Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
Dominated by an alluring cadmium red, the landscape in Matthew Wong’s Blue Tree, 2016, verges on the surrealist, featuring only a towering cherry blossom tree in full bloom. A cathedral top door reminiscent of monumental stone buildings frames the enigmatic composition, which opens to an otherworldly space that lies beyond its threshold. The present example comes to auction on the heels of the artist’s acclaimed exhibition Matthew Wong: The Realm of Appearances, currently at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and previously at the Dallas Museum of Art. In the years following Wong’s untimely death in 2019, his work has steadily garnered market and institutional recognition. In addition to the show at the MFA, his work is currently on view alongside that of Milton Resnick, who was an important influence on Wong, at the Milton Resnick and Pat Passlof Foundation, New York. Both exhibitions are accompanied by important new monographs of the artist’s work.
Blue Tree highlights the astute sensitivity of Wong to his surroundings. The humble composition evokes an interior retreat, looking out at the world from within an enclosed chapel. The aperture of the doorway is a recurrent motif in Wong’s oeuvre, which includes abundant framing devices like doorways, windows, and even openings within foliage. These portals became even more frequent in the later years of his career as his works become focused on solitary, quiet reflections on his surroundings. The present example, painted before Wong shifted to a blue-dominated palette, highlights a bright cherry blossom swaying beyond the archway, a bright beacon that spotlights the delicate impasto brushwork for which Wong is known.
Vincent van Gogh, Almond Blossom, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, February 1890. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. Image: Art Resource, NY The unexpected title, Blue Tree, draws attention to the smallest detail: the bright splashes of azure and cobalt emerging through the dense layers of the tree’s trunk and limbs. The inventive combinations of chartreuse, gold, and red build upon the blue pigment with Fauvist-inspired technique. The influence of artists like André Derain and Henri Matisse and Post-Impressionists like Vincent van Gogh are felt through Wong’s imaginative color choices and loose rendering of flora. The present example recalls van Gogh’s Almond Blossom, 1890, with its delicate, pale pink blossoms atop unfurling branches. The blossoms used across both works flower in early spring symbolize new life. Wong's bold use of red shares the compelling effect of Matisse’s red masterpieces, The Dessert: Harmony in Red, 1908 and The Red Studio, 1911.
Blue Tree was painted at the cusp of the artist gaining wider recognition. By 2016 Wong had presented two solo shows in Asia at the Hong Kong Visual Arts Center and Cuiheng Art Museum, Zhongshan, but was still two years away from his first major solo show in New York at Karma. His work was beginning to garner traction through group shows at 1969 Gallery, New York and Karma, Amagansett, and he was exhibiting in two-person shows alongside his close friend Peter Shear. 2016 is when Wong’s mature style began to hit its stride, moving from his earlier works’ tamer palettes to the bold, experimental colors that have brought the artist widespread acclaim. Blue Tree is a breakthrough work from this transitional year, exemplifying Wong’s use of vivacious color and talent in constructing imaginative worlds.
Provenance
Karma, New York
Private Collection (acquired from the above)
Phillips, New York, September 30, 2020, lot 1
Acquired at the above sale by the present ownerLiterature
Matthew Wong: Blue View, exh. cat., Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, 2021, p. 159 (Karma, Independent Art Fair, Paris, 2016 installation view illustrated)
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.
324
Blue Tree
signed and dated "Wong 2016 [in Chinese]" and titled "BLUE TREE" on the reverse
oil on canvas
36 1/4 x 24 1/8 in. (92.1 x 61.3 cm)
Painted in 2016.
Estimate
$400,000 - 600,000
Sold for $431,800
Patrizia Koenig
Specialist, Head of Sale, Afternoon Session
+1 212 940 1279
pkoenig@phillips.com
20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale, Afternoon Session
New York Auction 15 November 2023
301
Ilana Savdie
Deliberate Rotation of The Nips (y un Manguito)
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Sold for $69,850
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
302
Caroline Kent
Out of the solitude and into the daydream
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $63,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
303
Salvo
Se Elena mi chiede un quadro rosso tra zero e tutto questo è quello che posso
Estimate $60,000 - 80,000
Sold for $406,400
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
304
Marina Perez Simão
Untitled
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $63,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
305
Salvo
Prima primavera
Estimate $60,000 - 80,000
Sold for $495,300
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
306
Jo Messer
Shifting into Five
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
307
Denzil Forrester
Dub Salute
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
Sold for $63,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
308
Henry Taylor
PAAK
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $177,800
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
309
Celeste Rapone
Room with a View
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $57,150
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
310
This lot is no longer available.
