NEW YORK, NY.- Bonhams Post-War & Contemporary Art sale will be led by a compelling range of Op Art with leading names including Wojciech Fangor, Jesús Rafael Soto, and Victor Vasarely. Op Art, short for Optical Art, was a radical and global movement that embodied the culture of the 1960s and highlighting the selection is M77, an extraordinary painting by Wojciech Fangor (estimate: $200,000-300,000). Appearing on the market for the first time, Fangor's M77, 1968 is a striking, complex vortex which overwhelms the senses, and an example of his mastery of conceptual representation. Oliva Sobre Oliva, 2002, a masterwork by Jesús Rafael Soto, presents a mastery of both space and color as well as utilizes stillness and shadows (estimate: $300,000-500,000). Also fresh-to-the market is Sean Scully's early monumental Green Light from 1972-73 (estimate: $120,000-180,000), a complex network of intersecting and overlapping bands of color, where three-dimensional space is created and activated by deeply contrasting colors – a result similar to works by the early pioneers of the Op Art movement.

Appearing at auction for the first time is a rare and important early work by Tom Wesselmann, Little Bathtub Collage #3 (estimate: $100,000-150,000). This petite, jewel-like painting of a woman bathing does not appear to incorporate the conventional elements as the typical Wesselmann nude, but it is a significant example from artist’s series of “Portrait Collages” and also distinguished for its provenance. The work was originally sold by the artist’s New York representatives, Green Gallery, to Abram ‘Al’ Lerner, art advisor and personal curator for the collector, financier and entrepreneur Joseph Hirshhorn. This group, including four examples from the “Great American Nude series”, are now part of the Hirshhorn Museum collection in Washington D.C. Little Bathtub Collage #3 is one example that Hirshhorn kept in his personal collection until his death.

Further highlights include Summer II, an early watercolor by renowned American artist Sam Francis (estimate: $200,000-300,000). Created in 1957, this is a seminal work by Francis due to its pivotal place within his artistic canon. This work on paper reflects the culmination of influences from Modernism to Orientalism and is significant for its mastery of color and exploration of light and space, hallmarks of Francis’ style. Ada in Spain by Alex Katz (estimate: $220,000-280,000), is an outstanding portrait of his wife and muse, Ada. Painted in 1981, this work is a striking example of Katz's innate ability to layer emotion and memory into his canvases. He captures a seemingly perfect day with Ada's iconic profile and utilizes all aspects of painting to transport the viewer into his world.