NEW YORK, NY.- On 11 November 2014 Sotheby’s New York will present Untitled by Robert Ryman, a masterpiece from the most highly sought-after period of the artist’s career. Painted in 1961 when Ryman was in his early 30s, works of this significance are largely housed in museums or established private collections and as such almost never appear at auction. The painting goes on view at Sotheby’s London on 10 October before the pre-sale exhibition in New York opens on 31 October. With a pre-sale estimate of $15/20 million, Untitled is set to achieve a new benchmark for the artist at auction.

Alexander Rotter, Co-Head of Sotheby’s Worldwide Contemporary Art Department, commented: “Robert Ryman is one of the most distinctive and important artists of the post-war period. In today’s art market the thirst for top-tier works by these masters has never been greater so we are thrilled to be offering this beautiful example from the height of Ryman’s career.”

Executed in the artist’s signature format of a square canvas with white paint, Untitled is a superb example of the artist’s exploration of the structure and nature of painting that were every bit as vital as the contributions of other giants from this period such as Jasper Johns, Barnett Newman, and Clyfford Still. Untiled has been in the same distinguished private European collection since the owner acquired it at a Sotheby’s sale in 1988 when it tripled the estimate to set an auction record for the artist.