ZURICH.- Willem de Kooning apparently worked on the untitled composition offered in the 2 December sale over a long period of time, as he painted over his signature twice during the process. This small-format work belongs to a series dating from the early- to mid-1970s, and its broad black lines recall de Kooning's sculpture from the same period (lot 3444, CHF 600 000/900 000). Two works in the auction by Czech artist Zdenek Sykora are from his 'Lines' series, which brought the artist worldwide recognition from 1972 onwards. Sykora was also a pioneer of computer art, and the form, colour and positioning of the lines are determined by random, computer-generated numbers (lots 3469 and 3470, CHF 150 000/250 000 and CHF 80 000/140 000).

'Aspects', 1965, is a significant work by Mark Tobey, typical of his calligraphic explorations of line, mass and volume (lot 3413, CHF 120 000/180 000). Jean-Paul Riopelle's 'Noyauttage', 1957, is a particularly attractive example of his sculpturally applied paint surfaces typical of the 'grandes mosaïques' of that decade (lot 3407, CHF 120 000/180 000). Op Art is well represented in the auction, with works by such artists as Victor Vasarely (lot 3433, CHF 70 000/90 000), Günter Fruhtrunk (lot 3424, CHF 30 000/50 000), and Olle Baertling (lot 3419, CHF 35 000/55 000).

Among the Prints & Multiples on offer are two works by Roy Lichtenstein: his iconic 'Shipboard Girl', 1965 (lot 3658, CHF 35 000/45 000) and 'The Oval Office', as it appeared during the administration of George H.W. Bush in 1992 (lot 3659, CHF 30 000/50 000). A Pablo Picasso ceramic vase, 'Femme / Vase deux anses hautes' dates from 1952 and depicts a female figure with a distinctly regal demeanour (lot 361, CHF 28 000/34 000).

Swiss Art, 3 December
A ravishing portrait of a young girl holding two kittens by Albert Anker will be offered in the Swiss Art auction and is expected to bring between 1.5 and 2 million Swiss francs (lot 3006). Also by Anker and equally charming is a portrait of the artist Emile Roux as an infant from circa 1867 (lot 3004, CHF 150 000/250 000).




Two landscapes by Ferdinand Hodler are dated just two years apart but reveal distinct aspects of the painter's style. 'The Aare near Thun', circa 1880, is in the classic plein air manner of the Barbizon school and of Hodler's mentor Barthélemy Menn, focusing on the effects of light and the play of reflections on the water (lot 3014, CHF 300 000/500 000). In 'Meadows at Lake Geneva', circa 1882, Hodler is already exploring the effects created by the rapid juxtaposition of colour, as well as a more spontaneous rendering of both water and sky (lot 3017, CHF 130 000/180 000). A third work by Hodler in the auction is a portrait of a red-haired woman with a penetrating gaze, which dates from circa 1917 (lot 3031, CHF 80 000/120 000).

Giovanni Segantini's 'The Shoemaker' plunges the viewer into a highly concentrated, meditative moment in the artisan's working day; the craftsman is bathed in a golden, almost saintly light (lot 3011, CHF 250 000/350 000). Also depicted in a moment of concentration and reverie is 'La Liseuse' by Félix Vallotton, 1922 (lot 3035, CHF 250 000/350 000). Here the paisley wallpaper seems to form a pulsating aura around the reading woman.

Impressionist & Modern Art, 3 December
Two works by Paul Klee from the collection of the long-time Geneva gallerist and collector Georges Moos will feature in this auction. "Eine Seiten-Portal" dates from one of the most prolific periods in the artist's career, the last months before his death in 1940. Despite his suffering from a painful autoimmune disease, Klee's artistic output at the end of his life was remarkable for both the sheer number of works he produced and his ever-deepening exploration of proportion and colour (lot 3233, CHF 160 000/240 000). The second work, 'Kleine Gartenecke', 1931, reflects the artist's lifelong passion for nature and gardening (lot 3229, CHF 100 000/150 000).

'Oiseau', 1929, is a relatively rare subject for Ossip Zadkine, who created few sculptures of birds. Inspired in part by works by Constantin Brancusi and Alberto Giacometti, it was last exhibited in 1933, and has been held in private collections since its creation (lot 3242, CHF 160 000/220 000). Walter Dexel created 'Komposition 26', 1926, following his nomination as head of exhibitions at the Kunstverein in Jena, Germany. The resulting contacts with Bauhaus artist Laszlo Moholy-Nagy and De Stijl founder Theo van Doesburg led Dexel to abandon figurative painting and develop his own Constructivist idiom. Works by Dexel from this period are rare - he produced only one other oil on canvas in 1926, 'Figuration 26A', today in the Museum of Modern Art, New York (lot 3239, CHF 80 000/120 000).

Two paintings by Gustave Loiseau are also featured in the Impressionist & Modern Art auction: a plein air landscape, 'Bord de rivière, la Seine à Portejoie', circa 1901 (lot 3206, CHF 70 000/120 000), and a vibrant street scene, 'Rue Clignancourt, Paris', 1924 (lot 3213, CHF 50 000/70 000). Following the success of the Abraham Manievich landscapes in Koller's July auction, a work from one of the artist's best periods will be offered: 'Through the trees (Fairy Park)', 1919, which comes to auction directly from the artist's estate (lot 3217, CHF 80 000/120 000).