Decade 2000-2009
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Jewels Pink diamond Freud Sculpture Koons Twombly Japan Bouquet Flowers Animals UK II British Royals
See also : Jewels Pink diamond Freud Sculpture Koons Twombly Japan Bouquet Flowers Animals UK II British Royals
KOONS
1
2000 Balloon Dog
2013 SOLD for $ 58M by Christie's
After exploiting the stupidity of the contemporary symbols conveyed by the popular imaging, Jeff Koons conceives in 1994 his great series of Celebrations.
Inspired by the preparation of a calendar, Jeff Koons designs in 1994 and 1995 monumental sculptures to be edited in five units of different colors, each version thus becoming unique. The sizes are monumental. The about 26 themes are simple and symbolic enough to be understood anywhere in the world regardless of the culture of the visitor.
Celebrations are made in chromium plated stainless steel covered with a transparent colored coating, a process specially developed to offer an intense reflectivity in a perfect smoothness of all the curves. This finish of pure color interacts with the exhibition environment through an intense mirror effect for which the artist seeks perfection.
The project requires technological developments and the delays accumulate, leading the workshop to the brink of bankruptcy.
The monochrome subjects, arguably less difficult to realize, were the first to be completed, in 1999 and 2000. They are the diamond, hanging heart, balloon flower and balloon dog.
The Balloon Flower and the Balloon Dog are constructed in rounded shapes that reflect their environment in all directions. Looking more like a toy than like its animal or vegetal model, it appears as a symbol of happy childhood. The bright orange specimen is joyful.
Koons also wanted this series to be a break from traditional art and designated his Balloon Dog as a Trojan horse. Almost twenty years later, the prestige of the series shows that he was right.
Balloon Dog (Orange) was sold for $ 58M from a lower estimate of $ 35M by Christie 's on November 12, 2013. Measuring 307 x 363 x 114 cm, this sculpture was completed in 2000. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
One of the earliest completed opuses was the Balloon Flower (Blue), supplied as early as 1999 to an artistic foundation managed by Daimler. It was sold for $ 17M on 10 November 10, 2010 by Christie's.
On June 30, 2008, Christie's sold for £ 12.9M the Balloon Flower (Magenta), dated 1995-2000, of towering dimensions (340 x 285 x 260 cm), lot 12. The photo in the catalog shows this cumbersome thing simply laying on water in a park.
Inspired by the preparation of a calendar, Jeff Koons designs in 1994 and 1995 monumental sculptures to be edited in five units of different colors, each version thus becoming unique. The sizes are monumental. The about 26 themes are simple and symbolic enough to be understood anywhere in the world regardless of the culture of the visitor.
Celebrations are made in chromium plated stainless steel covered with a transparent colored coating, a process specially developed to offer an intense reflectivity in a perfect smoothness of all the curves. This finish of pure color interacts with the exhibition environment through an intense mirror effect for which the artist seeks perfection.
The project requires technological developments and the delays accumulate, leading the workshop to the brink of bankruptcy.
The monochrome subjects, arguably less difficult to realize, were the first to be completed, in 1999 and 2000. They are the diamond, hanging heart, balloon flower and balloon dog.
The Balloon Flower and the Balloon Dog are constructed in rounded shapes that reflect their environment in all directions. Looking more like a toy than like its animal or vegetal model, it appears as a symbol of happy childhood. The bright orange specimen is joyful.
Koons also wanted this series to be a break from traditional art and designated his Balloon Dog as a Trojan horse. Almost twenty years later, the prestige of the series shows that he was right.
Balloon Dog (Orange) was sold for $ 58M from a lower estimate of $ 35M by Christie 's on November 12, 2013. Measuring 307 x 363 x 114 cm, this sculpture was completed in 2000. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
One of the earliest completed opuses was the Balloon Flower (Blue), supplied as early as 1999 to an artistic foundation managed by Daimler. It was sold for $ 17M on 10 November 10, 2010 by Christie's.
On June 30, 2008, Christie's sold for £ 12.9M the Balloon Flower (Magenta), dated 1995-2000, of towering dimensions (340 x 285 x 260 cm), lot 12. The photo in the catalog shows this cumbersome thing simply laying on water in a park.
2
2004 Tulips
2012 SOLD for $ 33.7M by Christie's
The other themes planned by Koons present additional difficulties that are gradually overcome. In 2004 Tulips is the first multi-color assembly, also in five different color versions.
