Pop-art has got it’s detractors, but you can’t argue with history unless you were there yourself, and even then you might find the tide against you, especially when hindsight seems so incredibly effervescent. Andy Warhol is regarded as one of the leading figures in the visual arts movement and it seems that even his self portraits have become the iconic representation of pop culture that his more screen fed imagery has long been known for.
His six self portraits sold at the Sotheby’s May Contemporary Art Evening Auction in New York earlier this week, having been a part of a private collection since they were bought following the landmark show at the Anthony d’Offay gallery in July 1986. There’s no word as of yet from Sotheby’s in terms of who the new owner is, but hopefully they’ll fing their way into a public gallery at some point so that we can all get a better appreciation for what makes them so special.
The self portraits weren’t the only big ticket sales at the evening event from the Warhol back catalogue as two other significant pieces of work fell under the hammer of the auction. The first was Big Electric Chair, which sold for $20,437,000 and the second was 12 Mona Lisas (Reversal Series) which went for $11,365,000.
For anyone not too familiar with Andy Warhol’s work, or those struggling to understand why it’s gone on to be considered quite so seminal, the reality is that he was a part of a movement that not only transfixed art enthusiasts, media and the general public, but also one that inspired a new generation of artists.
He was a part of the drive behind the greatness of Nico and the Velvet Underground and he wasn’t too far away from counter culture controversy that resulted in him being so easily featured in the tabloids and popular publications turning the observing chronicler into a version of the stars that were often his focus.
The sales contributed almost 20% of the overall auction haul, which totalled a whopping $364,379,000, just inside the sale estimate of between $336,650,000 and $474,000,000. 85% of the available works were successfully sold by the Sotheby’s auctioneers to a range of participants from 37 different countries, including a sizeable participation from Asia and Latin America.
Other major works sold include Martin Kippenberger’s Untitled large scale painting, which sold for $5.5 million – it’s an incredibly impressive piece of modern day master paintwork that sort of draws you in and bowls you over the more you look at it – and Cindy Sherman’s Untitled #93, which sold for $3.9 million. Both are from the Sender collection, a large private collection created by Adam Sender, a hedge fund manager who used the success of his career to pursue modern art from a young age.
Other than the Warhol self portraits, the other pop-art icon sold during the evening was Jeff Koons’ Popeye, a 7 foot high sculpture of the famous cartoon character that was crafted in mirror-polished stainless steel and finished in kaleidoscopic glazes. It sold for a staggering $28.2 million, getting snapped up by Las Vegas casino magnate, Steve Wynn, who will be putting the sculpture on display at one of his casinos in the gambling capital of the world, making it accessible to the public, which we’re always a fan of.
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