NEW YORK, NY.- Sothebys upcoming auction of Prints & Multiples in New York will feature an extensive selection of seminal works spanning the 20th and 21st centuries, with 450+ works being sold across four auction sessions held between 18 and 22 October 2018.
Following last weeks white-glove auction of fine art from the collection of the late David Teiger at Sothebys London, the New York sale will open with 21 prints from the personal collection of this visionary collector, patron and museum trustee. Proceeds from the collection will benefit Teiger Foundation soon to be one of the worlds largest and most significant contemporary art foundations set up to support and promote excellence in contemporary art. The October group is led by Cicada, an extremely rare and complete set of screenprints by Jasper Johns that is estimated to sell for $300/500,000.
The Prints & Multiples auction will be on public view in Sothebys New York galleries beginning this Sunday, 14 October.
THE COLLECTION OF DAVID TEIGER
Ranging from works by Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso to Christopher Wool, David Hockney and Olafur Eliasson, the selection of 21 prints on offer from the Collection of David Teiger is led by a complete set of Jasper Johnss beautiful Cicada (ULAE 215) from 1981 (estimate $300/500,000), which illustrates the artists iconic crosshatch motif across an array of complementary colors. In both its imagery and technique, the work demonstrates Johns passion for printmaking, with each screenprint employing 19 screens to achieve depth and texture in the process exploring the boundaries of the medium. The present set is one of two printers proofs from an edition of only seven. A complete set of Cicada has not appeared at auction since 1997, when one sold from the famed Ganz Collection.
David Teiger had a strong commitment to collecting and supporting works by female artists, and the selection of prints from his collection features a group of figural nudes by Marlene Dumas as well as portraits by Elizabeth Peyton, including Flower Ben from 2003 (estimate $5/7,000).
ANDY WARHOL ICONS
A strong selection of works by Andy Warhol are highlighted by three complete sets of the artists prints, highlighted by Ten Portraits of the Jews of the Twentieth Century (F. & S. II.226-235) from 1980 (estimate $250/350,000). The portraits are a testament to the achievements of Sarah Bernhardt, Louis Brandeis, Martin Buber, Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, George Gershwin, Franz Kafka, the Marx Brothers, Golda Meir, and Gertrude Stein. Other iconic subjects by Warhol include unique trial proofs of Paramount and Dracula, a screenprint of Superman from the Myths portfolio, and nine screenprints from the Flowers portfolio each sold individually.
RICHARD DIEBENKORNS MONUMENTAL GREEN
Considered an icon of postwar printmaking in America, Richard Diebenkorns Green is a showcase of the artists achievement in the field (estimate $400/600,000). Its monumental size measuring 45 inches tall balanced composition, layers of abstraction and brilliant color all factor into this works label as the artists largest and most important print.
A SURVEY OF PABLO PICASSO PRINTS
Next weeks sale includes an extensive range of over 60 prints by Pablo Picasso. Spanning the artists career and mastery of nearly every print medium, highlights range from an impression of the artists first masterwork in etching, Le Repas frugal (B. 1; BA. 2) (estimate $50/70,000), to some of the strongest images from the Vollard Suite and numerous linoleum cuts from the 1960s including Portrait de Jacqueline de face, II (Tête de femme) (B. 1063; BA. 1280) (estimate $80/120,000), one of three portraits of the artists wife and muse, Jacqueline Roque.
LINCOLN CENTER EDITIONS
The Prints & Multiples auction will close on 22 October with a session dedicated to a selection of 79 prints from Lincoln Center Editions, with works by a diverse group of artists including Vija Celmins, Chuck Close, Jim Dine and Karen Kilimnik. The Proceeds from their sale of these prints continue to benefit Lincoln Centers innovative cultural programming and education.
Lincoln Center Editions is a component of the Vera List Art Project, which was launched at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in 1962 by philanthropist and art collector, Vera List. A pioneer in the fields of contemporary patronage and art education, Vera was committed to helping develop Lincoln Center into an intersection of the visual and performing arts.
Her vision was realized in a publishing program that commissioned artists to create images inspired by Lincoln Center and published in limited editions to commemorate its events, from film screenings to operas. Cultural icons such as Chuck Close, Helen Frankenthaler, Barbara Kruger, Sol Lewitt and Andy Warhol each created stellar editions that were offered for sale to benefit education and performance programs at Lincoln Center. To date, the highly-respected program has published more than 150 limited edition prints. Today, Lincoln Center Editions continues to collaborate with contemporary artists in the spirit of Vera List. Artists such as John Baldessari, Angel Otero, Robin Rhode and Carlos Rolón/Dzine have most recently contributed editions.