311
Blair Whiteford
Mass Controller
Estimate $60,000 - 80,000
Sold for $63,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
312
Francesca Mollett
Shuttle
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $49,530
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
313
Naudline Pierre
BLT
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $50,800
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
314
Elizabeth Glaessner
Bacchanal
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $24,130
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
315
Henni Alftan
Collar
Estimate $30,000 - 40,000
Sold for $66,040
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
316
Chase Hall
Jocko Where Grandpa Would Sit
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Sold for $38,100
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
317
Jesse Mockrin
The dark-haired odalisque
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $107,950
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
318
Allison Katz
Showery
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $63,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
319
Henry Taylor
I Relate to Amy H
Estimate $60,000 - 80,000
Sold for $95,250
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
320
Miriam Cahn
Ohne Titel
Estimate $70,000 - 100,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
321
Louis Fratino
Big Tristan
Estimate $150,000 - 200,000
Sold for $152,400
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
322
This lot is no longer available.
323
Caroline Walker
Maid
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $355,600
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
324
Matthew Wong
Blue Tree
Estimate $400,000 - 600,000
Sold for $431,800
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
325
This lot is no longer available.
326
This lot is no longer available.
327
Anish Kapoor
Untitled
Estimate $400,000 - 500,000
Sold for $508,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
328
Rudolf Stingel
Untitled
Estimate $250,000 - 350,000
Sold for $254,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
329
This lot is no longer available.
330
Rudolf Stingel
Untitled
Estimate $900,000 - 1,200,000
Sold for $723,900
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
331
Rashid Johnson
Untitled Escape Collage
Estimate $600,000 - 800,000
Sold for $635,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
332
Rashid Johnson
The Barefoot Prophet
Estimate $120,000 - 180,000
Sold for $152,400
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
333
Titus Kaphar
Mother with Child
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $139,700
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
334
Mark Bradford
Untitled
Estimate $150,000 - 200,000
Sold for $127,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
335
This lot is no longer available.
336
Pat Steir
Untitled
Estimate $120,000 - 180,000
Sold for $228,600
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
337
Pat Steir
From Dark to Light (from the Waterfall series)
Estimate $400,000 - 600,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
338
John Armleder
Amontilad
Estimate $60,000 - 80,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
339
Yuan Fang
Corporeal Loop 03
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $57,150
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
340
Kehinde Wiley
Passing/Posing (The Reluctant Messiah)
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
341
Kehinde Wiley
St. Michael
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $101,600
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
342
Chris Ofili
The Almighty Shadow
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $38,100
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
343
Nathaniel Mary Quinn
How Come Not Me
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $88,900
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
344
Jeff Sonhouse
Schizophrenic Scripture Highlighted in Van Dyck Brown
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Sold for $20,320
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
345
TM Davy
Fire Island Moonrise
Estimate $18,000 - 25,000
Sold for $20,320
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
346
Jeanette Mundt
I Have Proof
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
347
Issy Wood
Study for you in every drop
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $304,800
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
348
Chloe Wise
Haley with Melon
Estimate $35,000 - 45,000
Sold for $44,450
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
349
Caroline Walker
Study for Review
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Sold for $33,020
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
350
Heidi Hahn
Folded Venus / Pomaded Sweater #3
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $30,480
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
351
Loie Hollowell
Direct Shot
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
Sold for $35,560
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
352
Lucy Bull
Untitled (LB 129)
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Sold for $31,750
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
353
Carol Bove
Untitled
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
Sold for $76,200
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
354
Carol Bove
Childhood memory of a woman who brought candy
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $44,450
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
355
Isa Genzken
Kirche (Church)
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $165,100
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
356
Erwin Wurm
Mies van der Rohe—melting
Estimate $30,000 - 40,000
Sold for $53,340
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
357
Günther Förg
Untitled
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
358
Günther Förg
Untitled
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
359
Vaughn Spann
Dalmatian No. 6 (Martha's Vineyard)
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
360
Glenn Ligon
Study for Negro Sunshine #70
Estimate $12,000 - 18,000
Sold for $27,940
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
361
Glenn Ligon
Mirror Drawing #9
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
Sold for $48,260
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
362
This lot is no longer available.
