Sotheby’s Auction House

It has become customary to refer to a sudden shift from abstraction to figuration in Philip Guston’s oeuvre, a dramatic volte-face announced by the exhibition at the Marlborough Gallery in New York in October 1970 where the painting Remorse was first displayed. The truth is that Guston’s work had been changing in different ways over the decade prior to this controversial show. Early in the 60s, after over a decade of abstract painting, Guston found himself forming dark blocky shapes in fields of grey, and by 1966, many of these shapes appeared like floating heads. Soon after these works were exhibited at the Jewish Museum in New York, Guston gave up painting for a while and left New York for Florida where he worked mainly on drawings: a second change. As these became more and more minimal, he also began to make drawings and small paintings of everyday objects - books, shoes, lightbulbs, cigars, chairs: a third change. Many such panels were painted in early 1968, and it was not quite clear where the work was going, until an event in the middle of the year triggered him to use his new vocabulary of images in unanticipated ways.

Shop Hermès Accessories, Available for Immedi...

Encapsulating the essence of their Californian environs through sumptuous gestural figuration, Surf Bathers and Ingleside II typify David Park and Richard Diebenkorn’s respective radical reinvigoration of figurative painting that unequivocally renewed the relevance of this genre within American art. In their dramatic rupture from the reigning artistic mode of Abstract Expressionism, David Park and Richard Diebenkorn emerged as the pre-eminent members of the Bay Area Figurative Movement. Galvanized by its faculty members, which included Park and Diebenkorn alongside contemporaries like Elmer Bischoff, this pioneering style emerged from the atmosphere of mutual support and creative exchange found at the California School of Fine Art in San Francisco in the late 1940s and early 50s. While keen observers of the experimental painterly techniques and palpable zeal of Abstract Expressionism, they opposed the East Coast movement’s emphasis on the subconscious and the imprint of personality as a source of imagery in favor of direct observations of the inner and outer world. As aptly described by art historian Caroline Jones, "[the] hard-worn hegemony of Abstract Expressionism as the first national style rendered any deviation from it doubly suspect...The individuals who conducted the Bay Area 'defection' perceived it quite differently. Like others in New York and abroad, they viewed the dominance of Abstract Expressionism as a form of stultification. Figuration seemed to be a way of saving that which was still vital and dynamic in the Abstract Expressionist style, a way of moving forward, of encouraging a more generous personal vision" (Caroline A. Jones, in: Exh. Cat., San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Bay Area Figurative Art, 1950-1965, 1989, p. 11). Teeming with gestural impastos of saturated color, Surf Bathers and Ingleside II harness the energy of Abstract Expression to examine the representational essence of quotidian subjects.

Sotheby's dedicated Banksy auction, open for bidding from 20-26 April, features a selection of prints by the renowned British street artist.

Shop Louis Vuitton Handbags, Available For Immedi...

Geneva Handbag Auction, BID on Hermès Kelly Dolls, Mini Kellys and More.

Shop Louis Vuitton Pochette Accessoires, Available For Immedi...

Painted in April 1932, 90 years ago to the month, Femme nue couchée is one of Pablo Picasso’s most monumental and uninhibitedly sensual portrayals of Marie-Thérèse Walter. Appearing at auction for the first time, the large-scale painting is poised to achieve in excess of $60 million at Sotheby’s Modern Evening Auction on 17 May, making it one of the most valuable portraits of Marie-Thérèse Walter ever offered at auction.

We are extremely honoured to be able to bring to the market such an extraordinary collection of vinous classics. In the racing world, this would be a stable of thoroughbreds! Nobility in wine is a reality, not just an abstract idea. The greatest wines come from the greatest terroirs and then the human element enters the equation. It is our good fortune that France has, for centuries been home to vineyard owners and winemakers who are aware of their unrivalled patrimony and have worked ceaselessly to exploit the marvellous potential of their land. The result is living liquid legends that are the products of both art and science. The added plus is that no two wines are ever the same, with weather, oenological philosophies and even changing tastes all playing their part in giving us such a rich diversity of glorious bottles.

This is a remarkable wine collection and, if you are a Burgundy lover, I would say that the hunt is over! One very rarely sees such a line-up of the region’s very best producers, often with frustratingly limited quantities with which to supply the entire world of those people to whom Burgundy means so much. It represents over 20 years of collecting, meticulously searching out allocations, often when the wines are first offered. This takes care and persistence, but the result is a selection of simply exhilarating wines, with a mass of Grands Crus made by revered Burgundians. Every style and slope is represented and simply savouring the list in print is an exploration, jolting the memory of extraordinary bottles. The span of vintages is breathtaking and the vast majority could be drunk from now, depending on personal taste and inclination. It is almost insidious to pick out names, but when I see DRC, Rousseau, Mugnier and Fourrier, the scene is set. One could create memorable vertical tastings, or dinners, comparing the Cros Parantoux of Méo-Camuzet and Emmanuel Rouget, or invite your very best friends to share some of the all-too-rare Sylvain Cathiard gems. The flamboyance of the Côte de Nuits’ greatest vineyards is on full display here and they are to be treasured. Take time to study what is on offer as there are unique opportunities at every turn, from revelling in the Jean Grivot Echézeaux vintages, to ‘combing through’ to finding the Leroy and Ponsot offerings – watch out for the magnums of the latter.

Making its first public appearance in four decades this Friday at Sotheby’s New Bond Street galleries in London, Philip Guston’s Abstract Expressionist masterpiece Nile from 1958 is a monumental work that represents the pinnacle of Guston’s abstract practice, and is among the small group of works that established Guston’s reputation as one of the premier artists of 20th century art. Coming to auction for the first time this spring in Sotheby’s Modern Evening Auction, Nile will be offered in tandem with several other exceptional works from the artist’s later, figurative period in the Contemporary Art Evening Auction, marking a significant moment for the market to celebrate the artist’s legacy as an undeniable master of the post-war period that will coincide with the highly-anticipated Philip Guston Now retrospective opening at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston this May.

...

Learn more about popular Louis Vuitton crossbody bags, Metis Pocchette, Felicie, Multi Pocchette, Pet...

Shop Chanel Accessories, Available for Immedi...

The Renaissance in Europe (c.1420 – 1650) lightened the burden of religion prevalent in medieval times and initiated a revolutionary thought in science and art which led to industrial revolution. It encouraged the adventurous Europeans to establish East India Companies which had ambitious plans to explore the Indian sub-continent for its riches – spices and trade. The Portuguese reached India first, in 1498, the British in 1600, the Dutch in 1602 and the French in 1664. The British East India Company survived and ultimately became a colonial power.

Shop Hermès Handbags, Available For Immedi...

Shop Hermès Handbags, Available For Immedi...

Shop Hermès Handbags, Available For Immedi...

Shop Louis Vuitton Handbags, Available For Immedi...

Christopher Apostle sits down with Marco Grassi, a collector, dealer, and restorer of Old Master paintings to discuss his book of collected essays.

This February, The Luxury Edit presents RE(LUX), a showcase of the season’s best luxury items viewed through a fresh lens. Our special guest Colleen Yu, entrepreneur and philanthropist, joins Sotheby's Regine Ngan and Joey Luk to explore the evolving concept of luxury.

The famed photographer’s majestic landscapes were formative in establishing national parks across the United States.