1988
See also : Germany Richter Germany II Koons New Chinese painting Self portrait Self portrait II Cats
1988 Around the Blue
2014 SOLD 28.7 M$ including premium
In 1988, Gerhard Richter desires to control all the artistic potential of pure abstraction. His method is to rework tirelessly the layers of paint until the achievement pleases him. By such a subconscious creation, he is a follower of Pollock. Emotion and hand make art.
He adds two key features: the staging of all colors of the spectrum and the very large size. His progressive and patient technique also enables an exceptional vibration of the color dots.
On May 14 in New York, Sotheby's sells a monumental oil on canvas, 3 x 3 m. This opus 658 is entitled Blau. Blue is predominant only in a small area in the bottom right but its dynamism overrules the artwork. Blau is estimated $ 25M.
Two years later with his squeegee, Richter explores the creation of an illusion of reality, abolishing the differentiation between figuration and abstraction. as De Kooning had done.
I invite you to play the video shared by Sotheby's.
POST SALE COMMENT
Blau was sold for $ 28.7M including premium consistently with its lower estimate.
He adds two key features: the staging of all colors of the spectrum and the very large size. His progressive and patient technique also enables an exceptional vibration of the color dots.
On May 14 in New York, Sotheby's sells a monumental oil on canvas, 3 x 3 m. This opus 658 is entitled Blau. Blue is predominant only in a small area in the bottom right but its dynamism overrules the artwork. Blau is estimated $ 25M.
Two years later with his squeegee, Richter explores the creation of an illusion of reality, abolishing the differentiation between figuration and abstraction. as De Kooning had done.
I invite you to play the video shared by Sotheby's.
POST SALE COMMENT
Blau was sold for $ 28.7M including premium consistently with its lower estimate.
1988 The Challenging Message of Christopher Wool
2013 SOLD 26.5 M$ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
Early in his career, Christopher Wool spreads with a roller a unique pattern on the surface of his painting. It is probably already an attempt to approach writing but impossible to read, like a Twombly.
In 1988, Wool enters into the letter art in an original way that strongly deviates from the pseudo-advertising of Ruscha.
The contrast is maximum between the letters in dark black enamel and the clean white background obtained by layers of paint on a metal surface. The letters are made with stencil and strictly positioned as if they were locked in a grid.
Letters are in the order of the quote but the words are broken between subsequent lines and the intervals are often missing, reinforcing the message because its reading requires the attention of the observer.
The meaning itself is challenging. A painting 213 x 183 cm, entitled Apocalypse Now because the quote is from that film, is the seminal work of this new language. It reuses the message of no return written by an officer to his wife when he decides to go to the enemy.
It is also a point of no return in the history of art. Despite the minimalism in the form, Wool attracts and holds the attention of the observer fascinated by all the possible interpretations of the quote and by its use in art.
Apocalypse Now is estimated $ 15M, for sale by Christie's in New York tomorrow November 12.
POST SALE COMMENT
Introduced as the masterpiece of Christopher Wool, this painting was sold for $ 26.5 million including premium.
The low resolution image below is shared by Wikimedia for fair use :
Early in his career, Christopher Wool spreads with a roller a unique pattern on the surface of his painting. It is probably already an attempt to approach writing but impossible to read, like a Twombly.
In 1988, Wool enters into the letter art in an original way that strongly deviates from the pseudo-advertising of Ruscha.
The contrast is maximum between the letters in dark black enamel and the clean white background obtained by layers of paint on a metal surface. The letters are made with stencil and strictly positioned as if they were locked in a grid.
Letters are in the order of the quote but the words are broken between subsequent lines and the intervals are often missing, reinforcing the message because its reading requires the attention of the observer.
The meaning itself is challenging. A painting 213 x 183 cm, entitled Apocalypse Now because the quote is from that film, is the seminal work of this new language. It reuses the message of no return written by an officer to his wife when he decides to go to the enemy.
It is also a point of no return in the history of art. Despite the minimalism in the form, Wool attracts and holds the attention of the observer fascinated by all the possible interpretations of the quote and by its use in art.
Apocalypse Now is estimated $ 15M, for sale by Christie's in New York tomorrow November 12.
POST SALE COMMENT
Introduced as the masterpiece of Christopher Wool, this painting was sold for $ 26.5 million including premium.
