Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
“This is a very important work in my career because it’s a connection between my old works with new works. New characters and old characters.”
— Javier CallejaWith its impressive multi-part installation of 30 unique components, Untitled is a particularly special work by Javier Calleja, one of the most prominent artists working today. Created in 2017, an important year in the artist’s career where he first debuted his wide-eye boy characters at AISHONANZUKA in Hong Kong—the artist’s first solo exhibition in Asia—the present work is a rare, seminal example of what has since become his signature motif. Each meticulously composed drawing shares a story of its own, pulling viewers into Calleja’s whimsical world of nostalgic innocence imbued with satirical flair. At the same time, as the largest work by the artist to come to auction, measuring over an epic 7 meters long in its entirety, the work can be endlessly explored for the countless points of dialogue that are evoked between each original part.
The artist in his studio in Málaga
Photo Courtesy of the Calleja StudioAn Innovative Approach
Calleja was born in Málaga in 1971, a picturesque city on the Southern coast of Spain renowned for being the birthplace of fellow Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. He began drawing in his early childhood, citing 'Mazinger Z cartoons and Francisco Ibáñez Talavera's comics' i as among his biggest influences, but it was not until he was 25 that he decided to pursue his artistic talents more seriously. In 2000, Calleja graduated from the University of Granada with a Bachelor’s Degree of Fine Arts, landing his first solo exhibition in Spain just 3 years later.
Comic-strip by Francisco Ibáñez Talavera
© Francisco Ibanez TalaveraWhilst this artistic training would have fed into his development, as evidenced by Calleja’s masterful control over a remarkably wide range of techniques and media, his distinctive aesthetic is ‘more connected with [Calleja’s] real beginnings, [his] childhood, and the drawings [he] was making then.’ii As he explains, ‘This is why it always felt that this style actually found me and I didn’t find it, and I’m still waiting for it to change.’ ii
Comprising of 30 individual drawings on paper that the artist worked on one-by-one over a course of 4 months, Untitled brings to mind the work of artists including Barry McGee, David Hockney, and Joan Mitchell, whom too, have experimented with polyptych formats. Unlike his contemporaries, however, whose multi-part works follow a strict compositional order, Calleja’s innovative piece is both elastic and modular, adapting to new spaces as it can be installed in endless ways. Harkening back to the formative influence of comic strips on Calleja’s art, layers of narrative potential are unlocked with each new combination of the present work’s frames, as the work’s overall story expands and diverts through the refreshed interactions that start to emerge.
David Hockney, Tall Dutch Trees After Hobbema (Useful Knowledge), 2017
© David Hockney
Joan Mitchell, Bonjour Julie, 1971
Collection of the Art Fund, Inc. at the Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama
© Joan Mitchell EstateCalleja’s Magical World
“I love Joan Miró, the artist. He’s from Catalunya, and I did specifically draw inspiration from Joan Miró [for this work]… You can see these big colours.”
— Javier CallejaUntitled immediately grabs the attention of the viewer with its lively palette of red, blue, green, and yellow tones - a purposeful choice by the artist made in tribute to Catalunya-born artist Joan Miró, whose brilliant use of colour combined Fauvist vibrancy with Cubist geometric forms. Like Miró, Calleja’s confident treatment of colour helps to guide his spectators’ eyes to points of focus, such as to the little boy in Untitled who reaches up towards a floating cloud, stood atop a lime green hill.
Joan Miró, Les Oiseaux (The Birds), 1956
© 2021 Successió Miró / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, ParisUnderstood as a reflection of the artist himself, Calleja’s characters have become beloved icons across their world, instantly recognisable for their endearing portrayals that are simultaneously sophisticated in technique and casually candid. Calleja masters this balance through expression, tonality, and texture, most obvious in the contrast between his subjects’ watery, marble-like eyes and the more graphically simple elements that frame them. Evoking the delicate moment when a child stops crying and is about to break out into a smile once again, Calleja has revealed: ‘That is the moment I paint—when experiencing something bad and you just had a breakthrough. I think when a child is crying and then stops to cry—they’re a hero. Because he or she decided to overcome the pain.’ iii
Contrasting the cute yet sinister subjects that populate the oeuvre of Japanese-artist Yoshitomo Nara, to whom Calleja is often compared, in the present work Calleja’s protagonists surround themselves with phrases of optimism and joy, such as ‘Sparkling Life’, ‘Enjoy Today’, ‘Best Place’, and ‘I Like You’. And whilst Calleja has expressed his art is open to interpretation, inviting the observer to ‘finish the work’ iii, there is an undeniable positivity that radiates from works such as Untitled, resonating with audiences on such a universal level only few have so successfully accomplished before.
