New York – On November 1 in New York, Bonhams’ Modern & Contemporary Prints & Multiples sale will present three distinctly colored silkscreens of Marilyn Monroe, each with an estimate of $70,000 – 90,000, published in 1967 by Andy Warhol’s Factory Additions in New York City. The sage, pink and green versions in the sale are from the portfolio of 10 variations of the same publicity still of Marilyn Monroe previously used by Warhol for his paintings of the actress. The portfolio marked the beginning of a twenty-year period in which Warhol produced limited-edition prints of his signature subjects through Factory Additions, often collaborating with famous printmakers of the time.
In addition, the sale will feature one of Pablo Picasso’s (1881-1973) most famous prints, Minotaure caressant une dormeuse. One of Picasso’s first uses of a minotaur, his alter ego and the way he expressed the dark extremes of his personal life in his work, the print from his 1933 Vollard Suite, published by the famous art dealer Ambroise Vollard, is estimated at $60,000 – 80,000. Also featured in the sale are two Jean-Michael Basquiat (1960-1988) prints from Flatiron Editions signed by the artist’s estate. Of note is Boxer Rebellion (1982-83), which draws its inspiration from the 1900 Boxer Rebellion in China and depicts a modern boxing match surrounded by words in both English and Chinese, estimated at $50,000 – 70,000. Rising to prominence in the 1980s, Basquiat was an integral part of the Neo-expressionism movement, known for his graffiti style with recurring imagery of heads and skulls.
Additional sale highlights:
- Estimated at $25,000 – 35,000, House II Portfolio by the late artist Jennifer Bartlett (1941-2022) is the complete portfolio of nine screenprints depicting simplified homes in bright, primary colors. Bartlett, who died this summer, was a contemporary American artist known for combining combined abstraction and representation. The sale will also feature an additional print by the artist, East West, estimated at $8,000 – 12,000.
- A dozen works by Leonor Fini (1907-1996) will also be presented. Fini, an Argentinian artist often associated with the surrealists, was known for her use of powerful, erotic women as subjects. Several of the works in the sale feature a recurring motif of Fini’s which depicts women turning into sphinxes, including Sphinge ailée (estimate: $2,500 – 3,500), Dithyrambe (estimate: $2,500 – 3,500), and Sphinx de profile (estimate: $2,000 – 3,000).
- Peonies, one of several prints offered in the sale by Alex Katz (b. 1927), is estimated at $15,000 – 20,000. Katz, often associated with the Pop Art movement, is widely recognized for his richly colored paintings and prints of landscapes, flowers, and portraits of his wife Ada. The artist will be featured in an upcoming retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum, New York City, starting on October 21st.
