Pablo Picasso, 'Portrait de Jacqueline'

A particular highlight of the sale is Lot 191 which by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. Picasso is one of the most influential artists of the 20th century and is known as the father of Cubism. Picasso demonstrated extraordinary artistic talent from youth, painting in a more naturalistic manner than that of his later years. It was during the first decade of the 20th century that his style began to change, experimenting with different techniques and ideas. Specifically, it was the Fauvist artist Henri Matisse who motivated Picasso to explore a more radical style, leading critics to acclaim him as one of the most important artists of the twentieth century.

Later in Picasso’s life, he discovered that the medium of linocut perfectly suited his desire to pare back his images to their most powerful and simplified form. This linocut printed in cream on black is a portrait of Picasso’s second wife, Jacqueline Roque (1927-86). Picasso clearly celebrates his new love here with Jacqueline’s image dominating the piece. She is depicted with extraordinary sensitivity, her captivating dark eyes and elegant three-quarter profile features highly in a multitude of Picasso’s lithographic portraits created in the late 1950s. Picasso was a pioneer of linocut printing in France, and one of only a few artists working in this medium at the time. Typical of Picasso, he pushed printmaking to its extremes, the artist’s layering of cream ink on black gives the print silvery tones and Jacqueline an ethereal quality.

Yayoi Kusama, 'Pumpkin (YY) (Kusama 231)'

Lot 42 offers an exciting work by Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama. Kusama’s work is based on conceptual art, showing influences from pop art, minimalism and abstract expressionism. She is an important figure in the avant-garde and works in painting, sculpture, film and environmental installations. She is universally acknowledged as being one of the most important living artists to come out of Japan and one of the world’s most successful living artists.

Kusama’s works are instantly recognisable due to the psychedelic colours, repetition, and pattern. This screen print features the pumpkin image which appears frequently in her works as well as the hallucination-inspired spots. Kusama drew inspiration from pumpkins as a child due to her family owning a plant nursery and the images have become fixtures of contemporary art. Her signature dotted pumpkins have appeared as works on paper, figurines, sculptures, installations and to Kusama the pumpkins are warm and humorous motifs that at times feel human. Kusama once said “I was enchanted by their charming and winsome form, what appealed to me most was the pumpkin’s generous unpretentiousness.”

Bridget Riley, 'Hommage to Rothko (Tommasini & Gubay 20)'

Continuing through the sale we have a work by British artist Bridget Riley, who is best known for her ‘Op Art’ works. Early on in Riley’s artistic career she adopted a pointillist style, but after a trip to the Venice Biennale in 1960 she opted for a more rigid and geometric style, re-tracing the dialogue between black, white and colour, which was inspired by the Italian Futurists. She explored the dynamic potentialities of optical phenomena, called 'Op-art', which produced a disorienting physical effect on the human eye. ‘Op’ artworks tend to be abstract giving the viewer the impression of movement, hidden images, flashing and vibrating patterns which can be seen in a multitude of Riley’s works.

This screenprint dated 1973 is signed and is from The Rothko Memorial Portfolio (Lot 71). Here Riley combines her love of colour and optics, the piece pays testament to her constant innovation and enduring influence from Abstract Expressionism. It is a hugely collectable print and is immediately recognisable of Op Art. After Mark Rothko’s death in 1970, the art writer Bryan Robertson gathered thirteen artists who knew Rothko and proposed that they each created a print to honour his life and work. As a result, the portfolio was created containing thirteen prints by thirteen artists of which Bridget Riley is one.

Bob Dylan, 'Side Tracks'

Here we have a captivating piece by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Often considered to be one of the greatest songwriters in history, Bob Dylan is also a painter and a sculptor. He has been creating art since the 1960s and many of his works were inspired by his time on tour. His expressionistic art reflects the impressions that were made upon him from the people and places that he performed. His works portray street and interior scenes, landscapes, portraits, still lifes, all of which are as poetic and personal as his music.

Lot 12, 'Side Tracks' is based on Bob Dylan's famous image, Train Tracks. Each piece is unique as they are hand-embellished by the artist and supplies an individual date, city and country based on the concerts that Bob Dylan performed in during 1961 to 2013. This specific print commemorates Dylan’s 7th June 1989 performance at the Birmingham Town Hall.

In 2016, he was the first singer-songwriter to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature and in 2019 unveiled his first comprehensive solo exhibition in the Modern Art Museum Shanghai. Astonishingly this was visited by over 100,000 people in the opening 3 months, fortifying him as one of the most important contemporary visual artists.

Auction Details

Thursday 24 October, 1pm BST
Forum Auctions, 4 Ingate Place, Battersea, London SW8 3NS

Browse the auction

VIEWING:

• Viewing at Dreweatts London (lots: 12, 42, 46, 71, 191) 
  • Wednesday 9 October: 10am-4pm
  • Thursday 10 October: 10am-4pm
  • Friday 11 October: 10am-4pm
• Viewing at Forum Auctions (full sale) during opening hours (Monday - Friday, 9.30am - 5.00pm) strictly by appointment. Please contact editions@forumauctions.co.uk