Christie's London - Pivotal Moments In Post-War & Contemporary Art

7/28/2019 Christie's London - Pivotal Moments In Post-War & Contemporary Art

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PIVOTAL MOMENTS IN

POST-WAR & CONTEMPORARY ART

MASTERPIECES BY BASQUIAT AND DOIG LEADCHRISTIE'S LONDON EVENING AUCTION OF

POST-WAR &CONTEMPORARY ART ON 25JUNELondon - On 25 June Christies London evening auction of Post-War & Contemporary Art will featurmasterpieces by Jean-Michel Basquiat (Untitled, 1982, estimate on request; illustrated above) and Peter Doi

whose works have recently fetched world records at Christies, as well as iconic works by international Post-Wamasters, including Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Yves Klein and Nicolas de Stal. Many works have emerge

from important private collections, including Warhols rare Colored Campells Soup Can from 1965, formerly

the collection of legendary gallerist and collector Ileana Sonnabend.

Francis Outred, Christie's Head of Post-War & Contemporary Art, Europe: Following the huge success of thNew York auctions in May when Christies achieved the highest total for any auction in history, the London sale

follow with a rich choice of material, presenting a fabulous opportunity to see pivotal paintings from the 1950s t

today. Beyond the top lots masterpieces by Basquiat and Doig we have Pop paintings from key moments i

the careers of Lichtenstein and Warhol, as well as rare conceptual and minimalist works by Blinky Palermo an

Brice Marden. From Europe, two important works by de Stal, hidden for years, show how he changed painting i

the 1950s.

P R E S S R E L E A S E | L O N D O N

F O R I M M E D I A T E R E L E A S E | 6 J u n e 2 0 1 3


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Leading Christies evening sale is an epic large-scale double portrait by Jean-Michel Basquiat from 1982, a pivotyear in the artists career (illustrated on page 1; estimate on request). Untitled forms part of the series o

important double portraits, including Untitled (Two Heads on Gold) and Dustheads (which fetched a record pric

of $48.8m when it sold at Christies New York in May). The full-length double portraits of 1982 marked Basquiat

coming of age in the art world. In 1982 he was 21, he had just met his idol, Andy Warhol, and the success of hi

gallery show at Annina Nosei that March gave him a new-found freedom, enabling him to earn a living from h

paintings. The cartoonish figures in this work evoke the joyous spirit of this heady time when he had just broke

through to art world super-star status. Towering above the viewer, this painting is striking for its monument

scale, the decisiveness of Basquiats line and the sheer brilliance of his signature colour palette of vibrant red

electric blue, and blaring yellow.

Boldly articulated in Basquiats confident scrawl, Untitled is a defiant assertion of artistic and individua

independence, expressing a confidence to match his new-found fame. Its two figures, with their rhythm

movements and screaming features evoke the chaotic energy of the New York underground scene in which th

artist was immersed. Basquiat painted impulsively, pouring out his creativity in a cathartic stream of pent-u

emotion. Working quickly in oil stick and acrylic, he combined drawing and painting in a graffiti-like style t

create a fresh medium he called extra large. Untitledexemplifies this explosive, extra large sensibility, with

raw and spontaneous painterly energy that echoes the urban hubbub of 1980s New York and hints at th

inspiration Basquiat found in and around his downtown studio.

Francis Outred, Christie's Head of Post-War & Contemporary Art, Europe: Following the doubling of the worlrecord for Basquiat in New York at $48.8m forDustheadsfrom 1982, Christies is thrilled to be offering anothe

magnificent even larger scale double portrait from the same year. Featuring the same iconic double portra

motif, Untitled (1982) is a more raw and direct explosion of mark making in primary colours. Speaking of th

influence of Picasso, Twombly, Dubuffet, the street and tribal art, not to mention the artists own response to hi

new-found fame and freedom, this painting pulsates with Basquiats creative energy.

