NY, NY: IV

Week three of my travels in Australia and I thought that while I am away from my home base in NYC...I would bring some of NYC back into my world. All this week I will be reposting images of art exhibitions that I have seen in New York over the years. There have been many, so this represents just a few of my favorites...

New York Couples

One of my "secret" haunts in NYC is Sotheby's, the auction house. They hold open exhibitions in advance of every auction and, unlike many galleries and museums, they almost always allow photography. Much of the artwork on display is coming from private collections and will end up in private hands. As such, the exhibitions are a rare opportunity to view art created by master artists that may never again be on public view.

In 2011, Sotheby's was exhibiting the highlights of an upcoming London auction of Impressionist and Modern Art as well as a series of pieces from Looking Closely: A Private Collection. The viewing was like being in my own private museum. I have included auction estimates and what struck me when I went back to the original posting was just how far prices have risen since 2011.

So join me and a few very special "New York Couples" in a visit to Sotheby's...

First, I would like to introduce you to a couple of Picassos. Who at first glance could imagine that the following two paintings were made by the same artist?

Portrait D'Olga - 1923 - Estimate $2,020,000-$2,790,000

La Lecture - 1932 - Estimate $18,570,000-$27,860,000

Meet Annette and Diego, a pair of paintings from Alberto Giacometti.

Annette - 1961 - Estimate $3,170,00-$4,750,00

Diego - 1958 - Estimate $4,650,000-$7,740,000

We have a very New York couple in Francis Bacon and Lucien Freud.

Francis Bacon - Three Studies for Portrait of Lucien Freud - 1964 - Estimate $11,090,000-$14,250,000

Lucien Freud - Self Portrait - 1952 - 5" x 3 1/4" - Estimate $950,000-$1,270,000

This Dubuffett was flying solo but, with a face like this, will no doubt be part of a couple soon.

Jean Dubuffett - Le Barbouille - 1954 - Estimate $950,000-$1,270,000

My favorite couple by far was a pair of rombos or diamonds.

Antoni Tapies - Negro con Dos Rombos - 1963 - Estimate $475,000-$635,000

One of my favorite artists, Antoni Tapies created abstract work that speaks to me in terms of his choice of color palette, his use of symbols and found objects, and the textural quality of his surfaces. The spectacular textures he achieves are usually lost in photos but there are some detail shots below that will give you a better idea. Texture junkies like me can click each image to enlarge.