Los Angeles – On September 27, Bonhams will present more than a dozen prints by Richard Diebenkorn (1922-1993) including his largest and most important, Green, at its Prints & Multiples sale in Los Angeles. Crafted in 1986 in collaboration with the Bay Area print shop, Crown Point Press, Green, which is related to Diebenkorn’s iconic Ocean Park painting series, was a challenging, experimental, time-consuming project as the final printing took seven plates, three different greens and five printers to complete. The work is a true collaboration between Diebenkorn and the printers as their ingenuity and mastery of the medium allowed him to push the boundaries of the technique and bring his ambitious vision to life. It is estimated at $400,000 – 600,000.
An additional highlight of the sale is the complete portfolio, comprising 100 wood engravings in color on Rives BFK paper, of La Divine Comédie, from Dante Alighieri, L’Enfer; La Purgatoire; Le Paradis by Salvador Dalí (1904-1989). Estimated at $80,000 – 120,000, the portfolio is Dali’s surrealist interpretation of one of the world most influential works of literature, Dante’s Divine Comedy. Also of note is Plate V, one of 40 unique color variant trial proofs by Keith Haring (1958-1990) for his 1988 series titled Growing, estimated at $50,000 – 70,000. The series which was completed two years before his death depicts colorful human bodies which seem to grow out of each other.
Additional sale highlights:
- A painted, earthenware turned pitcher, Tarasque, by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), estimated at $50,000 – 70,000.
- Jack and Jill (Police Kids) by Banksy (b. 1975) is estimated at $60,000 – 80,000. Depicting two children wearing bulletproof Police vests on a sky blue background, the print from 2005 is Banksy’s subversive twist on the iconic nursery rhyme.
- Framed in its original metallic folding screen and estimated at $30,000 – $50,000, Paravent (Screen) by Bernard Buffet (1928-1999), a French painter, printmaker, and sculptor, is a set of 4 lithographs depicting Paris.
A week prior to the Los Angeles sale, Bonhams Skinner will present its Prints, Multiples, & Photographs online auction running from September 12 – 22. Highlighting the sale are three silkscreens by Andy Warhol (1928-1987) from the mid-1980s – Ingrid Bergman with Hat, from the series Three portraits of Ingrid Bergman (estimate: $45,000-65,000), General Custer, one of ten prints from his 1986 Cowboys and Indians series (estimate: $40,000-60,000) and Mao (estimate: $50,000-70,000).
