Here’s What’s Leading Next Week’s 20th- and 21st-Century Evening Sales at Christie’s
Christie’s Spring Marquee Week is back next week with a lineup of sales featuring storied masterpieces and sought-after works by notable artists. Often, the pieces in the 20th- and 21st-century auctions were created during historically significant periods of the artists’ lives or have been part of notable collections. This year, several works in the Marquee Week sales come from Lyn and Norman Lear’s art collection and the de la Cruz Collection Museum’s holdings. Major artists represented include Brice Marden, Georgia O’Keeffe, David Hockney and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Christie’s 20th Century Evening Sale
On May 16, sixty-four works from the Impressionist, Modern and Post-War eras, including two paintings by Claude Monet, will go on the block for an estimated $340-500 million.
Vincent Van Gogh’s Coin De Jardin Avec Papillons (1887)
Van Gogh’s Coin De Jardin Avec Papillons, or garden with butterflies, can be thought of as a preview of the collection of works he would create during his time at the Saint Remy asylum. This painting, originally sold by the Van Gogh family to French author and politician Joseph Reinarch in the 1910s, was offered at Christie's previously for $40 million in 2018 but didn’t meet the reserve. High estimate: $35 million.
David Hockney, A Lawn Being Sprinkled (1967)
One of British artist David Hockney’s “California Dreaming” paintings, A Lawn Being Sprinkled conveys the beauty and vibe of Los Angeles and comes to Christie’s from the art collection of Norman Lear. High estimate: $35 million.
Andy Warhol’s Flowers (1964)
Part of a collection of Warhol’s floral paintings and prints, this large work features four bright blooming flowers in Day-Glo fluorescent paint. It is believed that the piece was created to represent purity and that it was a tribute to former President John F. Kennedy created shortly after his assassination. High estimate: $30 million.
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Pablo Picasso’s Femme Au Chapeau Assise (1971)
Femme Au Chapeau Assise, inspired by Picasso’s wife Jacqueline Picasso, was initially owned by Paloma Picasso but sold at Christie’s in 1990 to David L. and Gloria D. Wolper, and then again in 1998. It has remained in an anonymous private collection until now. High estimate: $30 million.
Claude Monet’s Moulin De Limetz (1888)
This glimpse of Monet’s hometown of Giverny, France—a painting of a grain mill on the Epte River—was in the Atha family’s collection for over eighty years until the passing of Ethelyn Atha Chase in 2023. In 1891, the piece was acquired by French art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel and was later bought in the U.S. by Joseph S. and Ethel B. Atha in 1941. High estimate: $25 million.
Alberto Giacometti’s Femme Leoni (1947-58)
The elongated bronze statue of a standing woman by Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti was acquired by its present owner in 2020 at auction. It has been shown at the Thomas Ammann Fine Art Gallery in Zurich, Switzerland, and the Hamilton Gallery in New York. High estimate: $30 million.
Christie’s 21st Century Evening Sale
This thirty-five-lot sale of artworks from 1980 to the present day is expected to realize $100 million. Many of the pieces up for sale come from the art collections of Mary and John Pappajohn and entrepreneur and ambassador Trevor Traina.
Brice Marden’s Event (2004-2007)
One of Brice Marden’s “The Propitious Garden of Plane Image” pieces, Event, could set a new auction record for the artist who passed away last year at the age of 84. Marden’s work is known for its calligraphic colorful lines and for its minimalistic nature, and Marden’s auction record of $30.9 million was established in 2020 with the sale of his painting Complements. High estimate: $50 million.
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s The Italian Version of Popeye has no Pork in his Diet (1982)
This graffiti-aesthetic oilstick and paper collage on canvas is part of the stretcher bar series in which Basquiat used homemade wooden supports built with found materials to mount the work. The inspiration behind the piece is believed to be the Italian manifestation of Popeye, which Basquiat may have encountered during his time in Italy. The high estimate is in excess of $30 million.
Mark Tansey’s Mont Sainte-Victoire #1 (1949)
This monochromatic work by Mark Tansey depicts French soldiers bathing in a clear pool with reflections that defy the perceived reality—if the painting is turned 180 degrees, it is revealed that the soldier’s reflections are that of women. Tansey, an American artist, is known for such surrealist twists in his work. High estimate: $12 million.
Julie Mehretu’s Mumbaphilia (J.E.) (2018)
Ethiopian-American artist Julie Mehretu’s Mumbaphilia, named after a song by composer and pianist Julius Eastman, was inspired by photographs of political happenings and urban sociopolitical changes. Mehretu’s painting, while less than ten years old, attracted the attention of many art lovers after it was shown at the 2019 Venice Biennale. High estimate: $7 million.