It’s no secret that the market has been looking for over-looked, under-valued artists for some time. There’s also been a nearly decade-long interest in sculpture that has seen a number of important artists gain momentum. Jean Arp is a good example. In the background there has been flickers of interest in Alexander Archipenko’s work. Born in the Russian Ukraine, Archipenko migrated to Moscow, Paris, Nice and the US finding time to have four works in the 1913 Armory Show as well has having Guillaume Apollonaire write the introduction to the catalogue of his first one-man show in Paris in 1912.

This November, Sotheby’s has a prime example of his work as the third lot in its Impressionist and Modern Evening sale. Offered with a strong $200-300k estimate, the bronze comes from a larger consignment from a European collector. That buyer got the work directly from the artist many years after it was conceived, later enlarged and eventually cast in an edition of eight. The lot comes after a number of works offered in day sales were bid well above the estimate range in the last few years of Impressionist and Modern auctions.

At the same time, Eykyn Maclean is working with the artist’s estate to mount a show Alexander Archipenko: Space Encircled highlighting the artist’s ground-breaking use of negative space, including another, slightly smaller example of the Walking sculpture cast later:

This fall, Eykyn Maclean will present an exhibition devoted to the work of Alexander Archipenko (1887-1964), the artist’s first solo-exhibition in New York City since 2005. The presentation will focus on Archipenko’s pioneering use of negative space within the human figure. The exhibition is organized in collaboration with Matthew Stephenson and with the support of the Archipenko Foundation, which will lend a number of works to the show. Matthew Stephenson is an independent fine art consultant and worldwide representative of The Archipenko Foundation and Estate.