NEW YORK, NY – On October 28 and 29, Christie’s New York will hold its Prints and Multiples sale, offering original limited edition prints by leading artists, such as Edvard Munch, Pablo Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg and Francis Bacon. Highlights of the sale include two distinguished collections from the Collection of Wolfgang A. Herz, comprised of prints by American artists; and the Collection of Robert and Jean Shoenberg featuring works by Post-War and Contemporary artists. The two day sale is comprised of over 760 lots with estimates ranging from $800 to $600,000, encompassing a remarkable compilation of Modern American, Modern European, and Post-War and Contemporary Prints.
Modern European
The sale is led by Edvard Munch’s Madonna, 1895-1902, an extraordinary work recognized as one of the artist’s most mysterious and important images, encapsulating his fascination with the connections between life and death, desire and fear, holiness and carnality (estimate: $600,000-800,000). In addition to its pictorial complexity, Munch’s Madonna is an extraordinary technical achievement. Originally intended to be printed exclusively in black, Munch ultimately deviated from this notion by experimenting with color. In doing so, Munch implemented a variety of techniques to form a remarkably rich and striking image. This impression is in very good condition and printed on a very fine thin sheet of Japanese paper.
An assortment of works by Pablo Picasso will also be featured, including several lots from the estate of Baroness Marcella Korff, acquired by her niece Mary Callery as a gift from the artist. Callary’s close friendship with Picasso becomes evident in Faune dévoilant une femme, from La Suite Vollard, 1936 (estimate: $100,000 – $120,000), which is inscrbed épreuve d’etat and dedicated Pour Madame Callery. The collection also includes the magnificent La femme au tambourin, 1938-1939 (estimate: $500,000-700,000). Picasso’s powerful utilization of tone and contrast, which results in the atmospheric quality of this print, validates the assertion that Picasso was in fact the greatest printmaker of the twentieth century.
The Modern European section of the auction will also feature Homer, L’Odyssée, 1974 by Marc Chagall (estimate: $400,000-600,000). Pieces from the Estate of Pierre-Nöel Matisse include Marie-José en robe jaune, 1950 by Henri Matisse (estimate: $100,000-150,000), and André Breton, Constellations, Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York, 1959, by Joan Miro (estimate: $40,000-60,000).
The Collection of Wolfgang A. Herz
A noted bibliophile and a fervent collector of prints, Mr. Herz amassed a remarkable collection of Early 20th Century American Prints with a keen eye and connoisseur’s instinct. From the social realism of John Sloan and George Bellows to the regional views of Thomas Hart Benton and Grant Wood, Mr. Herz delighted in the incredible vivacity and range of these pioneers of modern American printmaking.
Works being featured in this collection include Paul Cadmus’s Twelve Etchings, 1979 (estimate: $30,000-50,000), Martin Lewis’s Shadow Dance, 1930 (estimate: $15,000-20,000), and George Bellow’s Business-Men’s Bath, 1923 (estimate: $5,000-7,000).
The Collection of Robert and Jean Shoenberg
The exceptional Collection of Robert and Jean Shoenberg is comprised of contemporary paintings and sculpture, prints, jewelry and African and Oceanic art, that will be sold over the course of the fall and winter 2008 seasons. With remarkable taste and an eye for the best Contemporary Art being created at the time, the Shoenbergs built a phenomenal collection of paintings by Rothko, Kelly and Lichtenstein, and mirrored such carefully chosen works with an equally striking collection of prints including works by Johns, Frankenthaler, Motherwell, and Barnett Newman.
Pieces highlighting this collection include Helen Frankenthaler’s Madame Butterfly, 2000 (estimate: $60,000-80,000), Chuck Close’s Self Portrait/Manipulated, 1984 (estimate: $25,000-35,000), David Hockney’s Hotel Acatlán: Second Day, 1985 (estimate: 50,000-70,000), and six eminent lithographs from Barnett Newman including Untitled, 1961 (estimate: $100,000-500,000).
Post War & Contemporary Prints
The Post War & Contemporary Prints category will also feature Robert Rauschenberg’s Breakthrough I, 1979 (estimate: $50,000-70,000), a work which proved to be monumental in the artist’s career, marking the first time he implemented the photo collage technique that he is known for today.
Highlights also include Turner Prize Winning Grayson Perry’s Print for a Politician, 2005 (estimate: $20,000-30,000), Kiki Smith’s The Blue Feet, 2003 (estimate $4,000-6,000) and Frank Stella’s Black Series I, 1967 (estimate: $18,000-20,000).
