Modern Prints
1946-1947 Océanie - la mer by Matisse
2011 SOLD for £ 2.95M including premium by Christie's
Link to catalogue.
1946-1947 Beige Walls
2018 SOLD for $ 1.22M including premium
Henri Matisse is seriously ill but has not lost his manual skill. The Jazz project started for Tériade in 1943, based on cut-off papers, maintains his creativity.
The beige walls of his apartment in Montparnasse remind him of the color of the beaches in Tahiti. He cuts in a white paper the stylized forms that his assistant Lydia pins on the wall. His aim is to create two tapestry cartoons forming pendants, Océanie - le ciel and Océanie - la mer, respectively populated with birds and fish.
In 1946 while Matisse was busy on this project Zika Ascher came to visit Paris. A fashion designer based since 1942 in London, Ascher usually works with Henry Moore. He now wants to edit a series of scarves prepared by a plurality of artists. Almost all of them including Matisse respond favorably.
Ascher also convinces Matisse to print his Océanie. Matisse is very demanding but Ascher manages to find a linen cloth and a pigment that exactly replicate the texture and sand color of the wall. The artist's attention to the sand anticipates by two decades Agnes Martin's escape in the desert.
Both artworks were edited in 1946-1947 in thirty copies each in an image format around 163 x 373 cm.
The Fondation Beyeler owns the pair 4/30. The number 26/30 of La Mer was sold by Christie's for £ 2.95M including premium on June 21, 2011 over a lower estimate of £ 500K. It was then coming directly from the Beyeler estate after having belonged to the Matisse family.
On April 26 in New York, Sotheby's sells the copy 20/30 of La Mer, lot 15 estimated $ 500K. Its provenance is also interesting : it had belonged to Ascher and was on loan to the MoMA from 1950 to 1953. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The beige walls of his apartment in Montparnasse remind him of the color of the beaches in Tahiti. He cuts in a white paper the stylized forms that his assistant Lydia pins on the wall. His aim is to create two tapestry cartoons forming pendants, Océanie - le ciel and Océanie - la mer, respectively populated with birds and fish.
In 1946 while Matisse was busy on this project Zika Ascher came to visit Paris. A fashion designer based since 1942 in London, Ascher usually works with Henry Moore. He now wants to edit a series of scarves prepared by a plurality of artists. Almost all of them including Matisse respond favorably.
Ascher also convinces Matisse to print his Océanie. Matisse is very demanding but Ascher manages to find a linen cloth and a pigment that exactly replicate the texture and sand color of the wall. The artist's attention to the sand anticipates by two decades Agnes Martin's escape in the desert.
Both artworks were edited in 1946-1947 in thirty copies each in an image format around 163 x 373 cm.
The Fondation Beyeler owns the pair 4/30. The number 26/30 of La Mer was sold by Christie's for £ 2.95M including premium on June 21, 2011 over a lower estimate of £ 500K. It was then coming directly from the Beyeler estate after having belonged to the Matisse family.
On April 26 in New York, Sotheby's sells the copy 20/30 of La Mer, lot 15 estimated $ 500K. Its provenance is also interesting : it had belonged to Ascher and was on loan to the MoMA from 1950 to 1953. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
1947 Henri Matisse celebrating Life
2013 SOLD 410 K£ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
Unsold on September 19, 2012 in London at Christie's, the copy 39 of 100 of Jazz portfolio is relisted by the same auction house on March 20, with a slightly lowered estimate of £ 300K. Here is my first discussion on this lot :
Founder in 1937 of Verve magazine, Tériade was a great instigator of art. During the war, Matisse was sick. The intuition of Tériade was to appreciate that the creative impulses of the artist were intact and to convince him, which was not an easy task.
His health did not allow him to paint. Matisse invented for this project a new technique by which the color existed before the creation of the form: he cut with scissors gouache layered sheets in bright monochrome colors.
The result assembled by Matisse gave Tériade reason: the artist had regained the momentum and spontaneity of La Danse, painted in 1910. They had to find a title to this new hymn to joy. It could have been Le Cirque. It was Jazz.
Jazz was printed in 1947 in 20 plates on 44 x 67 cm sheets. Matisse had a requirement brilliant in its simplicity: he requested that the print colors are produced by the same gouaches, strictly from the same brand, which had served for the originals.
