BUYING AT AUCTION
MY FAVORITES FROM THE MoMA DEACCESSION SALE AT SOTHEBY’S
Clients of mine have frequently expressed their feelings of uncertainty when it comes to how to buy art, even once they have identified a piece or an artist they love. It happens more often than you think, and to people whom you’d never suspect to feel anything other than confidence.
It is true that the art world can be mystifying and feel hard to decode. Sometimes I feel like I’m doing the good work, helping to build the confidence of my clients to go out into this world and successfully purchase pieces that move them. Art, for me, is something that everyone who is interested should feel welcome to participate in the joy of collecting and supporting artists and cultural creation.
Within this space, the purchase at auction is sometimes the most daunting. However, it is a place I love to start with buyers for several reasons:
It forces you to set boundaries and define your budget.
It gets you excited and brings out passion.
It makes you dream and imagine ownership.
It is fun! (I promise!)
It’s good practice to watch what comes up at the major auction houses of Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Phillips, and I also really enjoy some of the smaller regional British auction houses, especially single-owner sales—studying private collections offers such a full understanding of the best of connoisseurship, what a lifetime of collecting means, and how someone lived with these things, interpreting them for their own lifestyle.
In particular, watching what museums deaccession (it’s rare) provides an important look back at what is standing the test of time. I’m currently eyeing several pieces in MoMA’s deaccession sale at Sotheby’s. The below pieces really speak to me as stand alone works of art, even though the careers of artists who made them have not held lasting renown for an institution of MoMA’s caliber.
If you’re curious to learn more, I used to work in the auction world and help my clients navigate an gain confidence in this space all the time. Please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Selections from The Museum of Modern Art: c. 1890-1960 March 5, 2024
I love the cubist-meets-intuitive biomorphism of this piece. I have seen other examples of Walkowitz’s work in smaller museum collections, such as the Gibbes Museum in Charleston, and I really feel he was a talented artist.
This sculpture is such a wow. It reminds me of a grasshopper or perhaps a praying mantis. The sculptural use of negative space and the way that it looks completely different from every angle is so special. I adore it! It makes me want to learn everything I can about this artist.
I can’t wait to see what it will sell for.
What is the story behind this shape? There is something a touch mask-like and sinister about it to me. On the other hand, I like contemplating its meaning. I’d love to place it in a garden as an element of surprise.
This piece is so lyrical. I love the undulating lines. It reminds me of Cycladic venus sculptures. There is an excellent show on right now of them at the Met. They are one of my favorite totemic religious objects. The scale of this piece has such presence and really exemplifies a glorious aesthetic moment in mid-century modernism.
I said this on Instagram, and I’ll repeat myself here, I am not usually a cat painting person, but this one is really so charming. I love the interior scene and the quiet moment. The watery application of the oils on what might be a naked canvas gives this picture such a lyrical, dream-like quality.
I have a soft spot for a quiet still life (no pun intended). This one feels like an academic study of volumes and palette, and I find such beauty in its simplicity.
Last work, and one more still life. Love the colors here and the tight huddle the cups and coffee pot make on the edge of this table. The saucers really rise up to cradle those cups! The furry yellow doily is practically falling off the edge. It is a precarious domestic picture. I find it very interesting and charming.
What do you think?
A Point of View
Meet Audra, the founder of Art/artefact, an art-led interior design practice dedicated to placing a personal collection at the heart of every project.
Inspired by creative output across disciplines and categories, Audra trains her eye on the exceptional, weaving connections between the past, present, and future of great design.
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