Alexander Calder is best known for his hanging sculptures and stabiles, often monumental in size. It was Marcel Duchamp who, in 1932, found the appropriate term for the moving suspensions created by the American artist: mobiles.
The lot going under the hammer at Phillips is one such creation.
This hanging sculpture, created in 1959, is part of Alexander Calder’s famous “Snow Flurry” series.
Ten of the 11 works in the series are held in museums in Europe, and North and South America. Unlike those, “39=50” has remained in private hands for over three decades.
The French billionaire and collector François Pinault was the owner for 10 years.
According to Phillips, this is the first time in a decade that “39=50” has come to auction. It is estimated to fetch between US$10.5 million and US$14.5 million.
This hanging sculpture could set a new sales record for an Alexander Calder mobile from the “Snow Flurry” series.
The current titleholder is none other than the hanging sculpture that gave its name to the American artist’s series.
“Snow Flurry” sold for US$10.4 million in 2012 at Christie’s in New York, more than double its high estimate of US$4.5 million.
For Robert Manley, deputy chairman and worldwide co-head of 20th-century and contemporary art at Phillips, the appeal of Alexander Calder’s creations to collectors lies in their freshness and relevance.
“[“39=50″] is a historically important work that is directly related to and a part of one of the artist’s most sought-after series, and boasts both distinguished ownership and exhibition histories.
And yet, Calder’s ability to capture harmony and tension, here in simple white, is incredibly contemporary.
It’s a combination that is certain to appeal to both established and new collectors,” the expert said in a statement.
“39=50” goes up for auction May 18 at Phillips, New York, as part of the “20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale.”
Before going on display in the US city prior to sale, the mobile will be exhibited in the auction house’s Taiwanese galleries alongside Jean-Michel Basquiat’s “Untitled” and Matthew Wong’s “Day 1.”