1985
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Abstract art II China Modern China Zao Wou-Ki Sport in art Diebenkorn
See also : Abstract art II China Modern China Zao Wou-Ki Sport in art Diebenkorn
1985 Juin-Octobre 1985 by Zao Wou-Ki
2018 SOLD for HK$ 510M by Sotheby's
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 was sold for HK $ 510M from an expectation beyond HK $ 350M by Sotheby's on September 30, 2018, lot 1004.
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 was sold for HK $ 510M from an expectation beyond HK $ 350M by Sotheby's on September 30, 2018, lot 1004.
1985 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 Now's The Time by Basquiat
2023 SOLD for $ 28.6M by Sotheby's
From a teenager to his early death, Jean-Michel Basquiat was mad of jazz and bebop, collecting, DJ-ing, sax playing and occasionally recording. His arch-hero was the African American Charlie Parker.
Jean-Michel introduced the simulation of album covers in his art. Painted in 1983, the word painting without figure Discography Two was sold for $ 21M by Christie's on November 15, 2018, lot 24C.
1985 is the 30th year after Charlie's death at age 35, mentally disabled by alcohol and drug. Jean-Michel prepares a monumental representation of a 45 rpm vinyl in black acrylic on an irregular rough wood circle 235 cm in diameter.
The black disc is only inscribed in white oilstick with the small circle for the central hole, an irregular mid circle for the label, and the block letter scribble "NOW'S THE TIME" PRKR accompanied by a copyright sign.
Now's the Time is one of Parker's earliest hits, first recorded by him in 1945 in alto sax with his band. PRKR and the copyright are the revenge by Basquiat for Parker after he had been incorrectly removed of the authorship by the publisher of a reissue.
The Basquiat painting was sold for $ 28.6M by Sotheby's on May 18, 2023, lot 116.
Jean-Michel introduced the simulation of album covers in his art. Painted in 1983, the word painting without figure Discography Two was sold for $ 21M by Christie's on November 15, 2018, lot 24C.
1985 is the 30th year after Charlie's death at age 35, mentally disabled by alcohol and drug. Jean-Michel prepares a monumental representation of a 45 rpm vinyl in black acrylic on an irregular rough wood circle 235 cm in diameter.
The black disc is only inscribed in white oilstick with the small circle for the central hole, an irregular mid circle for the label, and the block letter scribble "NOW'S THE TIME" PRKR accompanied by a copyright sign.
Now's the Time is one of Parker's earliest hits, first recorded by him in 1945 in alto sax with his band. PRKR and the copyright are the revenge by Basquiat for Parker after he had been incorrectly removed of the authorship by the publisher of a reissue.
The Basquiat painting was sold for $ 28.6M by Sotheby's on May 18, 2023, lot 116.
1985 Zenith by Warhol and Basquiat
2014 SOLD for $ 11.4M by Phillips
In 1984 Warhol and Basquiat created a series of large size paintings together in Warhol's Factory.
The Zenith logo was a good symbol of the drift of consumerism. Once a leader of American television receivers, Zenith Radio Company had been a leader of antitrust claims against their Japanese competitors, looking for $ 900 million in damages. The trial court was ruling in favor of the Japanese. Zenith tried to survive the loss of radio and television markets by reconverting to computers.
An Untitled four hands painting executed in 1984 by Warhol and Basquiat as large as a wall poster is based on a huge red Zenith logo on left side, completed by typical Basquiat figures, heads, athletes and tags. This acrylic, silkscreen ink and oilstick on canvas 295 x 420 cm was sold for $ 19.4M by Sotheby's on May 13, 2024, lot 105. Please watch the short video shared by the auction house.
The interpretation of the 1/2 as a discount is confirmed in 1985 by another Zenith based work where the red logo is accompanied by an aggressive heavy dark 50 % OFF. This acrylic on canvas 300 x 670 cm was sold for $ 11.4M by Phillips on May 15, 2014, lot 9.
The right side is dominated by a skull head with crossed bones and a cabriolet car with its driver. The she-goat on the left is a reference to the 1950 sculpture by Picasso.
The Zenith logo was a good symbol of the drift of consumerism. Once a leader of American television receivers, Zenith Radio Company had been a leader of antitrust claims against their Japanese competitors, looking for $ 900 million in damages. The trial court was ruling in favor of the Japanese. Zenith tried to survive the loss of radio and television markets by reconverting to computers.
An Untitled four hands painting executed in 1984 by Warhol and Basquiat as large as a wall poster is based on a huge red Zenith logo on left side, completed by typical Basquiat figures, heads, athletes and tags. This acrylic, silkscreen ink and oilstick on canvas 295 x 420 cm was sold for $ 19.4M by Sotheby's on May 13, 2024, lot 105. Please watch the short video shared by the auction house.
The interpretation of the 1/2 as a discount is confirmed in 1985 by another Zenith based work where the red logo is accompanied by an aggressive heavy dark 50 % OFF. This acrylic on canvas 300 x 670 cm was sold for $ 11.4M by Phillips on May 15, 2014, lot 9.