The low resolution image below is shared by Wikimedia for fair use :
1988 Expressions from London
2016 SOLD for $ 22.7M including premium
Gerhard Richter's visit to London in 1987 was very important for establishing his European reputation. Back in his studio he prepares fourteen paintings that will be exhibited at the Anthony d'Offay Gallery in March and April 1988. D'Offay is a great helper to artistic creation : in 1986 it had been to this art dealer to be behind the ultimate great series by Warhol later known as the Self portrait Fright wig.
Richter's fourteen abstract paintings occupy the exhibition room like Monet had done with his water lilies in the project of Grandes Décorations. Richter painted them with brush and squeegee using the process developed by him in 1986, obtaining a high brightness by mingling impasto and fluid layers. They also show a new mottled texture that looks vibrant.
Richter has not abandoned his idea about the lack of meaning of art and more specifically of his own painting. The parallel consideration of his series of abstract expressionist "views" with the vision offered by Monet of colors and lights through the London fog is attractive but probably erroneous.
These homogeneous images are differentiated by a title that calls a monument or a location in London. Brick Tower is part of the Tower of London. AB 643-1 Brick Tower, oil on canvas 200 x 140 cm in vertical vision, was sold for £ 14.1 million including premium by Sotheby's on July 1, 2015.
AB 653-1 St James, oil on canvas 200 x 260 cm painted in panoramic format in 1988, is estimated $ 20M for sale by Sotheby's in New York on November 17, lot 6.
Richter's fourteen abstract paintings occupy the exhibition room like Monet had done with his water lilies in the project of Grandes Décorations. Richter painted them with brush and squeegee using the process developed by him in 1986, obtaining a high brightness by mingling impasto and fluid layers. They also show a new mottled texture that looks vibrant.
Richter has not abandoned his idea about the lack of meaning of art and more specifically of his own painting. The parallel consideration of his series of abstract expressionist "views" with the vision offered by Monet of colors and lights through the London fog is attractive but probably erroneous.
These homogeneous images are differentiated by a title that calls a monument or a location in London. Brick Tower is part of the Tower of London. AB 643-1 Brick Tower, oil on canvas 200 x 140 cm in vertical vision, was sold for £ 14.1 million including premium by Sotheby's on July 1, 2015.
AB 653-1 St James, oil on canvas 200 x 260 cm painted in panoramic format in 1988, is estimated $ 20M for sale by Sotheby's in New York on November 17, lot 6.
1988 Self Portrait of Kippenberger in Picasso Underpants
2014 SOLD for $ 22.6M including premium
Regarding painting, the time of Martin Kippenberger could have been a lost generation. He admires Picasso as the ultimate artist who summarizes the art of the twentieth century. He likes the photo made by Duncan in 1962 where Picasso is shirtless, wearing only white underpants.
In 1988, Kippenberger is activist, ambitious and worldly. Coming to Vienna for business, he unintentionally arrives in a grubby hotel because all the others are full. He stages himself in Picasso pants and looks in the mirror. He sees how much he is ugly.
Kippenberger's self-portraits in Picasso underwears display an unpleasant bearded man with a beer belly. He is 35 years old. This series not only shows the beginning of the inexorable physical decline of the artist, but it mostly questions the future of artistic expression in the classis form of painting.
On November 12 in New York, Christie's sells an oil on canvas 242 x 202 cm, lot 40 estimated 15M. In an arrogant attitude opposite to Picasso's, the man without legs is placed on a shelf as if he were a pottery.
Another painting of same size was sold for $ 18.6M including premium by Christie's on May 12, 2014. The man is seen through a buttocks-shaped keyhole. His attitude is so abject that he prefers hiding his head in a blue drop.
Another one, sold for $ 4.1M including premium by Sotheby's on May 12, 2009, had been discussed in this column. Showing the man bending as for vomiting, it is the most realistic of these three artworks.
In 1988, Kippenberger is activist, ambitious and worldly. Coming to Vienna for business, he unintentionally arrives in a grubby hotel because all the others are full. He stages himself in Picasso pants and looks in the mirror. He sees how much he is ugly.
