Property of a Private European Collection Sale 1078, Lot 7 Ed Ruscha (b. 1937) Talk about Space, 1963 Oil on canvas Estimate: $1,500,000-2,000,000 Contact: Andrée Corroon 212.636.2680 Joel Gunderson MASTERWORKS BY JUDD, BASQUIAT, DUBUFFET, RUSCHA LEAD CHRISTIE'S SPRING POST-WAR AND CONTEMPORARY ART SALES Post-War and Contemporary Art May 14 & 15, 2002 New York, NY - From a rare early progression by Donald Judd, owned by legendary dealer and collector Irving Blum for the last 30 years, to Jean-Michel Basquiat's magnum opus from the collection of Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, Christie's spring 2002 sales of Post-War and Contemporary Art at Rockefeller Center on May 14 and 15 will offer iconic works of art from a wide variety of distinguished private collections. Property from the Collection of Irving Blum One of the principal highlights of the sale is a monumental and rare early work by Donald Judd, Untitled 1966-67 (estimate: $3,000,000-4,000,000), from the collection of legendary art dealer and collector Irving Blum, who championed Judd's early work and supported the artist's vision throughout his lifetime. This six-piece stainless steel and yellow Plexiglas horizontal progression has been closely held in Blum's private collection since 1967 and is in pristine condition. It has been exhibited only twice in 34 years: at the Irving Blum Gallery in Los Angeles in 1968 and then in the 1971 groundbreaking exhibition Don Judd curated by John Coplans at the Pasadena Art Museum. Property from the Collection of Lars Ulrich Christie's will offer five important works from the Collection of Lars Ulrich, the co-founder, drummer and songwriter for Metallica, one of the most famous and successful hard rock bands in the world (see separate release). Profit I (estimate: $3,000,000-5,000,000), an epic canvas (86 ½ x 157 ½ in.) executed by Jean-Michel Basquiat in Italy in 1982, at the height of his creative development and fame, is widely considered to be the artist's greatest painting. Another major highlight from the Lars Ulrich Collection is Jean Dubuffet's Paris Montparnasse, 1961 (estimate: $2,500,000-3,500,000), a painting that buzzes with life and movement, and one of the last truly monumental Paris Circus paintings to remain in private hands. Property of a Private European Collection Three important examples of Pop Art, each arguably the most important work by the artist to come to auction, and each off the market since the early 1970s, will be offered from a private European collection. Ed Ruscha's Talk About Space, 1963 (estimate: $1,500,000-2,000,000) is a seminal example of the artist's revolutionary word paintings. In this early painting, the word "SPACE" seems to project outwards from a deep blue empty space that takes on a boundless scale when juxtaposed with the tiny scale of the pencil painted in at the bottom of the canvas. Tom Wesselmann's Great American Nude No. 44, 1963 (estimate: $600,000-800,000), is a life-size depiction of a banal room corner and features a representation of a desirable nude woman reminiscent of a Matisse subject, surrounded by ready-made objects including a wall-mounted telephone that rings every six minutes. George Segal's Laundromat, 1966-67 (estimate: $400,000-600,000), an installation featuring his signature plaster cast figure seated between a wastebasket and a washing machine, is a moving evocation of modern living. Property from the Collection of Preston H. Haskell Christie's will offer a choice group of works from the Collection of Preston H. Haskell, chair of the Haskell Company, an international building design and construction firm based in Jacksonville, Florida. Accumulated over 30 years, the Haskell Collection is rich in abstract art and features important works by Mark Rothko, Gerhard Richter, Frank Stella, Joan Mitchell and Peter Halley. Important highlights from the Haskell Collection include Mark Rothko's Untitled, 1968 (estimate: $1,000,000-1,500,000), a vibrant late painting imbued with crimson and scarlet hues, and Gerhard Richter's Untitled (613-3), 1986 (estimate: $700,000-1,000,000), a large and monumental abstract painting that can barely contain its energy of exuberant dynamism. Various Owners Further sale highlights include Roy Lichtenstein's Red Barn I, 1969 (estimate: $1,400,000-1,800,000), a vision of bucolic utopia in the artist's customary mechanical style that possesses an undeniable air of mockery toward the landscape tradition. Charles Ray's Untitled (Glass Chair), 1976 (estimate: $600,000-800,000), is a visually and psychologically disorienting work featuring a common wooden side chair whose legs are bisected by an enormous sheet of glass. Cherubs, 1991 (estimate: $900,000-1,200,000), an important sculpture from Jeff Koons' Made in Heaven series, features a heavenly young boy and girl reminiscent of the well-known putti from Raphael's The Sistine Madonna. It is almost grotesque in its cuteness and sweet sentimentality. Figure 11.23, 1997 (estimate: $150,000-200,000), is a chilling portrait of a young woman whose face is colored by violent and fleshy reds, by contemporary artist Jenny Saville. Christie's will continue to offer a carefully edited selection of contemporary photographs from the top artists in this growing market. Highlights include Nan Goldin's epic Thanksgiving (estimate: $250,000-350,000), a self-selected group of 149 photographs that includes the artist's most famous images; a series of six of Rineke Dijkstra's critically acclaimed Beach Portraits (estimate: $120,000-180,000) in a large, unique size; and works by Thomas Struth, Andreas Gursky and Thomas Demand. Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale, May 15 The morning session of the day sale will feature a selection of works celebrating Abstract Expressionism in America including Joan Mitchell's Untitled, c. 1957 (estimate: $90,000-120,000) and Willem de Kooning's Woman, 1967 (estimate: $300,000-400,000), one of the artist's Door Paintings. Further highlights include Andy Warhol's Four Multicolored Self-Portraits (Reversal Series), 1979 (estimate: $250,000-350,000), created by reversing the tonal values of the earlier Self-Portrait, 1964. The afternoon session will be highlighted by the first major sculpture by controversial Japanese artist Takashi Murakami ever to come to auction. Hiropon, 1997 (estimate: $80,000-120,000), is firmly rooted in Japan's otaku or "geek" culture dominated by comic books and animation, and features a young girl with oversized breasts, barely clad by a bikini top. From her exaggerated nipples, milk sprays forth in a loop encircling her body. Further highlights include Eva Hesse's Untitled, 1962 (estimate: $60,000-80,000), and Mark Tansey's The Chess Players, 1982 (estimate: $100,000-150,000). Auction: Post-War and Contemporary Art evening sale - May 14 at 7 p.m. Post-War and Contemporary Art day sale - May 15 at 10 a.m. & 2 p.m. Viewing: Christie's Galleries, 20 Rockefeller Plaza - May 10 - 14 Back to top