Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
"The figures, which disturb the landscape, can be read as surrogates for the artist working his way through the landscape of art; he is both embedded in the paint and having a dialog with it."
—John YauEmbodying Matthew Wong’s leitmotif of the solitary figure in a fantastical environment, The Reader, 2017 presents a seated figure absorbing a book under a tree in bloom reminiscent of Gustav Klimt’s The Park. Dominating two-thirds of the composition, the unified canopy of multifarious trunks reflects Wong’s engagement with both Western and Eastern art in its evocation of the mark-making Pointillism of Georges Seurat and Paul Signac, the impasto whips of Vincent van Gogh, and the hallucinatory optical power of Chinese lacquerware. Protruding from the canvas like glimmering pebble-sized gems in its brilliant hues, the thick and varied application of paint evinces the fullness of the lush canopy in its rich materiality while calling attention to Wong’s unreserved painterly handling. Oscillating between the real and imaginary, mind and matter, The Reader draws the viewer into the artist’s intimate mindscapes.
Gustav Klimt, The Park, 1910 or earlier. Museum of Modern Art, New York, Image: © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY Most closely associated to the art and life of Vincent van Gogh, Wong also shared the Post-Impressionist’s love of books. An avid reader with an expatriate background, Wong was deeply impressed by the work of multicultural poets including Mei-mei Berssenbrugge and Henri Cole, who, like Wong, resonated the “dislocatedness of the immigrant” in their work through “a childlike sense of the non-specificity and universality of place.”i Art historian Winnie Wong observes that while Wong oscillated between photography and painting in his artistic practice, “reading…was the constant” in his life.ii She has also noted that his depictions of readers, such as in the present work, could be viewed as self-portraits. In its double evocation between landscape and painting, reader and artist, The Reader epitomizes Wong’s celebrated painterly practice of using landscape to explore interior subjectivity.
![[left] Georges Seurat, Seated Figure, Study for “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of the Grande Jatte,” 1884-1885. Fogg Art Museum, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, Image: © Harvard Art Museums / Art Resource, NY [right] Milton Avery, The Reader in the Quarry, 1947. Image and Artwork: © 2021 Milton Avery Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York](https://phillips.vo.llnwd.net/v1/web_dev/lot-component/154463_FIG 2-3_b5e7b01a-3069-44d6-a238-548433fd5c57.png)
[left] Georges Seurat, Seated Figure, Study for “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of the Grande Jatte,” 1884-1885. Fogg Art Museum, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, Image: © Harvard Art Museums / Art Resource, NY [right] Milton Avery, The Reader in the Quarry, 1947. Image and Artwork: © 2021 Milton Avery Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York "I do believe that there is an inherent loneliness or melancholy to much of contemporary life, and on a broader level I feel my work speaks to this quality in addition to being a reflection of my thoughts, fascinations and impulses."
—Matthew WongEmbodying the alienating loneliness of modern life, the isolated reader in the park encapsulates the transcription of Wong’s secluding disposition under his painterly hand, on which he revealed during an interview in 2018: “Living a fairly reclusive life and finding the most stimulation and enjoyment from matters of the mind...it’s inevitable that the solitary nature of this pattern seeps into and informs my work.”iii In the present work, the book represents the portal through which the artist nurtured his creative mind and built his “little rhapsodies of the everyday.”iv This allusion is strikingly reflected in the canopy of the tree just above the figure, its austere rectangular form visually recalling a painted canvas supported by an easel. Showcasing a painting within a painting, The Reader invites us into a layered picture of Wong’s poetic, imaginary worlds, transforming the everyday into the fantastical.
i Winnie Wong, “Genius from Nowhere: Postcards from Matthew Wong,” in Postcards, exh. cat., Karma, New York, 2020, p. 8.
ii Ibid., p. 9.
iii Matthew Wong, quoted in Maria Vogel, “Matthew Wong Reflects on the Melancholy of Life, Art of Choice, November 15, 2018, online.
iv “Goings On About Town: Matthew Wong,” The New Yorker, April 17, 2018.Provenance
KARMA, New York
Acquired from the above by the present ownerLiterature
Matthew Wong, exh. cat., KARMA, New York, 2018, p. 58 (illustrated, p. 59)
Artist Biography
Matthew Wong
Matthew Wong was a Canadian artist who enjoyed growing acclaim for his lush, dreamlike scenes that play on a rich tradition of art historical precedents. His work depicts the vivid but often melancholy terrain between sleep and wakefulness, lonely landscapes and isolated interiors rendered with a carefree hand and an ebullient palette, yet which contain an ineffable sorrow and a palpable but unnamed longing.
Wong spent his childhood between cultures: he was born in Toronto, Canada and at age 7 moved with his family to Hong Kong where he lived until he was 15, at which time the family returned to Canada. Wong began to experiment artistically already well into his adulthood, first with photography, which he pursued at the postgraduate level at the City University of Hong Kong, and then with painting. A self-taught painter, Wong developed his aptitude for the medium by immersing himself in online conversations with other artists and dedicated personal study of the history of art. His paintings attracted almost immediate attention, but Wong tragically passed away in 2019 just as his work was beginning to receive widespread critical praise.
Property from a New York Private Collection
5
The Reader
signed, titled and dated "THE READER 王 二零一七" on the reverse
oil on canvas
30 x 24 in. (76.2 x 61 cm)
Painted in 2017.
