LONDON.- Phillips will offer a selection of contemporary art works from the personal collection of Dr. Fredric S. Brandt. Expertly assembled over a period of more than 20 years, this collection includes high quality works by international, celebrated contemporary artists including Christopher Wool, Richard Prince, Ed Ruscha, Peter Doig, Mark Grotjahn and Yoshimoto Nara. The collection will be presented at public exhibitions in New York and London before a curated portion is offered at the Contemporary Art Evening Sale in London on 14 October. Other works from the collection will be offered in the Contemporary Art Day Sale on 15 October 2015, and at sales of Editions (26 October, New York) and New Now (9 December, London). The works from the collection, around 200 in total, are expected to realise in excess of $15 million.
“We are honoured to present and offer this collection to the market. Not only does it give a fascinating glimpse into the personal life of a celebrated public figure, but most importantly, it also pays testament to Dr Brandt’s singular vision and discerning taste as an avid art collector. The collection includes high quality works by a fascinatingly diverse group of artists, all of which seam together cohesively in a way which reflects both Dr Brandt’s dedication to collecting, and his devotion to art. We look forward to presenting the collection at exhibitions in New York and London, and to offering this desirable selection of works at auction.” Edward Dolman, Chairman and CEO, Phillips.
Highlights from the collection will be on view at Phillips New York on 28 September 2015. The majority of the collection will then highlight the exhibitions and auctions of Contemporary Art at Phillips’ European Headquarters at 30 Berkeley Square, London in October 2015, coinciding with Frieze Week. The Contemporary Art Evening Auction on 14 October will offer 19 works, including highlights by Christopher Wool, Richard Prince, Rudolf Stingel and Yoshitomo Nara while the Contemporary Art Day Auction on 15 October will present approximately 50 works, including pieces by Dan Colen, Thomas Demand, Rashid Johnson, Anselm Reyle and David Salle. A further selection of approximately 100 works will be offered at forthcoming auctions of Editions (26 October, New York) and New Now (9 December, London).
Dr. Fredric S. Brandt (1949-2015) was a widely recognised American dermatologist who revolutionised the field of cosmetic dermatology. Born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, he graduated from Rutgers University in New Brunswick in 1971 and went on to Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia. Dr Brandt completed a residency at the University of Miami in 1981 and soon after established a private practice in the city, later opening a branch in New York in 1998. His practices were arguably the most in demand in the United States, and he found further success with the launch of ‘dr brandt skincare’ which sells to over 48 countries. He was an avid art collector for over 20 years, keeping his collection at his private homes in Miami and New York.
Highlights from the Evening Auction include Untitled, 1996-97, a striking oil painting by Rudolf Stingel (estimate: $1 million to $1.5 million); Missing in Action, 2000, a large-sale character-painting by Yoshitomo Nara; and Untitled (3 Tier Perspective), 2000, by Mark Grotjahn (estimate: $1 million to $1.5 million).
Yoshitomo Nara’s iconic depictions of devilish little children have become symbols of Japanese Neo-Pop and it is through their popularity that the artist solidified his reputation as one of the most renowned contemporary painters of our time. Bridging the visual language of Western Modernism with Japanese popular culture, Nara creates a dialogue between manga, anime, punk rock and Disney, to name a few.
Missing in Action is a prominent example of Nara’s huge body of works portraying pre-adolescent children often depicted in solitary landscapes or against void-like monochrome backdrops. Dominating the canvas the small girl shown here displays Nara’s typically abrasive, yet undeniably cute attitude. With her round squishy cheeks and her cute little dress (that appears a size too long on her arms only adding to the endearing quality), it is difficult to be to take the child’s indignant expression too seriously.
One of the most enticing aspects of Nara’s depictions of children is the way their cutting gazes and nuanced expressions convey a sense of knowing suggesting that despite their youthful appearance and sweet features, these children know what the world has in store.
Untitled (1996-1997) is a powerful testimony of the core values that lie at the heart of Stingel’s paintings. Painted in the late 1990s, it is an iconic example from the series of paintings that consumed his artistic preoccupations that decade. Working on a painted black canvas, Stingel sprayed brilliant colour through gauzes that he had placed on the surface. Thus, once these were removed, a highly tactile and irregular pattern would emerge. The vivid tones used in this series illuminate the wondrous effects made possible through the stencil technique employed in his earlier strictly silver paintings. By using the gauze in such a manner, Stingel tries to disassociate himself from the final outcome; like Warhol in his Factory, his cruder method of printing brings to the fore wider theories on the artist’s role. In this manner, Stingel’s paintings lie in discourse with the Anthropometry paintings and FC (Fire Colour) works by Yves Klein that negate typical notions of painting through their innovative production process. Arguably, the choice of deep blue for this work only heightens the connection with Yves Klein’s repertoire.
Untitled (1996-1997) is a union between blue and black showing the point at which the combined force of the two disparate colours reaches crescendo. The textured impasto of paint spreading across the vast canvas seems to show an untamed side of colour that comes to life organically before the viewer in a breathtaking and sumptuous display.
Linearity, clarity and an almost scientific fascination with the optical effects of colour placement, define the artistic oeuvre of Mark Grotjahn. His methodical style of constructing his compositions and then applying paint in unadulterated strips, places Grotjahn firmly in the trajectory of American painting; the twentieth-century movements of Pop Art and Op Art specifically, undoubtedly inspired Grotjan’s experimentations.
Barnet Newman’s vast zip paintings are emulated in the vivid, oscillating hues of works such as Untitled (3 Tier Perspective), but what Grotjahn further harks back to is his inherent place within the Southern California art scene. Moving in 1996 to Los Angeles, Grotjahn was quite literally inspired by the visual language of this exuberant city of lights and his style of painting very much grew out of sign making as he would frequently copy unusual logos and slogans from local storefronts. However, of all his works, perhaps the most emphatic illustrations of his nod towards other LA artists are his three-tier perspective works.