The right side is dominated by a skull head with crossed bones and a cabriolet car with its driver. The she-goat on the left is a reference to the 1950 sculpture by Picasso.
1985 Ocean Park by Diebenkorn
2018 SOLD for $ 22.6M by Christie's
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, 2018, Christie's sold for $ 22.6M Ocean Park 137, oil on canvas 254 x 206 cm painted in 1985, lot 31 C.
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 painted in 1984 was sold for $ 24M 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 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, 2018, Christie's sold for $ 22.6M Ocean Park 137, oil on canvas 254 x 206 cm painted in 1985, lot 31 C.
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 painted in 1984 was sold for $ 24M 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 by Sotheby's on May 2, 2014. He bought in 1987 an old house inside a vineyard in Northern California.
1985 Equilibrium by KOONS
1
One Ball
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.
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. The 1/2 was sold for $ 3.57M by Phillips on November 19, 2024, lot 14.
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.
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. The 1/2 was sold for $ 3.57M by Phillips on November 19, 2024, lot 14.
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
Aqualung
2021 SOLD for $ 15.2M by Sotheby's
Jeff Koons was a commodities broker at Wall Street, keen to push household equipment into art. As early as 1980 he conceived the entry of store-bought Hoover and Shelton vacuum cleaners in a museum.
His groundbreaking Equilibrium solo exhibition in May-June 1985 in New York was not limited to floating basketballs. On the themes of air and water, it included bronze renderings of artefacts selected from his happy childhood memory such as a snorkel, an inflatable deep sea life vest or an inflatable life raft.
For the scuba vest, the artist required a bronze replica of an Aqua-Lung Sea Quest in all the tactile details of its equipment and its textile folds, wrinkles and curves : tube, buckle, canister, knob and pocket. He was so demanding that the support by an experienced metallurgist had been necessary.
This piece marks the antagonism between real life, where it provides oxygen to maintain life in water, and the illusion of art, where the heavy bronze cannot but sink. Through art, such a banal artefact becomes un-effective.
Aqualung was cast in an edition of 3 plus an artist's proof, 69 x 45 x 45 cm, unpainted but with a gorgeous patina. The 3/3 was sold for $ 15.2M from a lower estimate of $ 8M by Sotheby's on November 15, 2021, lot 16.
His groundbreaking Equilibrium solo exhibition in May-June 1985 in New York was not limited to floating basketballs. On the themes of air and water, it included bronze renderings of artefacts selected from his happy childhood memory such as a snorkel, an inflatable deep sea life vest or an inflatable life raft.
For the scuba vest, the artist required a bronze replica of an Aqua-Lung Sea Quest in all the tactile details of its equipment and its textile folds, wrinkles and curves : tube, buckle, canister, knob and pocket. He was so demanding that the support by an experienced metallurgist had been necessary.
This piece marks the antagonism between real life, where it provides oxygen to maintain life in water, and the illusion of art, where the heavy bronze cannot but sink. Through art, such a banal artefact becomes un-effective.
Aqualung was cast in an edition of 3 plus an artist's proof, 69 x 45 x 45 cm, unpainted but with a gorgeous patina. The 3/3 was sold for $ 15.2M from a lower estimate of $ 8M by Sotheby's on November 15, 2021, lot 16.
1985 RICHTER
1
1985 573-1 Schwefel
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 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 (Sulphur), oil on canvas 200 x 300 cm painted in 1985, was sold 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 by Sotheby's in 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 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 (Sulphur), oil on canvas 200 x 300 cm painted in 1985, was sold 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 by Sotheby's in 2015.
2
575-2 SD
2021 SOLD for £ 9.6M by Sotheby's
Three abstract paintings by Richter are listed by Sotheby's on October 14, 2021. In the catalogue raisonné of the artist, they belong to the sub-series 575 and 576 of 3 oils on canvas each. They were gathered by the consignor in 1986, one of them directly from the artist. The three of them offer spatial suggestions in bright colors applied with squeegee and brush. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The sub-series 575 is standardized at 200 x 200 cm.
575-2 is titled S.D. It was sold for £ 9.6M for a lower estimate of £ 7M, lot 16. The other titles are D.G. for 575-1 and Stuhl for 575-3. This unusual title possibly refers to the repartition of the colors that may suggest the edge of an oversized chair in the foreground right. Stuhl was sold for £ 2.15M by Sotheby's on June 21, 2007, lot 30.
The sub-series 575 is standardized at 200 x 200 cm.
575-2 is titled S.D. It was sold for £ 9.6M for a lower estimate of £ 7M, lot 16. The other titles are D.G. for 575-1 and Stuhl for 575-3. This unusual title possibly refers to the repartition of the colors that may suggest the edge of an oversized chair in the foreground right. Stuhl was sold for £ 2.15M by Sotheby's on June 21, 2007, lot 30.
