2001
See also : Current art by women New Chinese painting Italian sculpture Freud Martin Lalanne Modern tables Cars II Supercars British cars McLaren
2001 The Traitor with the Yellow Tie
2013 SOLD 180 MHK$ including premium
The mask in the series of paintings by Zeng Fanzhi is used to express what is artificial in the integration of young Chinese into globalization.
The mask is worn by a single character or by all characters in a group. In the latter case, the political message of the artist becomes stronger and more readable.
On 24 May 2008, Christie's sold HK $ 75M including premium Mask Series 1996 No. 6, oil on canvas 200 x 360 cm. Eight Chinese are aligned and facing the viewer as happy members of a winning sports team. The smile is an effect brought by the mask, but the red scarf recalls the harsh realities of their social condition.
On October 5 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells The Last Supper. This oil on canvas was painted in 2001 in large format, 220 x 400 cm. This is in some way the political and artistic culmination of the entire Mask series, and the auction house expects more than HK $ 80M. The artwork comes from the Ullens collection. It is illustrated on the release shared by ArtDaily.
It is a remake of Leonardo's Last Supper. Behind the masks, the thirteen characters are young Chinese, still recognizable by their red scarves. The traitor has no scarf but a golden tie. He has already decided to imitate the West and sell himself to capitalists.
The next step could be a question: who is right between the twelve traditionalists and the traitor, regarding the development of contemporary Chinese civilization?
POST SALE COMMENT
Introduced as the culmination of the first part of Zeng's career, this painting was sold for HK $ 180M including premium.
I invite you to play the video shared by Sotheby's.
The mask is worn by a single character or by all characters in a group. In the latter case, the political message of the artist becomes stronger and more readable.
On 24 May 2008, Christie's sold HK $ 75M including premium Mask Series 1996 No. 6, oil on canvas 200 x 360 cm. Eight Chinese are aligned and facing the viewer as happy members of a winning sports team. The smile is an effect brought by the mask, but the red scarf recalls the harsh realities of their social condition.
On October 5 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells The Last Supper. This oil on canvas was painted in 2001 in large format, 220 x 400 cm. This is in some way the political and artistic culmination of the entire Mask series, and the auction house expects more than HK $ 80M. The artwork comes from the Ullens collection. It is illustrated on the release shared by ArtDaily.
It is a remake of Leonardo's Last Supper. Behind the masks, the thirteen characters are young Chinese, still recognizable by their red scarves. The traitor has no scarf but a golden tie. He has already decided to imitate the West and sell himself to capitalists.
The next step could be a question: who is right between the twelve traditionalists and the traitor, regarding the development of contemporary Chinese civilization?
POST SALE COMMENT
Introduced as the culmination of the first part of Zeng's career, this painting was sold for HK $ 180M including premium.
I invite you to play the video shared by Sotheby's.
1994-2001 The F1 Special
2019 SOLD for $ 20M including premium
Created in 1989, McLaren Cars manages to realize an old dream of Bruce McLaren : a road car that combines all the imaginable qualities. The first model of the brand is the F1. Speed, acceleration, comfort, security : it reaches its most ambitious goals. It does not matter that the arrangement of the three seats is incompatible with a road homologation in the United States.
Competition versions are added to the basic road version. In its first year in 1995, the F1 GTR dominates the 24 hours of Le Mans : the 5 cars are ranked first, third, fourth, fifth and thirteenth.
McLaren commemorates this overwhelming success in the same year with a new variant made in five units, the F1 LM. The engine of the GTR is reused but without the power restrictions required for the competitions. Aerodynamics are modified to maintain the stability, including the installation of a rear wing and the modification of the nose. Without exceeding the top speed of the GTR, the LM has a sensational acceleration, reaching 160 km/h in less than 6 seconds.
To keep cars in perfect condition and please the customers, McLaren creates a division in charge of service and of bespoke customization, which will much later become McLaren Special Operations.
