NEW YORK – Christie’s New York is pleased to announce First Open, an online sale showcasing an exceptional selection of Post-War and Contemporary artwork, open for bidding December 4 – 14, 2023. Sale highlights include works by a diverse range of talents from the post-war era through today, including Kenneth Noland, Gerhard Richter, Sam Gilliam, Yoshitomo Nara, just to name a few. The sale also offers a number of works by highly coveted art market stars who have set record prices over the course of 2023, including Lynne Drexler, Agnes Martin, and Richard Estes. With estimates that range from $400 to $150,000, the First Open sale offers a vast survey of 20th and 21st Century art for new and seasoned collectors alike.
The top lot of the sale is Rushing, a 1969 painting by Kenneth Noland (estimate: $150,000 – 200,000). Another fantastic highlight of the sale is a 1964 Ernie Barnes portrait of famed football plater Matt Snell, running back for the New York Jets and a highly celebrated athlete of the 1960s. Barnes painted the portrait as commission by Jets owner, Sonny Werblin, as a gift to commemorate Snell’s 1964 American Football League Rookie of the Year title. The following year 1965, Werblin would proceed to acquire for the Jets another great player, quarterback Joe Namath. This December is the first time the work will appear at auction.
Additional sale highlights include two Larry Rivers works from the Estate of Betty Weisberger: Portrait of Betty Weisberger (estimate $20,000 – 30,000) and Drug Store II (estimate: $60,000-80,000). The sale also features two lots donated to benefit the Turkish Philanthropy Fund, by artists Angela Lane and Ryan Schneider. The sale additionally features a digital artwork by Diana Sinclair, the inaugural artist for the launch of Christies 3.0 launch. The work is a physical cyanotype photograph printed on cloth and framed, with an accompanying digital photograph minted on chain. Artworks hailing from esteemed collections also comprise much of the sale including LA Cool: Property from the Laura Lee Stearns Collection, Property from the Estate of Norman Lariviere, Orange Blossom Collection, and more.
Select highlights are on view at Christie’s Rockefeller Center galleries alongside the Luxury and Design Week exhibition; the full sale will be on view December 9 – 13, 2023.