“I’m looking to communicate emotions. The feeling of love, magic, or pain, I want to show that second when you feel those emotions. [...] I like people to experience the sensation of experiencing the moment of magic. Being lost, confused, heart beating stronger, I love that effect.”
— Javier CallejaCollector’s Digest
Demonstrative of his position as a major figure within the world of contemporary art, Calleja has presented exhibitons in a wide number of institutions worldwide. Notable solo exhibitons of Calleja include at Almine Rech in Shanghai (21 May – 26 June 2021); Rafael Pérez Hernando Arte Contemporáneo in Madrid (25 February – 24 April 2021); Bill Brady in Miami (2020); AISHONANZUKA in Hong Kong (2019, 2017); Dio Horia in Athens (2019); and Galerie Zink in the German city of Waldkirchen (2019, 2018).
Works by Calleja now form part of influential public collections including the Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Burgos, Marset Collection, and Unicaja Collection, amongst others.
i Javier Calleja, quoted in Reena Devi, ‘Why Spanish artist Javier Calleja is a hit in Asia and beyond’, Cobo Social, 13 October 2020, online
ii Javier Calleja, quoted in Cristina Samper, ‘Tap into your inner child through Javier Calleja’s unique work’, Art of Choice, 21 October 2020, online
iii Javier Calleja, quoted in Sasha Bogojev, ‘Javier Calleja: Finding That Magic Moment’, Juxtapoz, 2019, online
Description
Notes:
Referring to labelled image, please see full dimensions below:
(i) 90 x 80 cm. (35 3/8 x 31 1/2 in.)
(ii) 70 x 100 cm. (27 1/2 x 39 3/8 in.)
(iii) 50 x 50 cm. (19 5/8 x 19 5/8 in.)
(iv) 80 x 70 cm. (31 1/2 x 27 1/2 in.)
(v) 40 x 60 cm. (15 3/4 x 23 5/8 in.)
(vi) 50 x 40 cm. (19 5/8 x 15 3/4 in.)
(vii) 30 x 40 cm. (11 3/4 x 15 3/4 in.)
(viii) 20 x 15 cm. (7 7/8 x 5 7/8 in.)
(ix) 30 x 30. cm. (11 3/4 x 11 3/4 in.)
(x) 40 x 30 cm. (15 3/4 x 11 3/4 in.)
(xi) 15 x 20 cm. (5 7/8 x 7 7/8 in.)
(xii) 10 x 15 cm. (3 7/8 x 5 7/8 in.)
(xiii) 20 x 20 cm. (7 7/8 x 7 7/8 in.)
(xiv) 20 x 15 cm. (7 7/8 x 5 7/8 in.)
(xv) 15 x 20 cm. (5 7/8 x 7 7/8 in.)
(xvi) 15 x 20 cm. (5 7/8 x 7 7/8 in.)
(xvii) 80 x 80 cm. (31 1/2 x 31 1/2 in.)
(xviii) 60 x 60 cm. (23 5/8 x 23 5/8 in.)
(xix) 15 x 20 cm. (5 7/8 x 7 7/8 in.)
(xx) 70 x 50 cm. (27 1/2 x 19 5/8 in.)
(xxi) 41 x 30 cm. (16 1/8 x 11 3/4 in.)
(xxii) 41 x 50 cm. (16 1/8 x 19 5/8 in.)
(xxiii) 60 x 50 cm. (23 5/8 x 19 5/8 in.)
(xxiv) 25 x 20 cm. (9 7/8 x 7 7/8 in.)
(xxv) 15 x 20 cm. (5 7/8 x 7 7/8 in.)
(xxvi) 30 x 30 cm. (11 3/4 x 11 3/4 in.)
(xxvii) 20 x 25 cm. (7 7/8 x 9 7/8 in.)
(xxviii) 10 x 15 cm. (3 7/8 x 5 7/8 in.)
(xxix) 15 x 20 cm. (5 7/8 x 7 7/8 in.)
(xxx) 15 x 20 cm. (5 7/8 x 7 7/8 in.)