On November 14, 2012, Christie's sold at lot 38 for $ 33.7M an example of Tulips, which is an even more complex step in the development of the art of Koons. Please watch the video featured by Christie's, in which the artist himself introduces this artwork.
The subject, a bouquet of seven flowers placed on a surface, is simple and universally recognizable, like all other themes in the Celebrations. The artwork, completed in 2004, can not go unnoticed: 203 x 457 x 520 cm. It weighs 3 tons.
The tulips within the bouquet are of different colors, so that the interaction of their reflections covers the entire spectrum of light. The work was carried out in five units with different arrangements of colors, extrapolating the logics of the previous Celebrations, and the reflection of the surroundings and of the public remains an essential element of the exhibition of the artwork.
On November 14, 2012, Christie's sold at lot 38 for $ 33.7M an example of Tulips, which is an even more complex step in the development of the art of Koons. Please watch the video featured by Christie's, in which the artist himself introduces this artwork.
The subject, a bouquet of seven flowers placed on a surface, is simple and universally recognizable, like all other themes in the Celebrations. The artwork, completed in 2004, can not go unnoticed: 203 x 457 x 520 cm. It weighs 3 tons.
The tulips within the bouquet are of different colors, so that the interaction of their reflections covers the entire spectrum of light. The work was carried out in five units with different arrangements of colors, extrapolating the logics of the previous Celebrations, and the reflection of the surroundings and of the public remains an essential element of the exhibition of the artwork.
2000 Knife behind Back by Nara
2019 SOLD for HK$ 196M by Sotheby's
2000 is the transition year in the life and career of Yoshitomo Nara who returns to Japan after twelve years in Germany. He did not originally want his art to be political. Yet it was in that year, inspired by his recent visit at Auschwitz. He now considers that his characters can raise their voices to demand that all wars be avoided.
The children of that era are already the Millennials, who desire to influence the evolution of the world against dangers which they cannot analyze and even less control. They feel concerned and do not appreciate how much they are fragile, but they are not dangerous.
The titles in the 2000 series of large size acrylic on canvas transcribe this imaginary fate facing these crazy wars operated by the adults : Last warrior subtitled The Unknown soldier, Missing in Action, The Little ambassador.
By chance this Japanese girl is contemporary with the invention of emoji. Tiny details change completely the meaning of a figure. This trend associated with the expression of a revolt powerfully increases two decades later the power of the 2000 Nara girl.
Knife behind back is one of the strongest messages, increased by a bird's eye view without a visible surrounding. The mouth is severe and stubborn. The right hand is hidden, justifying the interpretation of the title as a threat. This 234 x 208 cm acrylic on canvas was sold for HK $ 196M on October 6, 2019 by Sotheby's, lot 1142.
The suggestion of a hidden object is a fruitful idea which was only latent in the smaller Frog Girl, painted in Germany in 1998, where the child had exactly the same attitude in a left-right reverse position. In Knife, the dress has become an aggressive deep red and the mouth is resolutely hostile.
The character will soon lose her aggressiveness and smile friendly again. Featured in a flesh colored dress, Right hand in back, acrylic on a 180 cm circular canvas painted in 2002 and mounted on fiberglass, was sold for $ 2.17M by Sotheby's on November 17, 2017, lot 420.
The children of that era are already the Millennials, who desire to influence the evolution of the world against dangers which they cannot analyze and even less control. They feel concerned and do not appreciate how much they are fragile, but they are not dangerous.
The titles in the 2000 series of large size acrylic on canvas transcribe this imaginary fate facing these crazy wars operated by the adults : Last warrior subtitled The Unknown soldier, Missing in Action, The Little ambassador.
By chance this Japanese girl is contemporary with the invention of emoji. Tiny details change completely the meaning of a figure. This trend associated with the expression of a revolt powerfully increases two decades later the power of the 2000 Nara girl.
Knife behind back is one of the strongest messages, increased by a bird's eye view without a visible surrounding. The mouth is severe and stubborn. The right hand is hidden, justifying the interpretation of the title as a threat. This 234 x 208 cm acrylic on canvas was sold for HK $ 196M on October 6, 2019 by Sotheby's, lot 1142.
