Current Art
2011 Spinach in Art
2014 SOLD 28 M$ including premium
The series of the Celebrations brought to the art of Koons a universal language and a flawless and inimitable technique, with its pure colors in transparent coating onto a perfectly polished stainless steel. A come back to American kitsch was tempting. Koons highlighted Popeye.
This is a clever choice. The image of Popeye, created in 1929, is recognized worldwide. This character has a gruff and whimsical behavior that appeals to Americans. He is never completely caught by his stupidity offset by a large dose of sentimentality.
Popeye would not exist without his spinach box, which provides him with oversized forearms and an invincible strength. Koons notes that spinach transforms this character same as art transforms the reality of life. Popeye is the precursor of these superhuman heroes led by Superman who managed to brighten the Americans at the height of the Great Depression.
His name is an allusion to his pirate eye. Meanwhile, the pop art has gone. Koons offers a sign of connivence to pop art that is indeed a tribute to his predecessors Warhol, Lichtenstein and Mel Ramos.
As for the Celebrations, the statue has two dates, from design to completion. This 2 m high Popeye, dated 2009-2011, was edited in four units plus one artist's proof.
One of them is for sale by Sotheby's in New York on May 14. The press release issued on April 11 announced an estimate around $ 25M. I invite you to play the short video shared by Sotheby's for introducing this lot.
The above video was only a short preview. I invite you now to play the full length video shared by Sotheby's.
POST SALE COMMENT
This very recent work was sold for $ 28M including premium.
This is a clever choice. The image of Popeye, created in 1929, is recognized worldwide. This character has a gruff and whimsical behavior that appeals to Americans. He is never completely caught by his stupidity offset by a large dose of sentimentality.
Popeye would not exist without his spinach box, which provides him with oversized forearms and an invincible strength. Koons notes that spinach transforms this character same as art transforms the reality of life. Popeye is the precursor of these superhuman heroes led by Superman who managed to brighten the Americans at the height of the Great Depression.
His name is an allusion to his pirate eye. Meanwhile, the pop art has gone. Koons offers a sign of connivence to pop art that is indeed a tribute to his predecessors Warhol, Lichtenstein and Mel Ramos.
As for the Celebrations, the statue has two dates, from design to completion. This 2 m high Popeye, dated 2009-2011, was edited in four units plus one artist's proof.
One of them is for sale by Sotheby's in New York on May 14. The press release issued on April 11 announced an estimate around $ 25M. I invite you to play the short video shared by Sotheby's for introducing this lot.
The above video was only a short preview. I invite you now to play the full length video shared by Sotheby's.
POST SALE COMMENT
This very recent work was sold for $ 28M including premium.
2011 S III Released to France Face 43.14 by Grotjahn
2017 SOLD for $ 16.8M including premium by Christie's
narrated in 2018 before the sale of another painting by Christie's (see below)
Inspired by Picasso's art, Mark Grotjahn begins with abstract paintings designed around two vanishing points spread over a central vertical. The radiating lines define triangles that are filled in several monochrome shades of a basic color. This is his series of Butterflies, offering the illusion of these insects with open wings.
He changes his theme in 2007. Vanishing points are now multiple, spread on the canvas to simulate a mouth, a nose and several eyes in a changing quantity. The radiant graphics are now flexible lines that get entangled in a thick impasto of many colors. The figurative elements disappear, as Pollock's preliminary drawings were doing under his dripping.
The colors are carefully chosen so that none of them is dominant. As for Rothko or Gaitonde, the artworks are glossy and their photographic reproductions are dull. Through the folds of the impasto, the viewer looks for the face as he searches for the hidden message with Mark Bradford or the truculent detail with Cecily Brown.
Painted in 2011, Untitled (S III Release to France Face 43.14), oil on cardboard mounted on canvas 257 x 187 cm, was sold for $ 16.8M including premium by Christie's on May 17, 2017, lot 36 B.
An Untitled (Yellow and Green Low Fall Face 41.80), 224 x 124 cm painted in the same year with the same technique, passed at Christie's on October 4, 2018.
He changes his theme in 2007. Vanishing points are now multiple, spread on the canvas to simulate a mouth, a nose and several eyes in a changing quantity. The radiant graphics are now flexible lines that get entangled in a thick impasto of many colors. The figurative elements disappear, as Pollock's preliminary drawings were doing under his dripping.