Tériade offered this set in two versions: portfolio, published in 100 copies, and book, published in 250 copies.
The portfolio, when it remains complete, is more prestigious because the sheets were not bent.
POST SALE COMMENT
Now the result met the expectation : £ 410K including premium.
Unsold on September 19, 2012 in London at Christie's, the copy 39 of 100 of Jazz portfolio is relisted by the same auction house on March 20, with a slightly lowered estimate of £ 300K. Here is my first discussion on this lot :
Founder in 1937 of Verve magazine, Tériade was a great instigator of art. During the war, Matisse was sick. The intuition of Tériade was to appreciate that the creative impulses of the artist were intact and to convince him, which was not an easy task.
His health did not allow him to paint. Matisse invented for this project a new technique by which the color existed before the creation of the form: he cut with scissors gouache layered sheets in bright monochrome colors.
The result assembled by Matisse gave Tériade reason: the artist had regained the momentum and spontaneity of La Danse, painted in 1910. They had to find a title to this new hymn to joy. It could have been Le Cirque. It was Jazz.
Jazz was printed in 1947 in 20 plates on 44 x 67 cm sheets. Matisse had a requirement brilliant in its simplicity: he requested that the print colors are produced by the same gouaches, strictly from the same brand, which had served for the originals.
Tériade offered this set in two versions: portfolio, published in 100 copies, and book, published in 250 copies.
The portfolio, when it remains complete, is more prestigious because the sheets were not bent.
POST SALE COMMENT
Now the result met the expectation : £ 410K including premium.
1958 A Beauty from the Linoleum
2016 SOLD for $ 610K including premium
Pablo Picasso enjoys much free time in Vallauris. He diversifies his use of materials and techniques. In 1958 he tries the linocut.
The linocut is derived from the woodcut with its inking from the surfaces that were not previously hollowed. The linoleum has two advantages over wood : it is less hard and is not fibrous, allowing the execution in reserves of a sharper picture.
At that time Pablo does not hesitate any more to announce his inspirations drawn from art history, as masterfully demonstrated by the Women of Algiers after Delacroix. His choice of the Portrait of a Young Woman from Cranach the Younger is nevertheless by chance : he has just received from Kahnweiler a postcard illustrated by this image.
It is his first serious test in color linocut. He starts with two colors, observes that his process is under control and improves this work in five colors : sepia, yellow, red, blue and black. The printing is done by Arnéra in Vallauris and the Galerie Louise Leiris publishes it in 50 serialized copies with an image 64 x 53 cm on Arches wove paper 76 x 57 cm to which about 15 unnumbered artist's proofs are added.
An artist's proof signed and dedicated by Pablo to a friend is estimated $ 500K for sale by Sotheby's in New York on October 27, lot 26. One of the fifty commercial prints, also signed, was sold for $ 700K including premium in the same auction room of 20 April 2016 over a lower estimate of $ 400K.
The linocut is derived from the woodcut with its inking from the surfaces that were not previously hollowed. The linoleum has two advantages over wood : it is less hard and is not fibrous, allowing the execution in reserves of a sharper picture.
At that time Pablo does not hesitate any more to announce his inspirations drawn from art history, as masterfully demonstrated by the Women of Algiers after Delacroix. His choice of the Portrait of a Young Woman from Cranach the Younger is nevertheless by chance : he has just received from Kahnweiler a postcard illustrated by this image.
It is his first serious test in color linocut. He starts with two colors, observes that his process is under control and improves this work in five colors : sepia, yellow, red, blue and black. The printing is done by Arnéra in Vallauris and the Galerie Louise Leiris publishes it in 50 serialized copies with an image 64 x 53 cm on Arches wove paper 76 x 57 cm to which about 15 unnumbered artist's proofs are added.
An artist's proof signed and dedicated by Pablo to a friend is estimated $ 500K for sale by Sotheby's in New York on October 27, lot 26. One of the fifty commercial prints, also signed, was sold for $ 700K including premium in the same auction room of 20 April 2016 over a lower estimate of $ 400K.
