Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
Catalogue Essay
"Sometimes, you are painting, and your mind, your emotions, are all in the painting. This is the moment when you can find something new. It’s an emotional moment." —— Javier Calleja
Spanish artist Javier Calleja has garnered increasing international attention over the past few years for his signature sculptures, paintings and drawings combining whimsy with satirical flair. With their disproportionately large heads, round, luminous eyes and tongue-in-cheek slogans, Calleja’s childishly cute subjects impart a playful, nostalgic innocence that has captured the imagination of the contemporary art world.
Born and based in the Spanish port city of Málaga, the birthplace of fellow Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, Calleja’s earliest influences of his art were childhood comics, cartoons and toys. Prefacio (‘Preface’) and Indice (‘Index’) pay tribute to the world of books, of the “magical moment” of “that instant of introspection which proceeds to the creative process itself.” i The remarkably tactile finish of Calleja’s works, ranging from the velvety blush to the glassy deep eyes of his little children, is the result of Calleja's long-term experimentation across a wide range of techniques and media, culminating in his impressive body of works ranging from tiny drawings to large-scale installations.
Calleja’s quixotic characters have drawn comparisons with the creations of superstar Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara, whose sweetly sinister children and animals convey a comical melancholy that reflects Nara's lonely childhood and challenging experiences in foreign lands. But Calleja’s characters are unabashedly joyful embodiments of his childhood influences and the artist’s enchanting imagination:
“Growing up in the 70s and 80s, my biggest influences were cartoons and comics. In particular Mazinger Z cartoons and Francisco Ibáñez Talavera’s comics. Inspired by those two, I started drawing as a child, so my work developed from there and still carries some of those characteristics.” —— Javier Calleja
Cartoon by Francisco Ibáñez Talavera Calleja has been the subject of highly acclaimed solo exhibitions over the past few years, including his solo show “Clouds Through the Window” (2019) at Galerie Zink in Germany (which was coincidentally an early champion of Nara’s work) which was described as Calleja’s “strongest showcase to date”, with a salon-style presentation of his paintings incorporating oversized classical frames conceived by the artist. ii The artist has also been the subject of solo exhibitions at AISHONANZUKA in Hong Kong (2019) and Almine Rech Gallery in Shanghai (2021).
i As quoted from the press release for Hong Kong, AISHONANZUKA, Javier Calleja: I did, I do, I will do, 15 November - 21 December 2019, online
ii Sasha Bogojev, ‘A New Perspective: Javier Calleja Channels the Viewer in "Clouds Through the Window"’, Juxtapoz, 10 June 2019, online
Provenance
Galeria Yusto/Giner, Marbella
Acquired from the above by the present ownerExhibited
Marbella, Galeria Yusto/Giner, Km 0, 14 December 2013 - 10 February 2014
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.
13
Prefacio
acrylic on paper
sheet 140 x 93.9 cm. (55 1/8 x 36 7/8 in.)
frame 153.9 x 105.4 cm. (60 5/8 x 41 1/2 in.)
Painted in 2013, this work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist and issued by Galeria Yusto/Giner.
Estimate
HK$300,000 - 400,000
€32,600-43,500
$38,500-51,300
Sold for HK$604,800
Hin Hin Wong
Associate Specialist, 20th Century & Contemporary Art, Hong Kong
+852 2318 2013
hinhinwong@phillips.com
24/7: Online Auction
Online Auction 21 - 30 July 2021
1
Yukimasa Ida
End of today - 12/12 2018 Self Portrait -
Estimate HK$80,000 - 120,000
Sold for HK$693,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
2
Joan Cornellà
Untitled #1
Estimate HK$200,000 - 400,000
Sold for HK$1,008,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
3
Matías Sánchez
Parodia
Estimate HK$70,000 - 90,000
Sold for HK$201,600
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
4
Edgar Plans
Hero or Villain
Estimate HK$200,000 - 300,000
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.
5
Maria Farrar
Brioche con Gelato
Estimate HK$100,000 - 150,000
Sold for HK$327,600
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
6
This lot is no longer available.
7
Okokume
Cosmic Girl Head
Estimate HK$100,000 - 200,000
Sold for HK$403,200
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
8
Todd James
Chicken Fingers
Estimate HK$80,000 - 100,000
Sold for HK$138,600
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
9
Mr.
Happy
Estimate HK$320,000 - 500,000
Sold for HK$403,200
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
10
Chen Yingjie
Gravity LXX
Estimate HK$75,000 - 110,000
Sold for HK$163,800
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
11
Yue Minjun
Untitled (Smile-ism No. 1-28)
Estimate HK$400,000 - 650,000
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.
12
Liu Wei
Landscape No. 2
Estimate HK$600,000 - 800,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
13
Javier Calleja
Prefacio
Estimate HK$300,000 - 400,000
Sold for HK$604,800
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
14
Javier Calleja
Indice
Estimate HK$300,000 - 400,000
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.
15
Javier Calleja
Hi
Estimate HK$300,000 - 500,000
Sold for HK$693,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
16
Jonas Wood
Dad's Study 2
Estimate HK$280,000 - 350,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
17
KAWS
SEEING
Estimate HK$300,000 - 500,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
18
Takashi Murakami & Virgil Abloh
Flower Belt
Estimate HK$350,000 - 450,000
Sold for HK$1,008,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
19
Banksy
CND Soldiers
Estimate HK$150,000 - 250,000
Sold for HK$378,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
20
Kenny Scharf
Krazy
Estimate HK$200,000 - 400,000
Sold for HK$693,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
21
Invader
TK-64
Estimate HK$220,000 - 320,000
Sold for HK$819,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
22
This lot is no longer available.
23
KAWS
PIRANHAS WHEN YOU'RE SLEEPING
Estimate HK$180,000 - 280,000
Sold for HK$277,200
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
24
MADSAKI
Homage to Takashi Murakami Flowers
Estimate HK$500,000 - 700,000
Sold for HK$630,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
25
Mr Doodle
Schoolyard Scrap
Estimate HK$100,000 - 200,000
Sold for HK$302,400
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
26
Chiharu Shiota
State of Being (Children's Shoes)
Estimate HK$200,000 - 300,000
Sold for HK$504,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
27
Kohei Nawa
PixCell-Maria #16
Estimate HK$380,000 - 550,000
Sold for HK$504,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
28
Damien Hirst
Mickey (Blue Glitter)
Estimate HK$250,000 - 450,000
Sold for HK$315,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
29
KAWS
ANKLE BRACELET
Estimate HK$150,000 - 250,000
Sold for HK$277,200
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
30
Ayako Rokkaku
Hayaumare March
Estimate HK$70,000 - 90,000
Sold for HK$163,800
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
31
Xu Qu
Currency War - Morocco 20 (Old)
Estimate HK$70,000 - 90,000
Sold for HK$138,600
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
32
Zhao Zhao
Sky No. 13
Estimate HK$80,000 - 120,000
Sold for HK$214,200
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
33
Ayako Rokkaku
"Magic Hand" Exhibition Carpet
Estimate HK$70,000 - 90,000
Sold for HK$176,400
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
34
Gerhard Richter
Cage (P19-2)
Estimate HK$80,000 - 100,000
Sold for HK$176,400
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
35
Gerhard Richter
Cage (P19-5)
Estimate HK$80,000 - 100,000
Sold for HK$176,400
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
36
Yoshitomo Nara
Mori Girl
Estimate HK$60,000 - 80,000
Sold for HK$378,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.