1987
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Richter Later Bacons Freud Early Freud Mitchell Dinosaur
See also : Richter Later Bacons Freud Early Freud Mitchell Dinosaur
1986-1987 Tryptich by Bacon
2022 SOLD for £ 38.5M by Christie's
Throughout his life, Francis Bacon never had an easy temperament. He tried to confront his inner self with the world without falling into a story telling. His preference to triptychs may be interpreted s a frustration of not being a movie maker.
One of his latest triptychs is made of three scenes without a relationship one another, excepted that the same pavement appears on both side elements and that the three actions emerge from a same deep black rectangular gate, certainly a reference to the nothingness.
This artwork is in the signature large format of the artist, composed of three panels 198 x 148 cm each, in oil, pastel, aerosol paint and dry transfer lettering on canvas. It is dated 1986-1987 and titled Tryptich, a mis-spelling that brings some timelessness and cannot be a blunder.
The central panel is personal. It features the head on John Edwards with the nude body and shadow of the late George Dyer.
The two side panels are referencing the drama of the political world from period press clippings of 1919 and 1940.
The left side is the figure of President Wilson leaving the Treaty of Versailles negotiations. The serious President who had just defined the fate of Europe has his dangling arms which call for the same disabled mood as Velazquez's pope.
The right side is a detail of the mess in Trotsky's working room in Mexico after his assassination, which prefigures the famous garbage in Bacon's studio. Possibly Trotsky's fate was for Bacon a reminiscence of the Oresteia.
This triptych was sold for £ 38.5M by Christie's on March 1, 2022, lot 38.
One of his latest triptychs is made of three scenes without a relationship one another, excepted that the same pavement appears on both side elements and that the three actions emerge from a same deep black rectangular gate, certainly a reference to the nothingness.
This artwork is in the signature large format of the artist, composed of three panels 198 x 148 cm each, in oil, pastel, aerosol paint and dry transfer lettering on canvas. It is dated 1986-1987 and titled Tryptich, a mis-spelling that brings some timelessness and cannot be a blunder.
The central panel is personal. It features the head on John Edwards with the nude body and shadow of the late George Dyer.
The two side panels are referencing the drama of the political world from period press clippings of 1919 and 1940.
The left side is the figure of President Wilson leaving the Treaty of Versailles negotiations. The serious President who had just defined the fate of Europe has his dangling arms which call for the same disabled mood as Velazquez's pope.
The right side is a detail of the mess in Trotsky's working room in Mexico after his assassination, which prefigures the famous garbage in Bacon's studio. Possibly Trotsky's fate was for Bacon a reminiscence of the Oresteia.
This triptych was sold for £ 38.5M by Christie's on March 1, 2022, lot 38.
1987 Tyrannosaur
2020 SOLD for $ 32M by Christie's
The successive discoveries of tyrannosaur fossil skeletons allow us to better understand the characteristics of this beast which lived at the end of the Cretaceous just before the final disaster of that era 66 million years ago. Stan is one of the specimens which provided the most elements to these analyzes.
We have to face the facts : the tyrannosaurus, a distant successor to the allosaurus, had characteristics much more efficient than humans, in terms of sight and smell, running speed, strength and appetite. I have no reliable data about its intelligence.
The deposits are mainly concentrated on the Hell Creek Formation, an island continent bordering Montana, the Dakotas and Wyoming. In the lifetime of the terrible lizards, it was a coastal plain filled with swamps, forests and estuaries. The sediments had been displaced by the slow rising of the Rocky Mountains down to a width of 100 m or more in which the discovery of fossils is virtually unlimited.
The distribution of the species was possibly wider, but the swamps of these Badlands originally limited the dispersal of the skeletons and provided good conditions for fossilization.
Hell Creek has been known since the beginning of the 20th century as a reservoir of tyrannosaurs. More than 50 specimens have been found.
It was an amateur prospector who discovered in 1987 the hip bones of a specimen that was given his own first name, Stan. An error in paleontological interpretation delayed the researches. The excavation required 30,000 hours of work between 1992 and 1995. This male tyrannosaurus, approximately 70% complete in mass, is one of the largest specimens, measuring 11.3 m between the muzzle and the tip of the tail.