1963 The Image Maker of the Anti Art
2017 SOLD for $ 970K including premium
At the time of the development of Pop Art, Jasper Johns is already famous for his Flags and his Targets. A lover of Rauschenberg, he belongs to the circle of Castelli. His quest for the annihilation of the meaning of art is of interest for the avant-gardes of New York.
Johns destroys everything : figuration, format, meaning, emotion. To go still further, he studies the variation in the perception of a painted or printed drawing with various techniques on various materials.
In 1960 Tanya Grosman invited him to experiment with her the lithography at the Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE) in West Islip NY. At that time Johns worked on the numbers 0 to 9 that he superimposed, each figure covering the entire surface of a sheet to create an illegible but colorful magma. The engraving makes an additional contribution to his theories. He is convinced.
In 1963 ULAE publishes in portfolio the numbers 0-9 by Johns. Now each figure is printed on a separate sheet 52 x 40 cm. A single stone is used for the whole series, a new figure replacing the previous one with three passes per numeral : black, gray and a different color for each number. Despite the mechanical preparation of the artwork, the achieved readability is different for each figure.
The edition is composed of 10 black portfolios, 10 gray portfolios and 10 color portfolios. The text is written by the art critic Robert Rosenblum convinced of the importance of the innovative vision of Johns. Rosenblum's copy of the very rare 0-9 color portfolio is estimated $ 600K for sale by Sotheby's in New York on April 27, lot 87.
The paradox continues. This artist without a message becomes the best illustrator of his time with regard to the printing technique. His masterpiece is the 1973 Flags I where the lithography executed with 31 screens reaches the texture quality of a painted work. A copy fetched $ 1.7M including premium at Christie's on April 26, 2016.
0-9 should not be confused with the Numeral Series published in black in 1968 in 70 copies and in colors in 1969 in 40 copies plus 11 artist's proofs. A black portfolio was sold for $ 410K including premium by Sotheby's on May 9, 2008. A color portfolio was sold for $ 720K including premium by Christie's on May 12, 2011.
Johns destroys everything : figuration, format, meaning, emotion. To go still further, he studies the variation in the perception of a painted or printed drawing with various techniques on various materials.
In 1960 Tanya Grosman invited him to experiment with her the lithography at the Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE) in West Islip NY. At that time Johns worked on the numbers 0 to 9 that he superimposed, each figure covering the entire surface of a sheet to create an illegible but colorful magma. The engraving makes an additional contribution to his theories. He is convinced.
In 1963 ULAE publishes in portfolio the numbers 0-9 by Johns. Now each figure is printed on a separate sheet 52 x 40 cm. A single stone is used for the whole series, a new figure replacing the previous one with three passes per numeral : black, gray and a different color for each number. Despite the mechanical preparation of the artwork, the achieved readability is different for each figure.
The edition is composed of 10 black portfolios, 10 gray portfolios and 10 color portfolios. The text is written by the art critic Robert Rosenblum convinced of the importance of the innovative vision of Johns. Rosenblum's copy of the very rare 0-9 color portfolio is estimated $ 600K for sale by Sotheby's in New York on April 27, lot 87.
The paradox continues. This artist without a message becomes the best illustrator of his time with regard to the printing technique. His masterpiece is the 1973 Flags I where the lithography executed with 31 screens reaches the texture quality of a painted work. A copy fetched $ 1.7M including premium at Christie's on April 26, 2016.
0-9 should not be confused with the Numeral Series published in black in 1968 in 70 copies and in colors in 1969 in 40 copies plus 11 artist's proofs. A black portfolio was sold for $ 410K including premium by Sotheby's on May 9, 2008. A color portfolio was sold for $ 720K including premium by Christie's on May 12, 2011.
1964 Look at La Joconde
2017 SOLD for € 630K including premium
The Dada movement demands a resolutely anti-conformist artistic language. La Joconde (Mona Lisa) is a favorite target for caricaturists and theorists. Already in 1914 Malevich flogged this symbol of bourgeois art. Its theft from the Louvre in 1911 had ranked it with the heroines of adventure novels.
