ARTISTS
The Dennis Hopper Collection
Christie's January 11-12 Interiors Sale in New York To Feature Nearly 300 Works of Art and Personal Items from the Celebrated Collection Of Actor
黑料不打烊
06 Jan, 2011
THE DENNIS HOPPER COLLECTION
Christie's January 11-12 Interiors Sale in New York To Feature Nearly 300 Works of Art and Personal Items from the Celebrated Collection Of Actor, Artist and Collector Dennis Hopper
New York - A Warhol portrait of Mao punctured by two bullet holes, a script from the film Easy Rider with handwritten notes, and an inscribed portrait of Dennis Hopper by the photographer Helmut Newton are just some of the nearly 300 items Christie's New York will offer for sale on January 11 & 12 as a second installment of Property from the Collection of Dennis Hopper. 听Christie's previously offered more than 30 important works from the actor鈥檚 personal collection as a highlight of its November 2010 Post-War and Contemporary Art sales, realizing a combined total of $12.8 million. 听The collection鈥檚 top lot, Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1987 mixed media work, Untitled, realized $5.8 million.
The upcoming Interiors sale features an additional 241 works of art from Hopper's personal collection, including works by major artists such as Andy Warhol, Marcel Duchamp, Gerhard Richter, Annie Leibovitz, Helmut Newton, Kenny Scharf, and fellow actor Viggo Mortensen, among others. 听The sale also features a large group of ephemera, memorabilia, furniture and decorative objects from the late actor鈥檚 homes. Estimate range from $200 for movie posters from Hopper鈥檚 own films to $40,000 for Marilyn: one plate, a signed, limited-edition silkscreen of Marilyn Monroe by Warhol. The total selection of items in the January sale is expected to achieve more than $1 million. A public preview of the collection opens Saturday, January 8 and runs through January 12.
鈥淭his special selection offers fascinating insight into Dennis Hopper鈥檚 own collecting vision, which was grounded in the Beat Generation of artists whose careers were launching at the same time that Hopper鈥檚 own star began to rise in Hollywood,鈥� noted Cathy Elkies, Director of Iconic Collections at Christie鈥檚. 鈥淗opper was that rare combination of artist, celebrity and collector, with a keen eye for selecting works that have withstood the test of time. For both new and established collectors, this sale represents an exciting opportunity to acquire works by some of the greatest names in American contemporary art, with the added imprimatur of one of our most beloved celebrity collectors.鈥�
Among the star lots of the upcoming Hopper sale is Warhol鈥檚 Mao: one plate (pictured at right; estimate: $20,000-30,000), a full-sheet, framed screenprint of the Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong from Warhol鈥檚 iconic series of the 1970s. Hopper鈥檚 version is uniquely accessorized with two bullet holes 鈥� the result of a particularly wild night when Hopper mistook the portrait on his wall for Mao himself and shot at it. As the story goes, Hopper later showed the bullet punctures to his friend Warhol, and the pair agreed to call the work a collaboration, with Warhol drawing circles around the two holes and labeling them 鈥渨arning shot鈥� and 鈥渂ullet hole鈥�. 听
In addition to his long friendship with Warhol and the artist鈥檚 extended circle of West Coast artists, collectors and dealers, Hopper was deeply immersed in the arts scene revolving around the Ferus Gallery in L.A., which was founded by the critic Walter Hopps and Hopper鈥檚 friend, artist Ed Kienholz. By the mid-1960s, Hopper had amassed a sizable collection of works by those artists he was closest to, including Wallace Berman, Bruce Conner, George Herms, 听Ed Ruscha and Robert Irwin, as well as the East Coast artists Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Claes Oldenburg, and Roy Lichtenstein, among others. Many of these works are represented in the January sale, including:
FINE ART
Wallace Berman
鲍苍迟颈迟濒别诲听
verifax collage
Executed in 1963.
Estimate: $12,000-18,000
A close friend of Hopper鈥檚, Berman was a central figure in the California beat scene in the 1960s. Many art historians consider him to be the 'father' of the California Assemblage Movement. Hopper himself has noted Berman鈥檚 tremendous influence on the L.A. arts scene of the 50's: "If there was a guru, he was it, the high priest, the holy man, the rabbi." Untitled is an excellent example of Berman鈥檚 verifax collage technique, executed within his first year of working with this medium.
Bruce Conner听
Picnic on the Grass听
assemblage
Executed in 1962.
