NEW YORK – On December 17th Bloomsbury auctions will hold a 20th Century Arts auction that features an eclectic selection of livre d’artistes, monographs, photographs, photobooks and iconic prints from the Modern, Contemporary and Pop periods. The sale is led by affordable works from such masters as Picasso, de Kooning, Lichtenstein, Hockney and Warhol. The catalogue will be available for the first time as an online turn page book and a limited edition composite catalogue for auction viewers and bidders. Christine Berlane, Head of the Modern & Contemporary Prints, Department adds: “We are delighted to be holding our inaugural 20th Century Arts sale featuring an eclectic group of material to suit all budgets, just in time for the holidays!”
Among the masterful prints for sale are American Pop artist Robert Indiana’s American Dream #5–The Golden Five ($1,500-2,500), Picasso’s drypoint Homme nu Debout et Cheval ($5,000-6,000), Jacques Villon’s Londres ($5,000-6,000) and Romare Bearden’s Introduction for a Blues Queen ($2,000-3,000). Souper dress, a playful Campbell Soup silkscreen printed A-line dress by Andy Warhol ($1,500-2,500) is a quirky homage to his most iconic example of Pop Art. Photographs from Gerhard Richter’s 128 Fotos von Einem Bild ($8,000-10,000) and a stunning 1956 Alfred Wertheimer photograph of Elvis Presley and his date backstage at the Mosque Theatre ($1,500-2,000) are among the highlights in the sale.
Livres d’artistes, monographs and other fine art books are represented by such works as the complete set of Henry Moore’s limited edition Auden Poems ($1,500- 2,000), Max Ernst’s La Ballade du Soldat,($3,000-5,000), and a first edition copy of Jean Dubuffet’s first true book Ler dla canpane ($2,500-3,500) from a limited edition to 165 copies. Matisse’s signed limited edition fine art book of James Joyce’s Ulysses includes etchings depicting the Calypso, Aeolus, Cyclops, Nausicaa, Circe and Ithaca episodes. Photobooks also included in the sale by Penn, Duchamp, Krause and Stieglitz are stunning visual testimonials in an ever growing market.
The preview exhibition will be held on Friday, December 12, and Saturday, December 13 from 10am-5pm, Monday December 15, Tuesday December 16 from 10am-5pm and Wednesday December 17 10am-12pm. The auction will begin on Wednesday, December 17 at precisely 2:00 pm. Visit www.bloomsburyauctions.com to view the catalogue, auction calendar and sale results.