In 1919 Marcel Duchamp draws a mustache and a goatee beard on a picture of Mona Lisa in postcard format. This irreverent act is very well targeted. The title L.H.O.O.Q. is both a homophone of Look in the meaning of voyeurism when reading the word and of the titillating Elle a chaud au cul when spelling the letters, as a great example of a successful bilingual pun.
Art allows any audacity. L.H.O.O.Q. is also a symbol of the mingling of genders. In 1910 Sigmund Freud had managed to observe in the ambiguous face of this woman a proof of Leonardo's homosexuality. The feminization of Marcel Duchamp as Rrose Sélavy in 1920 is an interesting continuation of that debate.
L.H.O.O.Q.. accompanies Duchamp's reputation as an innovator throughout his short career as a creative artist and his long retirement devoted to chess. Replicas and imitations are numerous.
In 1964 a friend of Duchamp prepares a monograph to be published in 35 copies. He invites the artist to insert an artwork therein. Duchamp buys 38 identical lithographs 30 x 23 cm. On each of them he reworks the face in pencil and erases in white gouache the reference to Leonardo and to the Louvre while maintaining the original title La Joconde. He adds L.H.O.O.Q. as the subtitle, signs and numbers all copies.
One of these recuperation prints was sold for $ 1.2M including premium by Christie's on May 8, 2016 over a lower estimate of $ 400K. Another copy is estimated € 400K for sale by Sotheby's in Paris on October 21, lot 105.
In 1919 Marcel Duchamp draws a mustache and a goatee beard on a picture of Mona Lisa in postcard format. This irreverent act is very well targeted. The title L.H.O.O.Q. is both a homophone of Look in the meaning of voyeurism when reading the word and of the titillating Elle a chaud au cul when spelling the letters, as a great example of a successful bilingual pun.
Art allows any audacity. L.H.O.O.Q. is also a symbol of the mingling of genders. In 1910 Sigmund Freud had managed to observe in the ambiguous face of this woman a proof of Leonardo's homosexuality. The feminization of Marcel Duchamp as Rrose Sélavy in 1920 is an interesting continuation of that debate.
L.H.O.O.Q.. accompanies Duchamp's reputation as an innovator throughout his short career as a creative artist and his long retirement devoted to chess. Replicas and imitations are numerous.
In 1964 a friend of Duchamp prepares a monograph to be published in 35 copies. He invites the artist to insert an artwork therein. Duchamp buys 38 identical lithographs 30 x 23 cm. On each of them he reworks the face in pencil and erases in white gouache the reference to Leonardo and to the Louvre while maintaining the original title La Joconde. He adds L.H.O.O.Q. as the subtitle, signs and numbers all copies.
One of these recuperation prints was sold for $ 1.2M including premium by Christie's on May 8, 2016 over a lower estimate of $ 400K. Another copy is estimated € 400K for sale by Sotheby's in Paris on October 21, lot 105.
1967 Variations for Marilyn
2012 SOLD 1.65 M$ including premium
In 1962, just when Warhol endeavors to conquer the universe, a star enters tragically into her legend : Marilyn.
Trained in advertising, Andy had understood how he could exploit the portraits of celebrities. In a few months, he built his pantheon with the most mythical men and women of his time. A new Warhol would be helpful for displaying the celebrities of today.
His use of screenprint enabled him to quickly produce many varied paintings. It was logical that he wishes to multiply his imaging. His portfolios of pure prints, often standardized to ten in a cardboard box, provides the most comprehensive artistic vision of the world in his time.
Posthumously, Marilyn will help mightily in his new project. Her portfolio is published in 250 copies in 1967 in large format, 91 x 91 cm. The face of the star is the same on the ten prints, but the variety of colors is total.
Despite the important printed quantity, this portfolio is rare at auction. Collectors prefer keeping these icons. A copy of the Marilyn portfolio was sold for $ 1M including premium by Sotheby's on 31 October 2008. Another copy, signed by Warhol, is estimated $ 1.4 million, for sale by Sotheby's in New York on November 2. Here is the link to the catalog.
Warhol loves his own success. In 1972, the Mao portfolio is created according to the same formula. The copy from the Gunter Sachs collection was sold £ 1.6 million including premium at Sotheby's on May 22, 2012.
POST SALE COMMENT
Logically, the iconic Marilyn portfolio has achieved the highest sale of that auction: $ 1.65 million including premium.