The digitally altered image is for illustrative purposes only and should not be relied upon as an exact representation of the work once installed. Prospective buyers are encouraged to view the installed work in person at pre-auction viewings. Phillips and Poly will not be responsible for any differences between the digitally altered image and the appearance of the work once installed and this will not constitute grounds for cancelling a sale.Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner
Artist Biography
Javier Calleja
Javier Calleja (b. 1971) is a contemporary Spanish artist living and working in
Malaga, Spain. Calleja is most known for his figurative style of cartoonish, doe-eyed
characters with exaggerated features. His style is influenced by the toys and comics
from his 70s and 80s upbringing. Calleja’s characters are often accompanied by text
that contrasts the innocent and adolescent looking facial expressions of the
characters represented in the compositions. Calleja works in painting, sculpture,
and works on paper.Calleja holds a BFA from Granada University in Spain. His works have been exhibited worldwide and he is currently represented by Almine Rech.
Property from a Private Collection
Ο◆✱7
30 works: Untitled
(i) signed, numbered, inscribed and dated ‘2017 1/30 SPARKLIN LIF Javier Calleja’ on the reverse
(ii); (iv) signed, numbered and dated ‘2017 [no.]/30 Javier Calleja’ on the reverse
(iii) signed, numbered and dated ‘2017 3/30 Javier’ on the reverse
(v - x); (xii - xvii); (xix); (xxiv - xxv); (xxvii); (xxx) numbered and dated ‘2017 [no.]/30’ on the reverse
(xi); (xviii); (xx - xxiii); (xxvi); (xxviii - xxix) numbered and dated ‘[no.]/30 2017’ on the reverse
mixed media on paper and wall painting
dimensions variable, current installation approximately 185 x 730 cm. (72 7/8 x 287 3/8 in.)
For individual dimensions, please refer to Notes.
Executed in 2017.
Estimate
HK$10,000,000 - 15,000,000
€1,140,000-1,700,000
$1,280,000-1,920,000
Sold for HK$12,108,000
Charlotte Raybaud
Head of Evening Sale, 20th Century & Contemporary Art
+852 2318 2026
CharlotteRaybaud@phillips.com
20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale in Association with Poly Auction
Hong Kong Auction 30 November 2021
1
Cinga Samson
Ivory V
Estimate HK$250,000 - 350,000
Sold for HK$2,520,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
2
Salman Toor
East Village Iqbal Bano
Estimate HK$1,800,000 - 2,800,000
Sold for HK$4,536,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
3
Nina Chanel Abney
Untitled (IXI Black)
Estimate HK$1,500,000 - 2,500,000
Sold for HK$3,024,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
4
Jamian Juliano-Villani
Clear Cough from Your Schedule
Estimate HK$200,000 - 400,000
Sold for HK$781,200
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
5
Mr.
Yume—Breath of the Earth
Estimate HK$1,000,000 - 2,000,000
Sold for HK$4,032,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
6
Julie Curtiss
Escargot
Estimate HK$400,000 - 600,000
Sold for HK$1,449,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
7
Javier Calleja
30 works: Untitled
Estimate HK$10,000,000 - 15,000,000
Sold for HK$12,108,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
8
Javier Calleja
You Me
Estimate HK$3,000,000 - 4,000,000
Sold for HK$7,026,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
9
Aya Takano
In the Lab (the Birth of Jelly)
Estimate HK$200,000 - 300,000
Sold for HK$441,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
10
Hernan Bas
Minimalism (cracking the code)
Estimate HK$1,000,000 - 1,500,000
Sold for HK$3,780,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
11
Joel Mesler
Untitled (Night Out)
Estimate HK$500,000 - 700,000
Sold for HK$1,512,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
12
Shara Hughes
Magic Island
Estimate HK$1,500,000 - 2,500,000
Sold for HK$4,788,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
13
Scott Kahn
Cadman Plaza
Estimate HK$1,000,000 - 1,500,000
Sold for HK$7,510,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
14
Matthew Wong
Nature’s Church
Estimate HK$4,000,000 - 6,000,000
Sold for HK$9,204,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
15
Matthew Wong
Far Away Eyes
Estimate HK$8,000,000 - 12,000,000
Sold for HK$21,183,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
16
Gerhard Richter
Kerzenschein (Candle-light)
Estimate HK$55,000,000 - 75,000,000
Sold for HK$101,970,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
17
This lot is no longer available.
18
Yayoi Kusama
INFINITY-NETS (OPRT)
Estimate HK$15,000,000 - 25,000,000
Sold for HK$22,635,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
19
Yayoi Kusama
Repetition
Estimate HK$15,000,000 - 20,000,000
Sold for HK$19,005,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
20
Nicolas Party
Still Life
Estimate HK$6,200,000 - 9,400,000
Sold for HK$17,190,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
21
David Hockney
Bridlington Violets
Estimate HK$10,000,000 - 15,000,000
Sold for HK$12,350,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
22
Léonard-Tsuguharu Foujita
Self-Portrait with a Cat
Estimate HK$4,000,000 - 6,000,000
Sold for HK$5,292,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
23
This lot is no longer available.
