Encompassing nearly 400 works, the 1 March auction of Post-War and Contemporary Art in New York is expected to be the most valuable mid-season sale offered in Christie’s Rockefeller Center saleroom. Highlights include works by Andreas Gursky, Sam Gilliam, David Hockney, Alice Neel, Carrie Mae Weems and Sam Francis, whose Blue, Yellow and Green leads the auction at an estimate of $700,000-1,000,000.
Underpinning the Post-War and Contemporary sale is a selection of 146 lots from The Melva Bucksbaum Collection. Across many years, Bucksbaum became one of the art world’s most beloved figures, and a staunch supporter of artists and their work. As a collector, The New York Times reported, she blended ‘a private passion for art with an invigorating public altruism.’ An initial offering of work from her extensive collection — in Christie’s November 2017 New York sales of Post-War and Contemporary Art — was met with tremendous enthusiasm, selling 100 per cent by lot. The present selection further illustrates Bucksbaum’s keen eye for the work of up-and-coming artists. Highlights include George Condo’s Mental Landscape and Nina Chanel Abney’s Country Ken, marking Abney’s first appearance at auction.