On the occasion of the artist's XNUMXth birthday, Christie's presents Wayne Thiebaud's tour-de-force, Four Pinball Machines, 1962, a highlight of ONE: A Global Sale of the 20th Century, July 10. With an estimate of $18-25 million, the present painting is expected to more than double the artist's world auction record currently held by Encased Cakes, 2011, which sold for $8,5 million in November 2019. This will mark the first time in nearly 40 years that Four Pinball Machines will be exhibited.
Wayne Thiebaud commented: “I'm interested in painting things that have been overlooked; people, places and things that reflect intimate feelings of pleasure and joy. I like to see people smile when they look at work. “
Alex Rotter, President of Postwar and Contemporary Art, Christie's, said: “It is always a privilege to have the opportunity to present a painting which is categorically recognized as one of the finest works any artist has ever created, but in this case it is particularly exciting given its prominence in the Pop art canon. This is exactly the case with Thiebaud's Four Pinball Machines, 1962. In his centenary, Thiebaud is among the most loved and respected artists of the 20th century, both for his extraordinary artistry and vision, but also for the joy that his paintings instill in anyone who stands before them. Four Pinball Machines is a painting that combines all the qualities that people appreciate about Thiebaud's work: an iconic subject infused with American nostalgia, the joyful palette and the masterful quality of expressionist brushstrokes. This work is the finest example by the artist in private hands and we are honored to be able to offer it in ONE: A XNUMXth Century Global Sale. ”
One of the largest canvases painted during Thiebaud's pivotal period in the early 60s, Four Pinball Machines is a striking monument to the artist's desire to paint what he described as objects “…that I believe have been overlooked”. In the present work, a row of five magnificent arcade games stands in splendid isolation, as Thiebaud's unique method of figurative painting captures these objects with an air of nostalgia. Luxuriously rich brushstrokes of electric color portray these machines in intricate detail, Thiebaud's brush renders every nuance of these complex and colorful machines. Alongside Andy Warhol's bottles of Coca-Cola and Roy Lichtenstein's comics, Thiebaud's paintings of pinball machines, lollipop trees, cakes and stalls have become icons of the pop age, but far from celebrating the consumerism of the economic boom postwar America, it is with paintings such as this that Thiebaud asks fundamentally more important questions and addresses important aesthetic and philosophical concerns.
Here the quotations in our Art & Money column
1962 was a pivotal year for Thiebaud. In April, he opened his first New York solo exhibition at the Allan Stone Gallery and later the same year he was honored with a solo museum exhibition, An Exhibition of Paintings by Wayne Thiebaud, at the MH de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco. Following the critical success of his New York show, later in the year he was invited to take part in a group show – New Realists – at the Sidney Janis Gallery in Manhattan. His one-of-a-kind paintings sparked critical interest and the artist began receiving favorable reviews in a number of influential publications including the New York Times, Artforum, Time, Newsweek and ARTnews. Many of the other major paintings Thiebaud completed in this landmark year are now in major museum collections including Deli Counter (Menil Collection, Houston); Candy Counter (Anderson Collection at Stanford University); Jackpot Machine (Smithsonian American Art Museum); and Around the Cake (Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas).
The present painting remains the artist's most important work in private hands.
ONE: A global sale of the 20th century: Christie's will launch a revolutionary relay-style auction concept in July. Entitled ONE: A Global Sale of the 20th Century, this sale will showcase masterpiece-level works of art from the 20th century together in an online live hybrid sale, blurring the lines of the category and bringing customers together in an unprecedented way.
From Hong Kong, the sale will then go to the auctioneers in Paris and London, to conclude in New York. Each city will host a pre-sale public exhibition staged in line with appropriate regional health advice at the time, complemented by an innovative virtual exhibition and digital marketing campaign to connect with global audiences and support the auction event . Bidders will be able to bid both online, via Christie's LIVE online bidding channel, and where regional and governmental advice allows, customers and telephone bidders will be welcome in every area of the room.