Another star work in the sale is a masterpiece by Peter Doig,Jetty(1994), which dates from a pivotal moment ithe artist's career and has remained in the same prestigious collection since the year of its creation (illustrate

above; estimate: 4,000,000-6,000,000). Executed on a monumental scale, Jettycreates an idealised vision of

landscape, vast and all encompassing, the lake at its heart suffused with the blazing colours of an Indian summe

sunset. Taking a scenic postcard as his point of departure, Jetty is a nostalgia-tinged rendering of Alberta

Cameron Lake in Western Canada.


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Although this is a figurative image, the composition veers into abstraction, with its fire-fly flecks of colour an

skeins of paint weaving across the surface, taking the image in and out of focus and creating a painterl

meditation on the way we see and remember. As the artist has said, I never really try to create real spaces on

painted spaces. Thats all I am interested in. That may be why there is never really any specific time or place in m

paintings.

Francis Outred, Christie's Head of Post-War & Contemporary Art, Europe: Peter Doig's 'Jetty' was painted i1994 - a key moment in his career and has been in the same private collection ever since. It has only been seen i

Britain once before at Doigs Tate retrospective in 2008. With its romantic vision of a lone figure on a jett

watching a canoe drifting in the midst of a vast, pointillist lake at twilight, this atmospheric work hovers on th

edge of abstraction and exemplifies Doig's painterly vision. Last February a Doig painting from 1991 made

record price of 7.6m at Christies London and were truly excited to be offering another rare Doig masterpiece.

Jettywas painted in 1994, the same year the artist was nominated for the Turner Prize and won the first prize i

the Prix Eliette von Karajan. Works from this year are now widely considered among the best of his career, wit

Jetty standing out as a formative work in his artistic practice. This painting was personally selected by Doi

alongside Pine House (Rooms for Rent) to feature as centrepieces of his first solo exhibition at the New Yor

gallery, Gavin Brown's enterprise in 1994, with the artist driving it himself from Ontario to Manhattan to ensur

its inclusion. The present owner bought the work from that 1994 show. Several works from this important yea

are housed within international museum collections including Ski Jacket, 1994, Tate Modern, London, BoileHouse, 1994, promised to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and Corn Cob, 1994, Los Angeles Count

Museum of Art. Doigs practice is one of displacement. He lived in Canada from 1966-1979 and 1986-1989, but

was not until he had moved to London to attend the Chelsea School of Art that he began revisiting and relivin

the landscapes of his youth. Based on an image found in a postcard, this painting, along with others that he ha

created throughout his peripatetic life, is the result of a desire to depict and represent in paint his memories

feelings and experiences. Also featured in the Christie's London evening auction ofPost-War & Contemporary A

is another visionary painting by Peter Doig entitled White Out. Offered from the famed Collection of Marce

Brient, it was created in 1992 and will be presented with an estimate of 700,000-1,000,000. In addition, th

evening auction will include a work on paper by Doig, Canoe Lake created in 1999 with an estimate of 80,000

120,000 that is another example of Doigs celebrated imagery of canoes.

POST-WAR CLASSICSBY WARHOL,LICHTENSTEIN,KLEIN AND DE STAL

An outstanding example from Andy Warhols celebrated series of ColoreCampbells Soup Cans, the present work is one of four from the series remaine

in the renowned Sonnabend Collection until Ileana Sonnabends death in 200

(estimate: 2,250,000-3,250,000; illustrated right). An icon of 1960s America

culture, Andy Warhols Campbells Soup Can, first conceived in 1962, dramatical

changed the landscape of Post-War art. Sonnabend, an influential New Yorgallerist of the period, acquired her Colored Campbells Soup Can from the a

dealer Leo Castelli, her friend and former husband. Sonnabend was a pivota

figure in the careers and fortunes of numerous great American artists, becomin

an early patron of Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns as well as Warho

whose paintings she proudly owned and mounted on her walls at her New Yor

and Venice homes, as well as exhibited in her gallery. Other examples of Colore

Campbell's Soup Cans are now in major museums and private collections acros

the world including: the Menil Collection, Houston, Staatliche Museum Berlin

Sammlung Marx, Berlin, and the Milwaukee Art Museum.


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With its graphic intensity and striking array of hand-stencilled indigo blue Benday dots, Cup of Coffee (estimat

1,500,000-2,000,000; illustrated right) is one of the earliest examples ofRoy Lichtensteins Pop imagery.