Here are the prizes including premium of the other Warhol sets of 10 pieces each: Mao: $ 720K; Flowers: $ 610K; Endangered species: $ 480K; Myths: $ 435K; Portraits of Jews: $ 265K; Electric Chairs: $ 160K.
Trained in advertising, Andy had understood how he could exploit the portraits of celebrities. In a few months, he built his pantheon with the most mythical men and women of his time. A new Warhol would be helpful for displaying the celebrities of today.
His use of screenprint enabled him to quickly produce many varied paintings. It was logical that he wishes to multiply his imaging. His portfolios of pure prints, often standardized to ten in a cardboard box, provides the most comprehensive artistic vision of the world in his time.
Posthumously, Marilyn will help mightily in his new project. Her portfolio is published in 250 copies in 1967 in large format, 91 x 91 cm. The face of the star is the same on the ten prints, but the variety of colors is total.
Despite the important printed quantity, this portfolio is rare at auction. Collectors prefer keeping these icons. A copy of the Marilyn portfolio was sold for $ 1M including premium by Sotheby's on 31 October 2008. Another copy, signed by Warhol, is estimated $ 1.4 million, for sale by Sotheby's in New York on November 2. Here is the link to the catalog.
Warhol loves his own success. In 1972, the Mao portfolio is created according to the same formula. The copy from the Gunter Sachs collection was sold £ 1.6 million including premium at Sotheby's on May 22, 2012.
POST SALE COMMENT
Logically, the iconic Marilyn portfolio has achieved the highest sale of that auction: $ 1.65 million including premium.
Here are the prizes including premium of the other Warhol sets of 10 pieces each: Mao: $ 720K; Flowers: $ 610K; Endangered species: $ 480K; Myths: $ 435K; Portraits of Jews: $ 265K; Electric Chairs: $ 160K.
1968 Campbell's Soup I set of 10 prints by Warhol
2018 SOLD for £ 850K including premium by Sotheby's
Link to Artvalue.
1968 Soup Time
2015 SOLD for $ 480K including premium
The method used by Andy Warhol of mixing painting and silkscreen was effective for the multiplication of images. However there is much more simple and the solution has been known for centuries: printing.
This new phase in Andy's career began in 1967. He edited in 250 copies numbered 1 to 250 and 26 artist's proofs numbered A to Z ten identical portraits of Marilyn in ten different colors, on 91 x 91 cm sheets.
The success is encouraging. He retrieved his masterpiece of minimalist figurative art from 1962 : Campbell's Soup images differing only by the label indicating the nature of the condensed. The original series included 32 paintings on canvas. Warhol selects ten of them in his 1968 Soups, printed in the same quantity as above on 89 x 59 cm sheets.
He still has much reserve! A new edition made in the following year offers ten other soups, this time with a few fancy graphics. The labelling is new but this operation is otherwise strictly identical to the previous edition.
A complete copy of each of these sets was sold by Christie's on 13 November 2014. The results including premium were $ 2.2M for Marilyn, $ 550K for Campbell's Soup I and $ 490K for Campbell's Soup II.
Another complete set of the 1968 Campbell's Soup I is estimated $ 400K for sale on May 17 in Los Angeles by Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA), lot 180. See it also on LiveAuctioneers bidding platform.
This new phase in Andy's career began in 1967. He edited in 250 copies numbered 1 to 250 and 26 artist's proofs numbered A to Z ten identical portraits of Marilyn in ten different colors, on 91 x 91 cm sheets.
The success is encouraging. He retrieved his masterpiece of minimalist figurative art from 1962 : Campbell's Soup images differing only by the label indicating the nature of the condensed. The original series included 32 paintings on canvas. Warhol selects ten of them in his 1968 Soups, printed in the same quantity as above on 89 x 59 cm sheets.
He still has much reserve! A new edition made in the following year offers ten other soups, this time with a few fancy graphics. The labelling is new but this operation is otherwise strictly identical to the previous edition.
A complete copy of each of these sets was sold by Christie's on 13 November 2014. The results including premium were $ 2.2M for Marilyn, $ 550K for Campbell's Soup I and $ 490K for Campbell's Soup II.