The suggestion of a hidden object is a fruitful idea which was only latent in the smaller Frog Girl, painted in Germany in 1998, where the child had exactly the same attitude in a left-right reverse position. In Knife, the dress has become an aggressive deep red and the mouth is resolutely hostile.
The character will soon lose her aggressiveness and smile friendly again. Featured in a flesh colored dress, Right hand in back, acrylic on a 180 cm circular canvas painted in 2002 and mounted on fiberglass, was sold for $ 2.17M by Sotheby's on November 17, 2017, lot 420.
FREUD
1
2002-2003 Portrait on a White Cover
2018 SOLD for £ 22.5M by Sotheby's
Since the death of Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud was the most outstanding living British artist. This role seems difficult to play. For several years he relentlessly uses the permanent access to the National Gallery granted to him by its management to re-examine ancient art.
In 2002 the Tate Gallery organizes a major retrospective displayed in nine rooms according to the chronology of his art. The conclusion of this journey is Freud's statement on the nude. He considers clothes like a façade that hides instincts and desires. He wants to see his models as physically comfortable as animals.
The links are also close with the Wallace Collection which wishes to organize an exhibition dedicated to Lucian Freud's recent works. This museum has one of the most beautiful female nudes by Titian, in Perseus and Andromeda. The nudes by Freud will have to be at a comparable level. He is looking for his Andromeda.
He finds Sophie who works for Tate Publishing. She is tall and slim with long legs. Titian's Andromeda is standing with one arm raised for anchoring to the rock. Freud knows that his reclining nudes are typical in his art. He puts Sophie on the bed with a raised arm, in full nudity.
Portrait on a white cover, oil on canvas 117 x 143 cm, is painted by Freud in 2002-2003 and will be exhibited at the Wallace Collection in May 2004. This painting was sold for £ 22.5M from a lower estimate of £ 17M by Sotheby's on June 26, 2018, lot 6. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
With family and friends the old artist still knew how to maintain a naked person in confidence, specially through his famous chatter. Julie and Martin painted in 2001 is a good example, sold for $ 17M by Christie's on November 12, 2014. With Sophie, chosen by Freud for her Andromeda body, it does not go as well. The sleeping nude of the Portrait on a white cover has clenched fingers in both hands and the artist obsessed with realism did not make them flexible.
In 2002 the Tate Gallery organizes a major retrospective displayed in nine rooms according to the chronology of his art. The conclusion of this journey is Freud's statement on the nude. He considers clothes like a façade that hides instincts and desires. He wants to see his models as physically comfortable as animals.
The links are also close with the Wallace Collection which wishes to organize an exhibition dedicated to Lucian Freud's recent works. This museum has one of the most beautiful female nudes by Titian, in Perseus and Andromeda. The nudes by Freud will have to be at a comparable level. He is looking for his Andromeda.
He finds Sophie who works for Tate Publishing. She is tall and slim with long legs. Titian's Andromeda is standing with one arm raised for anchoring to the rock. Freud knows that his reclining nudes are typical in his art. He puts Sophie on the bed with a raised arm, in full nudity.
Portrait on a white cover, oil on canvas 117 x 143 cm, is painted by Freud in 2002-2003 and will be exhibited at the Wallace Collection in May 2004. This painting was sold for £ 22.5M from a lower estimate of £ 17M by Sotheby's on June 26, 2018, lot 6. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
With family and friends the old artist still knew how to maintain a naked person in confidence, specially through his famous chatter. Julie and Martin painted in 2001 is a good example, sold for $ 17M by Christie's on November 12, 2014. With Sophie, chosen by Freud for her Andromeda body, it does not go as well. The sleeping nude of the Portrait on a white cover has clenched fingers in both hands and the artist obsessed with realism did not make them flexible.
2
2003-2004 The Brigadier
2015 SOLD for $ 35M by Christie's
Before he retired in 1994, the figure of Andrew Parker Bowles often appeared in news photos but he remained anonymous despite his imposing posture. Colonel commanding the Household Cavalry before his promotion to the honorary rank of Brigadier, he assured the bodyguard to Queen Elizabeth II.
This aristocrat had previously shared the royal children's passion for horses and polo. The Prince of Wales will much later marry Camilla newly divorced from the Brigadier. The hero attended the wedding without resentment.
Lucian Freud was fond of horses, too, and a longtime friend of Andrew Parker Bowles. He painted his portrait in 2003-2004. During 18 months at a rate of three times a week and four hours per session, the Brigadier came to sit in the artist's studio.