The colors are carefully chosen so that none of them is dominant. As for Rothko or Gaitonde, the artworks are glossy and their photographic reproductions are dull. Through the folds of the impasto, the viewer looks for the face as he searches for the hidden message with Mark Bradford or the truculent detail with Cecily Brown.
Painted in 2011, Untitled (S III Release to France Face 43.14), oil on cardboard mounted on canvas 257 x 187 cm, was sold for $ 16.8M including premium by Christie's on May 17, 2017, lot 36 B.
An Untitled (Yellow and Green Low Fall Face 41.80), 224 x 124 cm painted in the same year with the same technique, passed at Christie's on October 4, 2018.
2012 An Insidious Smile
2019 SOLD for HK$ 93M including premium
Born in the region of Aomori, Yoshitomo Nara is a provincial. He studied art in Düsseldorf and began his career in Germany. He is a foreigner for whom the world is an insidious threat. He transposes this impression into the attitude and expression of very young children, with a stylized line that only retains the essentials in the style of caricatures and comics.
From a distance, his little girls remain symbols of purity and innocence. A detail reveals the threat. Sleepness Night, painted in 1999, shows a girl's head with cat's eyes and a fang on either side of her mouth. This 120 x 110 cm acrylic on canvas was sold for HK $ 35M including premium by Christie's on May 25, 2019.
The world is even worse than the artist had imagined. Just before returning to Japan, he visits Auschwitz. His little girl becomes an activist. Knife behind back, acrylic 234 x 208 cm painted in 2000, was sold for HK $ 196M including premium by Sotheby's on October 6, 2019.
During the sleepless nights, his character becomes an evil being. Displaying on her head the Christian cross, Midnight Vampire, acrylic 73 x 61 cm painted in 2010, was sold for HK $ 17.5M including premium by Christie's on November 25, 2017. The little girl quietly closes her eyes but has the fangs of the cat.
Everything is getting worse in the real world. The Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011 took place near his hometown. Nara, who knew some victims, is at first tetanized. Later the restart of life over devastation encourages his creativity.
On November 23 in Hong Kong, Christie's sells as lot 54 A an acrylic on canvas 193 x 183 cm painted in 2012. The cat's eyes prepare a nice wink and the expression is smiling, but a single fang comes out at one side of the mouth. The title of the work is the immediate threat by a vampire, confirming the treacherous malaise of the modern world : Can't Wait 'til the Night Comes.
From a distance, his little girls remain symbols of purity and innocence. A detail reveals the threat. Sleepness Night, painted in 1999, shows a girl's head with cat's eyes and a fang on either side of her mouth. This 120 x 110 cm acrylic on canvas was sold for HK $ 35M including premium by Christie's on May 25, 2019.
The world is even worse than the artist had imagined. Just before returning to Japan, he visits Auschwitz. His little girl becomes an activist. Knife behind back, acrylic 234 x 208 cm painted in 2000, was sold for HK $ 196M including premium by Sotheby's on October 6, 2019.
During the sleepless nights, his character becomes an evil being. Displaying on her head the Christian cross, Midnight Vampire, acrylic 73 x 61 cm painted in 2010, was sold for HK $ 17.5M including premium by Christie's on November 25, 2017. The little girl quietly closes her eyes but has the fangs of the cat.
Everything is getting worse in the real world. The Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011 took place near his hometown. Nara, who knew some victims, is at first tetanized. Later the restart of life over devastation encourages his creativity.
On November 23 in Hong Kong, Christie's sells as lot 54 A an acrylic on canvas 193 x 183 cm painted in 2012. The cat's eyes prepare a nice wink and the expression is smiling, but a single fang comes out at one side of the mouth. The title of the work is the immediate threat by a vampire, confirming the treacherous malaise of the modern world : Can't Wait 'til the Night Comes.
2013 Eternal Snows of Today
2016 SOLD for HK$ 306M including premium
Cui Ruzhuo assembles polyptychs composed of vertical panels painted in ink and wash. A single gigantic work may occupy a full wall in an exhibition. His inspiration may be compared to the circular room of the Grandes Décorations of Monet's pond while a direct influence of Monet's art on Cui is unlikely.