Kippenberger's self-portraits in Picasso underwears display an unpleasant bearded man with a beer belly. He is 35 years old. This series not only shows the beginning of the inexorable physical decline of the artist, but it mostly questions the future of artistic expression in the classis form of painting.
On November 12 in New York, Christie's sells an oil on canvas 242 x 202 cm, lot 40 estimated 15M. In an arrogant attitude opposite to Picasso's, the man without legs is placed on a shelf as if he were a pottery.
Another painting of same size was sold for $ 18.6M including premium by Christie's on May 12, 2014. The man is seen through a buttocks-shaped keyhole. His attitude is so abject that he prefers hiding his head in a blue drop.
Another one, sold for $ 4.1M including premium by Sotheby's on May 12, 2009, had been discussed in this column. Showing the man bending as for vomiting, it is the most realistic of these three artworks.
1988 Pleading for a Modern Rhythm
2017 SOLD for $ 17M including premium
Abstract art is elitist in the sense that only a public already sensitized can understand the work. In 1987 Christopher Wool decorated his car with two giant words : SEX and LUV. This act is the trigger of a new form of Word art.
The previously abstract artist immediately seeks some words that will express the problems of the contemporary world with references to movies and to pop music. After a few drawings he selects his typography and layout, with big letters repeated like through stencils, in perfectly stacked lines like a painting by Agnes Martin.
His three major works painted in 1988 demonstrate that the letter is the main support of the message, preceding the word : Apocalypse Now is a complex sequence of letters with broken words at the end of the line and a few intervals removed. In later works Wool will also remove some vowels. Helter is a huge word divided into two lines and repeated once. Please spans the entire line but is repeated five times.
These themes evoke a shearing that moves the viewer. Apocalypse Now accompanies the departure of the furious hero leaving his wife behind. Helter skelter is a title by the Beatles. Please Please Please is a James Brown rhythm and blues song begging his girlfriend not to leave him.
Apocalypse Now, 213 x 183 cm, was sold for $ 26.5M including premium by Christie's on November 12, 2013 over a lower estimate of $ 15M. Untitled (Helter), 122 x 81 cm, was sold for $ 5.5M including premium by Christie's on November 15, 2016. Untitled (Please), 244 x 142 cm, is estimated $ 15M for sale by Christie's in New York on May 17, lot 24 B.
The previously abstract artist immediately seeks some words that will express the problems of the contemporary world with references to movies and to pop music. After a few drawings he selects his typography and layout, with big letters repeated like through stencils, in perfectly stacked lines like a painting by Agnes Martin.
His three major works painted in 1988 demonstrate that the letter is the main support of the message, preceding the word : Apocalypse Now is a complex sequence of letters with broken words at the end of the line and a few intervals removed. In later works Wool will also remove some vowels. Helter is a huge word divided into two lines and repeated once. Please spans the entire line but is repeated five times.
These themes evoke a shearing that moves the viewer. Apocalypse Now accompanies the departure of the furious hero leaving his wife behind. Helter skelter is a title by the Beatles. Please Please Please is a James Brown rhythm and blues song begging his girlfriend not to leave him.
Apocalypse Now, 213 x 183 cm, was sold for $ 26.5M including premium by Christie's on November 12, 2013 over a lower estimate of $ 15M. Untitled (Helter), 122 x 81 cm, was sold for $ 5.5M including premium by Christie's on November 15, 2016. Untitled (Please), 244 x 142 cm, is estimated $ 15M for sale by Christie's in New York on May 17, lot 24 B.
1988 The Artist's Proof of the Pink Panther
2011 SOLD for $ 16.9M including premium
2014 SOLD for $ 16M including premium
PRE 2014 SALE DISCUSSION
On May 10, 2011, Sotheby's sold for $ 16.9M including premium the artist's proof of the Pink Panther by Jeff Koons. This result went below the lower estimate of $ 20M which had been highly ambitious for a porcelain.
This piece is now listed in the evening sale of Christie's in New York on November 12 with an estimate range of $ 8M to 12M.
Here is my previous discussion :
Jeff Koons became famous in 1988 by projecting into art his idea of the kitsch. Precisely, the most complex and most famous of his works of these series comes for sale.
Upon such a prelude, the apologists of Koons understand that the theme of today is the Pink Panther. Look at it in the illustration of the press release shared by Artdaily (in 2011).