Estimate: $10,000-15,000
Conner was a key artist in the development of assemblage art, a movement of found-object sculpture that critic Peter Plagens defined as "the first home-grown California modern art." Hopper鈥檚 collection boasts several Conner works, including this multi-layered work that employs fabric, printed paper, plastic, string and even an acorn.
Viggo Mortensen听
Mother Memory听
collage--mixed media and oil on canvas laid down on plywood听
耻苍蹿谤补尘别诲听
Executed in 1997.
Estimate: $3,000-5,000
A gift from Hopper鈥檚 fellow actor Viggo Mortensen, Mother Memory depicts Exene Cervenka, singer of the LA punk rock band X, who was married to Mortensen in the late 1980's. A haunting and visionary work, the piece was exhibited at Mortensen鈥檚 first solo exhibition as a painter in November 1998. It was more recently shown in Paris at the Centre National de la Cin茅matographie and in Melbourne, at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image.
Annie Leibovitz
Portrait of Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken at Chateau Marmont, 1995
chromogenic print
Estimate: $3,000-5,000
Taken by Annie Leibovitz, one of the most renowned celebrity photographers of all time, this photo is a meticulously composed and yet unmistakably candid portrait of two of the most celebrated 鈥� and darkly comic - actors of the 20th century.
Kenny Scharf听
础濒颈惫别听
acrylic and oil on canvas
Painted in 1995.
Estimate: $10,000-15,000
Known for his fanciful imagery and dramatic use of color, Kenny Scharf is one of the most emblematic artists working in today鈥檚 New York art scene. Alive, which depicts a jovial abstraction of a pink octopus, was aquired from a solo show at Tony Shafrazi鈥檚 New York gallery.
Gerhard Richter听
鲍苍迟颈迟濒别诲听
colored pencil and pencil on paper听
Drawn in 1989.
Estimate: $6,000-8,000
Renowned German artist Gerhard Richter is recognized as one of the most important artists of the Post-War period and the market for his work continues to reflect growing international appreciation of his artistic importance. Untitled is one of three untitled abstract drawings by Richter that are included in Hopper鈥檚 collection.听
Helmut Newton听
Dennis Hopper, Venice 1985
Gelatin silver print
Estimate: $5,000-7,000
Taken in 1985 鈥� the year prior to the release of his blockbuster films Blue Velvet and Hoosiers - this glamorous shot of Hopper by the legendary fashion photographer Helmut Newton captures the actor in full Hollywood mode, with a film script in hand. The print is signed by Newton himself and inscribed with the message: 鈥淔or Dennis Hopper, from a great fan.鈥�
Memorabilia, Ephemera, Furniture and Decorative Arts
Poster
EASY RIDER, 1969
Estimate: $1,000 - 1,500
Among the many items in his collection that commemorate his five-decade career as an actor is a collection of original movie posters from the films in which he starred. This three sheet poster for Easy Rider, his landmark counter-culture film, gives top billing to Hopper and co-star Peter Fonda, with smaller type for the then-unknown actor Jack Nicholson.
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Script
EASY RIDER, 1969听
Estimate: $2,000 - 3,000
This 158-page, unbound shooting script features extensive handwritten notes on the back of the first two pages, including "10. Ride next day after campfire should be rethought, start as a logical ride and then build to fast cut impressions like leaving city collage climax arrive鈥� and 鈥�17. Rethink last ride.鈥�
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Award
HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME
Estimate: $1,000 - 1,500
After five decades as an actor and over 100 films, Hopper was presented with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in March of 2010. Though weak from the effects of his battle with prostate cancer, Hopper was nevertheless able to attend the ceremony for the unveiling of his commemorative star and was joined by friends and fellow luminaries Jack Nicholson, Viggo Mortensen, David Lynch and Dwight Yoakam.
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Furniture
A Corrugated Cardboard 鈥淏ubbles鈥� Chaise-Longue
Frank O. Gehry
late 20th century
Estimate: $3,000-5,000
As an indication of Hopper鈥檚 love of art in all forms and media, his collection includes a number of furniture designs by Frank O. Gehry, included an array of corrugated cardboard furniture, the ultimate marriage of 20th century design and recycling.
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The complete e-catalogue for this sale is available online at
http://www.christies.com/eCatalogues/index.aspx?saleid=23021
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Auction:
Interiors, Including The Dennis Hopper Collection
Fine Art (lots 1-242)
January 11 at 10am
Memorabilia, Furniture & Ephemera (lots 526-572)
January 12 at 10am
Viewing: Christie鈥檚 Rockefeller Center Galleries
January 8 鈥� 12, 2011听
