Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) is pleased to announce the recent discovery of a Vija Celmins oil on canvas, Untitled (Knife and Dish), from 1964. This formative work is being sold by the original owners and will be offered for the first time on May 19, 2013 in LAMA’s Modern Art & Design Auction.

Few other works are publicly known to exist from this short-lived, transitional period in 1964, the beginning of her contemporary art career. Similar works from this time are in the permanent collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Modern Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.

Vija Celmins, Untitled (Knife and Dish), 1964, Oil on canvas, 16″ x 18″, Signed and dated verso Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist in 1964 Estimate: $300,000 – 500,000  To be offered in the May 19, 2013 Modern Art & Design Auction at LAMA