In 1998 the penultimate road car was specially followed in production. When it is finished, the customer leaves it at the factory for having it upgraded to the LM specification. It was sold for $ 13.8M including premium by RM Sotheby's on August 13, 2015.
The second owner of an F1 made in 1994 requires a similar modification. Transformed in two rounds in 2000 and 2001, this second and last F1 upgraded to F1 LM specification benefits from the latest developments and can be considered as the ultimate achievement of the best model of its time. It is estimated $ 21M for sale by RM Sotheby's in Monterey on August 16, lot 261.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Competition versions are added to the basic road version. In its first year in 1995, the F1 GTR dominates the 24 hours of Le Mans : the 5 cars are ranked first, third, fourth, fifth and thirteenth.
McLaren commemorates this overwhelming success in the same year with a new variant made in five units, the F1 LM. The engine of the GTR is reused but without the power restrictions required for the competitions. Aerodynamics are modified to maintain the stability, including the installation of a rear wing and the modification of the nose. Without exceeding the top speed of the GTR, the LM has a sensational acceleration, reaching 160 km/h in less than 6 seconds.
To keep cars in perfect condition and please the customers, McLaren creates a division in charge of service and of bespoke customization, which will much later become McLaren Special Operations.
In 1998 the penultimate road car was specially followed in production. When it is finished, the customer leaves it at the factory for having it upgraded to the LM specification. It was sold for $ 13.8M including premium by RM Sotheby's on August 13, 2015.
The second owner of an F1 made in 1994 requires a similar modification. Transformed in two rounds in 2000 and 2001, this second and last F1 upgraded to F1 LM specification benefits from the latest developments and can be considered as the ultimate achievement of the best model of its time. It is estimated $ 21M for sale by RM Sotheby's in Monterey on August 16, lot 261.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
2001 Him by Cattelan
2016 SOLD for $ 17.2M including premium
Maurizio Cattelan has no lack of humor when he shows his statuettes in unlikely situations. The public enjoys his child-sized self-portraits. He is also a social activist, fervently denouncing the hypocrisies.
His mockery of Catholicism comes in the following of the crucified frogs of Kippenberger. In 1999, he exhibited a life-size figure of Pope John Paul II crushed by a meteorite. The title, La Nona Ora, is a direct reference to the theology of Christ's death.
His most provocative work is Him, edited in 2001 in three units plus an artist's proof in wax, human hair, suit, polyester and pigments.
The kneeling character in a position of prayer has the size of a child but wears the gray suit of an adult in the outdated fashion of the 1930s. It is displayed for being at first viewed from behind. When reaching the front side, we recognize the figure of Hitler with his signature forelock and mustache. The viewer who had been tempted to laugh is now caught with the memory of the horrors of Nazism, which remains for many a taboo subject despite so many years.
The statements made by Cattelan unambiguously confirm that Him is an alert and not an apology. The attitude of this small Hitler looking like a penitent of Canossa does not eliminate the danger of racism and totalitarianism. For 15 years, Him has been widely viewed and discussed. The success of an exhibition in 2013 in the former Warsaw ghetto further indicates that this work must be perceived as a poignant request for peace.
The artist's proof is estimated $ 10M, for sale by Christie's in New York on May 8, lot 39 A. The essay of the catalog is significantly signed by a rabbi. The video shared by Christie's follows the correct way to show the work to reveal only at the ultimate moment the unsustainable and yet terribly current message.
His mockery of Catholicism comes in the following of the crucified frogs of Kippenberger. In 1999, he exhibited a life-size figure of Pope John Paul II crushed by a meteorite. The title, La Nona Ora, is a direct reference to the theology of Christ's death.
His most provocative work is Him, edited in 2001 in three units plus an artist's proof in wax, human hair, suit, polyester and pigments.
The kneeling character in a position of prayer has the size of a child but wears the gray suit of an adult in the outdated fashion of the 1930s. It is displayed for being at first viewed from behind. When reaching the front side, we recognize the figure of Hitler with his signature forelock and mustache. The viewer who had been tempted to laugh is now caught with the memory of the horrors of Nazism, which remains for many a taboo subject despite so many years.
