LONDON.- Phillips announced highlights from the Evening & Day Editions auctions in London. Comprised of 259 lots, the auctions will present a comprehensive variety of material for collectors of all genres, including leading Pop Art works by Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, and a selection of works by British artists Banksy, Grayson Perry, Julian Opie, Damien Hirst, Anish Kapoor, and Bridget Riley, among others. Further highlights include a group of post-war European works from artists such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Yves Klein. The Evening Sale will be held on 14 September at 6pm with the Day Sale following on 15 September at 12pm.
Rebecca Tooby-Desmond, Specialist, Head of Sale and Auctioneer, said, “We are delighted to announce highlights ahead of our September Evening & Day Editions auctions in London. From American Pop Art to British Art spanning the last 60 years, and a group of Modern etchings, linocuts and lithographs, the works on offer celebrate the broad scope of exceptionally high-quality printmaking workmanship from throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Our Evening & Day Editions auctions will be preceded by a standalone David Hockney auction on 13 September. We look forward to welcoming visitors to the preview exhibition encompassing all three of our September auctions in London which will be open to the public from 6 September ahead of our auctions on 13, 14, and 15 September.”
Leading the Evening Sale is Roy Lichtenstein’s 1992 Water Lilies with Willows, from Water Lilies. A pioneer of American Pop Art, at first glance Lichtenstein’s commercially influenced artworks seem in binary opposition to the Impressionist paintings of Claude Monet. Yet Lichtenstein frequently referenced the works of Monet throughout his career, challenging the perceived differences between their artistic styles. In Water Lilies with Willows – one of six screenprints the artist produced in 1992 in reference to Monet’s paintings – Lichtenstein parodies the iconic works of art history, translating them for the modern age through his Pop Art aesthetic. In doing so, Lichtenstein reveals some unexpected parallels between the two artists’ formal concerns, despite their drastically different styles. This sale will feature further works by Lichtenstein including View from the Window from Landscapes, 1985, as well as further examples of Pop Art from artists such as Andy Warhol and Keith Haring.
Highlights amongst the works by British artists to feature in the Evening Sale are two iconic Banksy screenprints, Thrower (Grey), and Girl with Balloon. In Thrower (Grey), Banksy combines despair and humour, presenting the image of a young man with his face partially covered by a bandana and base-ball cap, leaning backwards to detonate a bouquet of flowers. Typical of Banksy’s socially charged imagery, the menacing figure juxtaposed with a symbol of peace and love, demonstrates the artist’s sustained interest in the absurdity of war.
Another British Artist experimenting with satirical depictions of war and whose work is featured in the Evening Sale is Grayson Perry. At over two and a half metres wide, the enormity of Perry’s Print for a Politician recalls the monumental 19th century paintings of historic battles. Yet rather than focusing on past disputes, Perry’s war zooms in on the various conflicting groups in contemporary society. Although chaos appears to ensue in the non-linear narrative, Perry made it clear that his underlying intention was to demonstrate that all these differing parts of society can co-exist. Acknowledging the importance of such a message, the House of Commons acquired a version of Print for a Politician for their contemporary art collection in 2006. Further works by Grayson Perry will feature in the Evening Sale including Map of Nowhere.
Depicted using only the most essential lines, Julian Opie manages to convey expression, emotion, and the human experience through his highly simplified figures. Belgium is comprised of four groups of four people rendered in acrylic outlines. In each cluster, the overlapping figures are frozen mid-stride and are facing different directions, giving the impression that they are walking through a crowd or crossing a busy road. Immediately it appears that the figures are situated in an urban environment, despite the artist providing no visual markers pertaining to their surroundings. Human movement through space – how it is conveyed by the artist and understood by the viewer – is the only indicator.
