To celebrate Frieze Week in London for 2019, Christie’s has been auctioning off exceptional pieces of artwork from across the 20th and 21st centuries in a series of four sales.
Beginning on the 1st of October 2019, the first of the auctions got Frieze auction week off to a flying start with a Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Auction showcasing major pieces from artists of the period including relative newcomers Thomas Bayrle and Frank Bowling as well as more established artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Sigmar Polke and Yves Klein.
Those with an affinity for Italian painters have also got the opportunity to place a bid on works by Lucio Fontana, Alberto Burri and Salvatore Scarpitt to name but a few in Christie’s annual sale of 20th-century Italian art. Known as ‘Thinking Italian’, the auction was expected to be well attended, with an estimation of £350,000-500,000.
Christie’s was also hosting a number of daytime auctions in celebration of Frieze week, with a plethora of works from artists including Ernst Wilhelm Nay, Nam June Paik, Cy Twombly, Georg Baselitz and Edmund de Waal going under the hammer. Those in attendance on the day have also been able to witness the monumental rave crowdscape May Day III by Andreas Gursky which was sure to be a fierce battle amongst serious collectors.
Interestingly, the most eagerly anticipated auctions during the event featured two private collections that were to be sold over both the day and night auctions. Known as the Matthys-Colle Collection, the works span Nouveau Réalisme, arte povera, surrealism and American minimalism, making one of the most critical and influential private collections of their kind.
Finally, a vivid pop of colour was offered by the Jeremy Lancaster Collection, a triumph of radical form and innovation in post-war Britain that has been augmented by complementary works by European and American artists. Those lucky enough to attend the auction, have seen works by Frank Auerbach, Philip Guston and Bridget Riley all up for sale alongside a group of paintings by Howard Hodgkin.
If you missed this year’s auction, you can keep your eyes on Christie’s and maybe buy the tickets for the next year’s event with works on offer in high demand by art lovers and collectors from all over the globe, so watch this space for further updates.
