LONDON.- Phillips announced highlights from the upcoming Evening & Day Editions auctions. The Evening sale includes iconic works from Modern and Contemporary masters, including Pablo Picasso’s Nature morte a la pasteque (Still Life with Watermelon), Richard Hamilton’s Patricia I and III printed by Aldo Crommelynck with unique hand-colouring by the artist, Lucian Freud’s Pluto, and Roy Lichtenstein’s rare set of seven woodcuts, Expressionist Woodcut Series (Black State). A particularly strong selection of screenprints by Andy Warhol will also be offered, including Beethoven and Ingrid Bergman sets, a unique and experimental Jackie as well as the artist’s first ever published print Cooking Pot. With a total of over 250 lots, the Day sale will be held on 7 June at 2pm (lots 62-264), with the Evening sale following at 6pm (lots 1-61) on the same day.

Robert Kennan, Head of Editions, Europe, said, “Building on the success of our highest sale total for Editions in London back in January this year, we look forward to continuing this momentum in our June sale which brings together works by the most significant artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Featuring works by Hockney, Freud, Lichtenstein, Kusama, Warhol, and Picasso, the sale offers a great range of modern and contemporary works with accessible price points for new and established collectors alike.”

Leading the sale is Andy Warhol’s Beethoven (estimate: £120,000-150,000). This iconic and complete set of four screenprints in colours, was executed in 1987 and is one of 20 impressions in Roman numerals, aside from the edition of 60 and 15 artist’s proofs. The screenprinted portraits of Ludwig van Beethoven perfectly demonstrate the artist’s ability to manipulate and appropriate imagery to create a visual icon. In Beethoven the alternate hot and cool tones of the composer’s face and cravat emerging from darkness heighten the intensity of Beethoven’s fixed gaze - keeping the attention of the viewer closely on his visage, whilst simultaneously echoing the dramatic changes in volume and pace that Beethoven was so well-known for.

Additional works by Warhol include Ingrid Bergman (estimate: £50,000-70,000) and Jackie (estimate: £40,000-60,000), which was executed in 1963-64 using source imagery taken on Air Force One whilst Lyndon B. Johnston was being sworn in immediately after the assignation of JFK, and is an entirely unique and experimental screenprint, created shortly before Warhol’s iconic Jackie series of paintings.

Two unique works by Richard Hamilton depict the actress Patricia Knight, inspired by her murderer-heroine character in the film Shockproof, 1949. Hamilton worked directly with master printer Aldo Crommelynck to create these works and with him found (as the artist described) the beautiful solution of first printing the plate blind (with no ink), so that the lines bitten into the copper showed as light relief on the paper. Hamilton could then apply acrylic paint, using the impressed outline as a guide, before printing the etched black on top. Using this method, Hamilton printed 12 individual, uniquely coloured variants for each of the three Patricia Knight etchings (also offered as a trio for lot 21).

Lucian Freud’s images of Pluto are often the most popular of his etched works (estimate: £70,000-100,000). Freud loved all dogs, admiring their “ready eagerness, their animal pragmatism”, and they influenced how he studied the human form, with the artist stating “I’m really interested in people as animals…Part of my liking to work from them naked is for that reason…I like people to look as natural and as physically at ease as animals, as Pluto my whippet.”

A variety of prints by Roy Lichtenstein will be offered, including a rare complete set of seven woodcuts in black (two with silver), on Arches Cover paper. Executed in 1981– Expressionist Woodcut Series (Black State) is from an edition of 8 (estimate £100,000-150,000). This will be the first time a complete set from this edition has been offered at auction.

A total of 24 vibrant works by David Hockney are among the Modern highlights from the sale and range significantly in both date produced and media used. Hockney’s 17th April, from The Arrival of Spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire in 2011 (twenty eleven) is one of the artist’s famous iPad drawings in colour, printed on wove paper (estimate £25,000-35,000). Additional works include a still life linocut by Pablo Picasso, Nature morte a la pasteque (Still Life with Watermelon), which was executed in 1962 and is from an edition of 160 (estimate: £20,000-30,000).

In conjunction with the Editions sale and during the public viewing, Phillips will be holding a Printmaking Workshop in collaboration with Worton Hall Studios and artist Lucy Farley. The event will include a tour of the auction, demonstration by the artist and opportunity to make your own screenprint. The event which is open to the public (booking necessary), will take place on 3 June 2017 from 12-5pm at Phillips, 30 Berkeley Square.