Executed in 1961, this work is a crucial marker of the advent of Pop Art in America and

forms part of a series of single object paintings that represented quintessential American

life and were sourced from mass-produced newsprint ads. This painting marks the first time

the artist used the Benday dots that have come to be seen as his trademark. With the

artists pencil-marks and corrections still visible, it is rare and remarkable for its raw, hand-

crafted quality.

Drenched in the artists signature International Klein Blue, YvesKleins SE 181 (estimate: 1,400,000-1,800,000; illustrated left),with its elegant oceanic sponge form is one of only three,

extremely rare versions in the artists oeuvre in which the sponge and base ar

organically linked by Kleins trademark blue, creating a tree-like form. This spong

sculpture embodies the essence of the artists celebrated Sculptures ponges that hav

recently made record prices at Christies (in June 2012, Kleins sponge relief Le Rose d

bleu (RE 22), fetched a record 23.5m at Christies London). Made in 1960 at the heigh

of the artists career, when the artist picked up a paint-drenched sponge and decided t

turn it into a sculpture, this intricate, bulbous work has an otherworldly quality. Formin

part of the same collection since 1986, this is the first time SE 181 has been seen by thpublic for over 25 years.

Painted in 1954, Marseille (estimate: 1,000,000-1,500,000; illustrated right) dates

from the pinnacle ofNicolas de Stals career when nature and landscape became hispreferred subjects through which to explore colour and form. Infused with the

brilliant light and vibrant colour of the South of France, Marseille is one of de Stals

Mediterranean paintings, which are among his most celebrated works. The painting

has a strong exhibition history, first shown the year of it was made at Galerie Jacques

Dubourg. It was subsequently first seen in London at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in

1956 and at the Venice Biennale in 1964. In 1966 Marseille was shown in America,

touring to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The Art Institute of Chicago and theSolomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. Marseille was last publicly seen in the

United Kingdom at Nicolas de Stal, Tate Gallery, London in 1981. Also featured in this

section of the sale is an important still life painted by Nicolas de Stal in 1953, entitled

Fleurs blanches et rouges dans un vase gris (estimate: 600,000-900,000).

POST-WAR & CONTEMPORARY ART EVENING AUCTIONChristies - 8 King Street, St Jamess - London SW1Y 6QTTuesday 25 June 2013 at 7pm

Viewings:Christies - 8 King Street, St Jamess - London SW1Y 6QTFriday 21 June 9am 7pm

Saturday 22 June 11am 5pm

Sunday 23 June 12noon 5pm

Monday 24 June 9am 6pm

Tuesday 25 June 9am 4pm

PRESS CONTACT: Cristiano De Lorenzo | +44 207 389 2283 |[email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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About Christies

Christies, the world's leading art business, had global auction and private sales in 2012 that totalled 3.92 billion/$6.2

billion. Christies is a name and place that speaks of extraordinary art, unparalleled service and expertise, as well a

international glamour. Founded in 1766 by James Christie, Christie's has since conducted the greatest and most celebrate

auctions through the centuries providing a popular showcase for the unique and the beautiful. Christies offers over 45

auctions annually in over 80 categories, including all areas of fine and decorative arts, jewellery, photographs, collectiblewine, and more. Prices range from $200 to over $100 million. Christie's also has a long and successful history conductin

private sales for its clients in all categories, with emphasis on Post-War and Contemporary, Impressionist and Modern, O

Masters and Jewellery. Private sales totaled 631.3 million/$1 billion in 2012, an increase of 26% on the same period las

year.

Christies has a global presence with 53 offices in 32 countries and 10 salerooms around the world including in Londo

New York, Paris, Geneva, Milan, Amsterdam, Dubai, Zrich, and Hong Kong. More recently, Christies has led in growt

markets such as Russia, China, India and the Middle East, with successful sales, exhibitions and initiatives in Moscow, Bak

Beijing, Mumbai, Delhi, Jeddah, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Dubai.

*Estimates do not include buyers premium. Sales totals are hammer price plus buyers premium and do not reflect cost

financing fees or application of buyers or sellers credits.

