Albert Oehlen's Untitled (1) will provide an unusual top lot in Sotheby's Contemporary Art sale, which will also see works from Yayoi Kusama, Gerhard Richter and Willem de Kooning auction on September 21.
 Oehlen's computer paintings were created using a mouse and photoshop |
The piece is taken from the German artist's important Computer Paintings series, created between 1990 and 2008 after Oehlen purchased his first laptop computer. Oehlen produced the abstract black and white works using a mouse, Photoshop and inkjet plotters. He then painted over them with acrylics and oil paint.
Dated 1992-2004 on the reverse, Untitled (1) is a typical example from the series that propelled Oehlen to the forefront of the contemporary art scene. It is expected to bring $350,000-450,000 in New York.
Following this will be another untitled piece, this time from contemporary giant Gerhard Richter. A typically colourful example of Richter's abstract work, the 1986 piece displays the rich textures for which he has become known. It will sell with a $250,000-350,000 estimate.
Gerhard Richter continually sees excellent results at auction. In 2011, his works totalled over $200m, making him the highest selling living artist of the year.
Willem de Kooning's work is represented by his Standing Woman from 1965. The piece, estimated at $70,000-90,000, is unusual in that it features a personal dedication: "to Gerard from Bill". "Gerard" is actually Gerrit Randolfi, son of artist Benno Randolfi - a life-long friend of de Kooning's. The artist is known to have frequently gifted paintings to the Randolfi family in gratitude for their friendship.
Also featuring in the New York sale will be female artist of the moment, Yayoi Kusama. Kusama is currently the subject of a major retrospective at New York's Whitney Museum of American Art and will be represented by three works at Sotheby's.
Infinity-Nets (Pink) will lead bids among the trio, with an estimate of $60,000-80,000. Created in 1990, the dazzling work is said to originate from hallucinations Kusama experienced as a child.
Christie's Amy Cappellazzo, chairman of post-war and contemporary art, recently identified Kusama as one of the female artists leading the next boom area for art investors. She is definitely one to watch in this auction, with interest in her work heightened by the Whitney exhibition.
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Images: Sotheby's
