Shortlist 4 - Phillips Day Sale (NYC)
(Marlene Dumas & Chris Ofili)
Marlene Dumas (B. 1953)
White Lies II (2001)
Ink and acrylic on paper
26 x 19 ¾ inches
Signed and dated upper right, titled upper inscribed upper left
Estimate: $40,000 to $60,000
My Recommendation: Bid up to $70,000.
Result: $65,000 (hammer)
Interested in Marlene Dumas?
Artist Profile
South African born and now Dutch-based painter, Marlene Dumas’ work deals with psychological themes of the human condition: love, death, sexuality and memory. Her paintings are both gestural and austere, and she uses a palette heavy in greys and browns in her works on paper (which this is one). Dumas embraces critical topics such as pornography and segregation, often with tormented and isolated bodies that straddle the line between amour and pain.
My Take
Dumas’s large paintings have regularly sold for $1-3 million for 15 years (her auction record is close to 7 million), and her images are instantly recognized by seasoned collectors. These works on paper regularly sell for $100,000 to $200,000, and that’s why this estimate seems low to me, but that’s why they play the games. If one could get this with a hammer of $70,000 or less, that would be a great deal. It’s a beautifully painted work - vintage Dumas. She is represented by David Zwirner gallery in NYC, and I see no reason why her market won’t continue to strengthen in the second half of her career.
Phillip’s Lot Page
Additional Images
Chris Ofili (B. 1968)
Footsteps (Devil’s staircase) (2007)
Oil on Canvas
36 x 24 inches
Signed, titled and dated on reverse
Estimate: $60,000 to $80,000
My Recommendation: Bid to $80,000 (hammer)
Result: $130,000 (hammer)
Interested in Chris Ofili?
Artist Profile
British-born painter, Chris Ofili burst onto the scene in the early 90s with the Young British Artists (YBA), and has furthered his reputation over the last 30s years with iconic series and inventiveness. This painting comes from his blue series that he began in 2005, after moving to Trinidad, and draws influence from The Blue Devils of Trinidad and Der Blaue Reiter, the expressionist group of artists from the early 20th Century. These canvases are created with various hues of blue and silver, and focus on the themes: birth, death, seduction and salvation.
My Take
Ofili’s auction record is close to $4 million dollars and he is represented by David Zwirner (NY) and Victoria Miro (London), and has had several museum exhibitions, including a solo at the New Museum in 2014. Although he is recognized as a great painter, I feel he is still under-valued in the market, and should be on par with painter’s like Peter Doig whose works routinely sell for over $10 million, and has a small painting in this sale, with a much higher estimate. This work is a beautiful, small example of Ofili’s talent, and getting it within this estimate would be a coup (the good kind).
Phillip’s Lot Page
Additional Images
More Blue Paintings