The leading French auction house Aguttes will present 100 lots of Contemporary masterpieces at their winter sale on 26 October, following the success of their last Contemporary art sale in May. All artworks featured were handpicked by Aguttes’ specialist Ophélie Guillerot, who specifically chose pieces which showcase the best of Western and Asian Contemporary Art. This article will provide details for collectors, buyers and others who are interested in Post-War art.
To celebrate the success of Asian Contemporary artists in the international art market, the sale highlights a few works by the most sought-after Asian Contemporary artists in recent years. One of the examples is Chu Teh-Chun’s Abstraction bleue et jaune. The work presents first of all a subtle work of colour and gradation, a sign of the maturity of Chu Teh-Chun whose art has been perfected over the years. While the composition places a touch of vivid colour in the centre, pastels surround it and stretch the colours. Executed in 1989, the painting is part of a key period for Chu Teh-Chun. Indeed, his work is the subject of a retrospective in Taipei and then of a travelling exhibition from 1988 to 1989 in Taiwan. This event marks Chu Teh-Chun's return to Taiwan for the first time since his departure in 1955.
Lot 1: Chu Teh-Chun (1920 - 2014) Abstraction bleue et jaune | Oil on canvas
signed and dated lower right, countersigned and dated on reverse
Executed in: 1989
Estimate: €200,000 - 300,000
Provenance: Purchased by the current owners in 1990 at the Régis Dorval Gallery, Lille. Private collection, France
This oil on canvas by Wang Yancheng is a representation of Contemporary Art. It captures the rendering of colours and the powerful structure of Contemporary artwork. The work was created in 2007 and has an estimate of €30,000- 50,000.
Lot 5: Wang Yancheng (b. 1960) Sans titre｜Oil on canvas
signed and dated lower right
Executed in: 2007
Estimate: €30,000 - 50,000
Provenance:
- Les Tuiliers Gallery, Lyon
- Private collection, Paris
Zhang Dali’s desire to denounce certain aspects of society also appears in his series titled Life is a meteor in a desolate universe, which was his street artist pseudonym, and that he created as a homage to victims everywhere.
Lot 3: Zhang Dali (1963) Life is a meteor in a desolate universe｜ Oil on canvas and mix media, polyptych in 5 parts, signed and dated on each reverse
Executed in: 2007
Size: 180 x 80 cm
Estimate: €60,000 - 80,000
We thank Mr. Zhang Dali for kindly confirming the authenticity of this work.
Provenance: Private collection, Paris
Apart from Asian Contemporary Artists, the sale also features two outstanding sculptures by 20th Century artists Georges Braque and Fernando Botero- Hermès and Reclining Woman. The former is a representation of the messenger of the gods while the latter uses monumentality to convey the tender, gentle voluptuousness of a woman’s body. Botero is a Colombian figurist who is highly popular due to his depiction of people and figures in large, exaggerated volumes which represent political criticism and humour.
Lot 83: Fernando Botero (b. 1932) Reclining Woman
Bronze, signed, marked with stamp of the foundry Fonderia M Italy and numbered
Estimate: €185,000 - 220,000
Provenance:
- Collection of Emiel Veranneman, Belgium
- Private collection, Belgium, since 1989
Lot 15 Georges Braque (1882-1963) Hermès
1963/2001
Golden bronze and pink granite stone.
Posthumous cast numbered 1/8 at the base, dated 1963. Foundry cast Landowsky dated 2001
Estimate: €200,000 - 300,000
Bernard Buffet is considered one of the major painters of the twentieth century in France and a central figure of the Expressionist movement. He was popular with the public from an early age and was also criticized by critics. His work of the late 1940s and 1950s is characterised by dark colours, a reflection of the Post-War period. For Buffet, this period marked the beginning of his collaboration with the gallery owner Maurice Garnier, who would exhibit and defend his work throughout his life. Le poulet was created in the year 1958 which was a turning point in Bernard Buffet's life and career. He separated from Pierre Bergé with whom he had a passionate relationship and met his wife Annabel Schwob.
Lot 53: Bernard Buffet (1928-1999) Le poulet｜ Oil on canvas
Executed in: 1958
signed and dated lower left, titled, stamped and numbered by the Maurice Garnier on reverse
Size: 116 x 89 cm
Estimate: €30,000 - 50,000
Provenance: Acquired from the Parke- Bernet Gallery from New York in 1973
Aurélie Nemours and Claude Viallat are leading artists of French Contemporary art. Nemours’ works Enée and Rosace, which will appear at the sale, present cleverly organised vertical and horizontal lines that demonstrate the artistic expression of geometric abstraction in the twentieth century. Viallat’s two pieces at the sale use the fabric of an armchair and a tent canvas to synthesize the main characteristics of Claude Viallat's work- the bright colours.
