Kenneth Noland
A leading member of the Washington Color School, Kenneth Noland combined Color Field painting and geometric abstraction to achieve bold works focusing on form and color. From 1983,
Sand Glass is a large-scale example of the chevron, one of the Noland’s best-known forms, employed with high-key colors to stunning effect (
Elaine de Kooning
Black Mountain College grad and Eight Street Club member Elaine de Kooning was overshadowed by husband Willem through much of her life, though the beloved artist and writer broke out of Abstract Expressionism, expanding into representational art. Vacillating between pure abstraction and portraiture throughout her career, a late 1950s untitled work in the sale is a magnificent example of her approach to action painting, deftly holding its own with the work of her male peers (
Banksy: Girl with Balloon, shredding just after the hammer came down in 2018
Credit: Instagram/@banksy
As we enter 2021, it seems a good time to assess the previous decade. From a long-range perspective the high points might be: the resounding recovery from the 2008 banking crash; the virtually continuous growth in prices for modern and contemporary art; or, more recently, the market’s adaptation to the erosion of the physical experience of art during the pandemic.
Closer inspection reveals geographic shifts of activity, such as the way the London gallery scene went into overdrive: between 2010 and 2017, numerous powerful international galleries opened or expanded in the capital. Also from Europe came an injection of Mediterranean culture with the arrival of specialist dealers from Italy, such as Mazzoleni and Tornabuoni.