PARIS.- Christie's will present the sale of an important group of works assembled by a French collector on the 13 and 15 of October between the salerooms in Paris and London. Comprising over 100 pieces, this exceptional collection reflects a woman's passion for post-war and contemporary art. The collection includes some of the greatest international figures of the 20th century, such as David Hockney, whose Guest House Garden will be offered at auction for the first time (2000, estimate: £5,000,000-7,000,000) Fernando Botero, Chu Teh-Chun, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Barbara Kruger, Manolo Valdés and Louise Nevelson. It also reflects a strong appetite for French artists, including Philippe Cognée, Olivier Debré, Gérard Garouste, Gilles Aillaud, Richard Texier and Maurice Estève.

Estimated between 9 and 13 million euros, the sale will take place in two stages: in Paris the majority of the collection will be offered on the 13 of October and in London, the highlight of the collection, a masterpiece by David Hockney will highlight the 20th / 21st Century: London Evening Sale Including Thinking Italian on 15 October 2021. Guest House Garden belongs to a small group of paintings and drawings depicting Hockney’s garden that he began during the summer of 2000 in London while exhibiting at the National Gallery, and continued back in Los Angeles. Though bathed in Californian luminosity, these works marked the beginning of a significant shift in Hockney’s practice, heralding many of the qualities of the Yorkshire landscapes that would come to dominate his oeuvre from 2004 onwards.

Paul Nyzam, specialist in charge of the sale: "French collections of this quality are rare. We are therefore particularly honoured to be able to showcase this ensemble at Christie's this autumn. Marked by a passion for artworks from the French scene during the second half of the 20th century as well as an openness to international artists, the collector demonstrated a loyalty to some of the most important dealers in Paris. The collection therefore draws a portrait of the woman who created it. A woman who is both impulsive and whimsical, driven by an insatiable curiosity for contemporary creation and a confident taste for bold artworks. A woman who has art on her mind.”




Christie's has always been committed to highlight collections built by people with discerning taste and a keen eye, and in particular contemporary art collections assembled by women. This sale follows on from the sales of the Bénédicte Pesle (2018), Anne Tronche (2019) and Marion Lambert (2020) collections. L’art à fleur de peau reveals the pioneering nature of a collector’s taste as well as underlining the ambition and trajectory of the journey undertaken in the search for new artists. The artworks will be presented in dialogue with each other, for instance, Jim Dine will be placed alongside Hervé Télémaque, George Condo with Zoran Music, Emil Nolde with Bernard Frize, and Victor Brauner with Sam Szafran.

A focus of the collection is work featuring the body and flesh, with Fernando Botero's example standing out as one of the most significant inclusions. Produced in 1988 in a large format (130 x 183 cm), Femme à la guitare (estimate: €500,000-700,000) is an emblematic example of the Colombian master's creative genius; it depicts a naked woman with voluptuous round curves holding a guitar, languidly reclining on a pink sofa. As always with Botero’s work, despite the figure's generous forms, a sense of grace and lightness emerges from the painting.

The collection includes two works by French-Chinese artist Chu Teh-Chun who moved to France in the 1950s, including the oil on canvas Lueurs imprévues, created in 2003 (estimate: €200,000-300,000). This painting illustrates lyrical abstraction, a pictorial movement that gave free rein to spontaneous inspiration. The work of Zao Wou-Ki, a friend of Chu The-Chun’s, is also well represented by two works : a watercolour, Untitled executed in 1993 (estimate: €60,000-80,000) and a silkscreen print from 2006, Saint Tropez (estimate: €10,000-15,000).

Several female artists are also represented in the collection: Magdalena Abakanowicz, Geneviève Asse, Rebecca Horn, Louise Nevelson, Kiki Smith, Shirin Neshat and Barbara Kruger, whose Talk to me, produced in 2000 (estimate: €150,000-200,000) is a highlight. Famous for her photo-montages of black and white press photographs, Kruger hijacks the advertising image on consumer subjects. The shocking taglines that accompany her creations place her in the category of the political artists of the 1980s. Through her work, Kruger attempts to introduce doubt into the viewer's mind and shows the power of language.