Traces on the bones provide valuable informations on the life of prehistoric animals. Stan had lesions created by the teeth of other tyrannosaurs. His broken neck had been healed by fusion of two injured vertebrae. He ate an edmontosaurus and a triceratops just before his death. In our time he plays the stars with more than 60 complete casts for use in museums and exhibitions.
The fossil includes 188 original pieces, compared with the 350 bones of a complete animal. The skull is almost perfect. Missing elements are represented by casts. It was sold for $ 32M from a lower estimate of $ 6M by Christie's on October 6, 2020, lot 59. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Stan deserves a similar notoriety as Sue, the 12.3 m long male tyrannosaurus found by a lady named Sue in 1990, which was sold for $ 8.4M by Sotheby's in 1997.
We have to face the facts : the tyrannosaurus, a distant successor to the allosaurus, had characteristics much more efficient than humans, in terms of sight and smell, running speed, strength and appetite. I have no reliable data about its intelligence.
The deposits are mainly concentrated on the Hell Creek Formation, an island continent bordering Montana, the Dakotas and Wyoming. In the lifetime of the terrible lizards, it was a coastal plain filled with swamps, forests and estuaries. The sediments had been displaced by the slow rising of the Rocky Mountains down to a width of 100 m or more in which the discovery of fossils is virtually unlimited.
The distribution of the species was possibly wider, but the swamps of these Badlands originally limited the dispersal of the skeletons and provided good conditions for fossilization.
Hell Creek has been known since the beginning of the 20th century as a reservoir of tyrannosaurs. More than 50 specimens have been found.
It was an amateur prospector who discovered in 1987 the hip bones of a specimen that was given his own first name, Stan. An error in paleontological interpretation delayed the researches. The excavation required 30,000 hours of work between 1992 and 1995. This male tyrannosaurus, approximately 70% complete in mass, is one of the largest specimens, measuring 11.3 m between the muzzle and the tip of the tail.
Traces on the bones provide valuable informations on the life of prehistoric animals. Stan had lesions created by the teeth of other tyrannosaurs. His broken neck had been healed by fusion of two injured vertebrae. He ate an edmontosaurus and a triceratops just before his death. In our time he plays the stars with more than 60 complete casts for use in museums and exhibitions.
The fossil includes 188 original pieces, compared with the 350 bones of a complete animal. The skull is almost perfect. Missing elements are represented by casts. It was sold for $ 32M from a lower estimate of $ 6M by Christie's on October 6, 2020, lot 59. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Stan deserves a similar notoriety as Sue, the 12.3 m long male tyrannosaurus found by a lady named Sue in 1990, which was sold for $ 8.4M by Sotheby's in 1997.
#AuctionUpdate @ChristiesInc sets a #WorldAuctionRecord for a #TyrannosaurusRex named #STAN which sold for $31,847,500 #crushing the estimate of $6-8M. pic.twitter.com/0QM9iWMKjt
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) October 7, 2020
1987 RICHTER
1
1987 AB 625
2008 SOLD for $ 14.6M by Christie's
Painted in 1987, Abstraktes Bild 625 is a culmination of the skill of Gerhard Richter and a major element of his lifelong quest to redefine painting within the modern world.
It is monumental, 250 x 400 cm, in a variety of layering techniques that includes the squeegee and the brush to achieve a variety of width and textures. The result is an explosion of colors without any possible figurative interpretation. The random horizontal and vertical lines create an irregular rhythm.
Its execution is predetermined without a place for spontaneity. Richter used to work on several canvases in parallel, allowing long intervals of time for reaching the desired effect while removing the emotion.
625 was sold for $ 14.6M from a lower estimate of $ 7M by Christie's on May 13, 2008, lot 15.
It is monumental, 250 x 400 cm, in a variety of layering techniques that includes the squeegee and the brush to achieve a variety of width and textures. The result is an explosion of colors without any possible figurative interpretation. The random horizontal and vertical lines create an irregular rhythm.
