New York/Berlin (PRWEB) August 16, 2013 -- artnet Auctions is pleased to present Cool Works for a Hot Summer, a sale of Contemporary Art in all media. The sale features work by artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Tom Wesselmann, and Raymond Pettibon, with estimates ranging from US$4,500–300,000.
Included in the sale is an exceptional untitled drawing by Jean-Michel Basquiat, estimated at US$60,000–80,000. Executed in black and red crayon, this dynamic drawing from 1988 is an excellent example of Basquiat’s mature style. Featuring post office labels from New York, this work can be seen as a homage to the city where the artist was born and raised, and that served as a catalyst for his creative development. A red postage stamp on the right-hand side of the paper reads “Earth Domestic,” placing the artist within the larger social and art historical context. Created in the last year of Basquiat’s life, this drawing demonstrates the powerful combination of appropriated imagery and text that characterize his work.
Another highlight of the sale is an ink on terracotta work by Keith Haring, estimated at US$70,000–90,000. A unique Provençal Tile demonstrates Haring’s dynamic, cartoon-like imagery and simplistic aesthetic. With his recognizable figuration rendered in sleek, bold lines, this work evokes the subway drawings and other public art projects that earned him international acclaim.
Also included in Cool Works for a Hot Summer is Maquette for Negative Blue (Deep), a Liquitex on Bristol board by Tom Wesselmann estimated at US$25,000–35,000. This small-scale, abstract piece from Wesselmann’s series of maquettes from the 1990s features a diverse array of vivid blue, green, pink, orange, and yellow geometric configurations. Remnants of panels cast aside a decade earlier when he worked with steel and aluminum cut-outs inspired this formal shift in his work. Colorful slabs in miscellaneous shapes litter the composition, contributing to a sense of depth and complexity. Framed with a number of deep royal blue strips, the Bristol board contains layers of whimsically scattered tiles in myriad colors. This piece serves as a strong example of Wesselmann’s exploration of Abstract Expressionism.
Also featured in the sale are two works on paper by Raymond Pettibon, Vavoom and The Perfect Game, which have an estimate range of US$12,000–28,000. Both works were executed in 1987, and perfectly exemplify Pettibon’s signature fusion of text and image in a candid and poignant narrative. In The Perfect Game, Pettibon depicts a baseball pitcher at the moment of his wind-up. With bold, sharp lines outlining the body, Pettibon captures the glorious player’s kinetic energy. A profound and challenging phrase in small, delicate handwriting underneath the pitching arm reads, “It was all he might have wished for, it was the note of possession and control.” On a slightly lower plane across the pitcher’s mound, he closes the lyrical narrative with a hopeful conclusion: “The perfect game.”
Cool Works for a Hot Summer will be live on artnet Auctions from August 15 through 27, 2013, and on view at http://www.artnet.com/auctions/search/?q=keyword-cool_2013/.
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For more information about this sale, please contact artnet Auctions specialists:
Gracie Mansion
Senior Specialist, Modern and Contemporary Art
+1-212-497-9700 ext. 494
Gmansion(at)artnet(dot)com
John McCord
Senior Specialist, Modern and Contemporary Art
+1-212-497-9700 ext. 173
JMcCord(at)artnet(dot)com
Media Contacts:
To receive further information and images, or to arrange interviews, members of the media may contact:
Elizabeth Reina-Longoria or Deirdre Maher
+1-212-675-1800
Elizabeth(at)bluemedium(dot)com or Deirdre(at)bluemedium(dot)com
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