The themes chosen by Cui appeal to the Chinese sensitivity and his art is virtually unknown outside China. On the theme of the lotus, an assembly of eight scrolls 247 x 123 cm each was sold for HK $ 123M including premium by Christie's on 29 November 2011, the very year of the creation of that work.
The favorite theme of Cui is the unlimited landscape of snowy mountains, eternally indifferent to men. A set of eight panels made in 2005 for a total size of 202 x 988 cm was sold for HK $ 77M including premium by Christie's on May 28, 2013.
Poly Auction regularly includes in its sales a session entirely devoted to Cui. An unfragmented hand scroll of snowy mountains 36 m long made in 2006 was sold for HK $ 184M including premium on April 7, 2014.
On April 4 at Hong Kong, Poly sells 'Grand snowing mountains' inspired by Jiangnan, mounted set of eight panels made in 2013 to an overall size of 300 x 873 cm, lot 1213 estimated HK $ 150M, illustrated in Section V of the press release of the sale.
This work had been sold for HK $ 236M including premium by Poly on 7 April 2015. Announced at that time as a record for the artist, this result is not quoted in the press release of the next sale. I guess that it is listed again because it had not been paid. The similarity between the two lots leaves no doubt that it is the same piece.
The themes chosen by Cui appeal to the Chinese sensitivity and his art is virtually unknown outside China. On the theme of the lotus, an assembly of eight scrolls 247 x 123 cm each was sold for HK $ 123M including premium by Christie's on 29 November 2011, the very year of the creation of that work.
The favorite theme of Cui is the unlimited landscape of snowy mountains, eternally indifferent to men. A set of eight panels made in 2005 for a total size of 202 x 988 cm was sold for HK $ 77M including premium by Christie's on May 28, 2013.
Poly Auction regularly includes in its sales a session entirely devoted to Cui. An unfragmented hand scroll of snowy mountains 36 m long made in 2006 was sold for HK $ 184M including premium on April 7, 2014.
On April 4 at Hong Kong, Poly sells 'Grand snowing mountains' inspired by Jiangnan, mounted set of eight panels made in 2013 to an overall size of 300 x 873 cm, lot 1213 estimated HK $ 150M, illustrated in Section V of the press release of the sale.
This work had been sold for HK $ 236M including premium by Poly on 7 April 2015. Announced at that time as a record for the artist, this result is not quoted in the press release of the next sale. I guess that it is listed again because it had not been paid. The similarity between the two lots leaves no doubt that it is the same piece.
2013 The Art of the Five Vidyas
2015 SOLD for $ 10.2M before fees
The Vidyas are the concepts that oppose ignorance to explain the universe. The five major Vidyas are logic, healing, communication, art and enlightenment. Wan Ko Yee is a master of the Vidyas. Doctor in Buddhism, philosophy, art, calligraphy and painting in 1999, he is also a fellow of the Royal Academy of Arts. He lives in California.
This highly respected personality is recognized since 2008 as an incarnation of the most important Buddha and is now named His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III. In 2011 he received the World Peace Prize, an interfaith prize that is often awarded to heads of state. A museum is dedicated to his art and to his cultural work in Covina CA.
His graphic art is varied and fits into the modern world while respecting traditional techniques. His favorite themes are plants, animals and landscapes. His use of inks in vibrant colors is in the following of the Chinese art of the twentieth century by Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian and Wu Guanzhong, for example.
The figuration of simple themes is an opening to the complexity and subtlety of nature. Lotus Ink expresses how beauty can come out of chaos. This artwork was sold for $ 16.5 million before fees by Gianguan Auctions in March 2015.
On September 12 in New York, Gianguan Auctions sells Loquat, ink and color 80 x 70 cm on paper hanging scroll painted in 2013, lot 79 here linked on the Invaluable bidding platform, estimated $ 9M.
The image shows the fruits, leaves and branches of a loquat. The intention of the artist is to demonstrate that perfection can be reached in a light and airy composition. It is confirmed by a calligraphic text that subtly takes the shape of an additional branch of the plant.