Its execution is predetermined without a place for spontaneity. Richter used to work on several canvases in parallel, allowing long intervals of time for reaching the desired effect while removing the emotion.
625 was sold for $ 14.6M from a lower estimate of $ 7M by Christie's on May 13, 2008, lot 15.
2
633 Gudrun
2011 SOLD for $ 18M by Sotheby's
Gudrun, oil on canvas 250 x 250 cm painted by Richter in 1987, was sold for $ 18M from a lower estimate of $ 5.5M by Sotheby's on November 9, 2011, lot 34.
Its visual effect is explosive in a collision of red and black highlighted by traces of yellow, blue and and green. The title is a memory to Gudrun Ensslin, an activist of the anti-government Rote Armee Fraktion, found dead in prison with Andreas Baader in 1977.
In 1988 Richter executed a series of 15 paintings in his earlier blurred photo based style titled October 18, 1977 as a recognition of the fiery determination of the terrorists. This set is kept at the MoMA in New York. The diagonal intense red in Gudrun can be interpreted as the revolutionary red flag.
Its visual effect is explosive in a collision of red and black highlighted by traces of yellow, blue and and green. The title is a memory to Gudrun Ensslin, an activist of the anti-government Rote Armee Fraktion, found dead in prison with Andreas Baader in 1977.
In 1988 Richter executed a series of 15 paintings in his earlier blurred photo based style titled October 18, 1977 as a recognition of the fiery determination of the terrorists. This set is kept at the MoMA in New York. The diagonal intense red in Gudrun can be interpreted as the revolutionary red flag.
3
AB 636
2023 SOLD for $ 35M by Phillips
Gerhard Richter increasingly masters his technique from the moment he applies oil paint in translucent layers with a wide squeegee. The mixing between the wet layers provides a detailed and complete chromatic range. Large gestures with the rake generate vertical and oblique lines of tension. The skill of the artist leads him to create very large formats.
On November 14, 2018, Sotheby's sold for $ 32M Abstraktes Bild 636, diptych of total size 260 x 400 cm painted in 1987, lot 8. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. It was sold for $ 35M by Phillips on November 14, 2023, lot 34.
The image is dominated by irregular vertical lines in light shades. An ascending and descending oblique pattern ensures the texture. Partially masked by this pattern, an incandescent zone remains more visible at the bottom of the left side.
AB 636 is an abstract work without identification of a naturalistic inspiration. With the domination of verticals, it is however tempting to see the edge of a forest lit by the sun, after Cézanne or Shishkin.
On November 14, 2018, Sotheby's sold for $ 32M Abstraktes Bild 636, diptych of total size 260 x 400 cm painted in 1987, lot 8. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. It was sold for $ 35M by Phillips on November 14, 2023, lot 34.
The image is dominated by irregular vertical lines in light shades. An ascending and descending oblique pattern ensures the texture. Partially masked by this pattern, an incandescent zone remains more visible at the bottom of the left side.
AB 636 is an abstract work without identification of a naturalistic inspiration. With the domination of verticals, it is however tempting to see the edge of a forest lit by the sun, after Cézanne or Shishkin.
4
AB 648-3
2014 SOLD for $ 31.5M by Christie's
The Abstraktes Bild 648-3 is a magnificent synthesis of the application by Richter of his whole range of processing. It is part of a series of four, began together for being processed in parallel according to the intuitions of the artist.
The place for chance in Richter's abstractions may be debated at length. He controls throughout the lengthy process his goal for the final effect while the inner layers are gradually canceled. The chance brought by his gesture in each iteration is partly erased at the next intervention. The squeegee cancels the emotion of the punctuations brought by the brush.
648-3 displays brilliant colors on a medium-width canvas 225 x 200 cm. The application of the brush in wet on wet increases the range of colors. Despite tentative maritime or biomorphic interpretations, this work is certainly fully abstract.
This opus was sold for $ 31.5M from a lower estimate of $ 20M by Christie's on November 12, 2014, lot 37.
