NEW YORK, NY.- Christie's opens the inaugural private selling exhibition in the newly opened West Galleries: Rockefeller Center and the Rise of Modernism in the Metropolis. This exhibition will be a celebration of our Rockefeller Center location and its rich history and will run from January 17 to February 25, 2015, coinciding with several major art events in New York including the Winter Antiques Show.

The exhibition, curated by noted American Art scholar William C. Agee and Liz Sterling, takes its focus from a core group of artists who were commissioned to do works for Rockefeller Center including Diego Rivera, Paul Manship, Georgia O’Keeffe and Gaston Lachaise, among others. This group will be augmented with works by these artists’ peers including paintings, sculpture, photography and design to explore themes of Jazz, Industry and Design in mid-century American Art as well as the role of murals during this vibrant period. Building on the successful exhibitions of the American Paintings department like Illustrating America, Andrew Wyeth in China and The Art of Stephen Scott Young, this will be first multi-department exhibition for New York and will feature pieces from American Art, Latin American Art, Photography, and 20/21 Design.

“The show and catalogue take a new look at the art within the Living Museum of Rockefeller Center, a special museum hardly understood as such that focuses on the art, decoration, and architecture of the 1930s. By viewing it in the broader contexts of earlier and later American art, the show illuminates the sources of this art and points to its later influences,” remarks William Agee.

“Christie's is thrilled to present this private selling exhibition that celebrates the rich artistic heritage of Rockefeller Center, one of the most important building complexes of the 20th Century. Combining paintings, sculpture, works on paper, photographs and 20th century design, Rockefeller Center and the Rise of Modernism in the Metropolis explores themes such as industry, progress and innovation, which were integral to the creation of this national landmark and account for its seminal place in American history,” comments Liz Sterling.

Stuart Davis (1892-1964), Egg Beater No. 4, signed 'Stuart Davis' (upper right), signed again, dated and inscribed with title 'Stuart Davis "Eggbeater No. 4" March 1928' (on the reverse), gouache on board, 13 7/8 x 19 3/8 in. (35.2 x 49.2 cm.)
In 1927, Stuart Davis first mocked the traditional still life by nailing an eggbeater, an electric fan and a rubber glove to a table and painted them repeatedly for a year. The resulting works of the Eggbeater series, including Egg Beater No. 4, are among his most abstract and pure works. Innovatively, Davis made shapes and colors the subject of these still lifes, rather than the objects themselves. His use of color clarifies the spatial perception, exaggerating each plane, whether overlapped or separated.

ADDITIONAL EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS

• DIEGO RIVERA (1886-1957), In vinum veritas (Portrait of C.Z. Guest). Oil on canvas. Painted in 1945, 43.7 x 107 in. (111.1 x 271.8 cm.)

• FRIDA KAHLO (1904-1954), Diego and Frida, 1929-1944 (also called, Double Portrait of Diego and Me). Oil on wood with painted frame, 10 ¼ x 7 5/16 in. (26 x 19 cm.) (framed). Painted in 1944

• AUGUSTUS SAINT-GAUDENS (1848-1907), Amor Caritas, inscribed ‘AMOR CARITAS’ (upper center)—inscribed ‘COPYRIGHT BY A SAINT-GAUDENS MDCCCXCVIII’ (lower right) gilt bronze relief bronze: 40 x 17½ in. (101.6 x 44.5 cm.). overall: 50¼ x 33 in. (127.6 x 83.8 cm.)

• GASTON LACHAISE (1882-1935), Man (Gregory Slader, Athlete), inscribed ‘G. LACHAIS [sic]/©/1928’ (on the base)--stamped ‘ROMAN BRONZE WORKS. N-Y-’ (along the base) bronze with black patina, 76 in. (193 cm.) high

• JAN MATULKA (1892-1972), Abstraction, signed ‘Matulka’ (lower right), oil on canvas, 15 3/4 x 11 7/8 in. (40 x 30 cm.). Painted circa 1940

• MARSDEN HARTLEY (1877-1943), On the Beach. Oil on Masonite, 22 x 28 1/2 in. (55.9 x 71.4 cm.). Painted in 1940

• BORIS LOVET-LORSKI (1894–1973), Diana, signed ‘Boris-Lovet-Lorski’ (on the front of the base) and inscribed with foundry mark GRANDHOMME-ANDRO/Fondeurs. Paris.’ (on the back of the base), bronze with rich brown patina, 26 in. (66 cm.) high; 23 3/8 in. (58.7 cm.) long

PAUL HOWARD MANSHIP (1885-1966), Baboon, inscribed ‘P. MANSHIP’ (along the base), bronze with brown patina, 11 5/8 in. (29.5 cm.) high on a 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm.) base. Executed circa 1927