His Holiness is a skilled artist whose hand does not shake. Loquat was realized without a preliminary drawing and without rework, with a nice contrast of ink density in twigs and leaves.
This highly respected personality is recognized since 2008 as an incarnation of the most important Buddha and is now named His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III. In 2011 he received the World Peace Prize, an interfaith prize that is often awarded to heads of state. A museum is dedicated to his art and to his cultural work in Covina CA.
His graphic art is varied and fits into the modern world while respecting traditional techniques. His favorite themes are plants, animals and landscapes. His use of inks in vibrant colors is in the following of the Chinese art of the twentieth century by Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian and Wu Guanzhong, for example.
The figuration of simple themes is an opening to the complexity and subtlety of nature. Lotus Ink expresses how beauty can come out of chaos. This artwork was sold for $ 16.5 million before fees by Gianguan Auctions in March 2015.
On September 12 in New York, Gianguan Auctions sells Loquat, ink and color 80 x 70 cm on paper hanging scroll painted in 2013, lot 79 here linked on the Invaluable bidding platform, estimated $ 9M.
The image shows the fruits, leaves and branches of a loquat. The intention of the artist is to demonstrate that perfection can be reached in a light and airy composition. It is confirmed by a calligraphic text that subtly takes the shape of an additional branch of the plant.
His Holiness is a skilled artist whose hand does not shake. Loquat was realized without a preliminary drawing and without rework, with a nice contrast of ink density in twigs and leaves.
2014 Koons on the Mound
2018 SOLD for $ 23M including premium
The original artist is a toddler named Ludwig Koons. He plays to triturate Play-Doh multicolored modeling clay, a trademark of Hasbro. Posterity has forever retained this dialogue with his father : Ludwig: "Daddy !" Jeff: "What ?" Ludwig: "Voilà !".
The story takes place in 1994 when Jeff Koons is conceiving as a whole his series of Celebrations. Ludwig's achievement is a formless mound but composed of bright and varied colors. Jeff is not an abstract artist. It does not matter. He will justify the insertion of Play-Doh in his list of Celebrations by the fact that it is a toy that will remind for the visitor the happiness of childhood.
The expectation lasted until 2014 when Play-Doh was released in five copies with different color configurations according to the immutable process for this series. Composed of 27 painted aluminum plates, it measures 315 x 387 x 348 cm, slightly higher than the Balloon Dog.
The delay was long but Jeff Koons turns it to his advantage : it was necessary that the joining of the plates and the surface finish reach perfection. It is true that this surface simulating the impact of touch by the fingers of the toddler is the most complex of the Celebration series. An early trial in polyethylene had not given him satisfaction.
One of the five Play-Dohs will be sold by Christie's in New York on May 17 as lot 12 B. The April 9 press release announces an estimate in the region of $ 20M. Please watch the video shared by the auction house where the lot is discussed by Jeff Koons.
The story takes place in 1994 when Jeff Koons is conceiving as a whole his series of Celebrations. Ludwig's achievement is a formless mound but composed of bright and varied colors. Jeff is not an abstract artist. It does not matter. He will justify the insertion of Play-Doh in his list of Celebrations by the fact that it is a toy that will remind for the visitor the happiness of childhood.
The expectation lasted until 2014 when Play-Doh was released in five copies with different color configurations according to the immutable process for this series. Composed of 27 painted aluminum plates, it measures 315 x 387 x 348 cm, slightly higher than the Balloon Dog.
The delay was long but Jeff Koons turns it to his advantage : it was necessary that the joining of the plates and the surface finish reach perfection. It is true that this surface simulating the impact of touch by the fingers of the toddler is the most complex of the Celebration series. An early trial in polyethylene had not given him satisfaction.
One of the five Play-Dohs will be sold by Christie's in New York on May 17 as lot 12 B. The April 9 press release announces an estimate in the region of $ 20M. Please watch the video shared by the auction house where the lot is discussed by Jeff Koons.
2017 Twelve Screens of Landscape by Cui Ruzhuo
2017 SOLD for RMB 240M including premium by Poly
Post sale report by The Value.
2017 Set of Nine CryptoPunks
2021 SOLD for $ 17M by Christie's
Larva Labs was established in 2005 by two Canadian software developers, Matt and John. Their New York based business is to release art projects to the blockchain.