Images available on request

Complete catalogue available online atwww.christies.com or via the Christies iPhone app
http://nyfilsrv01p/INTERNATIONAL$/Department%20Files/PW&CTA/Fall%202009/Releases/www.christies.comhttp://nyfilsrv01p/INTERNATIONAL$/Department%20Files/PW&CTA/Fall%202009/Releases/www.christies.comhttp://christiesauctions.tumblr.com/http://pinterest.com/christiesinc/http://www.facebook.com/Christieshttp://twitter.com/http://christiesauctions.tumblr.com/http://pinterest.com/christiesinc/http://www.facebook.com/Christieshttp://twitter.com/http://christiesauctions.tumblr.com/http://pinterest.com/christiesinc/http://www.facebook.com/Christieshttp://twitter.com/http://christiesauctions.tumblr.com/http://pinterest.com/christiesinc/http://www.facebook.com/Christieshttp://twitter.com/http://nyfilsrv01p/INTERNATIONAL$/Department%20Files/PW&CTA/Fall%202009/Releases/www.christies.com


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LEADINGCONTEMPORARYPAINTERS

AT CHRISTIE'S LONDONLondon On 25 and 26 June, Christies summer auctions of Post-

War & Contemporary Art will present a particularly strong

section dedicated to some of the most interesting international

painters working today, including exceptional works by Adriana

Varejo, Ali Banisadr, John Currin and Tauba Auerbach among

others.

Executed in 1991, O Milagre dos Peixes (Miracle of the Fishes) isthe first of Brazilian-born artist Adriana Varejos Sea and Tiles

series of paintings (estimate: 200,000-300,000; illustrated

right). A very early example of the artist allowing deep cracks to

carve through her work, O Milagre dos Peixes surface creates

textural interest, forming different pictorial surfaces depending

on the way in which the plaster cracks. Redolent of shards of

broken azulejos, the work suggests the dissonance and

eclecticism that suffuses Brazilian culture in the wake of

imperialism.

New York-based artist Ali Banisadr is a key member of a new generation of contemporary painters and

headed Flash Arts list of Top 100 Artists of 2011. His work is held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New

York, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and the British Museum, London. The inclusion of

Banisadrs In the Name Ofin the Post-War & Contemporary Art Evening auction marks a rare opportunity to

obtain an important work by this celebrated young artist whose work has only come to auction once before.

Painted in 2008 on an epic scale, Banisadrs In the Name Of is a chaotic, dream-like vision, meticulously

rendered in a rich palette of reds and oranges

(estimate: 40,000-60,000; illustrated left). From a

Gods-eye view, as implied by the title, Banisadr

presents an irregular, geometric expanse

reminiscent of a circus tent or stained glass window,descending into an energetic melee of humanity

throbbing in and out of focus. This oscillation

between narrative and abstraction forms the core of

the artists practice. Banisadr moved to the US from

his native Iran at the age of 12 and his work

expresses his experience of belonging to two

distinct cultures. In the Name Of was exhibited in

2009 at Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East,

Saatchi Gallery, London.




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Painted in 1997, John Currins Daughter and Mother is a key work by

the artist that showcases his celebrated talent for de-stabilising the

conventions of American imagery and the art historical canon (estimate:

1,400,000-1,800,000; illustrated right). From 1992 through 1998,

Currin employed the traditional genre of portraiture to explore the

often clichd representation of women in western culture. Examples

from this period include middle-aged women, pulp-novel pin-ups, and

pneumatic blondes. The year 1996 marked a transitional moment in

Currins practice as he began to use a variety of painterly techniqueswithin a single work, conflating the glossy perfection found in

contemporary visual culture with faces rendered in heavily applied

impasto. Currin has maintained that these two painting techniques

symbolise different kinds of intimacy, encouraging the viewer to engage

with the work on a several levels. Daughter and Mother is perhaps more chaste than the artists usual

subject matter, but continues in the Currin's tradition of working with voluptuous curves and seductive

women. Mixing iconic compositions from art history with the artificially rendered stock imagery of

contemporary illustration, Currin creates images which are both everyday and uncanny.