The statements made by Cattelan unambiguously confirm that Him is an alert and not an apology. The attitude of this small Hitler looking like a penitent of Canossa does not eliminate the danger of racism and totalitarianism. For 15 years, Him has been widely viewed and discussed. The success of an exhibition in 2013 in the former Warsaw ghetto further indicates that this work must be perceived as a poignant request for peace.
The artist's proof is estimated $ 10M, for sale by Christie's in New York on May 8, lot 39 A. The essay of the catalog is significantly signed by a rabbi. The video shared by Christie's follows the correct way to show the work to reveal only at the ultimate moment the unsustainable and yet terribly current message.
2001 A Friend of Big Sue
2014 SOLD for $ 17M including premium
In 1995, Lucian Freud painted the image of the big Sue. The oil on canvas 151 x 219 cm entitled Benefits Supervisor sleeping was sold for $ 33,6M including premium at Christie's on May 13, 2008.
Sue is a lifesize nude on a Freudian couch. The artist is not a psychiatrist. He does not need to communicate with the model, and it does not disturb him when the woman is sleeping peacefully. His sessions are endless. Freud wants to explore all the details of the flesh considered as an animal border.
It should not be so rude to show off one's nudity for Freud: a friend of Sue named Julie gets in turn such a favor. She also falls asleep during a sitting.
On November 12 in New York, Christie's sells an oil on canvas 122 x 152 cm painted in 2001 and titled Julie and Martin, lot 51 estimated $ 15M.
The old artist is not jealous of the young naked woman who is sleeping confidently with her head resting on a hip of her lover Martin. The fully dressed man is softly caressing the breast of the woman.
As for Sue, the flesh dominates over any aesthetics that does not concern Freud. With their serene and innocent presence, these two characters provide an intimate portrait of a modern couple.
Sue is a lifesize nude on a Freudian couch. The artist is not a psychiatrist. He does not need to communicate with the model, and it does not disturb him when the woman is sleeping peacefully. His sessions are endless. Freud wants to explore all the details of the flesh considered as an animal border.
It should not be so rude to show off one's nudity for Freud: a friend of Sue named Julie gets in turn such a favor. She also falls asleep during a sitting.
On November 12 in New York, Christie's sells an oil on canvas 122 x 152 cm painted in 2001 and titled Julie and Martin, lot 51 estimated $ 15M.
The old artist is not jealous of the young naked woman who is sleeping confidently with her head resting on a hip of her lover Martin. The fully dressed man is softly caressing the breast of the woman.
As for Sue, the flesh dominates over any aesthetics that does not concern Freud. With their serene and innocent presence, these two characters provide an intimate portrait of a modern couple.
2001 Early Morning Happiness by Martin
2022 SOLD for $ 9.9M by Sotheby's
Agnes Martin never got rid of her creative meditation. In her old age, she manages to reach the deep meaning of nature and light through the merging of rich pale colors, without taking any care to the lines of a landscape. Her personal approach to Zen had for long cancelled the objects.
An acrylic on canvas 152 x 152 cm painted in 2001, joyfully titled Early Morning Happiness, was sold for $ 9.9M from a lower estimate of $ 2.5M by Sotheby's on May 16, 2022, lot 3. The use of a title describing her emotion is a rare come back to her early practice.
This opus is made of parallel horizontal bands alternating the pale yellow and clear blue of sand and sky in the New Mexico desert at dawn, painted on a luminescent white gesso ground. The supporting graphite lines are voluntarily imperfect.
Aged 89 at that time, she is a rare example of an artist who had been able to make the very long journey from mental disorder to a joyfully shared contemplative serenity. In her own words, happiness is the goal. The musical example is Beethoven.
An Untitled painted in 2003 in same technique and size in yellow, blue and rocky red was sold for $ 4.7M by Christie's on November 15, 2017, lot 14 B.