A young blonde woman is shown at mid-length, naked above the waist (but dressed below). She is closely pressing the pink panther on her breast. It is a porcelain group 1.04 meter high, life size, from an edition of three plus the artist proof coming in this sale.
This embracing couple is not Rodin's Kiss: it indeed has humor in addition. The contrast is striking between the ecstatic attitude of the pin-up blonde and the boring mood of the animal wondering if he really did well in superseding Teddy Bear for the outbursts of feelings of his partner.
Appropriation, banality, false naivete, humor in the style of Playboy magazine : all these features enable to qualify this sculpture as iconic.
I add a word to my French speaking friends who often believe that the Pink Panther is a female due to of an ambiguity in the French language. This character is a male in his adventures in comics and movies, and there is no homosexual message in this masterpiece of Koons.
On May 10, 2011, Sotheby's sold for $ 16.9M including premium the artist's proof of the Pink Panther by Jeff Koons. This result went below the lower estimate of $ 20M which had been highly ambitious for a porcelain.
This piece is now listed in the evening sale of Christie's in New York on November 12 with an estimate range of $ 8M to 12M.
Here is my previous discussion :
Jeff Koons became famous in 1988 by projecting into art his idea of the kitsch. Precisely, the most complex and most famous of his works of these series comes for sale.
Upon such a prelude, the apologists of Koons understand that the theme of today is the Pink Panther. Look at it in the illustration of the press release shared by Artdaily (in 2011).
A young blonde woman is shown at mid-length, naked above the waist (but dressed below). She is closely pressing the pink panther on her breast. It is a porcelain group 1.04 meter high, life size, from an edition of three plus the artist proof coming in this sale.
This embracing couple is not Rodin's Kiss: it indeed has humor in addition. The contrast is striking between the ecstatic attitude of the pin-up blonde and the boring mood of the animal wondering if he really did well in superseding Teddy Bear for the outbursts of feelings of his partner.
Appropriation, banality, false naivete, humor in the style of Playboy magazine : all these features enable to qualify this sculpture as iconic.
I add a word to my French speaking friends who often believe that the Pink Panther is a female due to of an ambiguity in the French language. This character is a male in his adventures in comics and movies, and there is no homosexual message in this masterpiece of Koons.
1988 Artist's Life in Hollywood
2018 SOLD for $ 12.7M including premium
Subjugated by Los Angeles, David Hockney had been living since 1979 in a luxurious house on Montcalm Avenue in the Hollywood Hills. Always ready to exhibit his private life, he painted in 1988 two views of his living room sunlit by a glass roof. Large Interior offers the perspective of a fish-eye photo while Montcalm Interior with Two Dogs recreates the natural perspective.
These two works are inspired directly from the Matisse interiors by the use of pure colors, the presence of large striated surfaces and the visibility on the outside surrounding through a veranda.
The geometric arrangement of the furniture is elegant, confirming that this comfortable home is inhabited normally. Two elements remind the personality of David Hockney. The back wall is covered with his own works to help maintaining his self-satisfaction. In the view with the dogs, the piano reduced to a flying carcass is rendered useless by the increasing deafness of the artist.
Montcalm Interior with Two Dogs, oil on canvas 183 x 152 cm, is estimated $ 9M for sale by Sotheby's in New York on November 14, lot 17. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
These two works are inspired directly from the Matisse interiors by the use of pure colors, the presence of large striated surfaces and the visibility on the outside surrounding through a veranda.
The geometric arrangement of the furniture is elegant, confirming that this comfortable home is inhabited normally. Two elements remind the personality of David Hockney. The back wall is covered with his own works to help maintaining his self-satisfaction. In the view with the dogs, the piano reduced to a flying carcass is rendered useless by the increasing deafness of the artist.
Montcalm Interior with Two Dogs, oil on canvas 183 x 152 cm, is estimated $ 9M for sale by Sotheby's in New York on November 14, lot 17. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
1988 The Promising Appearance of Zhang Xiaogang
2011 SOLD 79 MHK$ including premium
China has undergone great changes during the fifteen years that followed the death of Mao Zedong: political, demographic, economic, cultural.
In 1982, the population reached one billion people. Hua Guofeng implements the policy of one child, this confusing reform intended to control growth. The market economy promoted by Deng Xiaoping brought hope of expression freedom, and a new generation of artists appeared.
