NEW YORK, NY.- Heritage Auctions has announced the sale of several important works from the estate of Anita Reiner in the May 2 Modern & Contemporary Art Auction. The selection is led by Ice Bucket by Jeff Koons (est. $300,000-$500,000), exhibited in the recent Whitney Museum retrospective, which serves as one of the auction's cover lots.
In addition to the Koons work, the estate is offering Untitled I/III (Rosa), a 1994 work by Martin Kippenberger (est. $60,000-$80,000) as well as Melon, 1985, a collage work by Miquel Barceló (est. $25,000-$35,000) and always and forever (for sibila), 2001, a photograph by Douglas Gordon (est. $6,000-$8,000).
"To be surrounded by Anita's legacy and good taste reminds me why I fell in love with art in the first place," said Leon Benrimon, Director of Modern and Contemporary Art Heritage Auctions New York. "She was an avid collector of contemporary art for close to 50 years. Other artists that became part of Anita's early collection included Larry Bell, Robert Rauschenberg, Jim Dine, John Salt, Don Eddy, Claes Oldenburg, Duane Hansen, Kenneth Noland and Ralph Goings."
"She was smart, focused and intense about this pursuit," said Renee Reiner, Anita's youngest child. "At the same time, she was also fast. Mom would walk into a gallery, move through once quickly and hone in on 'best in show' before I could park the car and join her inside."
Works from the Estate of Anita Reiner will be in the Modern & Contemporary Art Auction, May 2, 2016, at the Ukrainian Institute of America at the Fletcher Sinclair Mansion at 2 East 79th Street.