LONDON.- Christie’s King Street is a vibrant and compelling destination during the peak Summer Season in the capital. Following the success of their recent 20/21 sales in London in March, they are making some exciting changes to their programme.
The re-envisioned Summer Season reflects the creativity and energy of our city and includes Post-War to Present (Live and Online), featuring artist-donated works sold to benefit the pioneering not-for-profit Studio Voltaire and support their artistic and community programmes during their 30th year. Further 20/21 auctions feature Picasso Ceramics online together with a dedicated Marc Chagall online sale, A Dialogue of Self and Soul.
Celebrating large-scale works of art, Dream Big will present an online selling exhibition featuring monumental artworks from around the world. Three outdoor sculptures by Marc Quinn from the sale are concurrently included in Light into Life at Kew Gardens, an exhibition that includes iconic sculptures of orchids, bonsai trees and other plants. In addition, Christie’s will present a landmark selling exhibition to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Impressionism, open in London (until 26 June), New York (until 28 June) and online (until 31 July). Both exhibitions are presented by Christie’s Private Sales.
As already announced, this June Christie’s will be presenting Vivienne Westwood: The Personal Collection, to be sold across two auctions to raise funds for the Vivienne Foundation, Greenpeace, Médecins Sans Frontières and Amnesty International. Widely considered one of the most influential designers of modern times, the iconic looks from her wardrobe have been personally selected by her husband and creative partner Andreas Kronthaler.
Katharine Arnold, Vice Chairman 20/21, Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art, Europe at Christie’s: “London is the most vibrant and cosmopolitan city in the world. We are delighted to be re-envisioning the summer season at Christie’s to serve our international audience at this wonderful time of year. In June, we will be celebrating iconic British figure, Dame Vivienne Westwood, raising funds for the important charitable causes she championed. 20/21 will be represented with our well-established series of sales: Post-War to Present, Picasso Ceramics, and Marc Chagall. A Dialogue of Self and Soul. We are also proud to partner with Studio Voltaire in their 30th anniversary year, supporting this landmark non-profit organisation and its significant impact on the art world. Celebrating monumental sculpture, Dream Big will return after three successful seasons online, and will include an exciting body of work by Marc Quinn from his exhibition, Light into Life, currently at Kew Gardens. We will also present a selling exhibition to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Impressionism. We are excited about our next marquee 20/21 sale week, which will take place during Frieze Week this October. We look forward to continuing to grow our audiences and the market by leading with purpose”.
An exhibition of the 20/21 sales will be open to the public at Christie's King Street in London from 14 to 26 June 2024.
Post-War to Present – live (27 June 2024) and online from 17 June to 1 July
Building on Christie's well established platform, Post-War to Present will offer some of the most sought after and exciting names in contemporary art.
Following the recent strength in her market, the sale is led by Lynette Yiadom-Boakye’s 5am, Cadiz (2009, estimate: £600,000-800,000). Spanning an impressive width of two metres, this work is a powerful example of the artist’s ongoing investigation of black identity, and the interpretive freedom inherent in her storytelling. Other highlights will include Bruce Nauman’s Double Poke in the Eye II (1985, estimate: £300,000-500,000), Jadé Fadojutimi’s She’s Distressed (2019, estimate: £250,000-350,000), Günther Förg’s Untitled (2008, estimate: £400,000-600,000), and Isa Genzken’s monumental Wiese, (1990, estimate: £300,000-500,000). The sale will also feature works from exciting new voices, including Daisy Parris, Clementine Keith-Roach, Alia Ahmad, and Stefanie Heinze.
This season, Christie’s is collaborating with Studio Voltaire to auction a group of works in Post-War to Present , to raise funds for this landmark non-profit organisation’s artistic and community programmes. Artist-donated works by Andrew Cranston, Pam Evelyn, Judith Hopf, Florian Krewer, Sophia Loeb and Paulina Olowska celebrate Studio Voltaire’s milestone 30th anniversary and its ongoing dedication to championing both emerging and established artists.