Lucian's process is unique in the history of portrait painting. He rushed to the face of his model to inspect a tiny detail that provoked an equally abrupt return to save it on the canvas. Then he saturated his guest in an endless chatter before being ready to proceed with another detail. Lucian was very witty, which was quite necessary to maintain the patience of his models.
The obsession of the artist was to create lifelike works at the opposite of the dryness of a photograph. His method totally different from Bacon's led also to a strong emotion but Lucian managed to keep the realistic features of his characters. The Brigadier is still admiring today his portrait by Freud, better than life even in the glare of the medals.
The officer is not Sue Tilley. Lucian had not imposed an acrobatic attitude to this dignified sexagenarian who was indeed required to take the same position again at each new session. The result looks like a classic military portrait excepted that it is extraordinary in its psychological rendering.
This oil on canvas 224 x 138 cm was sold for $ 35M by Christie's on November 10, 2015, lot 31B.
This aristocrat had previously shared the royal children's passion for horses and polo. The Prince of Wales will much later marry Camilla newly divorced from the Brigadier. The hero attended the wedding without resentment.
Lucian Freud was fond of horses, too, and a longtime friend of Andrew Parker Bowles. He painted his portrait in 2003-2004. During 18 months at a rate of three times a week and four hours per session, the Brigadier came to sit in the artist's studio.
Lucian's process is unique in the history of portrait painting. He rushed to the face of his model to inspect a tiny detail that provoked an equally abrupt return to save it on the canvas. Then he saturated his guest in an endless chatter before being ready to proceed with another detail. Lucian was very witty, which was quite necessary to maintain the patience of his models.
The obsession of the artist was to create lifelike works at the opposite of the dryness of a photograph. His method totally different from Bacon's led also to a strong emotion but Lucian managed to keep the realistic features of his characters. The Brigadier is still admiring today his portrait by Freud, better than life even in the glare of the medals.
The officer is not Sue Tilley. Lucian had not imposed an acrobatic attitude to this dignified sexagenarian who was indeed required to take the same position again at each new session. The result looks like a classic military portrait excepted that it is extraordinary in its psychological rendering.
This oil on canvas 224 x 138 cm was sold for $ 35M by Christie's on November 10, 2015, lot 31B.
1999-2003 The Pink Star
2013 hammered at CHF 76M including premium by Sotheby's, UNPAID
2017 SOLD for HK$ 550M by Sotheby's
The Pink Star is unquestionably and by far the greatest polished diamond that ever hit the auction market. It should have fetched CHF 76M including premium at Sotheby's on November 13, 2013 but that sale was cancelled for buyer payment deficiency.
It had been expected beyond US $ 60M, a conservative estimate when we consider that it is "only" US$ 1M per carat, but nevertheless ambitious because no other diamond has ever reached such a price at auction.
Its come back was eagerly awaited by all the fans of highest jewelry and of auction history. It was sold for HK $ 550M by Sotheby's on April 4, 2017, lot 1801. Its expected value has been kept unchanged before from the 2013 auction.
Its subtle color, Fancy Vivid Pink, is the best graded among diamond colors. Internally Flawless means a perfect clarity. Its weight, 59.60 carats, is the highest recorded for finished flawless diamonds of that color. The fancy vivid pink weighing more than 10 carats are extremely rare.Its oval shape and its polish are the perfect result of two years of work executed by Steinmetz Diamonds.
It comes from a rough gem of 142.5 carats unearthed in 1999 by De Beers somewhere in Africa, which is currently the best location for new fabulous diamonds. Its mixed cut had required more than 50 subsequent models from epoxy casts. It was unveiled to the public in 2003.
Please watch the videos shared by Sotheby's : the 2013 pre sale video and the short video introducing the 2017 auction.
It had been expected beyond US $ 60M, a conservative estimate when we consider that it is "only" US$ 1M per carat, but nevertheless ambitious because no other diamond has ever reached such a price at auction.
Its come back was eagerly awaited by all the fans of highest jewelry and of auction history. It was sold for HK $ 550M by Sotheby's on April 4, 2017, lot 1801. Its expected value has been kept unchanged before from the 2013 auction.
