Celebrating 10 Years of First Open/NYC: Christie’s Specialists on 6 Game-Changing Artists

Current and former Heads of First Open discuss some of the post-war and contemporary artists who have inspired them most.

Current Head of Sale Han-I Wang talks about the life and work of Sam Francis, the artist’s sources of inspiration and First Open as a venue for an exciting array of post-war and contemporary art.

Sara Friedlander, former Head of Sale, discusses her first experience with Jean Dubuffet’s work and First Open’s ability to celebrate and reinvigorate markets for artists past and present.

Ed Tang, former Head of Sale, on the transformative work of Georg Baselitz and the creative process of putting together an auction that showcases works across decades and artistic movements.

Saara Pritchard, former Head of Sale, shares her love of Peter Doig’s universally appealing work and charts his meteoric rise as one of today’s most important living painters.

Yayoi Kusama’s art permeates every aspect of her life, according to Charlie Adamski, former Head of Sale, who discusses the depth of this artist’s work across several mediums and cultural platforms.

Jonathan Laib, former Head of Sale, weighs in on the art of Robert Smithson, who channeled nature’s ever-evolving forms into a unique and powerful body of work.

For more on the sales, visit First Open. For more features, interviews and videos, visit Christie’s Daily.

Milton Resnick (1917-2004)
Arrowhead
Courtesy of The Milton Resnick and Pat Passlof Foundation and Cheim & Read, New York.

© Elaine de Kooning.