Starting on Sunday, October 14, Sotheby’s will have the highlights of its Prints and Multiples sales to be held in four auction sessions from October 18 to 22nd. The sales feature more than 450 works, including this rare complete set of Jasper Johns screenprints (above) from the collection of David Teiger. Cicada is estimated to sell for $300/500,000. The last time another example of this set was offered was 21 years ago during the Ganz Collection sale. Here’s what Sotheby’s has to say about the highlights:
The Collection of David Teiger
Ranging from works by Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso to Christopher Wool, David Hockney and Olafur Eliasson, the selection of 21 prints on offer from the Collection of David Teiger is led by a complete set of Jasper Johns’s beautiful Cicada (ULAE 215) from 1981 (estimate $300/500,000), which illustrates the artist’s iconic crosshatch motif across an array of complementary colors. In both its imagery and technique, the work demonstrates Johns’ passion for printmaking, with each screenprint employing 19 screens to achieve depth and texture – in the process exploring the boundaries of the medium. The present set is one of two printer’s proofs from an edition of only seven. A complete set of Cicada has not appeared at auction since 1997, when one sold from the famed Ganz Collection.
David Teiger had a strong commitment to collecting and supporting works by female artists, and the selection of prints from his collection features a group of figural nudes by Marlene Dumas as well as portraits by Elizabeth Peyton, including Flower Ben from 2003 (estimate $5/7,000).
Andy Warhol Icons
A strong selection of works by Andy Warhol are highlighted by three complete sets of the artist’s prints, highlighted by Ten Portraits of the Jews of the Twentieth Century (F. & S. II.226-235) from 1980 (estimate $250/350,000). The portraits are a testament to the achievements of Sarah Bernhardt, Louis Brandeis, Martin Buber, Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, George Gershwin, Franz Kafka, the Marx Brothers, Golda Meir, and Gertrude Stein. Other iconic subjects by Warhol include unique trial proofs of Paramount and Dracula, a screenprint of Superman from the Myths portfolio, and nine screenprints from the Flowers portfolio – each sold individually.
Richard Diebenkorn’s Monumental Green
Considered an icon of postwar printmaking in America, Richard Diebenkorn’s Green is a showcase of the artist’s achievement in the field (estimate $400/600,000). Its monumental size – measuring 45 inches tall – balanced composition, layers of abstraction and brilliant color all factor into this work’s label as the artist’s largest and most important print.
A Survey of Pablo Picasso Prints
Next week’s sale includes an extensive range of over 60 prints by Pablo Picasso. Spanning the artist’s career and mastery of nearly every print medium, highlights range from an impression of the artist’s first masterwork in etching, Le Repas frugal (B. 1; BA. 2) (estimate $50/70,000), to some of the strongest images from the Vollard Suite and numerous linoleum cuts from the 1960s – including Portrait de Jacqueline de face, II (Tête de femme) (B. 1063; BA. 1280) (estimate $80/120,000), one of three portraits of the artist’s wife and muse, Jacqueline Roque.
Lincoln Center Editions
The Prints & Multiples auction will close on 22 October with a session dedicated to a selection of 79 prints from Lincoln Center Editions, with works by a diverse group of artists including Vija Celmins, Chuck Close, Jim Dine and Karen Kilimnik. The Proceeds from their sale of these prints continue to benefit Lincoln Center’s innovative cultural programming and education.
Lincoln Center Editions is a component of the Vera List Art Project, which was launched at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in 1962 by philanthropist and art collector, Vera List. A pioneer in the fields of contemporary patronage and art education, Vera was committed to helping develop Lincoln Center into an intersection of the visual and performing arts.
Her vision was realized in a publishing program that commissioned artists to create images inspired by Lincoln Center and published in limited editions to commemorate its events, from film screenings to operas. Cultural icons such as Chuck Close, Helen Frankenthaler, Barbara Kruger, Sol Lewitt and Andy Warhol each created stellar editions that were offered for sale to benefit education and performance programs at Lincoln Center. To date, the highly-respected program has published more than 150 limited edition prints. Today, Lincoln Center Editions continues to collaborate with contemporary artists in the spirit of Vera List. Artists such as John Baldessari, Angel Otero, Robin Rhode and Carlos Rolón/Dzine have most recently contributed editions.
