Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
“I know what I’m doing. It’s carefully done wrong.”
— Robert Nava
The artist and his cat, Jumanji, 2020
Photo Courtesy of Michael KusumadjajaAmerican artist Robert Nava once referred to his childhood drawings and paintings as bearing the same skill and realism as Diego Velazquez, and yet, despite the premature mastery of his medium, 'it took [Nava] a lifetime to learn how to draw like a kid again'i. Defying the elitist pretensions of high-brow and low-brow distinctions within art, Nava's fantastical beasts inspire both adoration and criticism, wrenching their way into the hearts of those eager to relive their days of youth while simultaneously causing noses to upturn in disgust at their apparent naïveté. Celebrated for expanding the possibilities of his medium, his vibrant and mischievous approach to figurative painting has garnered impressive international recognition in recent years. This includes the global mega gallery Pace, which announced its representation of Nava in November 2020, and debuted his work in a sold-out solo show in Palm Beach just two months later.
“I was so much older then; I’m younger than that now.”
— Bob DylanDeceptively Simple
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Dog, 1982
© Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New YorkRadiating an energy and delight almost infantile in its slick application of paint, Nava’s works build on the gesturalism of artists such as Cy Twombly and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Spritzes of neon curl and twiddle across his canvases like flashes of lightning divulging a remarkable speed. In fact, Nava has cited his quickest work to have taken a mere 27 seconds. Nonetheless, despite the slapdash appearance of the finished product that draws comparisons to the deliberately cartoonish aesthetic of Philip Guston, just like his predecessor, Nava’s process is one of rigorous discipline.
An accomplished draughtsman, Nava spends hours drawing and redrawing his chimeric creatures to refine their curious forms before placing brush to canvas. Turning to both art history and popular culture, he seeks influence in sources that range from prehistoric cave paintings to contemporary cartoons, however, also notes how his imagination is spurred by the random snippets of conversation overheard in his day-to-day life. Then, when inspiration strikes, he attacks. Art must be rampage, and whilst it may appear as if Nava’s paintings are churned out in a flurry so intuitive to be almost thoughtless, the artist has asserted that ‘sometimes you need to go slow in the face of speed to make it look like speed,’ii explaining it is music that helps him to set the tempo.
From the Depths of the Deep Sea
The current work, Angel Shark, is a prime example of Nava’s interpretation of the aquatic creature. Gifted with four legs, gill-like wings and a tail, the lopsided predator looks straight out of Jake and Dinos Chapman’s Exquisite Corpse series, though not quite as nightmarish with Nava’s intentionally childlike touch. Juxtaposing the creature’s sharp teeth is a glowing halo that floats above their head, a feature included by the artist to ‘make the shark more angelic to rid the notion of the monster’. iii
Indeed, although many of Nava’s works describe violence, with crocodiles chomping onto limbs and felines mashing grubbily together, the effect is rarely morbid, instead hinting at only a slight disturbance beneath the more humorous surface. As such, through conflicting elements Nava explores the dualities of good and evil, pointing to the commingling of these moral forces within our own lives. But at the same time, driven by his urge to ‘create new myths’, there is a reminder at the forefront of every Nava work of the importance of play, and the importance of letting your imagination run free.
Jake and Dinos Chapman, Exquisite Corpse, 2000
Collection of the Tate Modern, LondonSeriousness in Play
In line with the style of the Brutists of the 1950s and 1960s, Nava disgorges the prim orthodoxy forced onto him in Yale’s Master of Fine Arts program with a view that art ought to remain unscathed by culture. In what he refers to as ‘seriousness in play’iv, Nava returns us to a childhood world of infinite possibility. Sword-brandishing heroes, fire-breathing beasts, roaring chariots – these are the figures one expects to see only in mythology and story books, yet as Nava engages in his process of resurrection, the creatures reappear as pastiches of hazy memory, vibrating with an electric magnetism.
Jean Dubuffet, L'Arbre de fluides, 1950
Collection of The Tate, United Kingdom
© 2021 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, ParisWhilst one can undoubtedly trace a romanticisation of the ‘primitive’ in his paintings, Nava’s work is playful and ironic. A comparison can be made to the doodle-like line work used by Jean Dubuffet, such as in his Corps de dame series of women portrayed with gnashing teeth and alarmed stares. With their misshapen bodies appearing almost scrubbed to the bone and hammered into submission, as if they have been lain out to dry, each harsh representation is utterly unforgiving. In contrast, Nava’s creatures explode from beneath the canvas as if aching to escape, their very essence pushed forward by the bold strokes of the artist’s fervent hand.
As exemplified by the striking shark in the present work, the mystique that Nava’s subjects communicate is not one of misery and torment, but a crafted clumsiness that becomes almost virtuous in their shameless honesty. Through his distinct and critically acclaimed style of ‘naive’ figuration, Nava succeeds in unleashing the child within, teaching us to appreciate the world anew with courage and wonder.
Collector’s Digest
A month after his first solo-show with Pace Gallery, Nava made his New York debut with another sell-out show hosted by Vito Schnabel Gallery. Titled Robert Nava: Angels, it ran from 25 February - 10 April 2021. Shortly after, Nava’s current auction record was achieved in Hong Kong when a work titled Untitled (Birdie Lovers) more than quadrupled its pre-sale high estimate, selling for HK$2,357,000 in May 2021.
In addition to solo exhibitions presented at locations including Night Gallery, Los Angeles; V1 Gallery, Copenhagen; and Sorry We’re Closed, Brussels, Nava has recently been honoured with another solo show hosted by Pace Gallery, which ran from 12 - 29 August 2021 in their East Hampton spot. Works by Nava can be found in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the ICA Miami, and Zuzeum Art Centre in Latvia.
i Keith Estiler, ‘Robert Nava’s New Mythologies’, Hypebeast, 19 March 2020, online
ii Robert Nava, quoted in Nate Freeman, ‘Painter Robert Nava Is Hated by Art-World Know-It-Alls. So Why Are Collectors Fighting for Anything From His Studio?’, Artnet News, 19 April 2020, online
iii Robert Nava, quoted in ‘Interview with Robert Nava’,
iv Robert Nava, quoted in Lance De Los Reyes, ‘Robert Nava’s Secret Friends’, Office, 22 April 2020, onlin
Provenance
Sorry We're Closed, Brussels
Acquired from the above by the present ownerArtist Biography
Robert Nava
Robert Nava (b. 1985) is a contemporary artist based in Brooklyn, New York. Using a rough and
free-flowing hand, Nava recreates the innocent and unlearned art of childhood. His works are
“carefully done wrong,” subverting the rigid fundamentals of painting and conventions of
completeness that Nava learned as an MFA student at Yale University. Nava’s paintings often
feature imagined mythological figures and histories of the artist’s creation whose drama is
brought to life with the frenetic energy of the artist’s brush.
Property from a New York Collector
49
Angel Shark
signed, titled and dated '""Angel Shark"" Nava 20' on the reverse
acrylic on canvas
182.7 x 213.8 cm. (71 7/8 x 84 1/8 in.)
Painted in 2020.
Estimate
HK$1,200,000 - 1,800,000
€136,000-204,000
$154,000-231,000
Sold for HK$4,410,000
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.