Its subtle color, Fancy Vivid Pink, is the best graded among diamond colors. Internally Flawless means a perfect clarity. Its weight, 59.60 carats, is the highest recorded for finished flawless diamonds of that color. The fancy vivid pink weighing more than 10 carats are extremely rare.Its oval shape and its polish are the perfect result of two years of work executed by Steinmetz Diamonds.
It comes from a rough gem of 142.5 carats unearthed in 1999 by De Beers somewhere in Africa, which is currently the best location for new fabulous diamonds. Its mixed cut had required more than 50 subsequent models from epoxy casts. It was unveiled to the public in 2003.
Please watch the videos shared by Sotheby's : the 2013 pre sale video and the short video introducing the 2017 auction.
Sotheby’s Brings ‘Pink Star’ Diamond to Hong Kong https://t.co/D5Lo7D6NIX pic.twitter.com/yk5ph7cUhn
— Art Market Monitor (@artmarket) March 20, 2017
WATCH: World's most valuable cut diamond, the 59.60-carat "Pink Star," could fetch a record $60 million at auction: https://t.co/JsYfyHq5H8 pic.twitter.com/mLNLyhUhBY
— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 20, 2017
TWOMBLY
1
2005 Bacchus No. V
2017 SOLD for $ 46M by Christie's
Cy Twombly has always been hypersensitive to political violence whether it comes from myth or from current events. He lives in Gaeta which also houses a NATO naval base. The hypothesis that his series dedicated to Bacchus were triggered by Mediterranean maneuvers during the Iraq war can be considered.
His Bacchus are abstract paintings consisting of a tangle of vermilion loops on a light flesh-colored background. In 2004 the first set of six includes inscriptions from Greek attesting that Bacchus is not here the god of drinking and debauchery but is in his other role of personification of furious madness.
These lasso loops rise and fall between the top and bottom of the picture in endless spirals. Painted by the artist with a wide brush at the end of a long stick, they are not comparable with the proto-writing loops on his blackboards 35 years earlier. Thin vertical drippings give an idea of the sticky wetness of blood or wine.
Twombly does not immediately exhibit this first series because its vertical format 2.66 m high is not conducive enough to the burst of feelings and perhaps also because his art must be expressive by itself to get rid of the inscriptions. The opus V was sold for $ 15.4M by Sotheby's on May 11, 2016.
The artist makes the second series in 2005 in eight paintings that are immediately exhibited as a whole set by Gagosian in New York. The set is titled Bacchus Psilax Maimomenos, where Psilax meaning wings represents the repeated back and forth of the mind between pleasure and intoxication while maimomenos translates the raging.
The largest variant later numbered V, acrylic on canvas 325 x 494 cm, was sold for $ 46M by Christie's on November 15, 2017, lot 15 B.
In 2008 paintings V and VII from the 2005 group are judiciously positioned side by side during a temporary exhibition at the Tate Modern in London. The artist appreciates that he had not given a sufficient breadth to his own creation. He then executes a third series of six paintings. This ultimate series of Bacchus is not the apotheosis of a hostile god but the culmination of the effort of Cy Twombly's entire career for expressing through abstraction the blind rages of the real world.
His Bacchus are abstract paintings consisting of a tangle of vermilion loops on a light flesh-colored background. In 2004 the first set of six includes inscriptions from Greek attesting that Bacchus is not here the god of drinking and debauchery but is in his other role of personification of furious madness.
These lasso loops rise and fall between the top and bottom of the picture in endless spirals. Painted by the artist with a wide brush at the end of a long stick, they are not comparable with the proto-writing loops on his blackboards 35 years earlier. Thin vertical drippings give an idea of the sticky wetness of blood or wine.
Twombly does not immediately exhibit this first series because its vertical format 2.66 m high is not conducive enough to the burst of feelings and perhaps also because his art must be expressive by itself to get rid of the inscriptions. The opus V was sold for $ 15.4M by Sotheby's on May 11, 2016.
The artist makes the second series in 2005 in eight paintings that are immediately exhibited as a whole set by Gagosian in New York. The set is titled Bacchus Psilax Maimomenos, where Psilax meaning wings represents the repeated back and forth of the mind between pleasure and intoxication while maimomenos translates the raging.
The largest variant later numbered V, acrylic on canvas 325 x 494 cm, was sold for $ 46M by Christie's on November 15, 2017, lot 15 B.