An acrylic on canvas 152 x 152 cm painted in 2001, joyfully titled Early Morning Happiness, was sold for $ 9.9M from a lower estimate of $ 2.5M by Sotheby's on May 16, 2022, lot 3. The use of a title describing her emotion is a rare come back to her early practice.
This opus is made of parallel horizontal bands alternating the pale yellow and clear blue of sand and sky in the New Mexico desert at dawn, painted on a luminescent white gesso ground. The supporting graphite lines are voluntarily imperfect.
Aged 89 at that time, she is a rare example of an artist who had been able to make the very long journey from mental disorder to a joyfully shared contemplative serenity. In her own words, happiness is the goal. The musical example is Beethoven.
An Untitled painted in 2003 in same technique and size in yellow, blue and rocky red was sold for $ 4.7M by Christie's on November 15, 2017, lot 14 B.
1999-2001 Elements (Hydra) by Brice Marden
2015 SOLD for $ 9.2M including premium by Phillips
Link to catalogue.
2001 Untitled (emerging from the floor) by Cattelan
2010 SOLD for $ 7.9M by Sotheby's
Maurizio Cattelan enjoys the self-portraits in funny or weird attitudes.
An Untitled made in 2001 in an edition of three plus one artist's proof is a near life size burglar coming out of his tunnel whose head pops up at floor level. This piece 150 cm high overall in painted wax, hair and fabric necessitates a hole 60 x 40 cm for being displayed.
Sotheby's bravely managed such a hole in their New York exhibition room before selling the Nr 3/3 on May 12, 2010, lot 41. It fetched $ 7.9M from a lower estimate of $ 3M.
An Untitled made in 2001 in an edition of three plus one artist's proof is a near life size burglar coming out of his tunnel whose head pops up at floor level. This piece 150 cm high overall in painted wax, hair and fabric necessitates a hole 60 x 40 cm for being displayed.
Sotheby's bravely managed such a hole in their New York exhibition room before selling the Nr 3/3 on May 12, 2010, lot 41. It fetched $ 7.9M from a lower estimate of $ 3M.
2001 A Formula 1 Odyssey
2017 SOLD for $ 7.5M including premium
After being Formula 1 world champion with Benetton in 1994 and 1995, Michael Schumacher became Ferrari's star driver in 1996. At that time Ferrari entered a new model every year in the Grand Prix. In 2001 it was the F2001 characterized by a spectacular low nose.
An F2001 driven twice to victory by Schumacher will be sold by Sotheby's in New York on November 16, lot 55.
On May 27, 2001 it won the Monaco Grand Prix, giving Schumacher his fifth and last victory in this highly difficult competition but not reaching Ayrton Senna's record.
His victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix on August 19 is even more important. While there are still four Grand Prix to finish the season, it ensures Schumacher his fourth title of Drivers' world champion and to Ferrari their eleventh title of Constructors' world champion. With this 51st victory Schumacher equaled the record of victories in Formula 1 Grand Prix held by Alain Prost since 1993.
Formula 1 cars do not reach similar high prices at auction as the endurance racing winning cars. A Ferrari F300 driven by Schumacher in 1998 fetched $ 1.87M including premium in January 2014 at Barrett-Jackson which is a great result in this category.
Sotheby's assisted by RM Sotheby's decided to enter the F2001 in the post-war and contemporary art evening auction with an estimate of $ 4M, which could revive the interest of collectors for this prestigious class of vehicles. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
An F2001 driven twice to victory by Schumacher will be sold by Sotheby's in New York on November 16, lot 55.
On May 27, 2001 it won the Monaco Grand Prix, giving Schumacher his fifth and last victory in this highly difficult competition but not reaching Ayrton Senna's record.
His victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix on August 19 is even more important. While there are still four Grand Prix to finish the season, it ensures Schumacher his fourth title of Drivers' world champion and to Ferrari their eleventh title of Constructors' world champion. With this 51st victory Schumacher equaled the record of victories in Formula 1 Grand Prix held by Alain Prost since 1993.
