On a silver platter: a set of Kandinsky and nude Matisse
An unusual nude performed by Henri Matisse, Marc Chagall's "solo" auctions, a cup and saucer painted by Wassily Kandinsky and Chinese anime-style paintings for millions of dollars. The peak of the spring auction season is over, the main hits of Western European art are sold out, but in April we will see a lot of bright lots from other regions, including Russia and China. Izvestia chose the most interesting.
The experimental eroticism of Henri Matisse
In April, Sotheby's is holding auctions in Paris, the capital of modernism in the first half of the 20th century. And it is quite logical that the emphasis here is on the art associated with this city and period. Among the authors of 37 lots are names that arouse the unflagging interest of wealthy collectors: Paul Cezanne, Rene Magritte, Andy Warhol, Lucho Fontana and others. Well, the top lot is Henri Matisse's painting "Nude on a Couch" (1920), for which the auction house plans to fetch from €2 million to €3 million.
The work does not look quite familiar to those who know Matisse from earlier Fauvist pieces full of bright decorative colors. At first glance, the work on display may seem like it's not a painting at all, but a graphic sketch. The palette is limited to red and shades of brown (plus the artist adds a little blue).
However, the rejection of congestion in favor of the lightness of the image is conscious. Nothing should distract the viewer from the figure of the model in a turban (or a shawl tied like a turban). With this image, Matisse begins a whole cycle of portraits of Odalisques. Hence the considerable estimate. However, there are other reasons: the work is quite large, but the erotic element makes it even more attractive in the eyes of collectors.
Rare cycles of Marc Chagall's prints
A separate auction in the French capital dedicated to the works of a Russian artist? Yes, this is possible even nowadays. Provided that this painter is Marc Chagall, whom the French consider their own. It is worth noting here that, in fact, Chagall's works regularly appear at major auctions, but, as a rule, surrounded by works by other authors. Putting together a "solo" sale is not an easy task. But nothing is impossible, especially if you focus on the circulation schedule.
Book illustration (more precisely, the creation of graphic cycles for publication in the form of engravings) Chagall studied almost all his life, and his legacy in the genre of livre d'artiste (the artist's book) is truly extensive. If desired, even very poor collectors can get separate sheets, especially not from the first editions. But the special chic is the complete sets of the first editions. These are the top lots of the Paris auctions: 42 color lithographs "Daphnis and Chloe", published in 1961 in an edition of 270 copies, 38 lithographs "Circus" (23 of them in color) and 102 etchings "Fables", issued in the same quantity - 200 copies. The rarities are estimated at €60-120 thousand.
Soviet porcelain painted by Kandinsky
The founder of abstractionism, Wassily Kandinsky, who was formed as an artist in Germany, caught the revolution in Russia and enthusiastically joined in building a new world. For several years, he actually supervised the entire museum work of the country, reporting directly to Lunacharsky, and therefore the most experimental "leftist" art was actively introduced into all spheres of life — from the decoration of holidays and demonstrations to the design of clothes and tableware.
An example of the latter is put up for auction by Litfond. Kandinsky completed the sketches for the underglaze painting of the service in 1921, and they went into production at the State Porcelain Factory in 1922. Only two copies of the tea pair have survived to this day: a cup and a saucer with the same painting are in the collection of the Historical Museum. And this explains the high interest of collectors: at the time of writing, the bid was 600 thousand rubles, but it will clearly increase during the bidding process.
Apart from the fact that this is indeed a rare artifact, the drawings themselves are charming. In his recognizable manner (one can recall the famous painting "Moscow. Red Square") Kandinsky portrays an unreal, toy town, balancing on the edge of pointlessness, but retaining hints of recognizable architectural elements, such as churches.
A triptych by a Chinese artist for millions of dollars
This month, the focus is not only on Russian and French, but also on Chinese art. At Christie's auctions in Shanghai, 53 paintings by artists mainly from Eastern countries will be sold, but the most expensive lots are the authorship of modern painters from China. So, several million dollars (Christie's does not announce the exact amount) will have to be paid for the triptych Yesterday's Me, Tomorrow's You, created by Chen Ke. And this is a remarkable fact for several reasons.
Firstly, Chen is a woman, and even a relatively young one; she has not yet become a classic, but her work is rated at the level of top masters of the older generation. Secondly, the artist's career developed in China, and it cannot be said that this name is famous in Europe or the USA. But, obviously, the moment has come when record prices can be set not only by Western collectors, but also by Eastern ones.
And thirdly, Chen is engaged in figurative art, which is very traditional in technique (oil on canvas). But no one calls her style old-fashioned. Perhaps it's a clear aesthetic overlap with anime: the characters in Chen's paintings seem to have disappeared from the screen.
So on the presented canvas we see a cartoon girl who does her homework in her room. She also sleeps on the bed. Either this is a metaphor for the passage of time, or the compressed life of the heroine. However, the appeal of the triptych is not at all in philosophy, but in some special tenderness, which is expressed in every detail here. And it's easy to understand where this mood comes from, if you know that Chen Ke created the work after the birth of her daughter.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