Another complete set of the 1968 Campbell's Soup I is estimated $ 400K for sale on May 17 in Los Angeles by Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA), lot 180. See it also on LiveAuctioneers bidding platform.
1972 Series of 10 Mao Prints by Warhol
2012 SOLD for £ 1.6M including premium by Sotheby's
1972 Ten Mao's for China
2010 SOLD 6.6 MHK$ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
The art market is turning to China: to Hong Kong where the international auction groups deploy their expertise for several years, and to Beijing where the now intense activity is still a bit tight for Westerner commentators.
Relations between China and the rest of the world is a theme in itself. Christie's is at ease and made the right choice by highlighting a copy of Mao portfolio by Andy Warhol, estimated HK $ 3 million, for sale in Hong Kong on May 29.The press is alerted, and awaits with interest the outcome. See as an example the article shared by Telegraph, where 6 of the 10 prints are illustrated.
Let us go now into Warholian history: Most characters of his portrait gallery of celebrities have been the subject of portfolios, where the same image is repeated in different colors. In 1967, this new art form invented by Warhol reaches success with the Marilyn Monroe, consisting of 10 prints 91 x 91 cm in an issue of 250 portfolios.
In 1972, Warhol considers the most powerful statesman on Earth, Mao, the Great Helmsman. The Mao set is on the same format as the Marilyn and also composed of 10 images, but only 50 portfolios have been produced.
The number 12, complete in its original box, was sold 825 K £ including premium at Christie's on October 16, 2007.The copy for Hong Kong, also complete with its box, is the number 10.
POST SALE COMMENT
The art market is global. Sold 6.6 MHK $ including premium, the Mao portfolio surpasses its conservative estimate and reaches a price within the normal range of the international market.
The art market is turning to China: to Hong Kong where the international auction groups deploy their expertise for several years, and to Beijing where the now intense activity is still a bit tight for Westerner commentators.
Relations between China and the rest of the world is a theme in itself. Christie's is at ease and made the right choice by highlighting a copy of Mao portfolio by Andy Warhol, estimated HK $ 3 million, for sale in Hong Kong on May 29.The press is alerted, and awaits with interest the outcome. See as an example the article shared by Telegraph, where 6 of the 10 prints are illustrated.
Let us go now into Warholian history: Most characters of his portrait gallery of celebrities have been the subject of portfolios, where the same image is repeated in different colors. In 1967, this new art form invented by Warhol reaches success with the Marilyn Monroe, consisting of 10 prints 91 x 91 cm in an issue of 250 portfolios.
In 1972, Warhol considers the most powerful statesman on Earth, Mao, the Great Helmsman. The Mao set is on the same format as the Marilyn and also composed of 10 images, but only 50 portfolios have been produced.
The number 12, complete in its original box, was sold 825 K £ including premium at Christie's on October 16, 2007.The copy for Hong Kong, also complete with its box, is the number 10.
POST SALE COMMENT
The art market is global. Sold 6.6 MHK $ including premium, the Mao portfolio surpasses its conservative estimate and reaches a price within the normal range of the international market.
1973 Two Flags and 31 Screens
2016 SOLD for $ 1.7M including premium
Jasper Johns explores the texture without rejecting the colors. He chooses preexisting themes without reworking their pattern. The US flag is an example of geometric shapes with pure colors. Its recuperation by Johns is both popular and provocative but the public does not perceive the whole extent of its ambiguity.
In 1973, the artist juxtaposes two US flags on one surface with their strips vertically dispositioned and the star block displaced to the upper left. It is an experiment by which he compares an oil coated with a glossy varnish with his signature technique in encaustic wax where the upper layers cover an already dry paint. In both cases the under-layers influence the colors visible at the surface.
The differences are subtle but Johns endeavors to reproduce them in a multiple. He chooses the silkscreen process but of course the usual four colors are not enough. The Simca Artist Prints Inc company develops with him for his double flag a set of 31 screens to be used in five stages.
Flags I is a technical feat. Johns was able to transfer to a multiple edition the voluntarily irregular layers of his paint. This image 67 x 84 cm on a sheet 70 x 90 cm is printed in 65 copies plus seven artist's proofs.
