Jesse James
Philip Guston’s 1958 painting Nile will hit auction for the first time in May. The work of art was created during the height of the artist’s abstract period of the late-1950s. While his counterparts experimented with immersive canvases, Guston was focused on the picture plane, creating something intense and vivid.
Michael Macaulay, Sotheby’s Senior Vice President, Contemporary Art, spoke candidly about Nile. He stated: “In Nile, Guston’s incredible sensitivities to composition are on full display, and the painting is not only a landmark achievement during the greatest period of transformation in his career but also in the evolution of post-war abstract art.”
The painting has been in the collection of Peter and Edith O’Donnell for the past four decades and is being auctioned during a time of renewed interest in Guston’s work. The artist painted 29 abstract works between 1956 and 1960. Only ten of those paintings remain in private collections.
Nile is set to go on view at Sotheby’s London galleries from April 8-13, followed by Hong Kong from April 24-27 before returning to New York from 6–17 and hitting auction at Sotheby’s Modern Evening Auction on May 17th. The art is estimated to fetch around $20-30m USD, making it the highest price for a work by Guston at auction. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the O’Donnell Foundation, which aims to advance a bevy of higher education causes.
Check out Nile in the image up top and head over to Sotheby’s to find out more. In the meantime, keep it locked with The Culture Curators for more art drops, auctions, and art exhibitions coming very soon.
Photos via Philip Guston/Sotheby’s
