Post-War & Contemporary Art

Cy Twombly (1928-2011), Nine discourses on Commodus. Photo Sotheby's signed, titled and dated 1964, pencil and coloured crayon on paper, 70 by 50cm.; 27 3/8 by 19 5/8 in. ESTIMATE 80,000-120,000 GBP - Lot Sold: 97,250 GBP AUTHENTICATION: The authenticity of this work has kindly been confirmed by the Twombly Foundation, who have noted that this work is a "Proof for Poster" and as such will not be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné for Works on Paper. NOTE: Now housed in the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao after its... [Lire la suite]

Yves Klein (1928 - 1962), Monochrome. Photo Sotheby's pure pigment and synthetic resin on cartoline; 21.5 by 17.8cm.; 8 1/2 by 7in. Executed in 1959.. ESTIMATE 60,000-80,000 GBP - Lot Sold: 73,250 GBP Yves Klein (1928 - 1962), La Terre Bleue. Photo Sotheby's embossed with the star on the base and numbered 72/300 on a label affixed to the underside; dry IKB pigment and synthetic resin on plaster cast; 35.5 by 29.5 by 28cm.; 14 by 11 5/8 by 11in. Conceived in 1957, this work was cast in 1990 in an edition of... [Lire la suite]

Lucio Fontana (1899-1968) , Concetto spaziale, Attese. Photo Sotheby's signed, titled and inscribed Forse il verde è un bel colore! on the reverse, waterpaint on canvas, 65.3 by 54cm.; 25 3/4 by 21 1/4 in. Executed in 1964-1965. ESTIMATE 400,000-600,000 GBP - Lot Sold: 469,250 GBP NOTE: In Concetto Spaziale, Attese, Fontana's tagli take their most striking form. A verdant green ground becomes a dramatic stage upon which four trademark slashes play their part. Dancing across the canvas in the curved form of musical notes... [Lire la suite]

Lucio Fontana (1899-1968) , Concetto spaziale, Attese. Photo Sotheby's signed, titled and inscribed ieri ho visto la partita di fobbal on the reverse, waterpaint on canvas; 60 by 51cm. 24 ¼ x 19 ¾in. Executed in 1967. ESTIMATE 500,000-700,000 GBP - Lot Sold: 814,050 GBP NOTE: "The discovery of the Cosmos is that of a new dimension, it is the Infinite: thus I pierce this canvas, which is the basis of all arts and I have created an infinite dimension, an x which for me is the basis for all Contemporary Art" The... [Lire la suite]

Lucio Fontana (1899-1968) , Concetto spaziale. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd. 2011 signed 'l. fontana' (lower right); signed, inscribed and titled 'l. Fontana "Concetto spaziale" lo e la Carla abbiamo mangiato i pesciolini fritti' (on the reverse), oil on canvas, 39½ x 31 7/8in. (100.3 x 81cm.). Executed in 1964. Estimate £1,000,000 - £1,500,000($1,600,000 - $2,300,000). Price Realized  £2,337,250 ($3,730,251) Provenance: Marlborough Galleria d'Arte, Rome.Court Gallery, Copenhagen.Acquired from the above by the present owner... [Lire la suite]

Francis Bacon's 'Study for a Portrait' (detail). Photo: Christie's Images Ltd. 2011   LONDON.- A painting by Irish-born artist Francis Bacon sold for 18.0 million pounds ($28.7 million) on Tuesday, the second highest price paid for a work of art at a Christie's post-war and contemporary auction in London. "Study for a Portrait," depicting a besuited man seated on a gilded armchair enshrouded in a sea of blue, had been expected to fetch around 11 million pounds, although the sale price includes a buyer's premium which... [Lire la suite]

Mark Rothko, No. 5/No. 22. 1950 (dated on reverse 1949). Oil on canvas, 9’ 9” x 8’ 11 1/8”. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of the artist © 1998 Kate Rothko Prizel & Christopher Rothko / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: The Museum of Modern Art, Department of Imaging Services. TORONTO.- Jackson Pollock. Mark Rothko. Robert Motherwell. Joan Mitchell. Franz Kline. Lee Krasner. Willem de Kooning. These are just a few of the legendary 20th-century artists whose artwork is now on view at the Art Gallery of... [Lire la suite]

Lucio Fontana (1899 - 1968), Concetto spaziale, Teatrino. stagnola e cartoncino giallo; firmato e numerato 5/50; Estimate 4,000—6,000 EUR. Lot Sold 10,625 EUR Eseguito nel 1966 Opera registrata presso la Fondazione Lucio Fontana, Milano, con il n. 618/20L'opera è accompagnata da certificato su fotografia rilasciato dalla Fondazione Lucio Fontana, Milano PROVENANCE: Milano, Libreria InternazionaleIvi acquistato nel 1968 NOTE: Siigned and numbered 5/50, tinfoil and yellow cardboard L'opera fa parte di una cartella curata... [Lire la suite]

Lucio Fontana (1899 - 1968), Battaglia. Photo Sotheby's ceramica policroma smaltata, firmato, siglato e datato 47 sul retro; cm 22x29x15. Estimate 15,000—20,000 EUR. Lot Sold 27,150 EUR Opera registrata presso la Fondazione Lucio Fontana, Milano, con il n. 3761/1 PROVENANCE: Dono dell'artista alla famiglia dell'attuale proprietario nel 1960 circa NOTE: signed, signed with monogram and dated 47 on the reverse, polychrome glazed ceramic "Io sono uno scultore e non un ceramista. Non ho mai girato al tornio un piatto nè... [Lire la suite]

Lucio Fontana (1899 - 1968), Concetto spaziale. Photo Sotheby's matita e strappi su carta, firmato; cm 34,8x26,1. Estimate 10,000—15,000 EUR. Lot Sold 36,750 EUR Eseguito nel 1960-1965 Opera registrata presso la Fondazione Lucio Fontana, Milano, con il n. 4025/1L'opera è accompagnata da certificato su fotografia rilasciato dalla Fondazione Lucio Fontana, Milano PROVENANCE; Collezione Topazia Alliata, RomaIvi acquistato dalla famiglia dell'attuale proprietario nel 1974 NOTE: signed, pencil and tears on paper. Executed in... [Lire la suite]