Independent 20th Century Fair Spotlights Overlooked Female Abstractionists
The Breuer building, which has been Sotheby's flagship since November, hosted the Independent 20th Century fair for 20th-century art, opening on Thursday. The event highlighted female abstractionists such as Elaine de Kooning and Joan Mitchell. Art advisor Saara Pritchard observed that prices have surged, with certain pieces now valued between $6 million and $7 million. A significant influence was the 2016 Denver Art Museum exhibition 'Women of Abstract Expressionism,' curated by Gwen Chanzit. Berry Campbell paid tribute to Eleanor Ward's Stable Gallery with 13 alumni's works. Among the highlights were de Kooning's 'Peter (Peter Fried)' priced at $745,000 and a Joan Mitchell at $2.15 million. Upcoming exhibitions include 'Elaine de Kooning' at Berry Campbell on Oct. 30 and 'Krasner and Pollock' at the Met on Oct. 4.
Key facts
- Independent 20th Century fair opened Thursday at the Breuer, Sotheby's flagship in New York.
- The fair highlighted female abstractionists such as Elaine de Kooning, Joan Mitchell, Alice Trumbull Mason, and Esphyr Slobodkina.
- Art advisor Saara Pritchard noted that works by AbEx women have risen from $300,000–$500,000 a decade ago to $3–5 million, with some at $6–7 million at Gagosian.
- The 2016 Denver Art Museum exhibition 'Women of Abstract Expressionism,' curated by Gwen Chanzit, featured 12 women in the show and 40 in the catalogue.
- Berry Campbell's booth paid tribute to Eleanor Ward's Stable Gallery (1953–1970) with 13 alumni, including a $745,000 Elaine de Kooning painting and a $2.15 million Joan Mitchell.
- Bueno and Co. showed Joan Mitchell sketchbook works from about 1967 at $175,000 each and a 1958 oil at $1.2 million.
- Olney Gleason presented Elaine de Kooning's 'Bacchus' series (1976–1983) priced $150,000–$1.1 million.
- Weinstein Gallery showed Hilla von Rebay, with 'Con fuoco' (1945) priced at $850,000 after setting an auction record of $182,700 at Rago/Wright in May 2024.
Entities
Artists
- Elaine de Kooning
- Joan Mitchell
- Mercedes Matter
- Charlotte Park
- Alice Trumbull Mason
- Esphyr Slobodkina
- Helen Frankenthaler
- Lee Krasner
- Jackson Pollock
- Willem de Kooning
- Robert Motherwell
- Mary Abbott
- Yvonne Thomas
- Kimber Smith
- Hilla von Rebay
- Solomon R. Guggenheim
- Edith Schloss
- Louise Nevelson
- Margaret Wise Brown
- Arshile Gorky
- Piet Mondrian
- Gwen Chanzit
- Saara Pritchard
- Christine Berry
- Martha Campbell
- Eleanor Ward
- Nick Olney
- Kendy Genovese
- Kadie Ross
- Sarah Cascone
Institutions
- Independent 20th Century
- Sotheby's
- Breuer
- Denver Art Museum
- Gagosian
- Christie's
- Berry Campbell
- Stable Gallery
- Bueno and Co.
- Olney Gleason
- Kasmin
- Pollock-Krasner Foundation
- Weinstein Gallery
- Guggenheim New York
- Museum of Non-Objective Painting
- Rago/Wright
- Galerie Lelong
- Washburn Gallery
- Rosenberg & Co.
- LewAllen Galleries
- New Britain Museum of American Art
- Whitney Museum of American Art
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- American Abstract Artists
- The Club
- CULTURED
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Denver
- Paris
- France
- Chicago
- Santa Fe
- Connecticut
- Russia