Our Modern + Contemporary Fine Art Auction on February 20th will feature many exceptional works by renowned artists. One of the standout pieces is Vote McGovern (1972), an iconic screenprint by Andy Warhol, estimated $30,000–$50,000.
This politically charged work from 1972 reinterprets a photograph of Richard Nixon, using a vivid color palette that references First Lady Pat Nixon’s dress. The unsettling portrait, created to support George McGovern’s presidential campaign, is a striking example of Warhol’s ability to blend art with political activism.
Andy Warhol blends art with political activism. Bid on this captivating work and much more on February 20th.
Andy Warhol (American, 1928–1987), Vote McGovern, 1972, screenprint, 42″ x 42″. Estimate: $30,000–$50,000
Two of our modern and contemporary highlights this November come from American artists, Jim Dine and Brian Alfred, who draw inspiration from their surroundings in very different ways.
Artist Spotlight
Modern + Contemporary
Artist Spotlight: Roy Lichtenstein
Artist Spotlight
Modern + Contemporary
A noteworthy piece in our Important Summer Fine Art Sale is a serigraph by American Pop art pioneer, Roy Lichtenstein. Lichtenstein was one of the most prominent figures to come out of the Pop Art movement and is most known for his comic strip-inspired paintings, prints, and sculptures.
The print featured in the June sale is titled Reverie and dates to 1965. Pictured is a young woman with blonde hair and a melancholy expression, holding a microphone while a speech bubble over her head reads the lyrics, “The melody haunts my reverie.” This lyric — taken from the song Stardust by Tin Pan Alley musicians Hoagy Carmichael and Mitchell Parish — was written in 1927 and popularized during the 1930s big band era. The retro feel of the imagery is characteristic of Lichtenstein’s work, as is the comic-style dot work, bold color, and thick, black lines. Reverie was created for a portfolio, titled 11 Pop Artists published by Original Editions, that included 2 other prints by the artist as well as prints by Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselman, and other major names in the Pop Art movement.
Roy Lichtenstein (American, 1923–1997), Reverie, from 11 Pop Artists, Volume II, 1965, screenprint in colors, 27″ x 23″. Estimate: $70,000–$100,000
In addition to the aforementioned work, we are also pleased to offer abstract sculptures by Claire Falkenstein, a life-size bronze gown by Karen LaMonte, a suite of six bullfighting paintings by LeRoy Neiman, an abstract expressionist oil by Tancredi Parmeggiani, and much more in our Important Summer Fine Art Sale on June 20th.
Two of our modern and contemporary highlights this November come from American artists, Jim Dine and Brian Alfred, who draw inspiration from their surroundings in very different ways.
Artist Spotlight
Modern + Contemporary
Artist Spotlight: Andy Warhol
Artist Spotlight
Modern + Contemporary
Andy Warhol’s Cowboys and Indians series was one of his last major works before his death in 1987.
Andy Warhol (American, 1928–1987), Cowboys and Indians (the complete set of ten screenprints), 1986, screenprints in colors, 36″ x 36″ each. Left: General Custer. Right: Geronimo. Sold: $503,750
In 1986, Andy Warhol created the Cowboys and Indians series. In this portfolio, Warhol portrays a range of images that represent both the history and constructed lore of the American West, pulled from reality and fiction. Warhol interspersed portraits of world-famous Americans with those of anonymous Native Americans in his ironic commentary on America’s collective mythology of the historic West.
Andy Warhol (American, 1928–1987), Cowboys and Indians (the complete set of ten screenprints), 1986, screenprints in colors, 36″ x 36″ each. Left: Mother and Child. Right: Teddy Roosevelt. Sold: $503,750
Rather than portraying Native Americans within their historical landscape, or cowboys in their veritable forms, Warhol went with a stylized and romanticized version of the American West — already a favored lens in novels, films, and various television series popular during the 20th century.
Andy Warhol (American, 1928–1987), Cowboys and Indians (the complete set of ten screenprints), 1986, screenprints in colors, 36″ x 36″ each. Left: Plains Indian Shield. Right: Northwest Coast Mask. Sold: $503,750
Included in the composition are Native Americans and their authentic emblems — a mask, Kachina dolls, and a shield — alongside John Wayne, Annie Oakley, Teddy Roosevelt and General George Custer, the latter group exemplifying Warhol’s preoccupation with stardom.
