Roy Lichtenstein's Sunrise, Sunset is to headline Heritage Auctions' Modern & Contemporary Art Signature Auction on October 23 in Dallas.
 Sunrise, Sunset represents an important transition for Lichtenstein |
The striking work was created in 1964 in ink and graphite and is expected to realise between $400,000 and $600,000. Heritage Auctions' Frank Hettig commented:
"In 1964 Fiddler on the Roof was the toast of Broadway, where it went on to win nine Tony Awards, one of which was for Best Musical. The Act 1 closer, Sunrise, Sunset, was a pop culture phenomenon and one of the Broadway canon's most memorable tunes. Certainly Lichtenstein was aware of this popular and infectious tune when he created this remarkable set of drawings with the same title."
As Hettig suggests, the work is part of a larger body of work, all of which is based around the imagery of the sun. The series saw Lichtenstein experimenting with his famous Benday dot technique, altering the size of the dots as well as their uniformity.
Hettig added: "Sunrise, Sunset is doubly important because it represents the first time the Benday dot grew to an enormous proportion, which was then cropped to form the sun in this work. Even the ultimate power source of the world had now become a cropped Benday dot."
Also among the highest-selling works will be Jean-Michel Basquiat's Free Comb with Pagoda.
Basquiat's work has been selling superbly in 2012, with the world record price for his art at auction set in June. Christie's will look to top that record, with another 1981 masterpiece selling in its November 14 auction in New York.
The piece in the present sale was created in 1986, just two years before Basquiat's untimely death. A very simplistic, almost childlike piece, it will sell with an $80,000-120,000 estimate.
Paul Fraser Collectibles is currently offering a brilliant item from Basquiat's long-time friend and collaborator, Andy Warhol. We have Warhol's iconic black polo neck jumper, which he was frequently pictured wearing.
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Images: Heritage Auctions
