SUMMER AT SOTHEBY S FEATURING A History of Art in 10 Magnificent Works

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Press Release London For Immediate Release London +44 (0)20 7293 6000 Sarah Rustin Sarah.Rustin@Sothebys.com Mitzi Mina Mitzi.Mina@Sothebys.

s, Magnificent Works, a specially curated exhibition of over 60 works in our New Bond Street Galleries (12 th -15 th June 2014) that celebrates the very best of what lies ahead in Sotheby s sales

As part of this exhibition, Sotheby s will present a whirlwind art historical tour that places ten of the greatest museum-quality works on view in the context of 2000 years of western art history - A

1 Press Release London For Immediate Release London +44 (0) Sarah Rustin Mitzi Mina SUMMER AT SOTHEBY S FEATURING A History of Art in 10 Magnificent Works Sotheby s London is delighted to announce that to launch the 2014 summer auction season we will be staging Summer at Sotheby s, Magnificent Works, a specially curated exhibition of over 60 works in our New Bond Street Galleries (12 th -15 th June 2014) that celebrates the very best of what lies ahead in Sotheby s sales this month and next. As part of this exhibition, Sotheby s will present a whirlwind art historical tour that places ten of the greatest museum-quality works on view in the context of 2000 years of western art history - A History of Art in 10 Magnificent Works. For this experience, ten masterpieces have been selected from the forthcoming summer auctions of Contemporary Art, Impressionist & Modern Art, Old Master Paintings, Old Master Drawings, Old Master Sculpture & Works of Art, Treasures (decorative arts, sculptures & antiquities) and Books & Manuscripts. Please visit for an accompanying video. THE WORKS A Marble Statue of Aphrodite Roman Imperial, circa early 1 st century A.D. Est. 4 6 million The Northumberland Aphrodite is one of the only two known complete Roman statues of Aphrodite after a Greek original of circa B.C.. Its twin sister was discovered near Naples in Purchased by 1 st Duke of Northumberland in 1773, it was part of the Cesi collection in the 16 th century. THE HISTORY This history of western art begins in ancient Greece and Rome with the goddess of love and procreation, Aphrodite. Then the rise of Christianity destroyed the old gods, and with the end of the Roman Empire their superb images were lost too. Treasures Giovanni da Rimini Left wing of a diptych depicting episodes from the lives of the Virgin Mary and other saints, circa Est. 2 3 million The beautifully preserved panel documents the transition from the Byzantine-inspired tradition of the dark ages to the more lyrical and naturalistic art that would herald the dawn of the Renaissance in Western Europe. A thousand years passed before their rediscovery brought about a reawakening and a reinvention of art. This took place chiefly in Italy where it was known as the Renaissance or rebirth of the arts. Some of the earliest stirrings of this transformation took place in the small town of Rimini, where the young Giovanni da Rimini was a follower of Giotto, the greatest of the painters who pioneered this change. Their work is the culmination of the process by which antique influences were introduced into Italian painting, which had hitherto been dominated by contemporary Byzantine art. Giovanni s figures, resplendent in their enamel-like colours against the shimmering gold ground, move with a far greater freedom of design and naturalism of pose that epitomise the spatial and dramatic achievements of this most vital of eras in the arts.

The Barbara Piasecka Johnson Collection: Proceeds to benefit the Barbara Piasecka Johnson Foundation Workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio, circa 1470 (Traditionally attributed to Leonardo da Vinci)

5 2 million Executed in one of the most important workshops of the Renaissance, these remarkable drawings are the only two works still in private hands from a hugely important group of 16 drapery

In the High Renaissance the appreciation and emulation of the values of the works of Antiquity was spread across all the arts: Architecture, Sculpture, Painting and Literature.

In the hands of its greatest exponents, such as Andrea del Verrocchio, who was both a painter and sculptor, or his pupil the young Leonardo da Vinci, this art reached a level of grace, elegance and

600,000 800,000 The first book ever to be printed in the English language.

Caxton carried out the translation of a French text by Raoul Lefèvre at the request of Margaret of York after her wedding to the duke of Burgundy in 1468.