The best results were recorded by Christie's in a remarkably steady increase: $ 1.45M on November 11, 2015; $ 990K on November 13, 2013; $ 840K on May 11, 2010; $ 620K on April 30, 2008; $ 600K on November 9, 2005; $ 430K on 3 May 2005. These prices include the premium.
The print 59/65 is estimated $ 800K for sale by Christie's in New York on April 26, lot 107.
In 1973, the artist juxtaposes two US flags on one surface with their strips vertically dispositioned and the star block displaced to the upper left. It is an experiment by which he compares an oil coated with a glossy varnish with his signature technique in encaustic wax where the upper layers cover an already dry paint. In both cases the under-layers influence the colors visible at the surface.
The differences are subtle but Johns endeavors to reproduce them in a multiple. He chooses the silkscreen process but of course the usual four colors are not enough. The Simca Artist Prints Inc company develops with him for his double flag a set of 31 screens to be used in five stages.
Flags I is a technical feat. Johns was able to transfer to a multiple edition the voluntarily irregular layers of his paint. This image 67 x 84 cm on a sheet 70 x 90 cm is printed in 65 copies plus seven artist's proofs.
The best results were recorded by Christie's in a remarkably steady increase: $ 1.45M on November 11, 2015; $ 990K on November 13, 2013; $ 840K on May 11, 2010; $ 620K on April 30, 2008; $ 600K on November 9, 2005; $ 430K on 3 May 2005. These prices include the premium.
The print 59/65 is estimated $ 800K for sale by Christie's in New York on April 26, lot 107.
1994 The Blonde with Blue Hair
2016 SOLD for $ 450K including premium
From 1993 the figures of blonde women mark both the synthesis and the ultimate development in the art of Roy Lichtenstein.
Same as in his beginnings he uses images taken from comic books and dots imitating the printing pattern. Nudity is new in his art, suitable to confront the wave of the body shape with a rigorous geometric construction.
These theoretical advances provide as usual an opportunity for printed editions. In association with Tyler Graphics in New York, the artist uses the technique of relief print in which a mechanical preparation of the paper defines depressed areas that will be saved from ink.
The best print of this series is a nude in bust length with blue hair done in 1994 in two states of the same size: 130 x 80 cm image on 147 x 95 cm sheet. It is gradually becoming one of the icons of modern engraving and its prices at auction rise steadily.
The state I is printed in 10 copies plus 6 artist's proofs. The lines are blue and the flatness of the hair is not colored. Serial number 6/10 was sold for $ 320K including premium by Christie's on October 30, 2013.
In the other state the lines are black. The uniformly sky blue hair draws the attention to the head rather than to the breasts, supporting the intention of the artist to provide an image of the modern young woman. This state is edited in 40 copies plus 12 artist's proofs.
The number 23/40 was sold for $ 580K including premium by Christie's on October 24, 2014 over a lower estimate of $ 150K. The 16/40 is estimated $ 300K for sale by Sotheby's in New York on April 20, lot 27.
Same as in his beginnings he uses images taken from comic books and dots imitating the printing pattern. Nudity is new in his art, suitable to confront the wave of the body shape with a rigorous geometric construction.
These theoretical advances provide as usual an opportunity for printed editions. In association with Tyler Graphics in New York, the artist uses the technique of relief print in which a mechanical preparation of the paper defines depressed areas that will be saved from ink.
The best print of this series is a nude in bust length with blue hair done in 1994 in two states of the same size: 130 x 80 cm image on 147 x 95 cm sheet. It is gradually becoming one of the icons of modern engraving and its prices at auction rise steadily.
The state I is printed in 10 copies plus 6 artist's proofs. The lines are blue and the flatness of the hair is not colored. Serial number 6/10 was sold for $ 320K including premium by Christie's on October 30, 2013.
In the other state the lines are black. The uniformly sky blue hair draws the attention to the head rather than to the breasts, supporting the intention of the artist to provide an image of the modern young woman. This state is edited in 40 copies plus 12 artist's proofs.
The number 23/40 was sold for $ 580K including premium by Christie's on October 24, 2014 over a lower estimate of $ 150K. The 16/40 is estimated $ 300K for sale by Sotheby's in New York on April 20, lot 27.
