On July 2, Phillips will present the work “Noël” by Joan Mitchell at an auction in New York with an estimate that goes beyond 10 million dollars. This work of explosive colour, dripping fields of paint and rapid brushstrokes, is a great example of Mitchell's rich pictorial language that comes from his acclaimed body of work from the early 60s.
Noël shows the influence of French painters such as Monet and Cezanne, as well as his peers Willem de Kooning, Yves Kline and Jackson Pollock. This pictorial work is a significant example of the renowned body of work created in his rue Frémicourt studio between 1960 and 1962. It was a period of great emotional intensity for Mitchell: his mother was diagnosed with cancer in 1960 and his relationship with Jean-Paul Riopelle was volatile. These paintings, some of the brightest and most expressive of his career, reflect both Mitchell's surroundings in France and the turbulence of his personal life.
Jill Weinberg Adams, who worked with Joan Mitchell in Xavier Fourcade's gallery when the painting was exhibited, said: "Noël is part of an astonishing cycle of work that was first exhibited at Kornfeld and Klipstein in Bern, in Switzerland, in 1962. In addition to Hawks at 3 O'Clock, purchased at the time by Mitchell's friend Sam Francis, the paintings remained in storage in Switzerland until Fourcade took them to New York and exhibited a selection in 1985, including Grandes Carrières, 1961-1962, Museum of Modern Art, New York and Cous-cous, 1961-1962, Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, New Hampshire. Noël was in that show and it was a great privilege for me to experience the power of her at a time when interest in Mitchell's historical work was starting the surge that continues unabated today.”
Work of Joan mitchell Holidays, 1961-1962, oil on canvas 80 (204.5 x 200 cm) Estimate : $9,500,000-12,500,000
