Christie’s experts on their favourite objects from the Contemporary New York auction series

‘What always attracts me to the work of Leonora Carrington is how her images appear both intensely personal, yet universal at the same time. After leaving Mexico for New York, Carrington created a series of canvases and works on panel that mark some of her strongest compositions from the latter half of her life.

‘Painted in 1988, Ikon reflects this shift in her practice and was featured as a standout work during an important solo show at the prestigious Brewster Gallery. Here, Carrington has imagined a scene in which dreams and reality enmesh, and where animal and human worlds coalesce in mutual understanding.  Aptly titled, Ikon draws the viewer in with its striking imagery. It holds us suspended, as if waiting for an answer or some universal truth, perhaps one that touches upon the very essence of our existence.’

‘Concerto (1982) was painted at a pivotal moment for Helen Frankenthaler when she was both reflecting on the foundations of her soak-stain technique and expanding on its possibilities.

‘Here, cool and warm hues of soft blues swell across the surface, suggesting a perspective akin to the expansiveness of the sky, dabbled with a vibrant kaleidoscope of colours that add depth and dimension to the composition. Through a nuanced combination of established and innovative painterly techniques, Frankenthaler achieves a dynamic painterly affect akin to the form of music that the work lends its name from.’

‘This diptych from Holly Herndon and Matt Dryhurst is two physical prints that come with a unique NFT and will be offered in the first-ever AI art sale at an auction house. This is also the only work of AI art that was included in the 2024 Whitney Biennial, so it’s really exciting to include.  

‘For the xhairymutantx series, Holly and Matt created an AI model to investigate and comment on imagery and personification in the online space. They posed the question: if you were to type a name into a search engine, what does that look like? At the Whitney, they installed this experience where anyone could type a prompt into the site and it would generate an image trained off their model. It’s a commentary on human agency — or lack thereof — in the digital era. It’s also one of many works showing how AI can push artists to be more creative and what the intersection of AI and fine art can be.’

‘A lot of Julie Mehretu’s work is concerned with what’s going on with contemporary events and historical narratives. She’ll sometimes take an image and blur it, rotate it or digitally manipulate the image and then add her own gestures on top of it.

‘With Corner of Lake and Minnehana (2022),she selected a photograph from the 2020 George Floyd protests and used it as the base image. It was created at High Point Editions on the 18th anniversary of Entropia, the first print that she made with them. Here, she is building on that foundational imagery and commenting on how we process the relentless influx of imagery fed to us by the media.

‘It's also emblematic of what Contemporary Edition is all about, which is selling very established artists alongside contemporary works that are contending with what’s happening in the printmaking world today.’

‘This is a really interesting way to interact with art. It’s an accessible, wearable piece by Alexander Calder. The spirals on the bracelet are very distinct and representative of the symbols and imagery he often used. It’s a fully functional object that is versatile; you can display it in your home or wear it on your wrist, an amazing cross between fine art and jewellery.’ 

‘David Hockney’s masterful Gouache Drawing 1944 exudes the vivid colour and vast expanse of the iconic Santa Monica Mountains, while recalling his ambitious theater set designs, exploring form, abstraction and light.

‘Rare to market, Hockney’s gouache drawings from the early 1990s mark a critical development in the artist’s practice where he engages in figureless abstraction for the first time. This work is coming with impeccable provenance having been acquired by a private West Coast collection since it was purchased from L.A. Louver the year it was made.’

‘Ward Bennet is a fabulous American designer who also had an interesting career trajectory. He started working in the Garment District of New York City, and eventually pursued art and furniture design after studying at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris. From costume design to furnishing, it’s a fascinating arc when you consider the chair as similar to the person, how you can create structure and ornamentation in drape and cover with varying levels of success.

‘Here, the structure of the chair supports and the bamboo wrapped armrests evoke the winter pastime of sledding. I love the aspect of bringing together both structure and comfort into your living space as he does here with these deep seats and suede cushions. At the time, Bennett was designing a lot of furnishings for businesses and offices, but was also interested in the home. We see an industrial design in this creation, yet one that is also inviting for a private setting.’ 

‘The descendant of West African ancestors, María Magdalena Campos-Pons summons cultural and spiritual practices rooted in the transatlantic experience of immigration, memory and communal histories. Her dynamic practice often merges photography, performance and installations, while also referencing aspects of the Santería tradition.  

‘Bin Bin Lady Dakar Swatch (2006) is a beautiful example of the photo/performance based works Campos-Pons began in the 1990s. Comprised of eight large-scale Polaroids arranged in a grid format, it demonstrates her frequent positioning of black female bodies at the centre of cross-generational and cross-cultural narratives, not unlike that of her contemporaries Carrie Mae Weems and Lorna Simpson.’

‘Bob Thompson’s La Gamme d’Amour (1965) is a stunning encapsulation of the artist's painted world. Influenced by a love of jazz, his canvases reverberate with the hum of his surrounding environment and cultural influences.

‘With La Gamme d’Amour, Thompson compels the history of art toward a new frontier. The painting is a reconceptualization of Jean-Antoine Watteau’s famed work on the same title, circa 1717, that is held in The National Gallery, London. Here, the canvas is imbued with innovative studies of colour and surface, where swaths of primary colours replace the traditional figure. Energetic, layered and innovative, the experience of viewing a work by Thompson is electric - akin to the profound impact of a complex and harmonious jazz interlude.’