Highlights include works by auction newcomers February James and Maja Ruznic, along with established figures such as Shara Hughes, Sam Gilliam, Salvador Dalí, Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol and others.
Prior to the auction, the exhibition will be open to the public from March 4 to 12 at 432 Park Avenue
Standing out as one of the top lots of the sale, Lillypad Palace, 2016, by Shara Hughes, bridges the gap between inside and outside, between reality and fantasy, while re-examining the traditions of landscape painting. Lilypad Palace combines a setting that is both familiar and foreign, using bright colors and expressive brushstrokes to infuse the genre with a fresh, contemporary perspective. Turning to landscape painting just two years before creating the present work, Hughes' use of energetic brushstrokes and vibrant hues is central and defines her unique painting style. In Sam Gilliam's New Orleans, 1979, bursts of purple, pink, blue and chartreuse collide in a vibrant display, creating a rough texture with impastoed paint smeared and splattered across the canvas. Parallel linear lines create a map of “raked furrows,” often seen by the artist's use of a rake dragged through the paint. Gilliam's innovative use of collage further enhances the painting's texture, revealing the canvas as a patchwork of stripes and blurring the lines between painting and sculpture, adding depth and dimensionality to the captivating display of color.
The sale will also include Brazilian born and raised artist Marina Perez Simão
The artist has become one of the most compelling contemporary painters working today who for her colorful semi-abstract paintings inspired by the landscapes of her home country, Untitled, 2019, is a prime example of Simão's delightful painting style. The Brazilian artist joins other young painters such as Pam Evelyn and Jadé Fadojutimi in his use of gestural abstraction to create dynamic and playful works. Simão's work is held in the public collections of renowned institutions such as the Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain de Saint-Étienne in France, The Ekard Collection in the Netherlands, and the Dallas Museum of Art in the United States. Making its auction debut, Phillips is proud to offer February James and her work Shining on the Inside, 2021. Based in Washington DC, James draws on her background as a makeup artist to infuse her paintings with transformative energy. Inspired by her makeovers, she imbues her portraits with new characters, exploring the interplay between memory and the dichotomy between internal and external self. Using vibrant colors reminiscent of Fauvist painters, she creates vivid portraits of unidentified figures. Most notably featured in the Rubell Museum's Singular Views: 25 Artists exhibition in Washington DC last year, her works can now be found in prestigious collections including the Rubell Museum and the Studio Museum in Harlem.
Another new artist featured in the auction is Maja Ruznic with her work Visitors, 2020
Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ruznic immigrated to the United States during the Yugoslavian civil war in 1992. With an upcoming feature film in the 2024 Whitney Biennial, Ruznic's works delve into memory and the human psyche, often depicting themes of trauma, family and diasporic experiences with a dreamlike softness. Her move from New Mexico to California in 2020 triggered a shift in her use of color, echoing the twilight hues seen in the pastel tones of Visitors. Damien Hirst's painting Beautiful Dance with the Devil is an exemplary work from his extensive Spin Painting series and another highlight of the auction. Performed in 2007, the work engages viewers with its compelling interplay between chaos and control. As part of a body of work inspired by the revolutionary techniques of artists such as Jackson Pollock, the present piece is emblematic of Hirst's uncompromising exploration of the unpredictable nature of creation.
Estimated 18-25 thousand dollars
The portrait of February James Shining on the Inside portrays the lush gardens that flourish deep within the subject's mind. A child gazes into the distance, raising a hand from which flowers bloom as exotic flora curves around his waist. The organic forms in this painting all seem to gravitate towards the child, placing all the narrative attention on him. Vibrant blocks of pastel pink, sage green and turquoise envelop the background, while dappled light beams onto the figure. The artwork resembles a daydream in its lucid examination of impossible beauty. Having worked with the mediums of painting and drawing since childhood, as well as having worked as a celebrity make-up artist, it is only in the last decade that James has begun to pursue a professional career as a self-taught artist. Inspired by the oil pastel portraits of South African artist Marlene Dumas, the artist seeks to represent the emotional and psychological reality of individuals in her work by manifesting their inner worlds.i James states that “When I create work now, I am evoking this emotional place. I am painting from my lived experiences. These are all aunts, uncles and people who have been around me or influenced my upbringing. I'm trying to create a space that contains that emotional state. “The clouds in the upper register, depicted in a way reminiscent of childhood sketches, give the impression of seeing the universe as a child might. James' artistic style, characterized by faux-naïve simplicity and vibrant hues, evokes the skilled color manipulation of the Fauvists and the naive aesthetics of artistic predecessors such as Henri Rousseau, Wassily Kandinsky, and Franz Marc. James' use of various materials creates a multi-textured canvas that increases the tangibility of the scene. The thin ray of light divides the composition, similar to a crack running through the artwork, seemingly opening the picture plane to the viewer. In James' hometown of D.C., the artist has been featured in several exhibitions in recent years, one of which was the Rubell Museum's inaugural group show What's Going On, which was on display through October 2023. Most recently is Homecoming (I'm Coming Home), a solo exhibition by the artist exploring topics such as authenticity, facade and personal identity, opened February 10, 2024 at the CulturalDC Mobile Art Gallery at the Randall Recreation Center. Both exhibitions testify to the artist's extraordinary rise in the world of contemporary art.