2 The Barbara Piasecka Johnson Collection: Proceeds to benefit the Barbara Piasecka Johnson Foundation Workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio, circa 1470 (Traditionally attributed to Leonardo da Vinci) Drapery Study of a kneeling figure facing left Est million Executed in one of the most important workshops of the Renaissance, these remarkable drawings are the only two works still in private hands from a hugely important group of 16 drapery studies, the other 14 of which are in European public collections. In the High Renaissance the appreciation and emulation of the values of the works of Antiquity was spread across all the arts: Architecture, Sculpture, Painting and Literature. In the visual arts it led to a burgeoning of interest in both the depiction of the natural world and the human form and thence to studies and drawings of unprecedented immediacy. In the hands of its greatest exponents, such as Andrea del Verrocchio, who was both a painter and sculptor, or his pupil the young Leonardo da Vinci, this art reached a level of grace, elegance and refinement that has arguably never been equalled. Raoul Lefevre The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye Printed circa in Flanders by William Caxton Est. 600, ,000 The first book ever to be printed in the English language. Printed in Flanders, it is the very first production from the printing shop of William Caxton, the father of English printing. Caxton carried out the translation of a French text by Raoul Lefèvre at the request of Margaret of York after her wedding to the duke of Burgundy in This is one of about only 20 recorded copies surviving. At the same moment a parallel revolution took place with the invention of the printed book. William Caxton produced his first book in about In English, rather than Latin, it was a milestone in the evolution of the English language. Yet Caxton too looked to the classical world. That first book was a history of the Trojan wars. English Literature, History, Children's Books & Illustrations Sotheby s London, 15 July 2014 The Barbara Piasecka Johnson Collection: Proceeds to benefit the Barbara Piasecka Johnson Foundation Bartolomeo Cavarozzi The Sacrifice of Isaac Circa 1617 Est. 3 5 million This masterpiece is the most important and powerful Italian Caravaggesque painting to appear on the open market in a generation. It rivals the great Baroque Master s commitment to realism and use of dramatic contrasts of light and shade. It was a century before another revolution challenged the established classical tenets and idealised Madonnas and Saints established by the Renaissance. The Baroque style introduced new interest in the dramatic movement of figures in space and the depiction of emotion. The work of Caravaggio and his followers such as Cavarozzi introduced a revolutionary and controversial new realism in the treatment of these subjects, with the use of ordinary people as models and stark contrasts of light and shade to achieve greater dramatic impact. 2

The Property of a Swiss Private Collector A GEORGE III ORMOLU, GENEVA ENAMEL AND PASTE-SET MUSICAL AUTOMATON QUARTER STRIKING TOWER CLOCK For The Chinese Market, London, Circa 1790 Est. 1 1.

collector, Gustave Loup. In 1938/39 Loup sold the clock to Jacques-David LeCoultre. In 1953, his son, Roger LeCoultre sold it to the father of the present owner.

It heralded an era that saw a progression from early Baroque to an innovative mix of Rococco and Neo Classicism.

London for the Chinese market. An astonishing confection of gold and enamel and virtuoso engineering, it reminds us how art has always been a symbol of luxury, wealth and grand patronage.

20 30 million From the most iconic and celebrated of Monet s painting series, this Nymphéas was selected by the artist to be exhibited at his seminal exhibition held at the gallery of legendary art

3 The Property of a Swiss Private Collector A GEORGE III ORMOLU, GENEVA ENAMEL AND PASTE-SET MUSICAL AUTOMATON QUARTER STRIKING TOWER CLOCK For The Chinese Market, London, Circa 1790 Est million Testament to the Qing Emperors fascination with English and Swiss automaton timepieces, this swan clock was in the Jehol Imperial Palace until 1913, when it was acquired by the Swiss collector, Gustave Loup. In 1938/39 Loup sold the clock to Jacques-David LeCoultre. In 1953, his son, Roger LeCoultre sold it to the father of the present owner. The new power of art spread into the production of objects of every kind in the age of the Enlightenment. It heralded an era that saw a progression from early Baroque to an innovative mix of Rococco and Neo Classicism. This European artistic innovation spread far beyond Europe, marking a momentous step in the globalisation of the art market epitomised by this ingeniously crafted time piece of about 1790, made in London for the Chinese market. An astonishing confection of gold and enamel and virtuoso engineering, it reminds us how art has always been a symbol of luxury, wealth and grand patronage. Treasures The Property of a Distinguished Private Collection Claude Monet Nymphéas Dated 1906 Est million From the most iconic and celebrated of Monet s painting series, this Nymphéas was selected by the artist to be exhibited at his seminal exhibition held at the gallery of legendary art dealer Durand- Ruel in Paris in 1909, who singled out this work and acquired it, and in whose personal collection it remained throughout his lifetime. In the nineteenth century, artists finally broke the dominance of the Renaissance ideal and modern art was born in the form of Impressionism. Its greatest genius was Claude Monet and his finest works were the increasingly abstracted paintings he made of his lily pond at Giverny near Paris. Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale Sotheby s London, 23 June 2014 Property from an Important Private European Collection Piet Mondrian Composition with red, blue and grey Painted in 1927 Est million A quintessential masterpiece from the peak of Piet Mondrian s career, Composition with Red, Blue and Grey is one of a series of works crucial to the development of Modern art. Appearing at auction for the first time after 50 years in a private collection, the work had previously remained in Mondrian s private collection until he died. Abstraction proved to be the essence of modern art. It was taken to a point of perfection in the early 1920s by the Dutch artist Piet Mondrian. But in creating this high point of modernism, Mondrian drew on the ancient Greek idea that perfect beauty lies in geometric form. Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale Sotheby s London, 23 June