Estimate
$600,000 - 800,000
Sold for $2,329,000
Amanda Lo Iacono
Head of Auctions
New York
+1 212 940 1278
20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale
New York Auction 23 June 2021
1
Cinga Samson
Two piece 1
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Sold for $378,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
2
Jadé Fadojutimi
Untitled
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $390,600
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
3
Salman Toor
Fort Greene
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $478,800
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
4
Avery Singer
Untitled
Estimate $1,200,000 - 1,800,000
Sold for $4,144,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
5
Matthew Wong
The Reader
Estimate $600,000 - 800,000
Sold for $2,329,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
6
Winston Churchill
The Moat, Breccles
Estimate $1,500,000 - 2,000,000
Sold for $1,845,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
7
Matthew Wong
Field in a Dream
Estimate $1,500,000 - 2,000,000
Sold for $2,934,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
8
Jean Dubuffet
L'homme à la toque
Estimate $2,000,000 - 3,000,000
Sold for $2,571,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
9
Emily Mae Smith
Waiting Room
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $756,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
10
Nicole Eisenman
Whatever Guy
Estimate $600,000 - 800,000
Sold for $840,700
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
11
Norman Lewis
Abstract City
Estimate $800,000 - 1,200,000
Sold for $1,119,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
12
Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol
Bananas
Estimate $4,000,000 - 6,000,000
Sold for $4,300,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
13
David Hockney
A Neat Lawn
Estimate $9,500,000 - 10,500,000
Sold for $11,000,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
14
Vija Celmins
Untitled (Ocean)
Estimate $5,500,000 - 6,500,000
Sold for $7,748,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
15
Carmen Herrera
Green and Orange
Estimate $2,000,000 - 3,000,000
Sold for $2,200,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
16
This lot is no longer available.
17
Brice Marden
Elements III
Estimate $3,200,000 - 3,800,000
Sold for $5,233,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
18
Amoako Boafo
Untitled
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $655,200
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
19
Titus Kaphar
Untitled III
Estimate $300,000 - 400,000
Sold for $1,058,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
20
Amy Sherald
It Made Sense...Mostly In Her Mind
Estimate $500,000 - 700,000
Sold for $3,539,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
21
Wayne Thiebaud
Winding River
Estimate $6,000,000 - 8,000,000
Sold for $9,809,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
22
Mark Rothko
Untitled
Estimate $3,500,000 - 4,500,000
Sold for $3,700,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
23
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Batman
Estimate $1,600,000 - 2,000,000
Sold for $1,800,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
24
Keith Haring
Untitled (For John Sex)
Estimate $800,000 - 1,200,000
Sold for $899,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
25
Takashi Murakami
Red Demon and Blue Demon with 48 Arhats
Estimate $3,500,000 - 4,500,000
Sold for $6,080,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
26
Gerhard Richter
Abstraktes Bild (940-2)
Estimate $4,500,000 - 5,500,000
Sold for $5,112,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
27
Joan Mitchell
Untitled
Estimate $2,500,000 - 3,500,000
Sold for $3,902,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
28
Willem de Kooning
East Hampton V
Estimate $700,000 - 1,000,000
Sold for $3,055,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
29
Amy Sillman
Flower Giver
Estimate $300,000 - 400,000
Sold for $598,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
30
Alexander Calder
Fourteen Black Leaves
Estimate $2,000,000 - 3,000,000
Sold for $2,300,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
31
This lot is no longer available.
32
Julie Curtiss
Three Widows
Estimate $110,000 - 150,000
Sold for $466,200
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
33
Norman Rockwell
My Mother (Soldier with French Woman)
Estimate $350,000 - 500,000
Sold for $504,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
34
Richard Prince
Nurses Dormitory #3
Estimate $800,000 - 1,200,000
Sold for $1,482,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
35
Mickalene Thomas
Portrait of Jessica
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $1,542,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
36
Andy Warhol
Mao
Estimate $3,500,000 - 4,500,000
Sold for $3,000,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
37
Georg Baselitz
Drei Herzen (Three Hearts)
Estimate $2,500,000 - 3,500,000
Sold for $2,450,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
38
Carl Andre
36 Copper Square
Estimate $2,500,000 - 3,500,000
Sold for $2,692,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
39
Robert Rauschenberg
Untitled (Elemental Sculpture)
Estimate $250,000 - 350,000
Sold for $315,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
40
Bruce Nauman
Musical Chair
Estimate $1,000,000 - 1,500,000
Sold for $1,482,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
41
David Hammons
It’s Not Necessary
Estimate $800,000 - 1,200,000
Sold for $5,475,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
42
Andy Warhol
Shadow (Double)
Estimate $800,000 - 1,200,000
Sold for $877,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
43
Toyin Ojih Odutola
Quality Control
Estimate $150,000 - 200,000
Sold for $340,200
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
44
Robert Colescott
Gift of the Sea
Estimate $300,000 - 500,000
Sold for $504,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
45
Dana Schutz
Swiss Family Traveling
Estimate $1,200,000 - 1,800,000
Sold for $1,482,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
46
Banksy
Love Is In The Air
Estimate $1,000,000 - 2,000,000
Sold for $1,179,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
47
Keith Haring
Untitled
Estimate $1,000,000 - 1,500,000
Sold for $1,482,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
48
Louise Bourgeois
Labyrinthine Tower
Estimate $550,000 - 750,000
Sold for $756,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
49
Paul McCarthy
White Snow Dwarf (Doc)
Estimate $400,000 - 600,000
Sold for $403,200
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
50No Reserve
Jeff Koons
Gazing Ball (Demeter)
Estimate $400,000 - 600,000 •
Sold for $998,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.