Clyfford Still (1904-1980)
1949-A-No. 1
oil on canvas (93×79 inches)
Estimate: $25-35 million
Clyfford Still to shine at Sotheby’s Four masterworks by American Abstract Expressionist painter Clyfford Still (1904-1980) -expected to realize a combined total in excess of $50 million- will highlight Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Auction on November 9, 2011.]]>
October 22, source: Sotheby’s / theartwolf.com
The four works come from the Estate of Patricia Still and are being sold by the City and County of Denver to further support the endowment of the new Clyfford Still Museum, scheduled to open to the public on November 18, 2011.
The highlight of the group is “1949-A-No. 1“, described by Tobias Meyer -Worldwide Director of Contemporary Art at Sotheby’s- as “one of the greatest examples of 20th century American painting”. The 93 x 79 inches canvas was chosen for the cover of the 1979-1980 retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and carries a pre-sale estimate of $25-35 million.
The second star of the sale is “1947-Y-No. 2“, a 69.5 by 59 inches canvas executed in 1947, estimated at $15-20 million. “PH-1033” is a mature work, created in 1976, and estimated at $10-15 million. “PH-351” is the earliest (1940) work in this group, and carries a modest estimate of $1-1.5 million.
Widely considered one of the most important American Abstract Expressionists, works by Clyfford Still (1904-1980) rarely come up at auction. In 2006, his 1947 masterpiece “1947-R-No. 1” was sold at Christie’s for $21,7 million (against a pre-sale estimate of just $5-7 million), still an auction record for the artist.
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