is often subtle and well targeted. Pollo Frito, painted in 1982, is a direct reference to the living conditions of the slaves in the south of the United States. This diptych was sold for $ 25.7M including premium by Sotheby's on November 14, 2018.
In 1983 he internationalizes his vision by castigating the slavery of black people in antique Egypt, a social fact deliberately forgotten by most historians. The word NILE is half crossed out, like a lie that generates a critical question : is today's society, based on consumerism, creating new forms of slavery which are once again denied by the bourgeoisie ?
In the last phase of his short career, the theme of slavery takes an increasingly obsessive place.
On February 11 in London, Sotheby's sells Rubber, acrylic, oil stick and collage on canvas 220 x 173 cm made in 1985, lot 8 estimated £ 6M.
The dominant colors are blazing red and orange, and the flames of hell appear repeatedly. The only word is RUBBER, inscribed with a great clarity. In the 1880s and the following decades throughout the Amazon rainforest, the rubber boom (ciclo da borracha) marks a resurgence of slavery in its most atrocious conditions, to meet the new needs of the consumer society.
Rubber is dominated by a much stylized black head with mouth and empty eyes lit from behind, mounted on a barrel which can serve as a lamp. The figure has no limbs but the flame closest to that head is shaped like a hand coming out of an incandescent lava pool.
Jim Crow, a direct reference to a former racial discrimination in Mississippi, features a similar figure, excepted that the barrel has retrieved two helpless arms and three pairs of ribs. This acrylic and oil stick on wooden parquet 205 x 244 x 4 cm executed in 1986 was sold for € 15M including premium by Christie's on October 20, 2017.
From the start, he uses words that imitate the tags. The bourgeois see it as an irreverent complement to the illustration, but the message is often subtle and well targeted. Pollo Frito, painted in 1982, is a direct reference to the living conditions of the slaves in the south of the United States. This diptych was sold for $ 25.7M including premium by Sotheby's on November 14, 2018.
In 1983 he internationalizes his vision by castigating the slavery of black people in antique Egypt, a social fact deliberately forgotten by most historians. The word NILE is half crossed out, like a lie that generates a critical question : is today's society, based on consumerism, creating new forms of slavery which are once again denied by the bourgeoisie ?
In the last phase of his short career, the theme of slavery takes an increasingly obsessive place.
On February 11 in London, Sotheby's sells Rubber, acrylic, oil stick and collage on canvas 220 x 173 cm made in 1985, lot 8 estimated £ 6M.
The dominant colors are blazing red and orange, and the flames of hell appear repeatedly. The only word is RUBBER, inscribed with a great clarity. In the 1880s and the following decades throughout the Amazon rainforest, the rubber boom (ciclo da borracha) marks a resurgence of slavery in its most atrocious conditions, to meet the new needs of the consumer society.
Rubber is dominated by a much stylized black head with mouth and empty eyes lit from behind, mounted on a barrel which can serve as a lamp. The figure has no limbs but the flame closest to that head is shaped like a hand coming out of an incandescent lava pool.
Jim Crow, a direct reference to a former racial discrimination in Mississippi, features a similar figure, excepted that the barrel has retrieved two helpless arms and three pairs of ribs. This acrylic and oil stick on wooden parquet 205 x 244 x 4 cm executed in 1986 was sold for € 15M including premium by Christie's on October 20, 2017.
1985 Porsche on the Paris-Dakar
2018 SOLD for $ 6M including premium
The Paris-Dakar rally was prestigious for its countless safari-style difficulties through 14000 km in France, Spain and Africa. In 1984 it was won by Metge and Lemoyne in a Porsche 953 with four-wheel drive, a great novelty for the brand. The suspension has also been improved.
Jacky Ickx, who had won the previous edition with a Mercedes-Benz, is also a regular driver for Porsche, including the 956, a model for endurance well suited for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Under his influence Porsche realizes a new development for the Paris-Dakar.
Three prototypes were built in 1985 and three more in 1986. A seventh car was reclassified as Porsche 961 prototype for Le Mans. These cars are an improvement of the 953 with an electronic control of the four-wheel drive. They do not constitute a new reference but benefit from the modernization efforts of the 959 and enter that range.