Lot 72: Claude Viallat 1992/80｜ Acrylic on tarpaulin with rivets and strings
Executed in: 1992
Estimate: €25,000 - 30,000
Provenance:
- Jean Fournier Gallery, Paris
- Acquired by the current owner at the Bernard Ceysson gallery in 2013
At the sale are also two pieces from one of the fathers of the post-war art movement Abstraction Lyrique- Georges Mathieu. His works Linosiris and Malaises Furibonds showcase how his palette became broader and how he completely did away with central composition, instead of spreading forms out across the whole surface of the canvas, thus breaking with the last remnants of classicism.
Lot 77: Georges Mathieu (1921 - 2012) Linosiris｜Alkyde on canvas
Executed in: 1978
signed and dated lower left
Size: 90.5 x 72 cm
Estimate: €40,000 - 60,000
Provenance:
- Private collection, France
- Private collection, Brazil
Lot 76: Georges Mathieu (1921 - 2012) Malaises Furibonds｜Alkyde on canvas
signed lower right, titled on the stretcher on reverse
Executed in: 1990
Estimate: €45,000 - 60,000
Provenance:
- Semiha Huber Gallery, Zurich
- Private collection, Paris
Another highlight is Serge Poliakoff’s gouache on cardboard where he interweaved colour patches. His material glows through successive layers, eschewing illusionistic perspective and depth.
Lot 55: Serge Poliakoff Composition abstraite｜Gouache on cardboard, mounted on panel, signed lower left
Executed in: 1964
Estimate: €50,000 - 70,000
Provenance:
- Timothy Taylor Gallery, London
- Private collection, France
One of the most versatile and influential artists Jan Fabre is also featured at the sale. His Leda l'ange de la mort incorporates elements like animals and insects and has been exhibited at museums worldwide such as The Louvre.
French artists and romantic partners Pierre et Gilles have produced controversial works in which work they illustrate, stage and depict friends, anonymous people and celebrities in life-sized sets built in their studio. Having been exhibited and featured in books numerous times, their piece Homo Erectus is a self-portrait which cleverly attests to their sense of humour and boldness in breaking all the taboos of homosexuality.
Another highlight- Robert Combas’ large painting C'est ta faute, is a large format populated with grimacing characters and traversed by more or less sensible sentences. It illustrates Robert Combas' artistic ideals.
Lot 94: Robert Combas C'est ta faute｜ Acrylic on canvas
signed and dated upper right
Estimate: €90,000 - 110,000
Provenance: Former Hélène Trintignan collection
Last but not least, artwork by Mahieddine Baya, Arden-Quin, Tony Cragg and many more Contemporary talents will also be featured. A highlight amongst these is A shoot (Grimsthorpe/Norfolk) II by Michael Andrews.
Lot 85: Michael Andrews A shoot (Grimsthorpe/Norfolk) II｜Watercolor and mixed media on paper
signed, titled and dated on reverse
Estimate: €40,000 - 60,000
Provenanace: Acquired from the Anthony d'Offay gallery in 1986 and kept since
Head of Contemporary Art Department: Ophélie Guillerot guillerot@aguttes.com
Happening soon
Sale: ARTS D'ASIE
Date: 12 November 2020
Contact:
delery@aguttes.com
+33 (0)1 47 45 00 90
Le Pho, 1907-2001, Jeune fille aux pivoines｜Price realised with tax €1,100,000
Sale: PEINTRES D'ASIE
Date: 30 November 2020
Contact:
reynier@aguttes.com
+33 (0)1 41 92 06 49
About Aguttes Auction
Aguttes is the fourth largest French auction house and the first one to be independent, with no outside shareholders. Founded in 1974 by Claude Aguttes and now run with two of his daughters—Philippine Dupré la Tour and Charlotte Reynier-Aguttes—the auction house has a team of 60 people. In 2018 the company passed the symbolic €50-million auction milestone, a result never before achieved by an independent auction house in France. In 2019, Aguttes totalled €66 million.
With an international saleroom located in western Paris and representative offices in Brussels, Lyon and Aix-en-Provence, Aguttes stands out for its personalised service and responsiveness. The auction house is positioned on the valuation and auction of exceptional works and major French collections. In 2019, thanks to its international buyers (who amount to 70% of all buyers), it has held 76 auctions above €100,000, 4 sales of million-euro lots, and 15 world records.
Aguttes is positioned as the alternative to art market leaders in its 15 specialised departments: Asian painters, Old Masters Paintings & Drawings, Asian art, Russian Art, Classic Cars, Jewellery & Fine Pearls, Collector Watches, Rare Books & Manuscripts, Contemporary, Modern & Impressionist Art, Design, Furniture & Decorative Art, Wine & Spirits.