- Title: Christie's offers crypto payment for Keith Haring at auction
- Date: 24th June 2021
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JUNE 24, 2021) (REUTERS) GUESTS LOOKING AT KEITH HARING (1958-1990) UNTITLED VARIOUS OF KEITH HARING (1958-1990) UNTITLED (ON THE WALL ON LEFT) / YAYOI KUSAMA (B. 1929) PUMPKIN (IN FRONT)/ GERHARD RICHTER (B. 1932) STRIP (ON WALL AT BACK) VARIOUS OF YAYOI KUSAMA (B. 1929) PUMPKIN YAYOI KUSAMA (B. 1929) PUMPKIN (IN FRONT)/KEITH HARING (1958-1990) UNTITLED (ON THE WALL) (SOUNDBITE) (English) CO-HEAD OF POST-WAR AND CONTEMPORARY ART, FOR CHRISTIE'S IN EUROPE, KATHARINE ARNOLD, SAYING: ''So this painting by Keith Haring is was painted in 1984. In fact, it is probably the very first example that we see of an artist celebrating the computer, which makes it something really special. It was 1984 that Apple Macintosh was first launched. So it's really a piece of history. And you can see an artist thinking about what the potentials might be for this for this future, this techno, technological digital era that's dawning in the middle of the 1980s'' VARIOUS OF KEITH HARING (1958-1990) UNTITLED VARIOUS OF ARNOLD IN INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (English) CO-HEAD OF POST-WAR AND CONTEMPORARY ART, FOR CHRISTIE'S IN EUROPE, KATHARINE ARNOLD, SAYING: ''So the potential for paying in cryptocurrency for the full hammer price and buyer's premium was something that felt like this was a perfect marriage. Clearly, the imagery fits, but I also think that within the crypto community, the concept of the outsider, the street artist, I think that those two things really do match up. There's something really wonderful about the fact that the blockchain and cryptocurrencies in general operate in this decentralised platform - well street artists, graffiti artists, they also have this kind of sense of being on the outside, looking in or on the outside and enjoying that kind of interplay between, you know, the formal art world and the informality of graffiti.'' WORKS IN CHRISTIE'S 20TH/21ST CENTURY: LONDON EVENING SALE VARIOUS OF PABLO PICASSO (1881-1973) L'ÉTREINTE VARIOUS OF JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT (1960-1988) UNTITLED VARIOUS OF WASSILY KANDINSKY (1866-1944) NOIR BIGARRÉ PIECES IN CHRISTIE'S SALE/ CHRISTIE'S SIGN HEAD OF IMPRESSIONIST AND MODERN ART AND AT CHRISTIE'S IN LONDON, KEITH GILL LOOKING AT PICASSO (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF IMPRESSIONIST AND MODERN ART AND AT CHRISTIE'S IN LONDON, KEITH GILL, SAYING: ''So this sale on the 30th of June, in the afternoon is our 20th and 21st century art evenings sale. So it spans art from the 20 century across the twenty first century, we have works ranging in estimate from two hundred thousand pounds to 18 million pounds. We have Picasso, we have Giacometti, we have Degas. We also have some very good contemporary artists. We have Richter, we have Keith Haring a full range of artists across those two centuries. We have just over 50 lots really having something that many of our clients will be attracted to within that sale.'' VARIOUS OF EDGAR DEGAS (1834-1917) DANSEUSE ROSE PIECES IN CHRISTIE'S SALE VARIOUS OF ALBERTO GIACOMETTI (1901-1966) HOMME QUI CHAVIRE (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF IMPRESSIONIST AND MODERN ART AND AT CHRISTIE'S IN LONDON, KEITH GILL, SAYING: ''The highest value lot we have in the sale of this fantastic Giacometti behind me, you see the 'Homme qui chavire' or 'The Falling Man', Giacometti is incredibly recognisable, incredibly well known sculptor of the 20th century. And this is one of his most iconic works. It was conceived in 1950. This specific cast was cast in 1951 when Giacometti is really at the height of his powers. And this specific figure, this falling man, this very sort of fragile sort of moment in time, a very dynamic bronze, really started to create this sort of existential interpretation of Giacometti's work. These casts are incredibly rare. There are only six that are known. This is one of those six. Many of those others are already in museums. So really, this is a it's a it's a cliché - this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for a number of our collectors to buy a real masterpiece of 20th century sculpture.'' ENTRANCE TO ROOM WITH PICASSO ON WALL VARIOUS OF PABLO PICASSO (1881-1973) HOMME AU CHAPEAU ASSIS PICASSO ON WALL/ OTHER PIECES IN SALE VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF CHRISTIE'S
- Embargoed: 8th July 2021 17:28
- Keywords: Alberto Giacometti Christie's Keith Haring Pablo Picasso art auction cryptocurrency sale
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Art,Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Europe
- Reuters ID: LVA001EIRHXSP
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Art fans can buy a painting by Keith Haring using cryptocurrency at Christie's "20th/21st century" sale in London next week, where works by Alberto Giacometti, Pablo Picasso and Yayoi Kusama are also going under the hammer.
The untitled piece, painted in 1984 and celebrating the start of the digital era with the depiction of a computer, has an estimated value of 3.9 million pounds - 4.5 million pounds ($5.42 million - $6.25 million).
In another sign of growing acceptance of cryptocurrencies in the mainstream, the auction house said buyers could make the full payment - the hammer price and full premium - using ether or bitcoin.
"(The painting) is probably the very first example that we see of an artist celebrating the computer ... It was 1984 that Apple Macintosh was first launched. So it's really a piece of history," Katharine Arnold, co-head of post-war and contemporary art for Christie's in Europe, told Reuters.
"So the potential for paying in cryptocurrency for the full hammer price and buyer's premium was something that felt like this was a perfect marriage."
Other lots include "Homme qui chavire", a 12 million - 18 million pound sculpture by Giacometti as well as painting "L'Etreinte" by Picasso, which is seen fetching 11 million - 16 million pounds.
"Giacometti is incredibly recognisable ... and this is one of his most iconic works ... This specific cast was cast in 1951 when Giacometti is really at the height of his powers," Keith Gill, head of impressionist and modern art at Christie's in London, said.
"These casts are incredibly rare. There are only six that are known, this is one of those six. Many of those others are already in museums."
($1 = 0.7200 pounds)
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