In 2008 paintings V and VII from the 2005 group are judiciously positioned side by side during a temporary exhibition at the Tate Modern in London. The artist appreciates that he had not given a sufficient breadth to his own creation. He then executes a third series of six paintings. This ultimate series of Bacchus is not the apotheosis of a hostile god but the culmination of the effort of Cy Twombly's entire career for expressing through abstraction the blind rages of the real world.
2
2005 Bacchus
2022 SOLD for $ 42M by Phillips
The second largest opus in the 2005 Bacchus series by Twombly is an acrylic on canvas 325 x 494 cm. It was sold for $ 42M by Phillips on November 15, 2022, lot 8.
It appears as a twin to the Bacchus V of the same series, sold for $ 46M by Christie's in 2017. The goal of the series is to express the rage of an antique god, but the similarity of the loops and even the drippings in both artworks demonstrates that their extreme turbulence had been carefully conceived in the smallest details with no place to chance.
It appears as a twin to the Bacchus V of the same series, sold for $ 46M by Christie's in 2017. The goal of the series is to express the rage of an antique god, but the similarity of the loops and even the drippings in both artworks demonstrates that their extreme turbulence had been carefully conceived in the smallest details with no place to chance.
3
2007 Blooming
2021 SOLD for $ 59M by Sotheby's
A warrior may feel quiet after the rage. An abstract artist may execute a representation of flowers.
Blooming is a series of six paintings executed by Cy Twombly between the second and third Bacchus series. These monumental works were specially prepared to fit the walls of the Hôtel de Caumont in Avignon for a temporary exhibition in 2007.
The artist indeed did not try a botanical realism. His blossoms are instead a nearly complete filling of the centripetal lasso loops of the Bacchus, from which a similar dripping is hanging.
One of the six opuses bears a small text explaining where the inspiration came from : "Ah! the peonies for which Kusunoki took off his armour”, from a haiku poem by Takarai Kikaku. Kusunoki Masashige had been a famous samurai impersonating an ideal of loyalty. Twombly's "armour" is a bilingual pun associating armor and amour.
On November 15, 2021, Sotheby's sold another opus for $ 59M from a lower estimate of $ 40M, lot 5. This acrylic and crayon on wood panel in six parts 250 x 550 cm overall has been executed in 2007 but is dated 2006, probably in reference to the conception of the project.
In this specific opus, the color of the flowers and drippings is completely blood red over a pale green background. The blossoms form a pattern of lines in crescendo in the signature practice of the artist to express an energy, looking here like a balloon release into the sky. Such a movement is better viewed from bottom up, as invited by the shadows that smoke over the peonies.
In the follow of these peonies, Twombly painted a series of Roses in 2008.
Blooming is a series of six paintings executed by Cy Twombly between the second and third Bacchus series. These monumental works were specially prepared to fit the walls of the Hôtel de Caumont in Avignon for a temporary exhibition in 2007.
The artist indeed did not try a botanical realism. His blossoms are instead a nearly complete filling of the centripetal lasso loops of the Bacchus, from which a similar dripping is hanging.
One of the six opuses bears a small text explaining where the inspiration came from : "Ah! the peonies for which Kusunoki took off his armour”, from a haiku poem by Takarai Kikaku. Kusunoki Masashige had been a famous samurai impersonating an ideal of loyalty. Twombly's "armour" is a bilingual pun associating armor and amour.
On November 15, 2021, Sotheby's sold another opus for $ 59M from a lower estimate of $ 40M, lot 5. This acrylic and crayon on wood panel in six parts 250 x 550 cm overall has been executed in 2007 but is dated 2006, probably in reference to the conception of the project.
In this specific opus, the color of the flowers and drippings is completely blood red over a pale green background. The blossoms form a pattern of lines in crescendo in the signature practice of the artist to express an energy, looking here like a balloon release into the sky. Such a movement is better viewed from bottom up, as invited by the shadows that smoke over the peonies.
In the follow of these peonies, Twombly painted a series of Roses in 2008.
2004-2007 Complements by Marden
2020 SOLD for $ 31M by Christie's
Brice Marden is a colorist, with no narration or interpretation. His purpose is to capture and maintain the attention of the visitor. He began his career in a minimalist style, juxtaposing monochrome rectangles to reveal their contrasts in an approach reminiscent of Albers and Klee.
Marden observes in 1984 that Chinese or Japanese calligraphy is an art in its own right that follows the movements of the artist's hand. He now begins to paint on his monochrome backgrounds with sinuous interwoven lines that reach the whole periphery like Pollock's drippings.