363
Jenny Holzer
Survival: Hide under water…
Estimate $150,000 - 200,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
364
Gary Hume
American Tan VI
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
Sold for $50,800
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
365
Richard Prince
Untitled
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $120,650
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
366
Mel Bochner
Nothing
Estimate $30,000 - 40,000
Sold for $60,960
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
367
Barry McGee
Untitled
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
Sold for $60,960
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
368
Daniel Arsham
Crystal Eroded Locks
Estimate $12,000 - 18,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
369
KAWS
UNTITLED (HTLC8)
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
370
KAWS
UNTITLED
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
Sold for $63,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
371
Peter Halley
Spell
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $114,300
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
372
Anke Weyer
Eye Beep
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Sold for $46,990
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
373
Miquel Barceló
Ull de Perdiu
Estimate $150,000 - 250,000
Sold for $177,800
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
374
Nicola De Maria
Regno dei Fiori
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $60,960
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
375
Barry X Ball
Perfect Forms
Estimate $70,000 - 100,000
Sold for $54,610
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
376
Michal Rovner
Mathematics 3
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Sold for $17,780
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
377
Pat Steir
Egg #081
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $27,940
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
378No Reserve
Amy Sillman
Word of Mouth
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000 •
Sold for $48,260
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
379
Katherine Bradford
Mother Ship
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
Sold for $50,800
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
380
Katherine Bradford
Runner At Rest
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Sold for $48,260
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
381
Genieve Figgis
The Last Night
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
382
Shara Hughes
Untitled
Estimate $70,000 - 100,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
383
Awol Erizku
Arrangement for the historians who’ve re-casted Egypt in an African Context
Estimate $7,000 - 10,000
Sold for $8,890
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
384
Ariana Papademetropoulos
Untitled
Estimate $8,000 - 12,000
Sold for $21,590
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
385
This lot is no longer available.
386
Raelis Vasquez
Me Siento Hoy
Estimate $18,000 - 25,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
387
Alake Shilling
Bearly Hanging On
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $12,700
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
388
Mario Ayala
Bad Boy
Estimate $8,000 - 12,000
Sold for $12,700
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
389
Danica Lundy
Press Here, Open, Eject
Estimate $5,000 - 7,000
Sold for $13,970
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
390
Jenny Morgan
Resolution
Estimate $8,000 - 12,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
391
Caroline Absher
Freeing the Potted Plants
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
392
This lot is no longer available.
393
Mosie Romney
Award Winning Wisdom
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Sold for $12,700
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
394
Cornelius Annor
Anigye
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
395
Emmanuel Taku
Empress of the Night
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $15,240
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
396
This lot is no longer available.
397
Nate Lowman
Untitled
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
398
Oscar Murillo
Untitled
Estimate $60,000 - 80,000
Sold for $44,450
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
399
Ludovic Nkoth
Item #57
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $22,860
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
400
Milo Matthieu
Miss Congeniality.II
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $15,240
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
401
John Currin
Untitled
Estimate $30,000 - 40,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
402
Elizabeth Peyton
Untitled (Barenboim and Bosie)
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Sold for $17,780
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
403
Antony Gormley
Learning to think VI
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
404
Huma Bhabha
Untitled
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $12,700
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
405
Vik Muniz
Catherine Deneuve (Diamond Divas)
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Sold for $22,860
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
406
Raymond Pettibon
Untitled
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Sold for $48,260
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
407
Martin Kippenberger
Untitled (Bates Hotel)
Estimate $7,000 - 10,000
Sold for $8,890
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
408
Martin Kippenberger
Untitled
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Sold for $15,240
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
409
Thomas Scheibitz
Flyer
Estimate $8,000 - 12,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
410
Katherine Bernhardt
Doritos + Socks + Basketballs
Estimate $35,000 - 45,000
Sold for $60,960
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
411
Sarah Crowner
Dichotomic Organization, 1959 (Blue)
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
412
Petra Cortright
boy+free+sex+storiesboylink
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $13,970
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
413
Petra Cortright
free metallica wallpaper
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Sold for $24,130
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
414
RETNA
This is Show Business
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $69,850
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
415
Jordi Ribes
The Slide
Estimate $30,000 - 40,000
Sold for $38,100
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
416
Jon Rafman
New Age Demanded (Twistface Pink)
Estimate $12,000 - 18,000
Sold for $16,510
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
417
This lot is no longer available.
418
This lot is no longer available.
419
This lot is no longer available.