PHILADELPHIA, PA.- On November 2, several private collections featuring works by Andy Warhol, Alexander Calder, Harry Bertoia, Jean Dubuffet, and Lynda Benglis, among others, will hit the auction block at
Freemans Modern & Contemporary Art sale.
Estimated at $250,000-400,000, Warhols Campbells Soup I, a complete set of ten screenprints, is the centerpiece of the auction. The screenprints were purchased directly from the artist during one of their first showings at Leo Castellis gallery in 1968 by Lois Cowles Harrison, most recently of Lakeland, Florida. The daughter of famed Warhol collector Gardner Cowles Jr., who was the founder and publisher of Look Magazine, Cowles Harrison was an avid and early collector of Warhol and other Pop artists. The Soupcans were prominently displayed in her home alongside other top examples of Pop Art graphics and were clearly among the most prized works in her collection. Two other Warhol screenprints from the Lois Cowles Harrison Collection both entitled Marilyn Monroe (Marilyn) are estimated at $150,000-250,000 and $60,000-100,000, respectively.
Another highlight, Bushy Tailed-Red, by Alexander Calder is estimated at $200,000-300,000 and comes from the collection of Mr. & Mrs. Béla Kalman of Boston. A successful commercial photographer whose work was seen in Life Magazine and the New York Times Magazine, Mr. Kalman was also a patron of the arts and penned eleven books, his last on Matisse.
More than 30 works from the collection of Nell Day Surber, who was said to be one of the most powerful women in Cincinnati, will come to auction as well. Once the citys director of economic development, Ms. Surber also owned an apartment in New York City. Surber had a great love of the New York art scene and frequented museums and art galleries. Over time, she developed a diverse collection of art ranging from early 1950s abstraction and 60s Pop Art to minimalist prints and cutting edge contemporary sculpture. Certain works, including Jean Dubuffets Site de Memoir ($30,000-50,000) and Lynda Benglis twisted Graham Hollywood ($60,000-100,000), reveal a woman who was also drawn to large-scale, bold artistic statements.
Last but not least, Freemans is also pleased to offer three standout sculptures by Harry Bertoia. The large-scale Willow ($30,000-50,000) and the smaller Bush (Gold Knobs) ($18,000-25,000) come from a prominent Philadelphia estate, and Sonambient Sculpture ($70,000-100,000), consigned from a private Philadelphia collection, round out the auction.
Notable Lots from Freemans November 2 Modern & Contemporary Art sale:
Lot 104: ANDY WARHOL, (AMERICAN, 1928-1987),"CAMPBELL'S SOUP I," THE COMPLETE SET OF TEN PRINTS, 1968, Estimate: $250,000-400,000
Lot 59: ALEXANDER CALDER, (AMERICAN, 1898-1976), "BUSHY-TAILED RED," 1966, Estimate: $200,000-300,000
Lot 102: ANDY WARHOL, (AMERICAN, 1928-1987), "MARILYN MONROE (MARILYN)" 1967, Estimate: $150,000-250,000
Lot 65: HARRY BERTOIA, (AMERICAN, 1915-1978), SONAMBIENT SCULPTURE, Estimate: $70,000-100,000
Lot 103: ANDY WARHOL, (AMERICAN, 1928-1987), "MARILYN MONROE (MARILYN)," 1967, Estimate: $60,000-100,000
Lot 137: LYNDA BENGLIS, (AMERICAN, B. 1941), "GRAHAM HOLLYWOOD" FROM "STARS AND CARS," 1987, Estimate: $60,000-100,000
Lot 114: JEAN DUBUFFET, (FRENCH, 1901-1985), "SITE DE MEMOIRE II," Estimate: $30,000-50,000
Lot 70: HARRY BERTOIA, (AMERICAN, 1915-1978), "WILLOW," Estimate: $30,000-50,000
Lot 68: HARRY BERTOIA, (AMERICAN, 1915-1978), "BUSH (GOLD KNOBS), 1960. Estimate: $18,000-25,000