DALLAS, TX.- A defining work by George Morrison leads Heritage's May 7 Modern & Contemporary Art Signature®Auction, a focused 76-lot sale that brings together a global survey of postwar and contemporary art, with particular strength in abstraction.

Morrison's Palisade (1958) arrives at a moment of heightened attention for the Ojibwe artist, whose contributions to postwar abstraction are increasingly being recognized alongside those of his New York contemporaries. Long supported by a knowledgeable base of collectors, Morrison's market has gained new visibility as institutional recognition expands — a shift underscored by the current exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art examining his early years in New York.

"Collectors are starting to respond to Morrison in a way that reflects his true place within the story of postwar American abstraction,” says Taylor Curry, Heritage's Director of Modern & Contemporary Art, New York. "There's been a strong foundation for years, but now it's aligning with broader institutional attention, and that's translating into real momentum at auction.”

Born in Chippewa City, Minnesota, along Lake Superior, Morrison maintained a lifelong connection to landscape and memory. Even while working in New York and engaging with the Abstract Expressionist circle, his work remained grounded in the physical and emotional structure of place.

Executed in 1958, Palisade reflects that synthesis. Saturated blues and violets are interrupted by vertical bands of green, slate and gray, while flashes of red and coral emerge through a densely worked surface. Rectilinear forms compress and rise, evoking stratified rock formations without direct representation. Built through layering, scraping and controlled accumulation, the painting carries a weathered, almost geological presence, infusing the energy of Abstract Expressionism with a deliberate and structural approach.

"Palisade is exactly the kind of work that defines Morrison at his best,” Curry says.

The auction's emphasis on abstraction continues with international postwar figures including Japanese painter Takeo Yamaguchi, represented by Yellow Assembly (1964), and German artist Fritz Winter, whose two 1952 mixed-media works — Zwischen Dunkel und Hell (Between Dark and Light) and an untitled composition — reflect the lyrical and material experimentation that defined European abstraction in the postwar period.

Alongside these works, the sale presents a strong selection of blue-chip contemporary and modern names. Highlights include an intimate drawing by Andy Warhol, Where's George?, gifted to advertising executive Norman Geller during the artist's early commercial career; Tom Wesselmann's Study for Stockinged Nude with Fish Bowl(1982); and Wayne Thiebaud's early painting Things on a Table (1953), which captures the artist's developing engagement with everyday subject matter.

Works on paper by Fernando Botero offer insight into the artist's distinctive figurative language, while David Bates' large-scale Sisters (1985) brings a bold, expressive presence to the sale and a charming touch with the artist's signature on the sleeping dog's collar.

Contemporary audiences are further engaged through a striking example from KAWS' Man's Best Friend series. In UNTITLED (MBFG7) (2014), the artist isolates and magnifies elements of Charles Schulz's Peanuts comic strip, transforming the familiar figure of Linus into a near-abstract composition defined by bold black lines and KAWS' signature "X” eye — a gesture that underscores both the ubiquity and durability of popular imagery.

Sculpture also plays a significant role in the auction, with kinetic, conceptual and playful works spanning decades. A refined stainless steel construction by George Rickey, Delta Theme with Two Lines V (1983), exemplifies the artist's precise balance of movement and form.

From the celebrated Hechinger Collection come Jean Tinguely's mechanically animated Tools (1985) and Arman's Jaws (1984), both of which transform industrial materials into dynamic sculptural statements.

Two works by Ai Weiwei further expand the global scope of the sale. Colored Vases (2013), composed of Neolithic vessels coated in industrial paint, offers a provocative meditation on history, authorship and cultural memory, while Owl Houses (2010) draws on traditional Chinese porcelain techniques in objects that bridge art, architecture and environmental intervention.

Additional highlights include Larry Rivers' Plexiglass Playmate (1967), originally conceived for a landmark Playboy project featuring leading contemporary artists, and Peter Anton's Jubilant Assortment (2014), a large-scale, hyperrealist sculpture that transforms a box of chocolates into a visually exuberant meditation on indulgence and desire.

Together, the works in the May 7 auction reflect a carefully considered balance between historical depth and contemporary relevance, anchored by a renewed understanding of artists like Morrison. "As scholarship continues to expand and collectors take a closer look, artists like Morrison are finding their rightful place within the broader narrative,” Curry says. "This auction captures that moment while also offering a wider view of how abstraction and visual culture have evolved across generations.”