Sotheby’s will introduce its new British Art Evening Sale: Modern/Contemporary auction live in London on 29 June 2021 at 14.00 hours BST.
The auction is a new, dedicated sale which unites and celebrates British artists from the early 20th century to the present day. Across a range of periods and disciplines, the sale brings together superb examples that chart the development of modern British art, including globally renowned figures alongside lesser known British masters. The works share a distinct British aesthetic yet reveal an international engagement, simultaneously being shaped and shaping wider artistic trends.
Made up of 38 Lots, the sale features work from artists including: Banksy (Girl with the Balloon), Henry Moore (Three Motives Against Wall No. 1), Damien Hirst (Biotin-Propranolol Analog) and Leon Kossoff (School Building, Willesden, Winter 1981).
There is much anticipation in the lead up to the sale as Lucian Freud’s Portrait of David Hockney makes its auction debut. It will be offered with an estimate of £8,000,000 – £12,000,000 GBP.
Painted in 2002 at the height of Lucian Freud’s career, the portrait of David Hockney provides a fascinating window into the narrative of a long episodic friendship that had started forty years earlier. Created in the months leading up to Freud’s critically acclaimed retrospective at Tate Britain, the painting speaks to the shared history and mutual respect between the eminent artists. Unseen in public since Freud’s 2012 exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, it will appear at auction for the first time.
Bella Freud, daughter of Lucian Freud, recalled: “When David Hockney was sitting for this painting it was exciting to see them together, like the two cool older boys at school who were engrossed in each other’s conversation. I liked hearing Hockney say that he enjoyed the slowness of the painting’s progress, so he and Lucian could chat. We all loved chatting with dad, he was so interesting about everything.”
Tom Eddison, Director, Contemporary Art, Sotheby’s London, speaking about the painting said: “It is hard to think of two greater British artists who are as both critically and commercially acclaimed than Lucian Freud and David Hockney. In this magnificent portrait we bear witness, not only to the enduring relationship of these two eminent masters but, moreover, to a tour-de-force of portraiture. Quite simply, his portrait of David Hockney is a masterpiece – a sublime testament to the measure of Freud’s uncompromising scrutiny and ability to capture the mood and the inner essence of his sitters.”
For full auction details visit Sotheby’s.
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Photo: Lucian Freud, David Hockney (est. £8,000,000-12,000,000). Sotheby’s