In 1984 the three entered 953 had finished the Paris-Dakar. 1985 is less glorious when none of the three 959 finish. In 1986 the three new Porsche 959 are 1st, 2nd and 6th overall.
Two of the six 959 Paris-Dakar remain in private hands with only one of them in working condition. This car was one of the three Porsche entered in the 1985 rally where it was driven by Metge and Lemoyne. Retired afterward from competition, it remains highly original. It is estimated $ 3M for sale by RM Sotheby's in Atlanta on October 27, lot 196.
Jacky Ickx, who had won the previous edition with a Mercedes-Benz, is also a regular driver for Porsche, including the 956, a model for endurance well suited for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Under his influence Porsche realizes a new development for the Paris-Dakar.
Three prototypes were built in 1985 and three more in 1986. A seventh car was reclassified as Porsche 961 prototype for Le Mans. These cars are an improvement of the 953 with an electronic control of the four-wheel drive. They do not constitute a new reference but benefit from the modernization efforts of the 959 and enter that range.
In 1984 the three entered 953 had finished the Paris-Dakar. 1985 is less glorious when none of the three 959 finish. In 1986 the three new Porsche 959 are 1st, 2nd and 6th overall.
Two of the six 959 Paris-Dakar remain in private hands with only one of them in working condition. This car was one of the three Porsche entered in the 1985 rally where it was driven by Metge and Lemoyne. Retired afterward from competition, it remains highly original. It is estimated $ 3M for sale by RM Sotheby's in Atlanta on October 27, lot 196.
1984-1985 Bananas by Basquiat and Warhol
2021 SOLD for $ 4.3M by Phillips
1985 The Creatures of Amsterdam
2017 SOLD for $ 3.6M including premium
In 1985 in Amsterdam the Galerie Paul Andriesse devotes to Marlene Dumas a solo exhibition entitled The Eyes of the Night Creatures.
The South African born Dumas was then established since ten years in Holland where she had studied art and also psychology. Her friends from the Amsterdam's art communities are interesting in their nightlife, their vices and their disarray.
Under poor lighting the faces are pale and unhealthy. The people of the night counterbalance their banality by their desire for pleasure. Their portraits painted by Dumas far beyond life size anticipate by a few years the expression of the real ugliness by Young British Artists including Jenny Saville. She works from photographs like Francis Bacon had done.
On November 16 in New York, Phillips sells an oil on linen 125 x 211 cm painted in 1985 by Marlene Dumas and titled The Yellow Fingers of the Artist, lot 13 estimated $ 2.2M, which had been exhibited in the group of the Eyes of the Night Creatures.
This artwork is a diptych consisting of two portraits on a black background. The two characters look ahead and ignore each other like Munch's loners. On the left, the man dazed by the night has his fingers yellowed by fresh paint but also by the abuse of tobacco. On the right the young woman who is an assistant to Andriesse has her eyes too wide open and hides her mouth behind a glass of red wine.
The South African born Dumas was then established since ten years in Holland where she had studied art and also psychology. Her friends from the Amsterdam's art communities are interesting in their nightlife, their vices and their disarray.
Under poor lighting the faces are pale and unhealthy. The people of the night counterbalance their banality by their desire for pleasure. Their portraits painted by Dumas far beyond life size anticipate by a few years the expression of the real ugliness by Young British Artists including Jenny Saville. She works from photographs like Francis Bacon had done.
On November 16 in New York, Phillips sells an oil on linen 125 x 211 cm painted in 1985 by Marlene Dumas and titled The Yellow Fingers of the Artist, lot 13 estimated $ 2.2M, which had been exhibited in the group of the Eyes of the Night Creatures.
This artwork is a diptych consisting of two portraits on a black background. The two characters look ahead and ignore each other like Munch's loners. On the left, the man dazed by the night has his fingers yellowed by fresh paint but also by the abuse of tobacco. On the right the young woman who is an assistant to Andriesse has her eyes too wide open and hides her mouth behind a glass of red wine.
