ZURICH.- A captivating work by Pablo Picasso, ‘Buste d’homme’, dates from the artist’s extremely productive period of the mid-1960s, when he was living in the mountains above Cannes with his last spouse and muse, Jacqueline Roque. It is not only an archetypal image of an artist but also a sort of self-portrait with piercing regard (lot 3247, CHF 2/3 million). Two important furniture creations by Diego Giacometti are also among the highlights of the 30 June sale: ‘Banquette’ (lot 3315, CHF 450 000/500 000) and ‘Table à tête de chien, dite Table de chasseur’ (lot 3318, CHF 200 000/350 000). Both were acquired directly from Giacometti by the current owner shortly after their creation in 1983/84. A portrait of a Spanish woman by Edouard Manet, ‘La femme aux chiens’, 1862, presents not only many of the artist’s signature elements but bears an illustrious provenance dating back to Manet’s estate (lot 3208, CHF 400 000/600 000). Another striking and mysterious painting in the auction is ‘La Fuite’ by Odilon Redon (lot 3217, CHF 250 000/350 000). Here Odilon draws the viewer into his dreamlike world, where emotions take precedence over narrative. Several significant sculptures will be offered in the auction, including a large white marble Cubist work by Jacques Lipchitz, ‘Arlequin à la clarinette’ (lot 3244, CHF 300 000/500 000), and a bronze entitled ‘Mother with two children’ by Käthe Kollwitz (lot 3267, CHF 130 000/170 000).

PostWar & Contemporary / Prints & Multiples, 1 July

Gerhard Richter’s painting ‘Kine’ in the 1 July auction dates from 1995, an important turning point in Richter’s work. At this time he began using a colour palette that was more restrained than before, but with a complex, intense harmony resulting from the mixing and transparency of the pigments (lot 3484, CHF 3/5 million). From Andy Warhol’s ‘Cats and Dogs’ series comes a portrait of a cat named Broadway (lot 3454, CHF 400 000/600 000). Warhol, who was very fond of animals, created this series in the mid-1970s at the instigation of collector Peter Brant, who commissioned two portraits of his cocker spaniel Ginger. The auction also features works by artists as diverse as Eduardo Chillida, one of Spain’s most important modern artists, with an untitled composition from 1989 (lot 3438, CHF 130 000/160 000); American Black artist Romare Bearden and his mixed-media work, ‘Mecklenberg. Evening, 1980’ (lot 3449, CHF 120 000/180 000), and Taiwanese-British artist Richard Lin, who created the minimalist ‘Painting Relief 13 September 1965’ (lot 3473, CHF 120 000/200 000).




Swiss Art, 30 June

The top lot in the Swiss Art auction on 30 June is a landscape by Ferdinand Hodler, ‘Road lined with chestnut trees near Biberist’ which was acquired from the artist by one of his most important patrons, Oscar Miller. The importance of this painting to the Swiss industrialist – who at one point owned about twenty of Hodler’s works – is demonstrated by the fact that he kept the painting in his personal collection until the end of his life (lot 3031, CHF 2.5/4 million). Cats and dogs seem to be a running theme throughout this auction series, and Albert Anker’s painting ‘Young girl with cat’ is a one of the most charming expressions of this subject aver realised by the Swiss artist (lot 3012, CHF 1.5/2.2 million). Several further works by Anker are also featured in the 30 June sale, including a sweet depiction of a ‘Girl drinking coffee’ (with a pipe-smoking man on the reverse), and the very elegant ‘Portrait of Julie et Geneviève Baroche’ (lots 3015 and 3020, CHF 300 000/450 000 and CHF 150 000/200 000). Giovanni Giacometti is present in the June auction with several works, including an important view of the Palace Hotel in Maloja, commissioned by its director in 1899 (lot 3038, CHF 650 000/850 000). ‘Fox with jay’ by Adolf Dietrich was painted at the height of the artist’s career and is without doubt one of Dietrich’s masterworks (lot 3057, CHF 200 000/300 000).

Out of This World, 28 June

What do an 80-million-year-old flying reptile fossil, an Apollo Mission scape suit, and Thor’s hammer from the Marvel movie series have in common? They are all part of the fascinating contemporary cabinet of curiosities assembled for Koller’s inaugural ‘Out of This World’ auction. For the first time in Switzerland, an auction dedicated to collectibles from the fields of Natural History, Space Exploration and Entertainment Memorabilia will be held on 28 June. The auction preview alone promises to be a unique experience, where one can observe rare Martian and Lunar meteorites, fossils of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures, animation art, items from US and Soviet space missions, as well as souvenirs from modern legends like Michael Jackson and Harry Potter.