Among them, Zhang Xiaogang questioned China and the world. In 1988, he is 30 years old. His paintings Forever Lasting Love show humans, naked or half naked, front side, ostensibly facing toward the viewer. Of varied races, these characters symbolize an earthly paradise that irresistibly evokes Gauguin, and that appeals to a golden time from before the reforms.
On April 3 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells a triptych of unequal individual sizes (129 x 99, 123 x 97, 125 x 97 cm), estimated HK $ 25M. An oil on canvas, 129 x 99 cm, sold HK $ 12.6 million including premium by Christie's on May 27, 2007 appears to be strictly identical to the left side of the triptych.
After 1988, Zhang deliberately turns to his country. In 1992, his series Chapter of a New Century - Birth of the People's Republic of China shows a bright yellow naked baby beside an open book in front of a wall covered with family photos. One of these works was sold HK $ 52M including premium by Sotheby's on October 4, 2010.
The Bloodline series (Big Family or Comrades) for which the artist is best known now is the logical continuation of this approach. The reference to family pictures is a pretext to show groups of individuals undifferentiated in the vastness of the population.
I recommend reading the article by ARTINFO, where the triptych is shown, and which analyzes the reasons why this work from the Ullens collection is now on the market.
POST SALE COMMENT
Let's start by reading the catalog, which was not available when I prepared my article.
Each element of the triptych is announced at 125 x 98 cm. The left side made much more than "looking like" the lot sold at Christie's in 2007: indeed it is the same piece! The three elements have been united again thanks to that sale!
This triptych has an iconic value, reflecting the beginnings of a young Chinese artist who is one the most valued on the market. It was sold HK $ 79 million including premium.
In 1982, the population reached one billion people. Hua Guofeng implements the policy of one child, this confusing reform intended to control growth. The market economy promoted by Deng Xiaoping brought hope of expression freedom, and a new generation of artists appeared.
Among them, Zhang Xiaogang questioned China and the world. In 1988, he is 30 years old. His paintings Forever Lasting Love show humans, naked or half naked, front side, ostensibly facing toward the viewer. Of varied races, these characters symbolize an earthly paradise that irresistibly evokes Gauguin, and that appeals to a golden time from before the reforms.
On April 3 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells a triptych of unequal individual sizes (129 x 99, 123 x 97, 125 x 97 cm), estimated HK $ 25M. An oil on canvas, 129 x 99 cm, sold HK $ 12.6 million including premium by Christie's on May 27, 2007 appears to be strictly identical to the left side of the triptych.
After 1988, Zhang deliberately turns to his country. In 1992, his series Chapter of a New Century - Birth of the People's Republic of China shows a bright yellow naked baby beside an open book in front of a wall covered with family photos. One of these works was sold HK $ 52M including premium by Sotheby's on October 4, 2010.
The Bloodline series (Big Family or Comrades) for which the artist is best known now is the logical continuation of this approach. The reference to family pictures is a pretext to show groups of individuals undifferentiated in the vastness of the population.
I recommend reading the article by ARTINFO, where the triptych is shown, and which analyzes the reasons why this work from the Ullens collection is now on the market.
POST SALE COMMENT
Let's start by reading the catalog, which was not available when I prepared my article.
Each element of the triptych is announced at 125 x 98 cm. The left side made much more than "looking like" the lot sold at Christie's in 2007: indeed it is the same piece! The three elements have been united again thanks to that sale!
This triptych has an iconic value, reflecting the beginnings of a young Chinese artist who is one the most valued on the market. It was sold HK $ 79 million including premium.
1988 Self Portrait of Kippenberger as Silenus
2009 SOLD 4.1 M$ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
Martin Kippenberger is the discovery of this year regarding the summit of the art market. In February, I discussed in this group the "Portrait of Paul Schreber", sold 430 K £ including fees at Phillips de Pury.
And now the surprise of the catalog of Sotheby's in New York for May 12: A self-portrait of 2.40 x 2 m, estimated $ 3.5 million.
At auction, no work of Kippenberger has ever attained this price, but no similar work has yet been proposed. In 1988, aged 35, he looks more than 50. He is wearing a loose underwear white pants, which makes the transition between his big belly full of beer and his trembling legs. Leaning forward, with his dark and bearded face, he may be about to vomit.