Nobody can ignore the infinite variety of items generated by the combinations of figures of the utmost simplicity. Barcodes in single line or square supersede the classical labels. Color is welcomed. The quantum for a photo is the pixel whose transfer into a digital code is direct.
The two technologists managed in 2017 the CryptoPunks project. Each image was coded in a 24 x 24, 8 bit pixel square. This size may seem very low but is sufficient to stylize a head with varying attributes. The title is a direct reference to the punk movement when the misfits marked their differences by extravagant hair dressing and make up.
Matt and John created exactly 10,000 CryptoPunks, most of them male or female but also a small population of green skinned zombies, hirsute apes and light blue skinned aliens. Each figure is further defined by its distinctive accessories which bring it a human individuality, from zero for the basic Punks to seven accessories for the most complex.
The CryptoPunks were originally released on the Ethereum blockchain, making it the seminal NFT supported art project. Some of them were immediately offered for trade. Once sold, they do not belong any more to Larva Labs but their website records in the dedicated page of each item its transaction tracking beside the rarity of its accessories.
The CryptoPunks are one of the leading elements of the new craze for blockchain art, which escapes the world health lockdown by its lack of physical existence and as a consequence manages to redefine art.
A set of nine was sold for $ 17M from a lower estimate of $ 7M by Christie's on May 11, 2021, lot 11 A. They have been sorted 'ex factory' for that sale by the two guys at Larva Labs from the unsold items within the sub-1,000 reference number range. The auction house accepts the Ether cryptocurrency for this lot.
This assembly is made of four males, four females and one alien, with one to four accessories, displaying altogether 18 different accessories.
Collectors will be appealed by the Punk 2, a female with wild hair which has the third lowest number in the series after 0 and 1, and by the Punk 635 which is the only alien with a sub-1,000 series number.
On March 11, 2021, a price of 4,200 ether worth at that date US $ 7.58M was paid twice in separate private transactions : for the Punk 3100, an alien with a headband as its unique accessory, and for the Punk 7804, the unique pipe smoking alien which also has a cap forward and small shades.
Nobody can ignore the infinite variety of items generated by the combinations of figures of the utmost simplicity. Barcodes in single line or square supersede the classical labels. Color is welcomed. The quantum for a photo is the pixel whose transfer into a digital code is direct.
The two technologists managed in 2017 the CryptoPunks project. Each image was coded in a 24 x 24, 8 bit pixel square. This size may seem very low but is sufficient to stylize a head with varying attributes. The title is a direct reference to the punk movement when the misfits marked their differences by extravagant hair dressing and make up.
Matt and John created exactly 10,000 CryptoPunks, most of them male or female but also a small population of green skinned zombies, hirsute apes and light blue skinned aliens. Each figure is further defined by its distinctive accessories which bring it a human individuality, from zero for the basic Punks to seven accessories for the most complex.
The CryptoPunks were originally released on the Ethereum blockchain, making it the seminal NFT supported art project. Some of them were immediately offered for trade. Once sold, they do not belong any more to Larva Labs but their website records in the dedicated page of each item its transaction tracking beside the rarity of its accessories.
The CryptoPunks are one of the leading elements of the new craze for blockchain art, which escapes the world health lockdown by its lack of physical existence and as a consequence manages to redefine art.
A set of nine was sold for $ 17M from a lower estimate of $ 7M by Christie's on May 11, 2021, lot 11 A. They have been sorted 'ex factory' for that sale by the two guys at Larva Labs from the unsold items within the sub-1,000 reference number range. The auction house accepts the Ether cryptocurrency for this lot.
This assembly is made of four males, four females and one alien, with one to four accessories, displaying altogether 18 different accessories.
Collectors will be appealed by the Punk 2, a female with wild hair which has the third lowest number in the series after 0 and 1, and by the Punk 635 which is the only alien with a sub-1,000 series number.
On March 11, 2021, a price of 4,200 ether worth at that date US $ 7.58M was paid twice in separate private transactions : for the Punk 3100, an alien with a headband as its unique accessory, and for the Punk 7804, the unique pipe smoking alien which also has a cap forward and small shades.
