NEW YORK.- Sotheby’s single-owner sale of An American Visionary: The Collection of David Whitney -- renowned curator, art advisor and collector, and long-time partner to legendary architect Philip Johnson -- far exceeded expectations, bringing a total of $13,892,452, over twice the high estimate (est. $3.9/5.6 million). At the request of David Whitney, proceeds from the sale will benefit the National Trust for Historic Preservation to maintain the Glass House property and its collection in New Canaan, Connecticut. Strong prices were achieved throughout the day, and the top lot of the sale was one of Andy Warhol’s iconic canvases, Mao, circa 1973, which sold for $2,256,000 to a bidder over the telephone (lot 47, est. $250/350,000). The work, which Warhol gave to Mr. Whitney on Christmas day in 1973, is a brilliant example from the highly-celebrated series of the leader of the Communist party in China from the 1930s through the 1970s.
The sale of the collection, which integrated works of 20th Century Design and Contemporary Art from the 1960s to the present with pieces of American Folk Art and Prints, featured property from Mr. Whitney’s former residences, including his homes in New Canaan, Connecticut, Calluna Farms and Grainger House; his apartment in New York City; and his oceanview ranch house in Big Sur, California.
“The National Trust is extremely pleased by the overwhelming response to today's auction,’ said Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “The proceeds from today's auction will allow us to ensure a secure future for Philip Johnson’s Glass House, as well as the additional buildings and galleries located on the 47-acre site. David's wishes for the sales' proceeds to go to the National Trust will help make it possible for us to provide the exemplary stewardship that this extraordinary place needs and deserves. We are grateful to David and to the patrons who made today's auction a tremendous success.”
Elaine Whitmire, Head of Decorative Arts and Single-Owner Sales, commented: “Mr. Whitney had an eye for the most extraordinary, and the simplest of, objects, and we are pleased with the overwhelming response we received today for the works he loved.”
Robert Looker, Vice President and specialist of Contemporary Art in New York, continued: “Mr. Whitney’s collection, unparalleled in quality and breadth, was a testimony to his relationships with the artists he worked with and the knowledge of their works.”
Among the highlights in the sale was Warhol’s Double Lenin, circa 1986, an exceptional diptych depicting the Russian Communist revolutionary, which commanded $1,696,000 (lot 186, est. $400/600,000) and Portrait of Julia Warhola, which commanded $1,304,000 (lot 129, est. $250/350,000) and featured one of his most poignant subjects, his mother, who was a working-class immigrant and bears Warhol’s original surname. Other small iconic canvases of larger-than-life consumer products and everyday objects sold well, including his Soup Can, Tomato, circa 1984, which achieved $620,800 (lot 63, est. $80/120,000) as well as Hamburger (Yellow), circa 1985, and Hamburger (White), circa 1985, which each achieved $204,000 (lots 63 and 64, est. $40/60,000 each).
An exceptional example of an Untitled oil on newsprint by Willem de Kooning, circa 1964, sold for $307,200 (lot 48, est. $60/80,000); the work was featured prominently over Mr. Whitney’s fireplace at Calluna Farms in New Canaan. Two Untitled sculptures by John Chamberlain, one circa 1982, which sold for $284,800 (lot 302, est. $50/70,000), and another circa 1960, which brought $273,600 (lot 35, est. $60/80,000). Other highlights from the sale included Brice Marden’s Untitled No. 7, dated 1973-74, which brought $262,400 (lot 128, est. $50/70,000), David Salle’s Pastoral with Candlestick and Nude, 2000, which sold for $228,000 (lot 311, est. $150/200,000) and Eric Fischl’s Untitled (Beach Scene), 1984, which achieved $204,000 (lot 207, est. $20/30,000).
A group of works from Contemporary ceramist Ken Price, well-known after more than sixty solo exhibitions at galleries and institutions, brought exceptional prices, including a slate cup, circa 1978, which sold for $228,000, a record for the artist at auction (lot 228, est. $20/25,000), and a glazed ceramic geometric cup and object executed in hues of green, red and yellow, circa 1975, which commanded $204,000 (lot 68, est. $30/40,000).
The sale also included important pieces from Mr. Whitney’s significant collection of 20th Century Design, and highlighting the offering was “Abyss” by Paris-based designer Mattia Bonetti, 2004, which was purchased for $204,000, a record for the artist at auction (lot 279, est. $70/90,000), and “Kawakubo” Chest of Drawers by Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti, 1994, which sold for $114,000, a record for the design team at auction (lot 257, est. $18/24,000). Representing work by the American potter George Ohr was a two-Handled Vase, circa 1895-1900, in a dark brown and green speckled glaze, which sold for $132,000, a record for the artist at auction (lot 11, est. $40/60,000). The offering of works from the Arts & Crafts movement was highlighted by a Charles Rohlfs’ Chair, 1901, which was purchased for $96,000 by Ydessa Hendeles for The Ydessa Hendeles Art Foundation in Toronto, Canada (lot 118, est. $30/40,000).
Highlighting the offering from Mr. Whitney’s collection of American Folk Art was a striking Group of Twenty American Blue and White Sponge-Decorated Ceramic Pitchers, 19th century, which sold for $31,200 and were displayed in bookcases flanking a fire place are among the highlights (lot 50, est. $1,500/3,000).
