NEW YORK, 3 JUNE 2025, Phillips is pleased to announce highlights from the Editions & Works on Paper auction taking place 24 June 2025 in New York. A preview of the sale, on view 17 to 23 June, features a varied and unique selection of print highlights on offer. From Sam Francis’ manipulated monumental monotype, Untitled, to David Hockney’s smart and studious Two Pembroke Studio Chairs from Moving Focus, there is something for collectors of all interests. Kelly Troester and Cary Leibowitz, Deputy Chairpersons and Worldwide Co-Heads of Editions, said, “This season’s Editions & Works on Paper sale brings together a compelling cross-section of artists who have shaped, and continue to shape, the visual language of our time. From Cy Twombly’s lyrical meditations on the trees of his beloved Italy to Joan Snyder’s deeply personal feminist abstractions, the auction reflects the breadth and vitality of the medium. We’re proud to offer collectors a chance to engage with works that are both historically significant and strikingly relevant.” Cy Twombly leads the sale with his complete set of eight collotype and lithographs, Natural History Part II: Some Trees of Italy, a gestural meditation on his love for Italy. The title is inspired by Pliny the Elder’s theoretical text Naturalis Historia, the first known encyclopedia and the largest ancient text to survive the Roman Empire. For this set of eight prints, Twombly explores Pliny’s postulation on the link between nature and art, here combining scientific observation with a poetic expression distinctive to the artist.
Ellsworth Kelly’s rare-to-market Gray Panel isolates a single color on a skewed quadrilateral form. The artist initially conceived of the sculptures as a print project, first choosing lithography to execute this examination of shape and color. However, as the forms were further developed and refined, it became clear that greater power and unity would be possible if the work took form as metal rather than paper. The translation of the shapes and colors from the lithographs into aluminum painted wall sculptures was a meticulous process, requiring mechanical precision to prevent the shapes from warping and special surface preparation to make the colors match. The resulting panels blur the distinctions between painting, sculpture, and multiple, evoking qualities of all three simultaneously. The work’s minimal surface hovers between flatness and infinite depth, while the panel’s two-dimensions cast a subtle, geometric shadow that mirrors the tone of the panel itself. A selection of works by Andy Warhol will also be featured, including Bald Eagle (1983) from his Endangered Species portfolio, here with a classic ombre blue background, and Green Pea from his iconic Campbell’s Soup I portfolio. Also on offer is KAWS’ bronze multiple FINAL DAYS (2017), Yves Klein’s Table Bleue KleinTM / Klein Blue (1961), as well as Glenn Ligons’ Untitled (Four Etchings) (1992), 1989: A Portfolio Honoring Artists with AIDS by various artists (2000), and Julian Opie’s Running Women, from Runners (2016).
Ellsworth Kelly Gray Panel, from Painted Wall Sculptures, 1982 Estimate: $150,000 to 250,000 Andy Warhol Green Pea, from Campbell’s Soup I, 1968 Estimate: $30,000 to 50,000 Andy Warhol Bald Eagle, from Endangered KAWS FINAL DAYS, 2017 Estimate: $20,000 to 30,000 Julian Opie Running Women, from Runners, 2016 Species, 1983 Estimate: $90,000 to 120,000 Estimate: $15,000 to 25,000 Following the inaugural MODERNISM 1880 to 1960 sale in April, the period is again represented this June with vibrant works in primary colors by Alexander Calder, including Pennants (1965), a rhythmic abstraction that evokes waving flags, pinwheels, and sunsets. Also included are etchings by Pablo Picasso and portfolios by modern masters, including Marc Chagall’s The Story of the Exodus (1966) and Fernand Léger’s complete set of lithographs La Ville (The City) (1959).
Alexander Calder Pennants, 1965 Estimate: $1,500 to 2,500 After Fernand Léger La Ville (The City), 1959 Estimate: $5,000 to 7,000 Phillips is thrilled to feature a selection of ten prints from Tamarind Institute, the legendary printshop and publisher based in New Mexico widely recognized for revitalizing lithography as a creative medium. Works by eight artists are highlighted, including Tara Donovan, Willie Birch, Michelle Stuart, Amy Cutler, Tony De Lap, Fritz Scholder, Andrew Dasburg, and Noel W. Anderson. Founded in 1960 as Tamarind Lithography Workshop and originally located in Los Angeles, their mission continues today as a nonprofit educational center and a division of the College of Fine Arts within The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. Their ever-expanding archive contains over 8,000 lithographs produced by the workshop in collaboration with countless emerging and established artists. Also holding a place of pride in the sale are five unique prints with hand additions by New York artist and printmaker Joan Snyder, spanning four decades of her prolific career. Similar to her paintings, these prints can be described as narrative abstractions containing elements of her idiosyncratic visual vocabulary that at once conveys the Fritz Scholder Indian with Beaded Sash, from Suite Fifteen, 1975 Estimate: $2,000 to 4,000 artist’s personal memories and the collective experience. Snyder’s work is deeply rooted in feminist discourse, often incorporating text, gestural marks, and symbolic imagery to explore themes of identity, healing, and the female body. Her innovative use of materials, ranging from traditional oils to unconventional media like herbs, gauze, and glitter, challenges the boundaries between painting and collage, abstraction and figuration. A pioneer of the feminist art movement in the 1970s, Snyder has influenced generations of artists through her fearless exploration of emotion, politics, and autobiography. Her prints, like her canvases, are layered with meaning and texture, offering a visceral and poetic reflection of both the personal and the political.
Tara Donovan Joan Snyder Blake Lake Redux, 2021 Estimate: $700 to 1,200 Untitled, 2016 Estimate: $3,000 to 5,000 Auction: 24 June 2025 Auction viewing: 17 to 23 June Location: 432 Park Avenue, New York, NY Click here for more information: https://www.phillips.com/auction/NY030325
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Phillips: where the world’s curious and bold connect with the art, design, and luxury that inspires them. As a leading global platform for buying and selling 20th and 21st century works, Phillips offers dedicated expertise in the areas of Modern and Contemporary Art, Design, Photographs, Editions, Watches, and Jewels. Auctions and exhibitions are primarily held in New York, London, Geneva, and Hong Kong, with representative offices based throughout Europe, the United States, and Asia. Phillips offers a regular selection of live and online auctions, along with items available for immediate purchase. Phillips also offers a range of services and advice on all aspects of collecting, including private sales and assistance with appraisals, valuations, and financial planning. Visit phillips.com for further information. *Estimates do not include buyer’s premium; prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer’s premium.
(Press Release)