Calligraphy had triggered this major change in Marden's art, but its direct influence vanished after a few years. The lines are painted one color after another, in a logical order in relation to the chromatic spectrum. They can pass from one panel to another within a polyptych of monochromes. Their width is very regular, demonstrating that they result from a rigorous construction and not from gestures.
The Attended, oil on canvas 208 x 145 cm dated 1996 1999 was sold for $ 11M by Sotheby's on November 13, 2013. Elements (Hydra), oil on linen 190 x 136 cm dated 1999 2000 2001 was sold for $ 9.2M by Phillips on May 14, 2015.
Marden embarks in 2000 in what would be the culmination of his art, a series titled The Propitious garden of Plane Image, where 'plane' refers to the quest for an image rejecting the third dimension under the influence of the Chinese calligraphy. He commented : “I take from nature only its energy; I don’t want to try to reproduce it.”
The prototype subtitled First version is completed in 2005. Afterwards the individual panel size is standardized at a 183 x 122 cm mural size. The Second and Third Versions, mirroring one another, are made of six joined panels each. They are completed in 2006.
The last three works in the series are diptychs, begun in 2004. Extremes, completed in 2005 on red and violet grounds, is kept at the Centre Pompidou. Complements and Event are completed in 2007.
Complements, dated 2004-7, is a joint diptych of oils on canvas for an overall dimension of 183 x 244 cm. The panels are monochrome, glowing orange on the left and deep blue on the right in a contrast of complementary colors. The lines are successively green, blue, brown and red on the left panel and red, orange and green on the right panel. It was sold for $ 31M by Christie's on July 10, 2020, lot 55.
Event is the twin opus of Complements. Its background colors are yellow and green earth for an overall effect mingling clarity and opacity. It was withdrawn by Christie's on May 14, 2024, lot 42A. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
A work on paper from the same period, Butterfly Wings with Green, 28 x 38 cm executed in 2005 in the graphic style of the Cold Mountain series, was sold in the same sale for $ 1.46M, lot 69.
Marden observes in 1984 that Chinese or Japanese calligraphy is an art in its own right that follows the movements of the artist's hand. He now begins to paint on his monochrome backgrounds with sinuous interwoven lines that reach the whole periphery like Pollock's drippings.
Calligraphy had triggered this major change in Marden's art, but its direct influence vanished after a few years. The lines are painted one color after another, in a logical order in relation to the chromatic spectrum. They can pass from one panel to another within a polyptych of monochromes. Their width is very regular, demonstrating that they result from a rigorous construction and not from gestures.
The Attended, oil on canvas 208 x 145 cm dated 1996 1999 was sold for $ 11M by Sotheby's on November 13, 2013. Elements (Hydra), oil on linen 190 x 136 cm dated 1999 2000 2001 was sold for $ 9.2M by Phillips on May 14, 2015.
Marden embarks in 2000 in what would be the culmination of his art, a series titled The Propitious garden of Plane Image, where 'plane' refers to the quest for an image rejecting the third dimension under the influence of the Chinese calligraphy. He commented : “I take from nature only its energy; I don’t want to try to reproduce it.”
The prototype subtitled First version is completed in 2005. Afterwards the individual panel size is standardized at a 183 x 122 cm mural size. The Second and Third Versions, mirroring one another, are made of six joined panels each. They are completed in 2006.
The last three works in the series are diptychs, begun in 2004. Extremes, completed in 2005 on red and violet grounds, is kept at the Centre Pompidou. Complements and Event are completed in 2007.
Complements, dated 2004-7, is a joint diptych of oils on canvas for an overall dimension of 183 x 244 cm. The panels are monochrome, glowing orange on the left and deep blue on the right in a contrast of complementary colors. The lines are successively green, blue, brown and red on the left panel and red, orange and green on the right panel. It was sold for $ 31M by Christie's on July 10, 2020, lot 55.
Event is the twin opus of Complements. Its background colors are yellow and green earth for an overall effect mingling clarity and opacity. It was withdrawn by Christie's on May 14, 2024, lot 42A. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
A work on paper from the same period, Butterfly Wings with Green, 28 x 38 cm executed in 2005 in the graphic style of the Cold Mountain series, was sold in the same sale for $ 1.46M, lot 69.
