Phillips to Offer Works from the Collection of
Baseball Star Alex Rodriguez
Paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Richard Prince to
be Offered in the
London Evening Sale of 20th Century & Contemporary
Art on 27 June
LONDON
– 13 JUNE 2019 – Phillips is delighted to offer works from the private
collection of American baseball star and art collector Alex Rodriguez, in the
upcoming Evening Sale of 20th Century & Contemporary Art in London on 27
June. Considered one of the greatest players in Major League Baseball—setting
numerous records for the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, and New York
Yankees—Rodriguez has employed his passionate spirit and acute eye to pursue
new ventures within the realm of art. Two works which have resided in his
Florida home will figure prominently in the Evening Sale – Richard Prince’s Mustang Painting, 2014-16, and
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Pink Elephant with
Fire Engine, 1984.
Alex Rodriguez has said, “I have been collecting for a
decade. A number of gallerists and advisors pointed me in the right direction,
and I have been in conversation with several artists, whose studio practice
seem close to my own as an athlete.”
Robert Manley, Phillips’ Worldwide Co-Head of 20th
Century & Contemporary Art, said, “Alex
Rodriguez has solidified his reputation as one of the greatest athletes in
American history, but one important aspect of his life that is far less
well-known to the public is his life as a collector of contemporary art. Over
the last ten years, since he began his collecting journey, Alex has acquired an
exceptional collection of works, featuring some of the art scene’s most coveted
names, and we are honored to have been entrusted with the sale of these two
extraordinary paintings.”
Jean-Michel
Basquiat’s Pink Elephant with Fire Engine
pulsates with the artist’s characteristic energy. The work, which has been
exhibited internationally over the last thirty-five years, not only mirrors the
energy of New York’s bustling cultural scene, but also conflates a number of
the artist’s most revered artistic tropes and idiosyncrasies, brimming with
chromatic vigor and presenting a spontaneous, gestural style throughout.
Falling
within the iconographic field of muscle-car culture, Mustang Painting presents an iridescent mustang cruising amidst an
abstract and indistinct mass of blue paint. A brilliant example of Prince’s
thematically driven work, the work continues the artist’s sustained exploration
of his series-oriented practice, the most celebrated of which focus on various
different elements of the same fetishized culture: cars, nurses, cowboys and
dry jokes.
This
sale marks the first time that both Richard Prince’s Mustang Painting and Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Pink Elephant with Fire Engine are being offered for sale publicly.
Phillips is honoured to have the opportunity to present these two works as
leading lots in the June Evening Sale of 20th Century & Contemporary Art.
Auction:
Thursday, 27 June 2019
Auction
viewing: 18-27 June 2019
Location:
30 Berkeley Square, London
Click here for more information.
ABOUT PHILLIPS
Phillips
is a leading global platform for buying and selling 20th and 21st century art
and design. With dedicated expertise in the areas of 20th Century and
Contemporary Art, Design, Photographs, Editions, Watches, and Jewelry, Phillips
offers professional services and advice on all aspects of collecting. Auctions
and exhibitions are held at salerooms in New York, London, Geneva, and Hong
Kong, while clients are further served through representative offices based
throughout Europe, the United States and Asia. Phillips also offers an online
auction platform accessible anywhere in the world. In addition to providing selling and buying
opportunities through auction, Phillips brokers private sales and offers
assistance with appraisals, valuations, and other financial services.
Visit
www.phillips.com for further
information.
*Estimates
do not include buyer’s premium; prices achieved include the hammer price plus
buyer’s premium.
PRESS CONTACT: Katie Carder, Head of Press, Europe kcarder@phillips.com +44 20 7901 7938
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