The auction presents further works from the pioneering Rosa de la Cruz Collection and from Mettere al mondo il mondo: A Collecting Journey in the World of Alighiero Boetti, an exceptional single-owner grouping of works by the late Italian artist, including Oggi ventesimo giorno dell'ottavo mese dell'anno millenovecento ottantotto (1988, estimate: £350,000-550,000).
Post-War to Present will also present Bright Moments 2021 – 2024 Complete Works (2021-2024, estimate: £200,000-300,000), a grouping of 216 digital art NFTs including artworks by Tyler Hobbs, Mario Klingemann, Emily Xie, Claire Silver and other top generative and AI artists working in this space today, created for digital art organisation Bright Moments.
Post-War to Present will also feature an online element, including works from sought-after names such as Kudzanai-Violet Hwami, Sanya Kantarovsky, and Michael Armitage, among others. Bidding will be open from 17 June to 1 July.
Marc Chagall. A dialogue of Self and Soul – online – from 12 to 26 June 2024
Marc Chagall. A dialogue of Self and Soul is the fourth in a series of sales celebrating Chagall’s artistic vision and expressive power. These works originate formerly from the artist’s estate and have never been offered for sale before.
Taking its title from W.B Yeat’s poem of the same name, A Dialogue of Self and Soul highlights the profound connection the artist found between poetry, literature and the visual arts. Chagall used the world he knew as a gateway to deeper reflection, and these works offer a prism through which he could explore fundamental themes such as love, memory, faith, loss and grief, as his vision evolved and shifted in his own journey through life. The online sale will be open for bidding from 12 until 26 June.
Comprising 43 original works and ten lithographs, Marc Chagall. A dialogue of Self and Soul will present Personnage au corsage violet (1970, estimate: £90,000-140,0000) as a highlight, alongside Fleurs et fruits rouges et Maternité au Christ, l'hiver (1975, estimate: £30,000-45,000).
Other highlights include Lune-visage (1968, estimate : £16,000-24,000), Amoureux et bouquet devant la fenêtre au ciel bleu (circa 1963, estimate: £12,000-16,000), ‘Pour Vava' au coeur rouge (executed in 1984, estimate: £6,000-9,000) and lithograph in colours Couverture Jaquette (1960, estimate: £1,500-3,000).
Picasso Ceramics Online – from 17 June to 1 July 2024
Christie’s announced that the next iteration of Picasso Ceramics will be live for bidding on 17 June, open until 1 July 2024.
With a broad selection of pieces that encapsulate Pablo Picasso’s vibrant creativity, highlights include Taureau (A.R 255), (1955, estimate: £60,000-80,000) and unique works Grappe de raisins et ciseaux (1948, estimate: £60,000-80,000), white terracotta Figure féminine (1951, estimate: £10,000-15,000), Pichet bleu et brun (1954, estimate: £20,000-30,000) and Colombe de la paix (1954, estimate £15,000-20,000).
Further works include: Vase deux anses hautes (A.R. 213) (1953, estimate: £20,000-30,000), Tête de chèvre de profil (A.R. 155) (1952, estimate: £10,000-15,000, and Visage de femme (A.R. 220) (1953, estimate: £15,000-25,000).
The sale will also showcase a selection of works from the private collection of Sylvette David (now Lydia Corbett), who became Picasso’s muse in the spring of 1954 and whom he immortalised in a diverse series of paintings, ceramics, and sculptures. As part of this collection, the sale will feature a ceramic bowl titled Sylvette (A.R. 267) (1955, estimate: £1,200-1,800) and a series of photographs of Sylvette from the time she spent with Picasso in the 1950s by André Villers and Edward Quinn. Included in the sale is also a selection of original paintings by Lydia Corbett from 2022-2023, presented at auction for the first time.
*Studio Voltaire is a UK registered charity number 1082221 who will receive 100% of the hammer price. In addition, if the total hammer price of these lots achieve a minimum of £500,000, Christie’s will donate 2% of the total hammer price for such lots sold.