2017 Convergences
2021 SOLD for £ 6.8M including premium
The landscape should be the most authentic expression of nature. In the 20th century, the theme became boring, in large part due to the overabundance of photographs. In his permanent desire to act against the tide, David Hockney wants to rehabilitate the landscape.
He has a revelation in a road tunnel in 1985. The dot of light he sees beyond the darkness grows larger as the car moves forward. Photography lies doubly, because it shows the landscape from a still point of view and because the lens brings distortions. To paint a landscape, it will first be necessary to abolish perspective. The old Chinese masters understood it : their hand scrolls are travellings.
The division of an image into sections had been made necessary by the small individual format of the paper pulps prints, a technique tested by the artist in 1978. He applies this principle to painting, with the panoramic views of the Grand Canyon in 1998. and the woods in Yorkshire in 2006. In 2007 Bigger Trees near Warter, also in Yorkshire, measures 460 x 1220 cm overall in 50 panels which cancel the distortion.
The old artist loves experimentation, which he identifies with the subtitle Useful Knowledge. Perspective can be overcome if its distortion is not exaggerated. He rediscovers at the National Gallery an avenue of trees painted by Hobbema in 1689, constructed on two vanishing points, the road and the treetops, to draw the gaze to the sky and enlarge the space. Van Gogh had commented on this effect on that specific painting.
Tall Dutch Trees after Hobbema (Useful Knowledge) is an oil painting made in 2017 as an assembly of six canvases of irregular shapes for an overall dimension of 165 x 370 cm. The road has been removed by clipping, accentuating the impression of symmetry around the double perspective. This work is estimated £ 6.5M for sale by Sotheby's in London on March 25, lot 117.
He has a revelation in a road tunnel in 1985. The dot of light he sees beyond the darkness grows larger as the car moves forward. Photography lies doubly, because it shows the landscape from a still point of view and because the lens brings distortions. To paint a landscape, it will first be necessary to abolish perspective. The old Chinese masters understood it : their hand scrolls are travellings.
The division of an image into sections had been made necessary by the small individual format of the paper pulps prints, a technique tested by the artist in 1978. He applies this principle to painting, with the panoramic views of the Grand Canyon in 1998. and the woods in Yorkshire in 2006. In 2007 Bigger Trees near Warter, also in Yorkshire, measures 460 x 1220 cm overall in 50 panels which cancel the distortion.
The old artist loves experimentation, which he identifies with the subtitle Useful Knowledge. Perspective can be overcome if its distortion is not exaggerated. He rediscovers at the National Gallery an avenue of trees painted by Hobbema in 1689, constructed on two vanishing points, the road and the treetops, to draw the gaze to the sky and enlarge the space. Van Gogh had commented on this effect on that specific painting.
Tall Dutch Trees after Hobbema (Useful Knowledge) is an oil painting made in 2017 as an assembly of six canvases of irregular shapes for an overall dimension of 165 x 370 cm. The road has been removed by clipping, accentuating the impression of symmetry around the double perspective. This work is estimated £ 6.5M for sale by Sotheby's in London on March 25, lot 117.
2020 A Gift for the Hospital
2021 SOLD for £ 16.8M including premium
In the spring of 2020, in each country, everyone discovers the existence of superheroes, people like you and me, very keen of doing their daily work with perseverance and abnegation : the frontline health staff, which was until then mostly distinguished by the press for social and wage demands.
On May 6, 2020, Banksy hangs at the University Hospital Southampton an oil on canvas 91 x 91 cm, clearly visible to staff and patients. This work incorporates the artist's social humor, but without his usual irreverence. It is the message of hope that people increasingly need, one year after the global expansion of the pandemic.
The work is named Game Changer. This title is descriptive. It features a kneeling kid brandishing his new toy, a Superman-inspired masked nurse flying to our rescue. The outdated toys, Batman and Spiderman, are in the bin. The visual effect is not forgotten. In this freehand painting in black line, the only color is the Red Cross clearly visible on the nurse's uniform.
Banksy promised that this work would be sold to benefit the National Health Service. He keeps his word. Game Changer is estimated £ 2.5M for sale by Christie's in London on March 23, lot 6. At Southampton Hospital, hope will not be lost : a replica has been installed in place of the original.
