Another blockbuster auction for the blockbuster spring season: the Anne H. Bass Collection
Mark Rothko - Untitled Shades of Red - No. 1 1962
Christie's has announced that next May it will auction 12 works from the Anne Hendricks Bass collection, including paintings by Rothko and Monet, and a sculpture by Degas.
By G. Fernandez · theartwolf.com ·· Image: Mark Rothko, "Untitled (Shades of Red)," 1961. (175.3 x 142.2 cm) and "No. 1, 1962." (175.3 x 152.4 cm)
With still more than six weeks to go, the "big week" of the 2022 spring auctions promises to be one of the remarkable ones in recent years. Led by that “beautiful child" (as Truman Capote would define it) valued at $200 million, with Sotheby's offering the second part of the Macklowe collection auction, as well as an Impressionist art auction that will include a $50 million Monet, and Phillips signing up to the party with the $70 million "SuperBasquiat"; Christie's adds fuel to the fire with the announcement of the sale of 12 works from the Anne Hendricks Bass collection, collectively valued at around $250 million.
As with the aforementioned Macklowe collection, Mark Rothko is the author of the work with the highest pre-sale estimate. And, in this case, doubly so. Painted less than a year apart, and similar in dimensions and composition, "Untitled (Shades of Red)" and "No. 1, 1962" have been valued by Christie's at between $60 million and $80 million for the former, and between $45 million and $65 million for the latter. What explains this difference in these "almost twins" Rothkos? Does it have anything to do with their provenance? Christie's explains that "Untitled (Shades of Red)" belonged to the great collector Mary Lasker (between 1962 and 1983, according to the artist's catalog raisonné), but it does not seem to be a decisive factor considering that both works have remained in the same collection for a considerable time. Be that as it may, it is inevitable to recall the very successful sale of another 1961 Rothko, "Orange, Red, Yellow", for $86.9 million 10 years ago, although by scale and importance it is a better work than these two canvases. Also, the obvious oversaturation of Rothkos on the market could be a point of concern.
Claude Monet - Le Parlement soleil couchant - 1903Claude Monet - Le Parlement soleil couchant - 1903 2
Images: Claude Monet (1840-1926), "Le Parlement, soleil couchant", 1903, oil on canvas. Version going on auction next May (left) and version sold for $40.5 million in 2015 (right).
And if Rothko is one of the usual stars of art auctions, Claude Monet is not far behind. "Le Parlement, soleil couchant" (1903) is one of 19 views of the Houses of Parliament painted by Claude Monet, and carries a presale estimate of between $40 million and $60 million. Compared to the version auctioned seven years ago for $40.5 million, this painting is a bit more monotonous, looking similar to a version kept at the Kunstmuseen in Krefeld, and even to another version auctioned in 2004 (also by Christie's) for $20.2 million. But, despite the undeniable appeal of the series of views of the Houses of Parliament painted by Claude Monet, they cannot compare to his "Poplars" series, painted a decade earlier, and of which "Peupliers au bord de l'Epte" (presale estimate: $30 million to $50 million) is a very good example, and the only relevant version to come up for auction in more than ten years, since "Les Peupliers" was auctioned at Christie's for $22.5 million in 2011.
Claude Monet - Peupliers au bord de lEpte - 1891
Image: Claude Monet (1840-1926), "Peupliers au bord de l'Epte," 1891. Oil on canvas, 101 x 65.7 cm.
Speaking of old acquaintances in the art market: "Petite danseuse de quatorze ans" is the only sculpture Edgar Degas exhibited during his lifetime (despite the fact that many others were found in his studio). The original wax version is owned by the National Gallery in Washington, but several bronze copies were created after the artist's death, with several having come on the market in recent times, such as the one sold at Sotheby's in 2015 for £15.8 million, or the one sold -also at Sotheby's- for £13.3 million in 2009. The version in the Bass Collection was commissioned from the Hébrard foundry in August 1927, and carries a presale estimate of between $20 million and $30 million.

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