Christie’s to auction a triptych by Wayne Thiebaud

Christie’s to auction a triptych by Wayne Thiebaud

On May 12, 2022, Christie’s will auction in New York “City Views,” a triptych painted in 2004 by the recently deceased Wayne Thiebaud.

By G. Fernández · theartwolf.com · Image: Wayne Thiebaud, “City Views” (2004). Triptych, oil on canvas. Left panel: 71.3/4 x 48 in. (182.2 x 121.9 cm.) Center panel: 71.7/8 x 53.7/8 in. (182.6 x 136.8 cm.) Right panel: 71.3/4 x 48 in. (182.2 x 121.9 cm.)

Wayne Thiebaud, who passed away last December 27 at the age of 101, was one of the few legends of American Pop Art still active. His style, unlike other great Pop figures such as Warhol or Lichtenstein, was not limited to “reproducing” existing images -such as Warhol’s “Marilyns” or “Coca-Colas” or Lichtenstein’s reinterpretations of comics- but, following the tradition of American realism of Bellows or Hopper, he painted images, in his own words, “the old-fashioned way”, using his characteristic thick and energetic brushstroke that he would retain throughout his career.

One of the genres Thiebaud was interested in throughout his career was the cityscape, often forcing perspective so that the three-dimensional image approaches the two-dimensionality of a map. Painted in 2004, at the age of 84, “City Views” is a clear example of this peculiar style, as well as a testament to the ambition and creativity that the artist maintained for more than 80 years of career.

“City Views” was created ex profeso for the Gladstone Institutes, a non-profit biomedical research organization, and the proceeds from its sale will go to a dedicated fund that supports scientific training and mentoring programs.

The painting comes to auction with a pre-sale estimate of between $10 million and $15 million. In its favor is its monumental scale and the fact that it is a triptych, a very unusual format in the artist’s work. On the other hand, “City Views” is a late work, and therefore of lesser relevance in the artist’s career compared to “Four Pinball Machines” (1962), the work that currently holds the record price for a painting by Thiebaud ($19.1 million at Christie’s New York, July 2020). As a hopeful precedent, “Winding River” -another late work by the artist, and smaller in size than “City Views”- was auctioned last year for nearly $10 million at Phillips. #2022 #ArtMarket #theartwolf #WayneThiebaud