Lee Bontecou's current solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art shines a spotlight on one of the most distinctive talents of the post-war era. Her Untitled, lot 6, dates from 1960, the year the artist was discovered by Ivan Karp and Leo Castelli, and is a seminal work from her series of steel-and-canvas sculptures. Bontecou's work stands apart from the prevailing Pop Art of the period, as do two other important abstract works from the 1960s in the sale: George Rickey's large-scale Space Churn Red, 1968, Lot 150, from the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and Robert Goodnough's monumental oil on canvas, Form in Motion, 1967, Lot 157, which is one of the artist's largest and most distinguished paintings.
Dovetailing with these exemplary works from the 1960s are several vibrant examples of Pop Art by Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and others. Dynamic works on paper from the 1970s by Robert Rauschenberg and Robert Motherwell, unusual for their large scale, are among the most prominent lots. This auction also includes prime examples of Minimalism: Carl Andre's Red Eva Adamas, 1983 and The Big 3-Part Hundred Dollar Sculpture, 1978. The afternoon session teems with work by younger artists - both emerging and established - including Sterling Ruby, Rosson Crow, André Butzer and Josh Smith.
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