Exploring the traditional distinctions between content, dimension andimage, Tauba Auerbachs cerebral compositions challenge our

conventional ways of seeing. Elegant and intriguing, Untitled (Fold)

radiates with a subtle luminosity, capturing the gentle rays of light across

what appears at first to be pure white folds of cloth, lined with creases

(estimate: 200,000-300,000; illustrated left). Upon closer inspection,

however, Untitled (Fold) reveals itself to be a masterful, modern example

of trompe loeil. One of Auerbachs celebrated Folds series, the work is

illusory this is a perfectly flat surface canvas. Painted in 2010, Untitled

(Fold) dates from the same year Auerbach exhibited at the Museum of

Modern Art PS1, New York, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art,

the New Museum, New York, Castello di Rivoli Museum of ContemporaryArt, Turin, and the Whitney Biennial, Whitney Museum of American Art,

New York.

Auctions:

Christies - 8 King Street, St Jamess - London SW1Y 6QT

POST-WAR & CONTEMPORARY ART EVENING AUCTION

Tuesday 25 June 2013 at 7pm

POST-WAR & CONTEMPORARY ART DAY AUCTION

Wednesday 26 June 2013 at 1pm

Viewings:


Friday 21 June 9am 7pm

Saturday 22 June 11am 5pm

Sunday 23 June 12noon 5pm

Monday 24 June 9am 6pm

Tuesday 25 June 9am 4pm

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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HOMAGE TO CHILLIDA

CHRISTIE'S LONDON, 25-26 JUNE

London Christies is proud to present the complete Homage to Chillida exhibition curated by Kosme de

Baraano and held at Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in 2006 for sale in the Christies London evening and day

auctions ofPost-War & Contemporary Art on 25 and 26 June 2013. Homage to Chillida is a collection of

works representing a fitting testament to the remarkable career of Eduardo Chillida (1924-2002). A star work

from the exhibition is Eduardo Chillidas monumental sculpture Buscando la Luz IV, 2001, which was first on

long-term display at The Yorkshire Sculpture Park from 20022004 before its installation at the Guggenheim

Museum Bilbao in 2006 (estimate on request; illustrated above).

A poignant tribute to the renowned Basque sculptor, this homage includes forty-five sculptures, paintings

and drawings by a group of prominent international and Spanish artists, including Elsworth Kelly, Cy

Twombly, Zao Wou-Ki, Miquel Barcel, David Hockney and Anish Kapoor.

Homage to Chillidawill be exhibited from 10 26 June at Christie's new gallery space at 103 New Bond

Street.

Eduardo Chillidas Buscando La Luz IV (Looking for the Light IV) , 2001, will be on view on 11-26 June at the

Royal Hospital Gardens, Chelsea, London SW3 4SL.




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Mara Garca Yelo, Director, Post-War and Contemporary Art, Christie's Spain: We are honoured to bring

to London the exceptional collection Homage to Chillida. First showed at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao

in 2006, the exhibition featured works by a wide range of major international artists, who made work in

response to the Basque master Eduardo Chillida. To be offered for sale in the Christie's auctions of Post-War

& Contemporary Art on 25 and 26 June, this selection includes works by Anish Kapoor, David Hockney,

Ellsworth Kelly and Zao Wou Ki, among others. Also part of the sale is a monumental masterpiece by Chillida

himself, the largest by the artist ever erected in a public space in London, which will be specially installed in

the gardens of The Royal Hospital Chelsea, offering a rare opportunity to see this spectacular work in theUK.

A master of Post-War sculpture, Eduardo Chillida made work that explored both material and form, but

beyond that, he became a philosopher and an architect of the void. Throughout his career, Chillida

questioned notions of time, space and material in a variety of different media that include iron, alabaster

and terracotta. Highlighting the Homage to Chillida collection is one of Eduardo Chillidas grandest and

most ambitious works, Buscando la Luz IV (Searching for the Light IV), 2001, a spectacular 8-metre tall

monolith, standing as a tribute to light and to the earth (estimate on request; illustrated on page 1).

Rendered out of corten steel, Buscando La Luz IVis a unique form from the artists last large-scale sculpture

series, completed only a year before Chillidas death. It marks the culmination of his pioneeringinvestigations into scale and the architecture of space.