24
Sanyu
Paysage Aux Hirondelles
Estimate HK$26,000,000 - 46,000,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
25
Zao Wou-Ki
Sans titre ("Notre Dame")
Estimate HK$7,500,000 - 10,000,000
Sold for HK$10,051,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
26
Zao Wou-Ki
Brume d’automne
Estimate HK$4,500,000 - 7,500,000
Sold for HK$4,788,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
27
Auguste Rodin
Le Baiser, 1ère réduction dite aussi "réduction n°1"
Estimate HK$10,000,000 - 15,000,000
Sold for HK$11,745,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
28
Zao Wou-Ki
20.3.64.
Estimate HK$20,000,000 - 30,000,000
Sold for HK$22,030,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
29
This lot is no longer available.
30
Alexander Calder
Two Red Petals in the Air
Estimate HK$16,000,000 - 20,000,000
Sold for HK$20,820,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
31
Claude Monet
Pavots dans un vase de Chine
Estimate HK$9,500,000 - 15,000,000
Sold for HK$13,560,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
32
Georges Mathieu
Saxifrage
Estimate HK$2,000,000 - 3,000,000
Sold for HK$2,520,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
33
This lot is no longer available.
34
Huang Yuxing
Floating Bubbles
Estimate HK$1,800,000 - 2,800,000
Sold for HK$2,772,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
35
Zhou Chunya
Smell the Flowers
Estimate HK$5,000,000 - 7,000,000
Sold for HK$6,905,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
36
This lot is no longer available.
37
Liu Ye
Flagship No. 2
Estimate HK$2,000,000 - 3,000,000
Sold for HK$5,922,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
38
Wang Xingwei
Untitled (Heart-Shaped Dance)
Estimate HK$2,800,000 - 4,800,000
Sold for HK$3,780,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
39
Liu Ye
Untitled
Estimate HK$3,000,000 - 5,000,000
Sold for HK$3,780,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
40
Liu Wei
You Like Smoking?
Estimate HK$3,000,000 - 5,000,000
Sold for HK$3,780,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
41
Izumi Kato
Untitled
Estimate HK$4,500,000 - 7,500,000
Sold for HK$11,745,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
42
Yoshitomo Nara
Pandora's Box
Estimate HK$7,500,000 - 10,000,000
Sold for HK$13,560,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
43
George Condo
The Dreamer
Estimate HK$4,600,000 - 6,200,000
Sold for HK$11,140,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
44
George Condo
Entangled Figures
Estimate HK$6,200,000 - 9,200,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
45
This lot is no longer available.
46
KAWS
NEW YORK
Estimate HK$4,000,000 - 6,000,000
Sold for HK$5,040,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
47
KAWS
FINAL DAYS
Estimate HK$6,200,000 - 8,200,000
Sold for HK$8,115,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
48
Raymond Pettibon
Untitled (Force makes nature...)
Estimate HK$1,500,000 - 2,500,000
Sold for HK$3,906,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
49
Robert Nava
Angel Shark
Estimate HK$1,200,000 - 1,800,000
Sold for HK$4,410,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
50
Susumu Kamijo
Marching To The Sun
Estimate HK$450,000 - 650,000
Sold for HK$2,142,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
51
Jadé Fadojutimi
Fishing For Steps
Estimate HK$1,200,000 - 2,200,000
Sold for HK$4,788,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
52
Mickalene Thomas
Looking Up from the She Works Hard For the Money Pin-Up series
Estimate HK$1,000,000 - 2,000,000
Sold for HK$3,780,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
53
Billie Zangewa
Cirque d'hiver
Estimate HK$400,000 - 600,000
Sold for HK$567,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
54
Godwin Champs Namuyimba
The Connector
Estimate HK$200,000 - 400,000
Sold for HK$1,323,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
55
Tunji Adeniyi-Jones
Blue Ancestor
Estimate HK$400,000 - 600,000
Sold for HK$1,071,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
56
Tomoo Gokita
Final Confrontation
Estimate HK$1,200,000 - 2,200,000
Sold for HK$2,520,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
57
Ewa Juszkiewicz
Appropriation
Estimate HK$400,000 - 600,000
Sold for HK$1,890,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
58
Lucas Arruda
Untitled from the series Deserto-Modelo
Estimate HK$1,000,000 - 1,500,000
Sold for HK$3,780,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.