The place for chance in Richter's abstractions may be debated at length. He controls throughout the lengthy process his goal for the final effect while the inner layers are gradually canceled. The chance brought by his gesture in each iteration is partly erased at the next intervention. The squeegee cancels the emotion of the punctuations brought by the brush.
648-3 displays brilliant colors on a medium-width canvas 225 x 200 cm. The application of the brush in wet on wet increases the range of colors. Despite tentative maritime or biomorphic interpretations, this work is certainly fully abstract.
This opus was sold for $ 31.5M from a lower estimate of $ 20M by Christie's on November 12, 2014, lot 37.
5
AB 649-2
2020 SOLD for HK$ 215M by Sotheby's
For Gerhard Richter, the role of the artist is to create an image. It can be figurative or abstract : he strives to bring these two extremes together. It is not by chance that he titled Abstraktes Bild (AB) his very long series of abstract paintings.
In the early 1980s, he created multicolored abstractions by successively adding and removing layers of transparent colors on his canvases, preferably with shiny backgrounds. He developed the technical solution to meet this need in 1986 by using wide squeegees plus a finish with the brush.
Gaitonde did not give explanations on the creation of his own abstractions, but the rake has certainly also the main role. While the Zen artist reveals a variety from a monochrome, Richter achieves an intricate tangle of brilliant colors that connects him to Pollock and de Kooning.
Richter is skilled. He quickly acquires the mastery of his squeegees. In 1987 he no longer needs the brush. AB 649-2, oil on canvas 200 x 200 cm, was sold for HK $ 215M from a lower estimate of HK $ 120M by Sotheby's on October 6, 2020, lot 1118.
While preparing for an exhibition in London, Richter had fun creating abstractions based on the colors of Monet's Parliaments. His inspiration for AB 649-2 is not known, but this opus is included in the nomenclature after AB Brick Tower (643-1) and AB Tower (series 646 and 647) and before the other titles of London (series 652 and 653).
In the early 1980s, he created multicolored abstractions by successively adding and removing layers of transparent colors on his canvases, preferably with shiny backgrounds. He developed the technical solution to meet this need in 1986 by using wide squeegees plus a finish with the brush.
Gaitonde did not give explanations on the creation of his own abstractions, but the rake has certainly also the main role. While the Zen artist reveals a variety from a monochrome, Richter achieves an intricate tangle of brilliant colors that connects him to Pollock and de Kooning.
Richter is skilled. He quickly acquires the mastery of his squeegees. In 1987 he no longer needs the brush. AB 649-2, oil on canvas 200 x 200 cm, was sold for HK $ 215M from a lower estimate of HK $ 120M by Sotheby's on October 6, 2020, lot 1118.
While preparing for an exhibition in London, Richter had fun creating abstractions based on the colors of Monet's Parliaments. His inspiration for AB 649-2 is not known, but this opus is included in the nomenclature after AB Brick Tower (643-1) and AB Tower (series 646 and 647) and before the other titles of London (series 652 and 653).
6
AB 643-1 Brick Tower
2015 SOLD for £ 14.1M by Sotheby's
The development by Richter of his painting technique with the squeegee in 1986 opened a new era of his creativity, which ceased at that time to rely on an imitation of photography.
One of his first trials, opus 599, 300 x 250 cm, completed with the brush, offers a full chromatic range with a brightness that equals the best of Klimt. It was sold for £ 30.4M by Sotheby's on February 10, 2015.
The latest works by Monet were regarded as precursors to abstract art with color effects created by shaping a thick material. Richter knows that his own technique can bring the same result of a subtle blend of colors.
A.B. (Abstraktes Bild) 616, subtitled Courbet, 300 x 250 cm, also painted in 1986, is a fine example of this influence, with colors that can be compared to the rose gardens of Giverny. This abstract work was sold for $ 26.5M by Sotheby's on November 13, 2013.
In 1987-1988, Richter executes fourteen paintings for an exhibition in London. Subtitles evoke monuments. The style is abstract, but the balance of shapes and colors is inspired directly by the Parliament views painted by Monet in 1900.
The central figure of a tower is visible on A.B. 643-1, 200 x 140 cm, subtitled Brick Tower, painted in 1987. This oil on canvas was sold for £ 14.1M by Sotheby's on July 1, 2015, lot 17.
