FEATURES ARCHIVE

As Christie’s Post-War & Contemporary Art department goes from strength to strength, so too does its team of experts. Here we meet four young specialists, who have been instrumental in assembling the June auction, and asked them to give us their top picks from the sale.

The Specialist: Leonie Grainger, Associate Specialist
Her Pick: Jean Dubuffet's Parages fréquentés

Why did you select this piece by Jean Dubuffet?
He’s one of my favourite artists as he constantly re-invented his work, always in the search of progress. Parages Fréquentés is a stunning example of his Theatre de memoire series as it has collage elements, vibrant colours and is overall a very fresh rendition of hectic urban life.

What is your earliest memory of post-war art?
It is actually a painting by Georg Baselitz which forms one of my very first encounters with art as a young child: walking up the steps of the venerable Städel Museum in Frankfurt looking directly at his huge colourful up-side-down eagle painting. I remember being fascinated by the work and wanting to understand what was going on, which lead to a life-long passion for art.

As a mother-to-be, you must already be thinking about how to decorate the baby’s room. Have you got your eye on anything in the sale?
We are offering a beautiful drawing Pregnant Woman by Louise Bourgeois (Lot 225) and a selection of Nursery Rhymes prints by Paula Rego (Lots 141) which both would look lovely in our nursery.

The Specialist: Edouard Benveniste-Schuler, Junior Specialist
His Pick: Martin Kippenberger's Untitled (1992)

Tell us about this piece…
Untitled (1992) is a brilliantly animated drawing by Martin Kippenberger realised on hotel stationary. The artist had a predilection for this medium throughout his career. The drawing itself depicts a man desecrating a military tank; an image which he repeats in a large scale, colour painting Untitled (1992). In this drawing Kippenberger is literally ‘taking the piss’ out of military power in a manner that reflects the artist’s wry sense of humour.

What’s going on this June in the contemporary art scene?
With the Venice Biennale this year, there will be a lot of shows and we expect many international collectors to
be present in Europe during that time.

What can you tell us about Christie’s iPad app for the Venice Biennale?
It’s a fun and informative app to have when visiting as it provides insights from our senior specialists with tips on the best shows. Essentially it’s a great tool which suggests where to go and what to see.

The Specialist: Edward Tang, Associate Specialist
His Pick: Dan Colen's No Sex No War No Me

What attracted you to this work?
Dan Colen is one of the most promising and talented artists working today. With this work, there is a sense of urgency as well as a sense of poetry that I find provocative. The work was shown at the Saatchi Gallery as well as The State Hermitage in St Petersburg.

What was the last exhibition you saw?
The last exhibition I saw was Miró at Tate Modern and Ged Quinn’s show at Stephen Friedman – we happen to have a beautiful painting by Ged Quinn in our Day Sale.

You grew up in Hong Kong... What excites you about the contemporary art scene back home?
The art scene in China is thriving, at the same time collectors are becoming increasingly interested in Western art – and that’s incredibly exciting.

Give us three words to describe your time at Christie’s so far.
Demanding but rewarding!

Rosanna Widén, Associate Specialist
Her Pick: Otto Piene's Silent Sun

What is special about this work?
Silent Sun is a beautiful piece from Otto Piene’s Rasterbilder, a series of works the artist created in 1957, signalling the establishment of the Zero Group with fellow artist Heinz Mack. Rasterbilder were created by applying thick layers of paint over a patterned stencil, which punctuated a grid of dots in an unprompted pattern. The Zero Group aimed to explore new forms of perception through use of light and new materials, and by working in monochrome this piece epitomises and embodies the cosmic and pure energy of light.

Where would you hang it?
This subtle, elegant work would suit any environment from traditional to contemporary. Personally, I would choose to hang it in a space that catches the light, so that one is able to appreciate the movement and texture of the work to its best advantage.

What was the last exhibition you saw?
A show I particularly enjoyed was Lucian Freud: Etchings at Marlborough Fine Art Gallery.  It demonstrated the breadth of Freud's skill as a printmaker, featuring four stunning examples of his exquisite and intricately rendered prints, which we are delighted to be offering in this auction - Man Resting (1988), Pluto (1988), Head of a Man and Ib (1984).