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KEITH HARING’S ACROBATS TO HEADLINE PHILLIPS’ NEW NOW: MODERN & CONTEMPORARY ART AUCTION
Sale in London on 4 December to Present a Diverse Selection of Artists, From Keith Haring, Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and Eddie Martinez to Joseph Yaeger and Ariana Papademetropoulos
Keith Haring Acrobats, 1986 Estimate: £180,000 - 220,000
LONDON – 21 NOVEMBER 2024 – Phillips is pleased to announce highlights from the upcoming New Now auction, to be held in London on 4 December. Featuring over 170 lots, this sale presents a vibrant mix of 20th and 21st century works by blue-chip artists including Keith Haring, Eddie Martinez, Gilbert & George, Tracey Emin, and Damien Hirst, as well as a selection of works by Marcel Broodthaers from the esteemed Herbig Collection. The sale also spotlights rising talents like Joseph Yaeger, who had his auction debut earlier this year, Ariana Papademetropoulos, Francesca Mollett, Harminder Judge, and Rebecca Ackroyd. The full sale catalogue is available online and will be on view to the public at Phillips’ Berkeley Square galleries from 28 November until the live auction on 4 December.
Louise Simpson, Phillips’ Head of New Now, London, Associate Specialist, said, “We are delighted to unveil the highlights of our December sale, a dynamic celebration of 20th century and Contemporary art. This season’s offering showcases the exciting breadth of the middle market, from cutting-edge creations by artists including Joseph Yaeger, Ariana Papademetropoulos, and Francesca Mollet to important works by renowned Contemporary names such as Keith Haring, Frank Bowling, and Damien Hirst. The auction embodies the innovative spirit of New Now and underscores our commitment to presenting a vibrant and diverse selection. We look forward to welcoming visitors to our London galleries to experience this carefully curated selection of works firsthand.”
Leading the sale is Acrobats, a rare enamel-coated aluminium sculpture by the American artist Keith Haring. Created in 1986 at the height of Haring’s career, this dynamic piece exemplifies the energetic rhythm of his trademark style, where colour, form, and movement converge. Acrobats features two balancing figures—one orange and one blue—stacked head-to-head, embodying both tension and equilibrium. Inspired by his roots in New York’s vibrant street culture and club scene, Haring’s figures evoke a universal energy and immediacy, reflecting his signature blend of urban and high art sensibilities. Further blue-chip names featured in the sale include Eddie Martinez and Gilbert & George.
Following the success of Phillips’ dedicated Damien Hirst auction in October, the New Now sale will feature a curated selection of Hirst’s work, including examples from his kaleidoscopic series of Butterfly and Spin Paintings. Hirst’s Beautiful, Timeless, Tranquility Spin Painting exemplifies the artist’s ongoing exploration of colour, movement, and expressive freedom. Created with household paint on a spinning canvas, the piece exemplifies Hirst's challenge to more traditional modes of artmaking, drawing parallels to Jackson Pollock's action painting. First experimenting with spin art in 1992, Hirst has since expanded this playful, childlike technique into one of his most iconic series, contrasting with the more rigid formalism of his Spot Paintings and the conceptual weight of his Medicine Cabinets. Blending spontaneity and kinetic energy, the Spin Paintings offer viewers a joyous celebration of colour and movement.
After debuting works by Marcel Broodthaers from the Herbig Collection in the October London Modern & Contemporary Art sales, Phillips is pleased to offer three additional pieces from this esteemed collection in the upcoming New Now auction.
In true New Now fashion, this sale celebrates works by rising talents. Among them is Joseph Yaeger, who made a strong auction debut in the October London Modern & Contemporary Art Evening sale. A further standout is Los Angeles-born artist Ariana Papademetropoulos, whose ethereal, dreamlike paintings reinterpret traditional iconography, exposing the artificial within the everyday. Her painting Glass Slipper, first exhibited in Sunken Garden at London’s Soft Opening gallery in 2018, captures an idyllic Californian interior veiled in a warm, distorted haze. Through her “watermark paintings,” which mimic water spills on found images, Papademetropoulos brings an organic, almost psychedelic quality to domestic scenes.
Additional highlights include works by Francesca Mollett, Harminder Judge, and Rebecca Ackroyd.
Auction: 4 December 2024, 1pm GMT Auction viewing: 28 November - 4 December 2024 Location: 30 Berkeley Square, London, United Kingdom, W1J 6EX Click here for more information: https://www.phillips.com/auctions/auction/UK010724
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