Christie’s will host an online-only auction in collaboration with the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, with bidding running from April 28 through May 6.
“Andy Warhol: Better Days” will feature 60 photographs selected by Michael Dayton Hermann, director of licensing, marketing and sales at the Warhol Foundation, in coordination with Christie’s.
Warhol produced nearly 130,000 images with his treasured 35-millimeter compact Minox alone, only 17% of which had been printed at the time of his death in 1987.
“Having a few rolls of film to develop gives me a good reason to get up in the morning,” the Master of Pop once said of his preoccupation with photography.
The online auction will bring light upon Warhol’s ability to capture the beauty of the everyday scenes that surrounded him, from the mountains of Colorado to the beaches of Montauk and the tulips lining New York City’s Park Avenue.
Many of the photographs on offer are estimated in the region of $3,000 and $5,000, although portraits of the Pop artist are among the priciest lots.
Warhol’s portrait with American curator of contemporary art Henry Geldzahler is expected to fetch between $15,000 and $20,000, while the polaroid prints “Self-Portrait” are estimated to go under the hammer between $30,000 and $50,000.
“This unique sale focuses on works which celebrate Warhol’s uncanny ability to draw attention to the inspiring artistry of ordinary life,” Hermann said of the auction in a statement.
Proceeds from “Andy Warhol: Better Days” will support the Warhol Foundation’s ongoing efforts to support artists whose livelihoods have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier this April, the Foundation announced that it will team up with partner organizations in its Regional Re-granting Program to distribute emergency grants of $100,000 to artists in 16 cities across the United States.
“Andy Warhol: Better Days” is one of numerous online-only sales that will run throughout the months of April and May, with each timed auction ranging from 14 to 21 days.
These newly-scheduled auctions will offer collectors the opportunity to acquire masterworks across numerous collecting categories, including 20th Century art, Asian Art, Decorative Arts, Photography, Science and Natural History, as well as Jewels, Watches and Handbags.
“Following our planned move to reduce our printed materials by at least 50% and to increase our investment in digital-first initiatives, Christie’s is now accelerating the development of new enhancements that support our private and online-only sales channels,” Jennifer Zatorski, president of Christie’s Americas, said in a statement.
Christie’s attracted over 13.3 million visitors worldwide in 2019 through its online auctions, while 41% of new buyers came to the auction house via its digital offerings. NVG
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