The artists brought together in Homage to Chillida are

united by their admiration for the Spanish artist, and this

collection expresses the esteem in which Chillida was held

by his peers. Many of these works are poignant reflections

of artistic friendships forged with the Spanish artist known

for his charismatic persona and warm disposition.

Among the highlights of

Homage to Chillida is

Ellsworth Kellys

Untitled (EK 692), a

graceful embodiment of

the artists elegant

minimalist aesthetic

executed in 1983

(estimate: 250,000-

350,000; illustrated above). Revealing its materiality and physicality

through the medium of weathered steel, Untitled is a sculptural

counterpoint to the Kellys painterly practice and a fitting homage to theartists friend Eduardo Chillida.

Untitled (Homage to Chillida) is a sculpture made by Cy Twombly from

2003, appears to serve as a kind of monument or memorial to the art of

sculpture and to its innate poetry (estimate: 600,000-800,000; illustrated

right). Cast in bronze in an edition of four, Twomblys sculpture takes the

form of a tower of disparate architectonic forms all made from found

objects that collectively build to a peak in the form of a large and

seemingly petrified flower blooming at the top.


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Forming part of a series of homages created

by Zao Wou Ki, Hommage Chillida (2004)

is one of the most compelling paintings by

the artist produced in the last years his life

(estimate: 250,000-350,000; illustrated

right). A monumental canvas spanning

nearly two metres, Hommage Chillida isamong the largest of the artists entire

Hommage series. Offering a painterly

impression of the epic landscape at the foot of Mount Igeldo, Hommage Chillida captures the feeling of

standing at the crest of the bay in San Sebastin, where Eduardo Chillida placed his seminal El Peine del

Viento. A poetic vision, Hommage Chillida is a tribute to Zaos urge to acknowledge the greatness of those

who inspired him while leaving his own significant legacy.

Auctions:


POST-WAR & CONTEMPORARY ART EVENING AUCTION

25 June 2013 at 7pm

POST-WAR & CONTEMPORARY ART DAY AUCTION

26 June 2013 at 1pm

Viewings:

103 New Bond Street, London W1S 1ST

10 June 9am- 5pm

11 June 9am-8pm

12-13 June 9am-5pm14 June 9am-4.30pm

15-16 June 12noon-5pm

17 June 9am-4.30pm

18-20 June 9am 5pm

21 June 9am 7pm

22 June 11am 5pm

23 June 12noon 5pm

24 June 9am 6pm

25-26 June 9am 5pm

NB

Eduardo Chillidas Buscando La Luz IV (Looking for the Light IV) , 2001Will be on view on 11-26 June at the Royal Hospital Gardens, Chelsea, London SW3 4SL


Images available on request

Complete catalogue available online atwww.christies.com or via the Christies iPhone app
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://nyfilsrv01p/INTERNATIONAL$/Department%20Files/PW&CTA/Fall%202009/Releases/www.christies.comhttp://nyfilsrv01p/INTERNATIONAL$/Department%20Files/PW&CTA/Fall%202009/Releases/www.christies.comhttp://christiesauctions.tumblr.com/http://pinterest.com/christiesinc/http://www.facebook.com/Christieshttp://twitter.com/http://christiesauctions.tumblr.com/http://pinterest.com/christiesinc/http://www.facebook.com/Christieshttp://twitter.com/http://christiesauctions.tumblr.com/http://pinterest.com/christiesinc/http://www.facebook.com/Christieshttp://twitter.com/http://christiesauctions.tumblr.com/http://pinterest.com/christiesinc/http://www.facebook.com/Christieshttp://twitter.com/http://nyfilsrv01p/INTERNATIONAL$/Department%20Files/PW&CTA/Fall%202009/Releases/www.christies.commailto:[email protected]://christiesauctions.tumblr.com/http://pinterest.com/christiesinc/http://www.facebook.com/Christieshttp://twitter.com/http://christiesauctions.tumblr.com/http://pinterest.com/christiesinc/http://www.facebook.com/Christieshttp://twitter.com/

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Christie's London - Pivotal Moments In Post-War & Contemporary Art