Property from a Private European Collection Francis Bacon Three Studies for Portrait of George Dyer (on Light Ground), 1964 Est.

exceptionally rare lifetime depiction of Dyer, full of the painterly exuberance that marks out Bacon as one of the greatest painters of the 20 th century.

Such was the influence of abstraction that by the mid-twentieth century painting of the human figure in the classical tradition seemed no longer possible.

Contemporary Art Evening Auction Sotheby s London, 30 June 2014 Andy Warhol Nine Multicoloured Marilyns (Reversal Series) Executed in 1979-86 Est.

4 Property from a Private European Collection Francis Bacon Three Studies for Portrait of George Dyer (on Light Ground), 1964 Est million Three Studies for Portrait of George Dyer by Francis Bacon, a depiction of the man who was the love of Bacon s life at the moment when they were most deeply involved, is an exceptionally rare lifetime depiction of Dyer, full of the painterly exuberance that marks out Bacon as one of the greatest painters of the 20 th century. This exceptional work has only rarely been seen in public, having remained in the same collection since Such was the influence of abstraction that by the mid-twentieth century painting of the human figure in the classical tradition seemed no longer possible. Enter Francis Bacon who somehow, singlehandedly, reinvented figurative painting, creating a new synthesis of modernism and tradition. Contemporary Art Evening Auction Sotheby s London, 30 June 2014 Andy Warhol Nine Multicoloured Marilyns (Reversal Series) Executed in Est. 4 6 million Illuminating the most famous movie star of the 20 th century Andy Warhol s Nine Multicoloured Marilyns is a stand-out example of the artist s most iconic female subject and his Reversals series. Warhol first painted Monroe shortly after her premature death in 1962; in 1979 he repeats his earlier silkscreen images in a new reversed and negative form, floodlit in order to highlight shadows and plunge mid-tones into darkness. Contemporary Art Evening Auction Sotheby s London, 30 June 2014 Bacon in turn seemed impossible to follow - until the appearance of Andy Warhol, whose genius was to identify subjects from contemporary life and then present them in an iconic way, quasi-religious icons of our time. His extraordinary paintings of Marilyn Monroe, made immediately after her death in 1962, look back through the compartmented altarpieces of the early Renaissance, to the image of Aphrodite, Marilyn's ancient counterpart. Of course they look forward too - linking on from the tremendous leap of the Renaissance and its workshops, to the leap in artistic processes and dissemination culture with the invention of the printed book, and on to Warhol s ingenious approach that has affected almost every development in art since. 4

5 FOR MORE NEWS FROM SOTHEBY S Visit: Follow: & & WeChat (ID: sothebyshongkong) Join: Watch: Sotheby s has been uniting collectors with world-class works of art since Sotheby s became the first international auction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973), India (1992) and France (2001), and the first international fine art auction house in China (2012). Today, Sotheby s presents auctions in 10 different salesrooms, including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris, and Sotheby s BidNow program allows visitors to view all auctions live online and place bids from anywhere in the world. Sotheby s offers collectors the resources of Sotheby s Financial Services, the world s only full-service art financing company, as well as private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories, including S 2, the gallery arm of Sotheby's Contemporary Art department, and two retail businesses, Sotheby s Diamonds and Sotheby s Wine. Sotheby s has a global network of 90 offices in 40 countries and is the oldest company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (BID). Images are available upon request All catalogues are available online at or through Sotheby s Catalogue ipad App. 5

London Matthew Weigman Mitzi Mina Sarah Rustin

London Matthew Weigman Mitzi Mina Sarah Rustin Press Release For Immediate Release London +44 20 7293 6000 Matthew Weigman Matthew.Weigman@Sothebys.com Mitzi Mina Mitzi.Mina@sothebys.com Sarah Rustin Sarah.Rustin@Sothebys.com Global Participation from