In 1965, Richard Diebenkorn is dazzled by the significance of these two Matisse works, the Window at Collioure and the View of Notre-Dame. He began in 1967 his Ocean Park series from the name of the district of Santa Monica where he just opened his studio.
The frame of the window in the Ocean Parks is always partial, opening a way to infinity as Mondrian had done. It is also an excuse for manufactured colors that contrast with the transparency of the light of Southern California which is the main theme of the abstract vision of the artist.
Ocean Park # 48, 274 x 208 cm, painted in 1971, was sold for $ 13.5 million including premium at Christie's on November 14, 2012.
The sale of the Mellon collection at Sotheby's in New York on November 10 includes three major oil paintings from this series.
Ocean Park # 50, 236 x 206 cm, dated 1972, is estimated $ 7M, lot 23. Ocean Park # 61, in same size, dated 1973, is estimated $ 8M, lot 18. Ocean Park # 89, 206 x 206 cm, dated 1975 is estimated $ 8M, lot 11. That latter work includes an effect of cracked glass window.
Results including premium :
Ocean Park # 61 (1973) : $ 6.8M
Ocean Park # 89 (1975) : $ 9.7M