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PHILLIPS UNVEILS STELLAR LINEUP FOR MODERN & CONTEMPORARY ART SALES
Led by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Joan Mitchell, the Sales on 6 & 7 March Will Showcase a Dynamic Selection of Blue-Chip Names alongside Contemporary and Modern Masters
Joan Mitchell, Canada II, 1975, Estimate: £3,000,000 - 5,000,000
LONDON – 24 FEBRUARY 2025 – Phillips is pleased to unveil highlights from the upcoming Modern & Contemporary Art Evening and Day Sales, taking place on 6 and 7 March in London. Led by Joan Mitchell and Jean-Michel Basquiat, the Evening Sale includes prominent works by Le Corbusier, Yayoi Kusama, Christopher Wool, and Pablo Picasso, alongside cutting-edge works by Florian Krewer, Nathanaëlle Herbelin, and auction newcomer Ding Shilun. The Day Sale will feature works by a diverse range of artists, including Dame Elisabeth Frink, George Condo, and Anish Kapoor. The Evening Sale is set for 6 March at 5pm GMT, followed by the Day Sale on 7 March at 1pm GMT. Full auction catalogues for both sales are available online, and collectors and art enthusiasts are invited to explore the works in person at Phillips’ Berkeley Square Galleries during the public preview which will be open from 27 February to 7 March.
Olivia Thornton, Phillips’ Head of Modern & Contemporary Art, Europe, said, “We are delighted to present a selection of exciting blue-chip contemporary and post-war masterpieces this season. Leading the Evening Sale are landmark works by Joan Mitchell and Jean-Michel Basquiat, and the auction also highlights exceptional works by Pablo Picasso from prestigious collections, alongside highly sought-after pieces by Lucio Fontana, Sean Scully, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Our sales this March embody Phillips’ signature approach—bringing together modern legends and contemporary visionaries to offer collectors an exceptional and diverse selection.”
Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale Joan Mitchell’s Canada II (1975) is a triptych from her acclaimed Canada series, reflecting her deep connection to the natural world and her mastery of gestural abstraction. Created during a pivotal moment in her career—just after her Whitney Museum solo exhibition and before her first show with prominent art dealer Xavier Fourcade—the painting embodies Mitchell’s ability to translate memory, movement, and emotion into colour and form. Works from this series reside in esteemed private and public collections, including Canada I, which is housed in the Guggenheim Museum.
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Pattya (1984) was inspired by the artist’s travels through Thailand in 1983 with interdisciplinary artist Lee Jaffe. A world away from the buzz of downtown New York, Pattya is a striking record of this adventurous trip at a crucial moment in the young artist’s meteoric rise to fame. The work was featured in Gagosian’s landmark 2013 Basquiat exhibition in Hong Kong, marking the artist’s first major solo showcase in the region.
Presented at auction for the first time, Personnages devant une porte et main by Le Corbusier boasts exceptional provenance, having remained in the same family collection since it was acquired directly from the artist. Painted in 1931, the work reflects Le Corbusier’s evolution beyond Purism, reintroducing biomorphic forms, vibrant colour, and dynamic figuration. Closely related to a sister piece in the Centre Pompidou, this vibrant composition highlights Le Corbusier’s ability to seamlessly unite architecture, painting, and sculpture.
Yayoi Kusama’s INFINITY-NETS [APPGF] is an exquisite example of her revered Infinity Nets series, first conceived following the artist’s move to New York in 1958. With its subtle, neutral palette and meticulous, meditative brushwork, the 2017 painting reflects Kusama’s introspective approach. Making its auction debut in the Evening Sale, INFINITY-NETS [APPGF] is a powerful testament to the artist’s enduring influence over seven decades of innovation. Also featured in the Evening Sale is Pumpkin (2006), another iconic work from Kusama’s celebrated oeuvre.
Christopher Wool’s Lester’s Sister (My Brain) (2020, estimate: £1,200,000 - 1,800,000) exemplifies his radical reinvention of painting, merging mechanical reproduction with gestural abstraction. Rooted in the visual language of urban graffiti and industrial signage, Lester’s Sister (My Brain) embodies Wool’s signature tension between control and chaos. An additional Wool highlight of the Evening Sale is Untitled (1997, estimate: £600,000 - 800,000).
Painted soon after Jean Dubuffet’s second trip to the Algerian Sahara, Arabe au désert is a rare early work from a limited series of just 18 paintings created between May and June 1948, with only 12 reflecting his North African experience. Other works from this group reside in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Victoria and the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe. Unseen publicly for decades, Arabe au désert has exceptional provenance, having remained in private hands since its acquisition from Dubuffet by Édouard Bret, the brother of the artist’s first wife and former director of the Dubuffet family’s business.
Marking Nathanaëlle Herbelin’s auction debut in the Evening Sale, Max is a masterful meditation on the quiet beauty of everyday life. Herbelin modernises the tradition of interior portraiture, transforming the familiar into something deeply poetic. Recently celebrated with a solo exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay, the Franco-Israeli artist brings a fresh, contemporary voice to this timeless genre. Further cutting-edge highlights of the Evening Sale include Florian Krewer’s Untitled, and Ding Shilun’s auction debut with The adoption of the maiden.
Two exceptional works by Pablo Picasso feature in the Evening Sale, each offering a compelling glimpse into the artist’s late career and his engagement with the theme of the artist-model dynamic. Making its auction debut, Tête d’homme et nu assis (1964) hails from a prestigious European collection, having remained in the possession of Picasso’s widow and last great muse, Jacqueline Roque throughout her lifetime. Bold and expressive, the work reflects Picasso’s exploration of power, desire, and representation in this late period.
Executed in 1970, Nu debout et nu assis comes from the Collection of Marcel Brient. Created just before Picasso’s 89th birthday, this striking composition juxtaposes a vibrant seated nude with a delicately sketched standing figure—believed to depict Jacqueline.
Modern & Contemporary Art Day Sale Leading the Day Sale is Dame Elisabeth Frink’s Seated Man II (1986). Conceived during a pivotal period in the artist’s career, the work departs from her earlier wartime-influenced figures, embracing a more contemplative and stoic presence. The seated nude reflects both strength and vulnerability, with its broad, solid build and textured, layered surface—a hallmark of Frink’s sculptural technique. Seated Man II stands as a significant work within Frink’s oeuvre, cementing her legacy as a key figure in 20th century British sculpture.
George Condo’s Untitled is a striking fusion of art history and contemporary expression, blending European portraiture with Renaissance, Baroque, Expressionist, Abstract, and Pop influences. The work reinterprets tradition through a modern lens, depicting a sitter in 15th century attire layered over contemporary clothing—a nod to the enduring impact of the past. Condo’s signature “Psychological Cubism” animates the composition, layering forms and emotions to explore the complexities of human consciousness.
Further highlights of the Day Sale include works by Anish Kapoor, KAWS, and Andreas Gursky.
Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale Auction: 6 March 2025, 5pm GMT Location: 30 Berkeley Square, London, W1J 6EX Auction viewing: 27 February - 7 March Click here for more information: https://www.phillips.com/auctions/auction/UK010125
Modern & Contemporary Art Day Sale Auction: 7 March 2025, 1pm GMT Location: 30 Berkeley Square, London, W1J 6EX Auction viewing: 27 February - 7 March Click here for more information: https://www.phillips.com/auctions/auction/UK010225
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