Phillips New Global Headquarters on 432 Park Ave. Image courtesy of Phillips
Phillips has opened the doors to their new location in the heart of mid-town Manhattan. Located on the corner of 56th and Park Avenue, the new space includes 40,000 square feet of gallery space over 4 levels. With movable walls and adjustable lighting, the space is customizable to use for exhibitions, auctions, and client events. Phillips commissioned the architectural group studioMDA to execute the design for the contemporary space.
Coinciding with the debut of the new space was Phillips’ 20th Century & Contemporary Art Day and Evening Sale on June 23 & 24. The sale brought in a hammer total of 97.4M USD, 118.9M USD with premium with record sales for artists Julie Curtiss and Titus Kaphar as reported by Artnews, The inaugural exhibition provided an impressive array of works by Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Banksy, Jeff Koons, and rising art stars. The auction included a mix of modern and contemporary works ranging from paintings, collages, sculpture to digital.
David Hockney, A Neat Lawn, 1967. Acrylic on Canvas, 95 3/4 x 97 in. (243.2 x 246.4 cm). Image ourtesy of Phiilips
Among the works in the evening sale was David Hockney’s A Neat Lawn (1967), which sold for 11M USD. Hockney (b. 1937) has an illustrious career dating back to the 1960s after studying at the Royal College of Art in London. He is known for his scenic paintings capturing everyday moments of his life in Southern California with influences on his style from Picasso and Matisse. A Neat Lawn, which was estimated between 9.5M USD and 10.5M USD, is a perfect example of Hockney’s style from his California Dreaming series which elevates the mundane.
Amy Sillman, Flower Giver, 2005. Oil on Canvas, 84 x 72 in. (213.4 x 182.9 cm). Image courtesy of Phillips
Flower Giver (2005) by Amy Sillman sold for 598,500 USD, exceeding the estimation of 300,000-400,000 USD. Sillman (b. 1955) has earned critical acclaim in recent years following the first major institutional survey of her work at the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston in 2013-2014. Flower Giver exemplifies her signature mode of painting, with abstract, gestural strokes and thick layering of pigments. Sillman walks the line between figuration and abstraction, likened to the works of Willem de Kooning, Richard Diebenkorn, and Philip Guston, as stated in the Phillips catalogue.
Marie Guillemine-Benoist, Portrait of a Black Woman, 1800. Image courtesy of Phillips
Titus Kaphar, Untitled III, 2015. Oil and Tar on Canvas, mounted on panel, 60 x 48 in. (152.4 x 121.9 cm). Image courtesy of Phillips
Titus Kaphar’s record breaking piece Untitled III (2015) sold for 1,058,500 USD, but was estimated at 300,000-400,000 USD. Untitled III references the painting Portrait of a Black Woman (1800) by Marie Guillemine-Benoist, which is a part of the permanent collection of Louvre Museum, Paris and one of the most recognizable Black female sitters in the Western canon of art. In his rendition, Kaphar uses tar to conceal the appearance of the sitter, highlighting how Black figures are overlooked in historical narratives, according to the Phillips catalogue. Kaphar (b. 1976) has received recent acclaim following his 2018 MacArthur Fellowship with works in institutions including the Brooklyn Museum and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Julie Curtiss, Three Widows, 2016. Acrylic and Oil on Canvas, 30 x 30 in. (76.2 x 76.2 cm). Image courtesy of Phillips
In another record-breaking sale, French painter Julie Curtiss’ Three Widows (2016) sold for 466,200 USD, though estimated at 110,000-150,000 USD. The work is exemplary of Curtiss’ oeuvre, exploring feminity through a cropped frame and faceless figures. Drawing on a range of styles like 18th- and 19th-century French painting and Chicago Imagists, Curtiss (b. 1982) solidified her style after moving to New York from Tokyo where she adopted a more graphic aesthetic that she softened as she began to use art to embrace herself.
Flora Yukhnovich, Pretty Little Thing, oil on linen, 86 1/2 x 74 3/4 in. (219.7 x 189.9 cm) Painted in 2019, Image courtesy Phillips
Flora Yukhnovich’s Rococo-inspired painting, Pretty Little Thing, 2019 was one of the highlights from the emerging artist sales whose sale price far exceeded the estimated price of $60,000 - 80,000, selling for $1,179,500.
Matthew Wong, The Reader, 2017. Oil on Canvas, 30 x 24 in. (76.2 x 61 cm). Image courtesy of Phillips
Also of note was Matthew Wong’s The Reader (2017), which far outperformed its estimated price. Wong (b. 1984, d. 2019) is known for his vivid, dreamlike scenes influenced by his own experience growing up and living in both Canada and Hong Kong. The work’s flourishing trees surrounding the seated figure are reminiscent of Gustav Klimt’s The Park. Wong takes it further to combine techniques like Pointilism, the brushstrokes of Van Gogh, and the optical power of Chinese lacquerware. In the end the work sold for $2,329,000, although the piece was estimated at $600,000-$800,000.
Amy Sherald, It Made Sense...Mostly In Her Mind, 2011. Oil on Canvas, 54 1/4 x 43 in. (137.8 x 109.2 cm). Image courtesy of Phillips.
Mickalene Thomas, Portrait of Jessica, 2011. Rhinestones, Arcylic and Enamel on Panel, 60 x 48 in. (152.4 x 121.9 cm). Image courtesy of Phillips.
With upwards of 350 lots in the combined Evening and Day sales, Phillips drew together a successful auction to celebrate and debut their new location. Many works sold far above the estimated price including Amy Sherald’s It Made Sense…Mostly in her Mind (2011) estimated at 500,000-700,000 USD and sold for 3,539,000 USD and Mickalene Thomas’ Portrait of Jessica estimated at 200,000-300,000 USD and sold for 1,542,000 USD.
By Natalie Parent
For inquiries & media information:
info@openartadvisory.com
For inquiries on artworks:
Christine Lee
christine@openartadvisory.com
+917.224.0680
www.openartadvisory.com