LONDON.- Christie’s announces Out of Office: Art that Transports, a themed sale encompassing 46 lots ranging from £1,000 to £30,000 across a selection of paintings dating from the 16th Century through to the 20th Century. In a time before mass public transport, when the world moved at a slower pace and personal horizons were necessarily closer to home, art was a means for people to explore the vastness of the world from their own homes without ever leaving. Out of Office: Art that Transports allows us, in our newly restricted world, to continue the voyages of artists.
Christie’s invites you to take a journey which transports you from England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Greece, India, Lebanon, Hawaii and the Arctic Circle amongst other destinations depicted. Experience an ever changing landscape and global destinations via the eyes of the artists including William John Huggins, Pietro Cappelli, Giacomo Van Lint, Joaquin Sorolla Y Bastida and William Hodges.
The auction incorporates Dutch landscapes from the Golden Age of the Republic, Italian city views, watercolors and drawings of the rolling bucolic British countryside, sun-drenched images of the Near East and sea-voyages to the Arctic, as well as taking some more fanciful journeys with capriccios and mythological woodlands. The sale stands as testament to the continued power of art as the ultimate escape, as well as the close connection by artists to the world around them and the importance of close observation of our own and foreign cultures, landscapes and moments.
Olivia Ghosh, Specialist and Head of Sale, comments: ‘Whilst sitting at my kitchen table, I am very much both out of the office physically and very much in it mentally. Adapting to working from home I’ve greatly enjoyed examining each of the paintings and drawings in this sale, constantly aware of how lucky I am to be connecting with art every day and these recent visual explorations have enabled me to transport myself to far flung destinations – Madeira with William Hodges – as well as nearer to home – Devon with John Middleton, at a time when the physical world is closed to us. Art has an important part to play in our well-being and has the ability via visual stimulus, to decrease stress and anxiety, taking us to another place or time.
Olivia continues, “These works will take you round the world and back in time. It shows a great variety of nature, culture and terrain that has existed through the centuries. One of art’s magical properties is escapism – away from the sofa to the shores of Hawaii or the deserts of the Levant”.
Out of Office: Art that Transports is now open for browsing and bidding online until 1 June.
