Phillips has revealed the lineup for its upcoming October London sales during Frieze next week. Jean-Michel Basquiat’s 1982 work on paper, Untitled (Pestus), will headline the house’s modern and contemporary evening auction on October 16. It carries a £3 million ($4 million) high estimate.
Created during what would later be described as Basquiat’s annus mirabilis, the work “deftly encompasses this vision, distilling the immediacy and raw energy of Basquiat’s mark making,” the lot’s catalog entry reads, noting that the artist once described his subject matter as focusing on “royalty, heroism, and the streets.”
Also set to hit the block as part of this 26-lot sale is Andy Warhol’s 1981 diamond dust portrait of fashion icon Giorgio Armani, which carries a high estimate of £800,000 ($1 million). The fashion theme continues with Banksy’s Kate Moss (2005) portrait with a high estimate of £1 million ($1.3 million).
Other British artists feature prominently during the sale, with works by Jadé Fadojutimi, Flora Yukhnovich, Damien Hirst, and Anish Kapoor, as well as rising contemporary painters Sasha Gordon and Emma McIntyre included.
“Frieze Week is a moment when London truly comes alive with art, and we are excited to be part of that energy,” Olivia Thornton, Phillips’s head of modern and contemporary art, Europe, said in a statement. “This season, we are proud to offer a sale that reflects the vibrancy of contemporary collecting, bringing together key names, emerging voices, and works that challenge and inspire.”
The house’s modern and contemporary day sale follows on October 18. Leading it is a Keith Haring bronze panel, as well as pieces by Warhol, Basquiat, Anselm Kiefer, and Yoshitomo Nara.