One of his first trials, opus 599, 300 x 250 cm, completed with the brush, offers a full chromatic range with a brightness that equals the best of Klimt. It was sold for £ 30.4M by Sotheby's on February 10, 2015.
The latest works by Monet were regarded as precursors to abstract art with color effects created by shaping a thick material. Richter knows that his own technique can bring the same result of a subtle blend of colors.
A.B. (Abstraktes Bild) 616, subtitled Courbet, 300 x 250 cm, also painted in 1986, is a fine example of this influence, with colors that can be compared to the rose gardens of Giverny. This abstract work was sold for $ 26.5M by Sotheby's on November 13, 2013.
In 1987-1988, Richter executes fourteen paintings for an exhibition in London. Subtitles evoke monuments. The style is abstract, but the balance of shapes and colors is inspired directly by the Parliament views painted by Monet in 1900.
The central figure of a tower is visible on A.B. 643-1, 200 x 140 cm, subtitled Brick Tower, painted in 1987. This oil on canvas was sold for £ 14.1M by Sotheby's on July 1, 2015, lot 17.
1986-1987 Girl with Closed Eyes by Freud
2022 SOLD for £ 15.2M by Christie's
Girl with closed eyes, oil on canvas 46 x 60 cm painted by Lucian Freud in 1986 and 1987, is the tender portrait of a serene girl with a quiet smile through her slightly parting lips. Its model is identified as Janey, a friend of the artist. It displays the details of the flesh in the thick impasto of a wide range of hues of the skin.
While the nude figure is here cropped below the breast, it may be seen in the following of the Naked portrait with reflection painted in 1980, sold for £ 11.8M by Christie's in 2008. In both examples the fully grown woman is reclined on her back in a relaxed attitude and viewed from above in a diagonal composition.
Girl with closed eyes was sold for £ 15.2M from a lower estimate of £ 10M by Christie's on March 1, 2022, lot 36.
While the nude figure is here cropped below the breast, it may be seen in the following of the Naked portrait with reflection painted in 1980, sold for £ 11.8M by Christie's in 2008. In both examples the fully grown woman is reclined on her back in a relaxed attitude and viewed from above in a diagonal composition.
Girl with closed eyes was sold for £ 15.2M from a lower estimate of £ 10M by Christie's on March 1, 2022, lot 36.
1987 Chord by Mitchell
2024 SOLD for $ 13M by Christie's
A lifelong music listener, the multi-sensorial Joan Mitchell was dazzled by Bach's cantatas. She was fascinated by the translation into a harmonious sound of the notes on a mere musical score. That brought her the idea of assembling a visual harmony by confronting the opposing pure colors on a canvas.
A sad event made her start the Chord series in 1987. In December 1986 she went to Lille with her long time dealer Xavier Fourcade to visit an exhibition of Matisse works from the Hermitage museum, including the epoch making La Danse and La Musique.
Fourcade had been diagnosed with AIDS. Chord is expressing her sorrow after he died on April 1987. She once said : "Painting is like music, it is beyond life and death". Painting indeed maintained her joie de vivre against darkness and rain.
Chord X, oil on canvas 260 x 200 cm, was sold for $ 13M from a lower estimate of $ 10M by Christie's on May 16, 2024, lot 19 B. Some drips add a motion to the well centered cloud of colors while apertures reveal the white background.
A sad event made her start the Chord series in 1987. In December 1986 she went to Lille with her long time dealer Xavier Fourcade to visit an exhibition of Matisse works from the Hermitage museum, including the epoch making La Danse and La Musique.
Fourcade had been diagnosed with AIDS. Chord is expressing her sorrow after he died on April 1987. She once said : "Painting is like music, it is beyond life and death". Painting indeed maintained her joie de vivre against darkness and rain.
Chord X, oil on canvas 260 x 200 cm, was sold for $ 13M from a lower estimate of $ 10M by Christie's on May 16, 2024, lot 19 B. Some drips add a motion to the well centered cloud of colors while apertures reveal the white background.
