FRANKLIN, Mass. – Three artworks attributed to Pop Art icon Andy Warhol—stylized renditions of the products Chanel No. 5 and Absolut Vodka, plus one of Elvis Presley as a gunslinging cowboy—combined for a little more than $50,000 in an online fine art auction titled “Private Art Collections & Estate Discoveries” held March 15 by Woodshed Art Auctions. Absentee and Internet live bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.
Chanel No. 5 (above) was the top earner in the 163-lot sale, selling for $32,400 (with buyer’s premium). The gouache, watercolor and ink on paper work was signed lower center and verso. It was also marked with the stamp “Contemporary Masters Exhibition” and reference numbers. The framed piece was possibly a study for Warhol’s series dedicated to logos, advertisements and trademarks.
The rendering of the Absolut Vodka bottle (below), also a signed and framed gouache on paper, may have also been a study for Warhol’s commission in 1985 for what became one of the most successful ad campaigns of the 20th century. It made $12,000. The Elvis image—a mixed media drawing on white paper, unframed—was felt pen-signed on the image and in pencil verso. It realized $6,000.
The auction was packed with artworks from consignors in Europe, England, South America and the U.S., including original paintings and drawings by and attributed to noted artists from the 19th and 20th century, in styles that included Realism, Impressionism, Surrealism, Neo-Expressionism and Pop, a diverse mix of holdings from estates and fresh works from international art collectors.
“Several artists who were new to our catalogs made impressive results,” said Bruce Wood of Woodshed Art Auctions. “These included the illustrators Herge and Andre Franquin. Our consignors are excited and will be sending more illustrations for the next sale, on April 26th.”
The second-highest price realized at the auction was Illustrations of Tintin by Georges Remi Herge (French, 1907-1983), original ink drawings with pencil indications and white-out corrections on paper from the famous children’s book series. The sheet of drawings (below) sold for $21,875.
Following are additional highlights from the auction. All prices quoted include the buyer’s premium.
Andy Warhol’s friend Jean-Michel Basquiat (American, 1960-1988) was also represented in the auction. An oil on canvas attributed to Basquiat, titled Portrait of a Man (1981), artist signed and housed in a recent frame, brought $12,000. The 16-by-10½-inch painting, done in the artist’s inimitable style, came out of a collection in Spain.
A pair of crayon on pulpboard drawings attributed to Basquiat, which was signed on the reverse with the artist’s initials and trademark crown, sold as individual lots. Each fetched $1,200. Both were small, just 5¾ inches by 4 inches, and were consigned by a collector in Illinois, who reported the drawings had been purchased by the previous owner on Bleeker Street in Manhattan, circa 1980.
What is thought to be an early unfinished study for The Scream by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch (1863-1944) sold for $13,200. The work, an attribution, was signed and dated 1892. As the story goes, Munch created his haunting, symbolic painting The Scream after hearing an ear-piercing scream while on a walk with friends.
Pen and ink drawings on both sides of a single sketchbook page, done in the manner of the Dutch Master Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890), one titled Tree Study and the other one Landscape with Haystack, went for $9,600. Also, a tempera and oil on paper attributed to Claude Monet (French, 1840-1926), titled Sunrise (below), artist signed, 7¼ inches by 10¾ inches, unframed, fetched $7,200.
Two paintings linked to noted French artists posted identical winning bids of $6,000. One was a tempera and gouache on paper work attributed to Henri Matisse (1869-1954), titled Room Interior, signed, 10¾ inches by 7¾ inches unframed. The other was an oil on canvas after Jean Metzinger (1883-1956), signed and dated (June 1918), 47½ inches by 39½ inches in the frame.
An oil on canvas landscape painting (possibly of Old Lyme, Connecticut) by Hungarian-American artist Maurice Braun (1877-1941), signed lower left and measuring 30¾ inches by 36 inches in the frame, garnered $4,800. Also, a watercolor and ink drawing attributed to Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), titled Bullfight, signed and dated “3/3/67,” made $2,400.
An untitled oil on canvas painting attributed to Lee Krasner (American, 1908-1984), the Abstract Expressionist painter who was married to Jackson Pollock, signed lower left, sold for $2,400; while a marker on paper attributed to counterculture illustrator Robert Crumb (American, b. 1943), titled KOT (his iconic Keep on Trucking man), pencil-signed and unframed, sold for $1,200.
For additional information contact Bruce Wood of Woodshed Art Auctions at 508-533-6277 or email him at bruce@woodshedartauctions.com.
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