Formula 1 cars do not reach similar high prices at auction as the endurance racing winning cars. A Ferrari F300 driven by Schumacher in 1998 fetched $ 1.87M including premium in January 2014 at Barrett-Jackson which is a great result in this category.
Sotheby's assisted by RM Sotheby's decided to enter the F2001 in the post-war and contemporary art evening auction with an estimate of $ 4M, which could revive the interest of collectors for this prestigious class of vehicles. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
2001 Troupeau d'Eléphants dans les Arbres by Lalanne
2021 SOLD for $ 6.6M by Christie's
Troupeau d'éléphants dans les arbres is a playful installation made in 2001 by François-Xavier Lalanne, mingling furniture and animal art. An example was sold for $ 6.6M from a lower estimate of $ 1M by Christie's on June 10, 2021, lot 17. It had been commissioned by Sydell Miller and was a highlight of her 'La Rêverie' Palm Beach home. Four others were made for other customers.
The octagonal table in gilt bronze and glass is 81 cm high and 160 cm in diameter. Its four legs are trees. The branches without leaves support the top. The seven elephants of various sizes in gilt bronze are standing each alone on various attitudes. They may be positioned under or on the table, like toys. The biggest is 52 cm high.
Interestingly this composition associates the signature animal models of François-Xavier with the vegetal world of Claude.
The octagonal table in gilt bronze and glass is 81 cm high and 160 cm in diameter. Its four legs are trees. The branches without leaves support the top. The seven elephants of various sizes in gilt bronze are standing each alone on various attitudes. They may be positioned under or on the table, like toys. The biggest is 52 cm high.
Interestingly this composition associates the signature animal models of François-Xavier with the vegetal world of Claude.
2001-2002 Smoke by Liu Ye
2019 SOLD for HK$ 52M by Sotheby's
The dream world of Liu Ye is one of the most original and most engaging in contemporary painting. His small girl, always wise and serious, is never surprised by an environment that alternately mixes legends, fairies, toys and comic heroes along with Liu's preferred art by Mondrian and Klein.
In 2000, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon directed by Ang Lee is a blockbuster movie targeting an international audience.. The history of the magic sword in Qing China provides the public with the legendary dimension that it has always loved from the Wizard of Oz to Harry Potter, not to forget the Lord of the Rings.
In 2001-2002 Liu Ye paints a trilogy transposing in a western atmosphere his nice little Chinese schoolgirls who naively express their relationship to world and art.
The three paintings are in acrylic and oil on canvas of panoramic format around 180 x 360 cm. The stylized landscape is dominated by a sunset sky with several shades of bright orange. Each opus features a basic element of American western films : Gun, Smoke, Sword.
On Gun, the little girl is in a lookout position with a rifle in her hand. From her rock in the lower right corner of the image, she controls the immensity.
On Smoke, she is standing full front. In the orange sky behind her, a halo may have been created by the smoke of the tiny cigarette held in her hand. Smoke was sold for HK $ 52M by Sotheby's on October 6, 2019, lot 1108.
Sword is the epilogue, with much wit. In a highly symmetrical composition, the little girl and her twin face one another, each one straight holding a sword. Their courage and determination are made artificial by the distance that separates them. We do not know why they came into this surreal world, but it is not to fight or to play. It was sold for HK $ 43M by Sotheby's on October 5, 2013.
In 2000, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon directed by Ang Lee is a blockbuster movie targeting an international audience.. The history of the magic sword in Qing China provides the public with the legendary dimension that it has always loved from the Wizard of Oz to Harry Potter, not to forget the Lord of the Rings.
In 2001-2002 Liu Ye paints a trilogy transposing in a western atmosphere his nice little Chinese schoolgirls who naively express their relationship to world and art.
The three paintings are in acrylic and oil on canvas of panoramic format around 180 x 360 cm. The stylized landscape is dominated by a sunset sky with several shades of bright orange. Each opus features a basic element of American western films : Gun, Smoke, Sword.