The artist expresses the disgust of his own body, much more direct than in the portrait of Schreber, a work that was too intellectual. If the pain of living is a characteristic of contemporary art, Martin Kippenberger was a champion.
POST SALE COMMENT
Masterpiece was announced, masterpiece is confirmed. The result, $ 4.1 million including premium, will grow in a sustainable manner Kippenberger among the featured artists of the major sales of contemporary art.
Martin Kippenberger is the discovery of this year regarding the summit of the art market. In February, I discussed in this group the "Portrait of Paul Schreber", sold 430 K £ including fees at Phillips de Pury.
And now the surprise of the catalog of Sotheby's in New York for May 12: A self-portrait of 2.40 x 2 m, estimated $ 3.5 million.
At auction, no work of Kippenberger has ever attained this price, but no similar work has yet been proposed. In 1988, aged 35, he looks more than 50. He is wearing a loose underwear white pants, which makes the transition between his big belly full of beer and his trembling legs. Leaning forward, with his dark and bearded face, he may be about to vomit.
The artist expresses the disgust of his own body, much more direct than in the portrait of Schreber, a work that was too intellectual. If the pain of living is a characteristic of contemporary art, Martin Kippenberger was a champion.
POST SALE COMMENT
Masterpiece was announced, masterpiece is confirmed. The result, $ 4.1 million including premium, will grow in a sustainable manner Kippenberger among the featured artists of the major sales of contemporary art.
1988 Jeff Koons, Apostle of Banality
2011 SOLD 3 M£ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
In 1988, a new artist arrives in the trendy galleries : Jeff Koons. His secret ? Reconciling the extremes : art and kitsch.
He is not the first to show humanized animals in puerile and grotesque attitudes. Those who missed their effect have produced shoddy work or garden gnomes. Those who have used this stratagem for more subtle purposes could have a dazzling success, as the talking animals of La Fontaine or the mice of Disney films.
Koons appropriates the Banality, and also gives that generic title to his 1988 theme. He produces a whole pantheon of works in polychromed wood, large size, usually in multiple copies, often perched on a high base.
Taken individually, each piece is an appalling idiocy. Taken together, they form a universe that openly questions the relationship between the elitism of art and the banality of everyday life. Through this approach, the Koons of 1988 is already a great artist, successor to the Pop Art and forerunner of Murakami.
Each work has got a precise place in this mythology. Thus the Winter Bears are Adam and Eve, the symbol of primordial ancestors. The couple of bears is dressed like the mountaineers in the Alps. Smiling and friendly, they join their hands by holding a small heart.
Winter Bears was produced in four copies including one artist's proof. The latter is for sale by Christie's in London on February 16. This sculpture 1.22 m high is estimated £ 2.5 M.
POST SALE COMMENT
Too kitschy to be great art, this group comes however just short of the £ 3M including premium.
In 1988, a new artist arrives in the trendy galleries : Jeff Koons. His secret ? Reconciling the extremes : art and kitsch.
He is not the first to show humanized animals in puerile and grotesque attitudes. Those who missed their effect have produced shoddy work or garden gnomes. Those who have used this stratagem for more subtle purposes could have a dazzling success, as the talking animals of La Fontaine or the mice of Disney films.
Koons appropriates the Banality, and also gives that generic title to his 1988 theme. He produces a whole pantheon of works in polychromed wood, large size, usually in multiple copies, often perched on a high base.
Taken individually, each piece is an appalling idiocy. Taken together, they form a universe that openly questions the relationship between the elitism of art and the banality of everyday life. Through this approach, the Koons of 1988 is already a great artist, successor to the Pop Art and forerunner of Murakami.
Each work has got a precise place in this mythology. Thus the Winter Bears are Adam and Eve, the symbol of primordial ancestors. The couple of bears is dressed like the mountaineers in the Alps. Smiling and friendly, they join their hands by holding a small heart.
Winter Bears was produced in four copies including one artist's proof. The latter is for sale by Christie's in London on February 16. This sculpture 1.22 m high is estimated £ 2.5 M.
POST SALE COMMENT
Too kitschy to be great art, this group comes however just short of the £ 3M including premium.
