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PRESS RELEASE

Muse

September 10 – September 19

A sale celebrating the muse in art, including works by John Currin, Andy Warhol, Alex Katz, Mickalene Thomas, Marilyn Minter, Cindy Sherman and Hiroshi Sugimoto

Online auction house Paddle8 is pleased to announce Muse, a sale of art celebrating the relationship between muse and artist, featuring paintings, prints, and photographs by Cindy Sherman, John Currin, Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Marina Abramovic, Helmut Newton, and Andy Warhol, among many others. Bidding opens on Paddle8.com on Tuesday, September 10 at noon EST, and closes Thursday, September 19 at 6 PM EST. Throughout history, artists have been inspired by the presence of others to create some of their most extraordinary works. From Camille Claudel and August Rodin to Dora Maar and Pablo Picasso, the muse has left an indelible mark on art. Estimates range from $500 to $30,000. Highlights of Muse include: Alex Katz, Ada, 2011 (estimate: $10,000–15,000) A vivid woodcut of Katz’s enduring muse, his wife Ada, whose portrait he has returned to continuously for nearly fifty years.  As the art historian Irving Sandler wrote in 1998, Ada “is woman, wife, mother, muse, model, sociable hostess, myth, icon, and New York goddess.”

Mickalene Thomas, L’offre de fleur, 2008 (estimate: $8,000–12,000) A photograph featuring Thomas’s signature tableaux of strong female figures—a disco diva and a nude odalisque—in a colorful, retro, staged interior. Marilyn Minter, Frostbite, 2008 (estimate: $9,000–11,000) A close-up of a shimmer-splattered eye, part of Minter’s iconic series of lips, high heels, tongues, and other sensuous symbols photographed in kaleidoscopic color. John Currin, Joan, 2011 (estimate: $5,000–7,000) A delicate etching of a woman in a fur coat, merging Renaissance and Pop sensibilities. As is typical of Currin’s provocative paintings and works, the woman’s proportions are slightly skewed. Mario Testino, Kate at Mine, London, 2006 (estimate: $3,500–4,500) A photograph of model Kate Moss, shot by fabled portrait photographer Mario Testino, known for capturing the intersection of glamour, celebrity, and mass media in his celebrated works for Vogue and Vanity Fair. Irving Penn, Valentina Nicholaevna Sanina Schlee, Fashion Designer, 1947 (estimate: $18,000–$22,000) One of Penn’s famous “corner portraits”, a series for which he photographed cultural icons between the walls of a sharp, acute corner. The signed silver gelatin print is an extraordinary example of Penn’s spare elegance and cool minimalism.

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Muse will also feature works by Hiroshi Sugimoto, Patrick Demarchelier, Barbara Morgan, Mary McCartney, and Arthur Elgort, among others. In concert with the sale, Lily Cole, the British model and frequent muse who has collaborated with artists across disciplines, shared her experiences with Paddle8. In the role of “muse”, Cole has worked with creators ranging from artist Gillian Wearing to filmmaker Terry Gilliam, from fashion designer Vivienne Westwood to photographers Mario Testino and Terry Richardson. “Nebulous. A quiet and subtle dance. Two foxes circling one another,” says Cole of the relationship between muse and artist. “At best, a process of eventual surrender and osmosis.” Lily Cole’s thoughts on the muse can be found on Paddle8’s blog beginning Tuesday, September 9.

Bidding is available beginning September 10 at paddle8.com/auctions/muse. About Paddle8 Paddle8 is the online auction house, connecting buyers and sellers of fine art and collectibles across the Internet. Paddle8 presents two types of auctions: themed auctions of works under $100,000, and benefit auctions in collaboration with non-profits. Founded by Alexander Gilkes, an auctioneer and LVMH veteran, and Aditya Julka, a Harvard Business School MBA and serial entrepreneur, Paddle8 eases the sale and acquisition of art and collectibles via a fully online auction model, offering the lowest available commissions, no public sales records, and extended auction visibility and timelines, enhanced by educational content, in addition to automated post-sale services. www.paddle8.com For further information, please contact Sarah Goulet, press@paddle8.com.

Images

Marilyn Minter, Frostbite, 2006 Alex Katz, Ada, 2011

Mario Testino, Kate at Mine, London, 2006