The lot was offered with a saleroom notice :
"The artist wishes to thank the British Red Cross for authorising the use of the Red Cross emblem in this work. The red cross symbol is restricted by law in order to preserve its protective function during armed conflicts."
On May 6, 2020, Banksy hangs at the University Hospital Southampton an oil on canvas 91 x 91 cm, clearly visible to staff and patients. This work incorporates the artist's social humor, but without his usual irreverence. It is the message of hope that people increasingly need, one year after the global expansion of the pandemic.
The work is named Game Changer. This title is descriptive. It features a kneeling kid brandishing his new toy, a Superman-inspired masked nurse flying to our rescue. The outdated toys, Batman and Spiderman, are in the bin. The visual effect is not forgotten. In this freehand painting in black line, the only color is the Red Cross clearly visible on the nurse's uniform.
Banksy promised that this work would be sold to benefit the National Health Service. He keeps his word. Game Changer is estimated £ 2.5M for sale by Christie's in London on March 23, lot 6. At Southampton Hospital, hope will not be lost : a replica has been installed in place of the original.
The lot was offered with a saleroom notice :
"The artist wishes to thank the British Red Cross for authorising the use of the Red Cross emblem in this work. The red cross symbol is restricted by law in order to preserve its protective function during armed conflicts."
2021 Beeple the New Bard
2021 SOLD for $ 69M including premium
His website says it clearly : Beeple is Mike Winkelmann. He is a graphic designer who produces digital art in the form of short films and concert visuals and complacently offers some animated images under the Creative Commons license.
Beeple uses the most advanced techniques of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality. This acquisition of skills did not happen overnight. On May 1, 2007, he made the very clever decision to publish one image per day on the Internet. This visibility obliges him to maintain a professional level in all his experiences.
He never stopped. The 5,000th opus was released on the 5,000th day, January 7, 2021. This set shows a fruitful evolution, in the political sensibility and in the futuristic vision. The characteristic of an artist is to reveal his conception of the universe : Beeple has become a digital artist.
The first 5,000 daily releases were put together as a 21,069 x 21,069 pixel mosaic, which is about 300 x 300 pixels per item. The most current techniques, driven by cryptocurrencies, make it possible to provide a guarantee of authenticity in the form of forgery-proof marks with an NFT protocol in a jpg format.
This unique compilation was prepared on February 16, 2021. Titled Everydays: The first 5000 days, it will be sold by Christie's in an online sale that ends on March 11, lot 1.
There is no antecedent in the history of art and a fortiori in the history of auctions. Bids are in US dollars but the hammer price must be paid in a cryptocurrency defined by Christie's and Beeple, on a wallet address defined in the catalog. The auction fees must be paid separately in dollars.
How much can it be worth ? Christie's responds: "estimate unknown". The auction was opened on February 25. The next day, the starting bid of $ 100 had been covered 120 times, reaching $ 2.4M.
Beeple uses the most advanced techniques of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality. This acquisition of skills did not happen overnight. On May 1, 2007, he made the very clever decision to publish one image per day on the Internet. This visibility obliges him to maintain a professional level in all his experiences.
He never stopped. The 5,000th opus was released on the 5,000th day, January 7, 2021. This set shows a fruitful evolution, in the political sensibility and in the futuristic vision. The characteristic of an artist is to reveal his conception of the universe : Beeple has become a digital artist.
The first 5,000 daily releases were put together as a 21,069 x 21,069 pixel mosaic, which is about 300 x 300 pixels per item. The most current techniques, driven by cryptocurrencies, make it possible to provide a guarantee of authenticity in the form of forgery-proof marks with an NFT protocol in a jpg format.
This unique compilation was prepared on February 16, 2021. Titled Everydays: The first 5000 days, it will be sold by Christie's in an online sale that ends on March 11, lot 1.
There is no antecedent in the history of art and a fortiori in the history of auctions. Bids are in US dollars but the hammer price must be paid in a cryptocurrency defined by Christie's and Beeple, on a wallet address defined in the catalog. The auction fees must be paid separately in dollars.
How much can it be worth ? Christie's responds: "estimate unknown". The auction was opened on February 25. The next day, the starting bid of $ 100 had been covered 120 times, reaching $ 2.4M.