Andy Warhol (American, 1928–1987), Cowboys and Indians (the complete set of ten screenprints), 1986, screenprints in colors, 36″ x 36″ each. Left: John Wayne. Right: Annie Oakley. Sold: $503,750
At this point in his life, Warhol was forming bonds with a number of younger artists in the New York art scene including Jean-Michel Basquiat, David Salle, Keith Haring and Julian Schnabel.
Andy Warhol (American, 1928–1987), Cowboys and Indians (the complete set of ten screenprints), 1986, screenprints in colors, 36″ x 36″ each. Left: Indian Head Nickel. Right: Kachina Dolls. Sold: $503,750
Two of our modern and contemporary highlights this November come from American artists, Jim Dine and Brian Alfred, who draw inspiration from their surroundings in very different ways.
Artist Spotlight
Modern + Contemporary
Artist Spotlight: Yayoi Kusama
Artist Spotlight
Modern + Contemporary
Born in 1929 in Matsumoto, Japan, Yayoi Kusama is well known for her sculptures, installations, paintings, performances and fashion. Kusama is the highest-selling living female artist and has a body of work that spans over the past 70 years.
A preeminent figure in the art world, Kusama emerged onto the art scene in the 1960s in New York, collaborating with Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenberg, and Robert Morris and contributed to the rise of feminist and pop art.
Yayoi Kusama (Japanese, b. 1939), A Pumpkin GB-D, 2004, screenprint, 9.4″h x 11.1″w. Sold: $40,625
Yayoi Kusama (Japanese, b. 1929), Grapes, 1982, screenprint, 12.4″ x 10.6″. Sold: $38,750
Yayoi Kusama (Japanese, b. 1939), Pumpkin, 1983, screenprint, 23″h x 19″w. Sold: $31,250
Throughout her work, Kusama has explored such themes as her own obsessive-compulsive disorder, hallucinations, sexuality and freedom. Various Kusama prints that were sold at Clars exhibit her signature style, featuring polka dots and nets in dense patterns with obsessive repetition.
Yayoi Kusama (Japanese, b. 1939), Pumpkin, 1983, screenprint, 23″h x 19″w. Sold: $87,500
Yayoi Kusama (Japanese, b. 1929), Top left:Pumpkin (Y), 1992, screenprint, 6.25″h x 8.75″w. Top Right:Dancing Pumpkin (YOR), 2004, screenprint, 15.5″h x 22.25″w. Bottom Left:Napping Pumpkin, 1993, screenprint, 21″h x 25.75″w. Bottom Right:Red Colored Pumpkin, 1994, screenprint, 18″h x 20.75″w. Sold: $108,750
In 1993, Kusama represented Japan at the Venice Biennale. She has been the subject of major exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, Centre Pompidou, Tate Modern, and the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo as well as a major retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 2012. In 2017, she opened the Yoyoi Kusama Museum in Tokyo near her studio and the psychiatric hospital where she has voluntarily lived since 1977.
Yayoi Kusama (Japanese, b. 1929), High Heels, 1986, screenprint, 12.4″h x 16″w. Sold: $17,500
Yayoi Kusama (Japanese, b. 1929), Town, 1999, screenprint, 18.8″h x 23.4″w. Sold: 13,750
Left: Yayoi Kusama (Japanese, b. 1929), Pumpkin, 1982, lithograph in colors with collage, 22.75″h x 18.75w″. Sold: $21,250 Right: Yayoi Kusama (Japanese, b. 1929), Pumpkin God, 1993, screenprint, 28.75″h x 21″w. Sold: $26,250
Yayoi Kusama (Japanese, b. 1939), Flower (1), 1992, lithograph in color, 9.4″h x 11.1″w. Sold: $12,500
Two of our modern and contemporary highlights this November come from American artists, Jim Dine and Brian Alfred, who draw inspiration from their surroundings in very different ways.
