A major highlight in Swann Galleries’ November 12 Modern & Post-War Art sale is an oil on paper collage by French artist Bernard Réquichot (1929-1961). The untitled work, anticipated to achieve between  $50,000 and $80,000, is emblematic of the artist’s surrealist compositions that blend figurative and abstract elements.

Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011), Untitled, 1995. Watercolor and gouache on paper, 8½ x 11 in. Estimate: $6/8,000

Among the exciting offerings of American art is a unique 1995 watercolor and gouache by Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011) composed on a small, handwritten menu that has a low estimate of $6,000. “Clement Greenberg, a forceful but influential critic in the Post-War American art scene, championed Frankenthaler and her innovative thinning and pouring of pigments on canvas (stain painting),” notes an auction house representative. “In the early 1950s when Frankenthaler began showing these works, she received praise and ridicule. Much of the negativity was coupled with sexist language. Patience, perseverance and time have a way of ruling in favor of those who are creating sincere art.” 

Paul Jenkins (1923-2012) is also represented in the sale by the 1975 watercolor Phenomena Signal to Joy, which has a high estimate of $6,000. “Jenkins, like Frankenthaler, devised a method of pouring pigments onto paper and canvas support,” continues the auction house. “Paul brought chance into his compositions, giving gentle guidance to the flow of pigments with an ivory tool. Because his works are beautiful, while created in an era of gritty, hyper-masculine action paintings, they were often dismissed as decorative. Time has given the perspective needed to see his life’s work as a focused exploration of the harmony within fluidity and chance.”

Paul Jenkins (1923-2012), Phenomena Signal to Joy, 1975. Watercolor on paper, 29½ x 22½ in. Estimate: $4/6,000

Also on offer in the sale are works by Janice Biala, Joe Brainard, William Grosvenor Congdon, Lynne Drexler, Karl Knaths, Merton Simpson, Jane Wilson and more. 

Bidding is available through online platforms, absentee, phone and live in-person. The complete catalog and bidding information will be available at www.swanngalleries.com and the Swann Galleries app a month prior to the sale. 

Powered by Froala Editor