Helen Frankenthaler’s ‘Hermes’ Earns Record in November 2020 Contemporary Art Sale Our Thursday, November 19, 2020, sale of Contemporary Art boasted exceptional prices for works on paper, prints, and editions. The auction delivered three records, with Abstract Expressionist artists drawing significant bidding activity, in addition to works from the Chiron Press, Pop Art and more bringing top prices. Abstract Expressionists Helen Frankenthaler, Hermes, color Mixografia, 1989. Sold for $47,500, a record for the print. Helen Frankenthaler’s 1989 color Mixografía Hermes led the sale at $47,000, a record for the print. Further records were set for Dorothea Rockburne’s Locus, a 1972 portfolio with a complete set of six aquatints, at $42,500, and Lee Krasner’s 1969 color lithograph, Special Blue, at $17,500. Related Reading: A Brief History of the Mixografia Printing Process Elaine de Kooning, Bacchus #27-P, acrylic on plywood, 1982. Sold for $32,500. Additional abstract works featured Robert Motherwell’s 1975 monotype in purple and black acrylic on paper ($37,500); Elaine de Kooning’s 1982 acrylic-on-plywood Bacchus #27-P ($32,500); Willem de Kooning’s 1975 charcoal drawing Two Figures ($25,000); and a 1951 screenprint by Jackson Pollock ($15,000). Related Reading: Abstract Art: 1940s Through Now Chiron Press Robert Indiana, Numbers, set of four screenprints on wood panels, 1966. Sold for $27,500. Swann offered several works from the Collection of Stephen Poleskie, founder of Chiron Press, New York’s first fine art screenprinting studio. Highlights from the offering included Robert Indiana’s Numbers, a set of four 1966 color screenprints on wood panels ($27,500); Alex Katz’s 1965 oil-on-wood panel Maine Landscape ($22,500); and Roy Lichtenstein’s Cow Triptych (Cow Going Abstract), a set of three 1982 color screenprints ($22,500), Paris Review Poster, the 1966 drawing for the blue screen of the four color screenprints ($20,000), and Brushstroke, a 1965 color screenprint ($18,750). Related Reading: Chiron Press—The First of Its Kind Pop Art Andy Warhol, Liz, color offset lithograph, 1964. Sold for $37,500. Pop Art luminary Andy Warhol was present with a 1964 color offset lithograph portrait of Liz Taylor ($37,500), and a 1968 color screenprint of the iconic Campbell’s soup can Consommé (Beef) ($30,000). Contemporary Works Joyce Pensato, Homer, acrylic on canvas, 2009. Sold for $32,500. Contemporary pieces included Joyce Pensato’s Homer, acrylic on canvas, 2009 ($32,500), Howard Hodgkin’s Flower Palm, a 1991 color etching and carborundum with hand coloring in egg tempera ($17,500), and Keith Haring’s Pop Shop IV, color screenprint 1989 ($18,200). “Our auctions of Contemporary Art continue to grow, both by value and number of bidders. Our per lot value increased by more than 25% over our previous auction of Contemporary Art in June, and we sold to nearly 20% new buyers in the current auction. Once again, we saw significant interest in works by women of the Abstract Expressionist school, setting new records for works by Helen Frankenthaler, Dorothea Rockburne and Lee Krasner.” Todd Weymann, Director Prints & Drawings Consign with Swann Share Facebook Twitter November 25, 2020Author: Kelsie JankowskiCategory: Contemporary Art Tags: Alex Katz Andy Warhol Chiron Press contemporary art Dorothea Rockburne Elaine de Kooning Helen Frankenthaler Howard Hodgkin Joyce Pensato Keith Haring Lee Krasner pop art Robert Indiana Robert Motherwell Roy Lichtenstein Stephen Poleskie Willem de Kooning Previous Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books: December 2020 Highlights Next Harold Porcher’s Five Key Artists in the December 3 Modern & Post-War Art Sale Recommended Posts Auction Highlights: Contemporary Art — November 16, 2023 Contemporary Art October 25, 2023 The Studio Assistant: Louise Nevelson & Teddy Haseltine Prints & Drawings June 15, 2020 Notes from the Catalogue: Robert Motherwell’s Early Surrealist Period Contemporary Art May 2, 2017