USA: The most valuable Warhol painting to ever hit auction and a rare Ferrari owned by Steve McQueen are set to be sold at Christie's Auction House

Record ID: 776334

  • Title: USA: The most valuable Warhol painting to ever hit auction and a rare Ferrari owned by Steve McQueen are set to be sold at Christie's Auction House
  • Date: 3rd May 2007
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF 1963 FERRARI 250 GT BERLINETTA LUSSO OWNED BY STEVE MCQUEEN (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHRISTIE'S VICE PRESIDENT AND HEAD OF U.S. SALES OF MOTOR CARS, CHRISTOPHER SANGER, SAYING: "Steve McQueen, he's certainly known as the king of cool, and he had a number of very, very important cars, from Ferraris to Jaguars to Porsches. This being his first car, first Ferrari that
  • Embargoed: 18th May 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
  • Reuters ID: LVA5JK6F4RZ2BBM2AAOBGMS675BT
  • Story Text: A plethora of masterful art was put on display at Christie's New York on Friday (April 27) as the auction house prepared for, what is lining up to be, the most valuable 'Post-War and Contemporary Art' Sale ever. The Contemporary works, from notables like Andy Warhol and Willem de Kooning, are on view along with paintings from Christie's 'Impressionist and Modern Art' Sale and even a Ferrari owned by Steve McQueen set for a motor car sale in August.
    The highlight of the 'Post-War and Contemporary Art' Sale is Warhol's "Green Car Crash," estimated to sell between 25 and 35 million dollars (USD). The sale is expected to far exceed the previous record for a Warhol painting: 17.4 million dollars (USD), paid for his "Mao" in 2006.
    Christie's Deputy Chairman, Brett Gorvy said that the sale is bound to set a new price structure for Warhol. Said Gorvy, "Warhol is one of he greatest artists, not just in terms of the painting, but in terms of the whole cultural phenomenon. Here we have a painting which is extremely rare, great scale, and from one of his most important series, coming at a time when people are desperate to buy the best of the best. When you put all those elements together, you can get a fantastic price."
    Another iconic Warhol piece, "Lemon Marilyn," will also hit the auction block. An unambiguous canonization of Marilyn Monroe, the painting is one of the original eight "Marilyns" featured in Warhol's first solo show in 1962. It is expected to fetch in excess of 18 million dollars.
    Various examples Mark Rothko's iconic fields of colour will be up for grabs, including his 1954's "Untitled." The work, which features red and orange forms floating on a soft red background, is estimated at 14 to 18 million dollars (USD).
    Expected to sell in excess of 20 million dollars (USD), Willem de Kooning's "Untitled I" has been the highlight of many exhibitions. Painted in 1981, the work is fresh to the market and is a prime example of the artist's late paintings.
    Christie's expects to bring in a record 225 to 300 million dollars (USD) when the 'Post-War and Contemporary Art Sale' takes place on May 16.
    In addition to Contemporary works, Christie's is preparing for a sale of 'Impressionist and Modern Art' to be held on May 9. Headlining the sale is Juan Gris's "Le pot de geranium," estimated between 14 and 18 million dollars (USD). The sale is expected to break a record for Gris.
    Christie's Senior Vice President and Head of Impressionist Art, Guy Bennett said that the work is a virtual guidebook to the Gris's compositional practices, preferred subject matter, and formal interests; all which leads to its heavy price tag.
    "It is the sort of culmination of all these ideas, and in fact it's a direct response to those artists around him such as Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso. This sort of tension, there's a wonderful sort of softness about it, but this incredible sort of tension, sort of the idea of these Cubist ideas that play out on the canvas," said Bennett.
    Joining the Gris is Amedo Modigliani's "La Femme au collier vert (Madame Menier), one of his most poised and serenely balanced portraits. Featuring Modigliani's iconic elongated oval face, the portrait is estimated at 12 -16 million dollars (USD).
    Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's "Dodo mit grossen Facher" reveals Kirchner's lover, Doris Grosse. One of the artist's finest early paintings, it is expected to sell for 12 - 18 million dollars (USD).
    Rounding up the highlights of the Impressionist sale is Pablo Picasso's "Tete et main de femme," estimated at 14 - 18 million dollars (USD). The portrait, with its massive sculptural form, is a prime example from a period when Picasso embarked upon a series of neoclassical female nudes.
    In addition to works of art, Christie's is also previewing a 1963 Ferrari once owned and driven by the late film star Steve McQueen. Expected to fetch between 800,000 and 1.2 million dollars, the car is a Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso with a medium-brown metallic paint and beige leather interior.
    Christie's Vice President and Head of U.S. Sales of Motor Cars, Christopher Sanger said that there is a lot of hype around the car. "Steve McQueen, he's certainly known as the King of Cool, and he had a number of very, very important cars, from Ferraris to Jaguars to Porsches. This being his first car, first Ferrari that he owned, is an incredibly important opportunity. It's probably the most important celebrity collector car to come to market ever," said Sanger.
    McQueen, who died in 1980, was a car collector who also enjoyed auto racing and reportedly performed some of his own driving stunts in his movies. One of his most famous car chase scenes was in the 1968 film "Bullitt."
    The car will be sold on August 16 at Christie's International Motor Cars 2007 flagship auction at the Monterey Jet Center in California.
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