Is there anything more glamorous than an art auction? The beautiful objects, the beautiful people (and the excruciatingly expensive lesson on why you really need to perfect your own discreet micro-wave of the paddle).
These components form the spine of auction culture, setting the pace for larger aesthetic and high end cultural trends all over the world. However, unless you’re an oligarch (or Blue Ivy) it can sometimes be somewhat difficult to get in on the action.
So if you’re eager to get your hands on some rather incredible artworks by artists Such as Ellsworth Kelly, Bridget Riley, KAWS or Banksy, among other blue-chip names, we have the perfect opportunity for you.
The Artspace Winter 2020 auction is just around the corner, and bidding opens on February 27th, running through March 2, 9 pm , est.
This is how it works.
Make sure you’re signed up for our emails. This is the easiest way to get direct details about all Artspace’s specials, auctions, sales and events.
Click through a banner on our website . This link, or the Artspace “Auction” tab under the search bar on our home page.
Find the “How it Works” button . Here you will find all the details on how to bid, and in what increments, to secure your favorite piece of the many in our auction.
Place your bid. Keep your fingers crossed, (we'll inform you if your bid is being beaten) and hopefully, steal the deal!
Let’s take a closer look at 5 of the highlights from the upcoming Artspace Winter 2020 auction, selected by our Private Sales Director, Amanda Knuppel. Go to our dedicated auction page to see all the lots.
Blue Over Green (Bleu sur vert) , 1964
(Auction Estimate: $11,500-12,000 )
This dynamic lithograph boasts the two qualities that made legendary print-maker Ellsworth Kelly truly great— expert, reverberative color combinations paired with high-impact economy of form. This is minimalism at the highest proof, undiluted, eclipsing the fear of its own perfection. Kelly was a pioneer of Color Field and hard-edge painting in the '50s and '60s, rising from relative obscurity to the highest echelon of the New York art scene despite his stylistic iconoclasm for the time. Blue Over Green , from Kelly’s famous series “Twenty Seven Color Lithographs”, represents the very best of his oeuvre—elegance without sacrificing zing, innovation free from self-pronouncement. For fans of Kelly, this piece represents a one-of-a-kind collecting opportunity.
I'll Do It This Afternoon , 2017
(Auction Estimate: $5,500-6,500)
LA -based artist and Whitney Biennial darling Bert Rodriguez is a performance artist first, using every communicative modality available to explore issues of community, identity, and institutional critique. A playful through-line coheres his practice, gamifying each project with a sly, slow-burning humor. I'll Do It This Afternoon embodies that irreverence; two nimbus clouds feature silver linings, a material allusion to the classic axiom. Simultaneously slick and bittersweet, this piece is a testament to the narrative talents of one of the great contemporary storytellers of our time. Run, don’t walk, to scoop up this neon gem.
Intervals 1 , 2019
(Auction Estimate: $5,000-$6,000)
This sleek little abstraction typifies Riley’s contributions both as an Op Art pioneer and under-heralded feminist icon. Her visual ruminations on color and movement have long centered her relationship with nature, which she interprets as an “event, rather than an appearance”. The swelling psychological underbelly to her oeuvre, often belied by her Pop-influenced color choices, is on full display in Intervals 1 . This piece trafficks in a totemic, mindful minimalism that works subtly on the viewer, lulling onlookers into a calm, quiet space of fascination. Fans of Bridget Riley should be thrilled by the chance to own this dreamlike piece.
Rolls Of Toilet Paper And A Plastic Flower , 1998
(Auction Estimate: $3,500-$5,000)
Photographer Yasumura transforms objects into subjects, using careful composition and a slippery sense of reality to alter viewer perceptions of space.
Rolls
is a prime example of his artistic sensibility, drawing on the history of still-life only to subvert through saturated color and a hyper-real sterility of place. The piece is an excerpt from the artist’s most famous series, "Domestic Scandals", which was a 1999 grand prize winner of Canon’s New Cosmos of Photography. “Scandals” took place in Yasumura’s family home over the course of seven years; using a four-by-five inch camera, he focused on moments where traditional Japanese decor had been replaced or unintentionally juxtaposed with modern, mass-produced goods. This rare, sought-after artwork is as much a steal as it is a prize.
Brutalismo, 2016
(Auction Estimate: $6,000-$7,000)
Jaar is a Chilean-born artist, architect, and filmmaker working in New York City. He uses installation, photography, and film to cover controversial topics including war, genocide, and political corruption. His work also bears witness to imbalances of power between industrialized and developing nations. He is very interested in mass desensitization toward images of violence and poverty, leaving society susceptible to a general apathy, and he often references architecture to create contrast or emphasize resonance with the larger economic/social conditions he's critiquing. As seen here, brutalist architecture is the backdrop and stage for homelessness in wealthy nations. Jaar has described himself as "an idealist and a utopian”. By buying his work you help him in his quest to change the world.
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