Leading the sale was “Roses Rouges et Lys (Red Roses and Lilies)” by Bernard Buffet (French, 1928-1999), 1996, oil on canvas, 32½ by 28 inches framed, signed upper left, dated upper right, which flowered to $114,000, surpassing its $60/80,000 estimate.
Review by Kiersten Busch
NEW YORK CITY — On October 20, Auctions at Showplace conducted its Important Fine Art & Design Auction, which offered 145 lots of fine art, furniture, timepieces by Cartier, accessories by Tiffany, jewelry, a collection of Martin guitars and decorative arts pieces by Toshiko Takaezu and Michael Glancy.
Leading the sale was “Roses Rouges et Lys (Red Roses and Lilies)” by Bernard Buffet, which far surpassed its $60/80,000 estimate to achieve $114,000. The oil on canvas was painted in 1996, signed upper left and dated upper right; a Maurice Garnier stamp was included verso. The work had provenance to Maurice Garnier, Paris; Galerie Rienzo, New York City; and a private New York collection. It was previously sold at Sotheby’s New York in a November 2023 sale.
Buffet’s oil painting was not the only one that scored big, with Andre Lhote’s “Portrait d’Anne (Mme Lhote) (Portrait of Anne [Mrs Lhote]” achieving $60,000. The oil on paper laid to canvas was completed in 1930 and contained Soufer Gallery and Sotheby’s New York labels on its reverse. The painting had additional provenance to the Wally Findlay Gallery (Chicago), 1965-66, and an Upper East Side York Avenue estate.
“Hyacinths” by Hunt Slonem also bloomed to a top 10 price, realizing $36,000. The 1955 oil on canvas came with a certificate of authenticity from Hunt Slonem Studio and was numbered “JEM0663” to its reverse. It had provenance to a New York City collection. Another Slonem painting, “Hornbills,” crossed the block for $20,000.
“Portrait d’Anne (Mme Lhote) (Portrait of Anne [Mrs Lhote])” by Andre Lhote (French, 1885-1962), 1930, oil on paper laid to canvas, 36¾ by 31½ inches framed, sat pretty at $60,000, just within its $60/80,000 estimate.
Although not an oil painting, Peter Max’s acrylic on canvas from his “Vase of Flowers” series exceeded expectations, flowering to $15,600 against a $4/6,000 estimate. Also with provenance to a New York City collection, the painting was marked “VII #29” and came with a certificate of authenticity from Park West Gallery.
Paintings were not the only works of fine art that grabbed bidders’ attention during the sale. Sculpture was well represented, too, with the second highest price of the sale going to “Reclining Figure,” a verdigris patinated bronze sculpture by Henry Moore which earned $90,000. Completed in 1983, the work sat on an ebonized wood plinth, which was numbered “5/9” to one side. The sculpture also contained a Rex Irwin Art Dealer label to its underside; the Sydney, Australia, -based art dealer was a previous owner of the work. Additional provenance included James Kirkman of London; two private collections in Australia, a private collection in the United Kingdom, Crane Kalman Gallery, Ltd. (London) and an Upper East Side townhouse, from which it was consigned. The figure was previously sold at Christie’s, London, in a July 1999 sale.
A Cupid and Psyche marble statue by Fernando Vichi flew to $36,000, surpassing its $10/20,000 estimate. The sculpture depicted a “bird-winged Cupid embracing butterfly-winged Psyche,” according to the auction catalog. With provenance to a New York City collection, the 51-inch-high statue was marked “F. Vichi / Firenze” to the reverse above its base.
This Cupid and Psyche marble statue by Fernando Vichi (Italian, 1875-1945), 51 inches high, marked “F. Vichi / Firenze” to reverse, flew to $36,000, surpassing its $10/20,000 estimate.
A more modern take on sculpture was exemplified in “Boreal Inner Star X” by Michael Glancy, which rocketed to an $18,000 finish. The 2013 sculpture’s base plate was made of deeply engraved Pompeii-cut cast glass, while its vessel was made with industrial plate glass and copper; both sat on an acrylic stand. It had provenance to Barry Friedman Ltd., Art Gallery in 2007 and was consigned from the Fifth Avenue residence of Jill and Ken Iscol.
A porcelain closed form with a rattle inside, crafted by Toshiko Takaezu, led pottery at $15,600, surpassing its high estimate by more than three times. The 7½-inch-high work of art was incised with a “TT” signature on its underside and had provenance to a 333 East 75th Street estate.
Furniture was also popular with bidders, indicated by a set of 10 Afra and Tobia Scarpa Africa dining chairs achieving the third highest price of the sale. From the 1975 Artona collection for contemporary furniture manufacturers Maxalto, the 10 chairs were carved from walnut with brass detailing and upholstered with a navy velvet in a diamond pattern. More than doubling their $20/40,000 estimate, the lot, with provenance to an East End Avenue collection, earned $78,000.
From the Artona collection, this set of 10 Africa dining chairs by Afra and Tobia Scarpa from 1975 were made from walnut and had brass details and velvet seat upholstery; they sold for $78,000, more than doubling their high estimate ($20/40,000).
Approximately 30 lots later, a Taito Oy brass floor lamp with the model number “10506” earned the fourth highest price of the sale: $66,000. Designed by Finnish designer Paavo Tynell circa 1950, the lamp had five light sockets, a dual stem and an upturned perforated brass shade. It had provenance to a New York City collection.
Bidders’ interest in art was not confined to paintings and sculpture: screenprints by world-renowned artists also captivated the crowd, with a few taking spots in the top-selling lots of the sale. “I Fought The Law,” a 2004 screenprint in colors on wove paper by the UK-based Banksy climbed to $36,000. Housed in a wood shadowbox frame, the 61/150 edition print was dated lower right and had a Pictures on Walls blindstamp. The lot also came with a certificate of authenticity from the Office of Pest Control and had provenance to a New York City collection.
“Electric Chair,” a screenprint in colors on wove paper by Andy Warhol, which realized $15,600, was printed by Silkprint Kettner (Zurich, Switzerland), published by Bruno Bischofberger in 1971 and stamped “Copyright Factory Additions / Edition Bischofberger, Zurich / A.p. XLV/L” to its reverse. The 38¼-by-50¾-inch print was housed in a wood frame and had provenance to the same estate as the Takaezu vase. It was featured in Andy Warhol Prints: A Catalogue Raisonne by Andy Warhol and Jorg Schellmann, edited by Frayda Feldman (New York: Abbeville Press, 1989).
“Electric Chair” by Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987), 1971, screen print in colors on wove paper, printed by Silkprint Kettner, and published by Bruno Bischofberger, was signed in ballpoint pen and achieved $15,600 ($10/20,000).
A linocut in color on Arches wove paper by Pablo Picasso, titled “Avant la Pique (Before the Pike),” trotted its way to $14,400, landing within its $10/20,000 estimate. The 1959 work, which had provenance to a New York City collection, was published in Bloch 941 by Galerie Louise Leiris in Paris and was marked “epreuve d’artiste” (artist’s proof) on its lower left corner.
Jewelry was led by a platinum diamond line bracelet featuring a 40 prong-set, rectangular step faceted diamonds weighing approximately 22 carats. The bracelet was joined with a box and tongue clasp and was platinum tested; it sold for a sparkling $20,400 and had provenance to a New York City collection. Adorned with 232 diamonds, weighing approximately 18.1 carats, was a platinum diamond cluster bracelet from the same New York City collection; it earned $15,600.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.nyshowplace.com or 212-633-6063.