On Gun, the little girl is in a lookout position with a rifle in her hand. From her rock in the lower right corner of the image, she controls the immensity.
On Smoke, she is standing full front. In the orange sky behind her, a halo may have been created by the smoke of the tiny cigarette held in her hand. Smoke was sold for HK $ 52M by Sotheby's on October 6, 2019, lot 1108.
Sword is the epilogue, with much wit. In a highly symmetrical composition, the little girl and her twin face one another, each one straight holding a sword. Their courage and determination are made artificial by the distance that separates them. We do not know why they came into this surreal world, but it is not to fight or to play. It was sold for HK $ 43M by Sotheby's on October 5, 2013.
2001 The Transcendental Pillar of Eduardo Chillida
2013 SOLD 4.1 M£ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
Eduardo Chillida endeavoured to express in his sculpture the transcendental foundation of the world around us. He was admired by Bachelard and knew to dialogue with Heidegger.
The place is a concept in its own right and not just an empty space where you disposition or stack objects. His studiesaim to integrate his sculptures as elements of a timeless landscape or as predominant elements of a park or a city. The Peine del Viento, an installation that defies winds on the rocks of San Sebastian since 1977, is a spectacular example.
Buscando la Luz I (searching for light) is a dialogue between three tall flared pillars. Executed in 1997, this monumental work is preserved in the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich.
On June 25 in London, Christie's sells Buscando la Luz IV. This time, the flared totem is alone, making it still more majestic that conquest of the sky dreamed by all human tribes. This work 8 m high is in corten steel, an alloy selected by many outdoor sculptors for its weather resistance.
Chillida would have liked to be an architect. Buscando la Luz IV, made in 2001, expresses his vision of a sculpture that is not limited to its own material since the impression received by the viewer cannot ignore the void that surrounds it.This is one of his last masterpieces.
Artist of the void, Chillida did not forget humanity. His latest project, still unrealized, was to dig a mountain in the Canary islands to create a cubic artificial cave 40 meters in each side. This completely empty space would initiate visitors to the magnificent transcendence of the world. The title of this project, Monument to Tolerance, is the posthumous key to the philosophy of Chillida.
I invite you to watch the video shared by Christie's.
POST SALE COMMENT
Rightly presented as a masterpiece of Chillida, this monumental sculpture was sold for £ 4.1 million including premium.
Eduardo Chillida endeavoured to express in his sculpture the transcendental foundation of the world around us. He was admired by Bachelard and knew to dialogue with Heidegger.
The place is a concept in its own right and not just an empty space where you disposition or stack objects. His studiesaim to integrate his sculptures as elements of a timeless landscape or as predominant elements of a park or a city. The Peine del Viento, an installation that defies winds on the rocks of San Sebastian since 1977, is a spectacular example.
Buscando la Luz I (searching for light) is a dialogue between three tall flared pillars. Executed in 1997, this monumental work is preserved in the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich.
On June 25 in London, Christie's sells Buscando la Luz IV. This time, the flared totem is alone, making it still more majestic that conquest of the sky dreamed by all human tribes. This work 8 m high is in corten steel, an alloy selected by many outdoor sculptors for its weather resistance.
Chillida would have liked to be an architect. Buscando la Luz IV, made in 2001, expresses his vision of a sculpture that is not limited to its own material since the impression received by the viewer cannot ignore the void that surrounds it.This is one of his last masterpieces.
Artist of the void, Chillida did not forget humanity. His latest project, still unrealized, was to dig a mountain in the Canary islands to create a cubic artificial cave 40 meters in each side. This completely empty space would initiate visitors to the magnificent transcendence of the world. The title of this project, Monument to Tolerance, is the posthumous key to the philosophy of Chillida.
I invite you to watch the video shared by Christie's.
POST SALE COMMENT
Rightly presented as a masterpiece of Chillida, this monumental sculpture was sold for £ 4.1 million including premium.
