10 In-Demand Works on Artsy This Week

In this weekly series, Artsy’s Curatorial team offers a look at the artworks that are currently gaining traction among collectors on Artsy. Looking at our internal data, we offer a selection of works that Artsy members are engaging with through inquiries, bids, page views, and saves. Ranging from large paintings by rising young talents to works on paper by established artists, the following pieces are culled from recent online auctions and art fairs hosted on Artsy, as well as exhibitions and works added by our gallery partners.

Firelei Báez, Wayward (2020)

This piece by Firelei Báez was featured in the LMCC: New York We Love You Benefit Auction, which closed on June 2nd. The piece received strong interest and sold for over three times the high estimate of $6,500. The Dominican American artist, whose work explores the issues of migration and identity construction, recently had a solo show at James Cohan gallery in New York and was featured in last year’s edition of The Artsy Vanguard.

Christo, Wrapped Book (1973)

The legendary sculptor Christo died on May 31st, at the age of 84. This wrapped book by the artist received a high number of page views and inquiries this week. The work is available through Art Partout gallery in Antwerp and is part of a limited edition of 100. The Bulgarian American artist, who collaborated with his wife Jeanne-Claude until she died in 2009, is best known for wrapping landforms and buildings—including Berlin’s Reichstag and Pont Neuf in Paris—in colorful tarps. Christo was set to wrap L’Arc de Triomphe in Paris this fall, but the project was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will happen in 2021.

Calida Rawles, New Day Coming (2020)

This large-scale diptych by Calida Rawles features in the highly successful “Next of Kin” exhibition at Various Small Fires in Seoul. The sought-after artist (almost all works by Rawles are listed as “Sold” on Artsy) is gaining recognition for her photorealistic paintings of Black subjects floating in deep blue pools of water; Rawles draws on the power and symbolism of water to address racism.

Recently, Rawles and textile artist Diedrick Brackens worked together to create a limited run of posters to raise funds for the Minnesota Freedom Fund, the Equal Justice Fund Initiative, the Black Visions Collective, and Black Lives Matter.

Jammie Holmes, Behold the Golden Horse (2020)

This Jammie Holmes piece, recently uploaded to Artsy by Detroit-based gallery Library Street Collective, has garnered a great deal of attention in the past week. Holmes recently caught the public eye through his aerial piece They’re Going to Kill Me (2020)—a public artwork that saw George Floyd’s final words flown across the sky in five American cities, in support of Black Lives Matter protests against racism and police brutality. The artist will be featured in an online solo exhibition online through Dallas Contemporary, opening June 16th. Holmes is a self-taught artist based in Dallas; he also creates figurative paintings that portray everyday scenes of Black life.

Titus Kaphar, State number one, Marcus Bullock (2019)

American artist Titus Kaphar gained fresh esteem in the past week after he created a new painting for this month’s cover of Time magazine; the piece depicts a mother carrying the silhouette of her child, referencing George Floyd’s calls for his mother as he was killed in police custody. This particular work by Kaphar, shown with Maruani Mercier Gallery in Belgium, is linked to the artist’s ongoing series “The Jerome Project.” In the series, Kaphar portrays incarcerated African American men in the style of Byzantine religious icons. The artist, who joined Gagosian’s roster earlier this year, creates paintings, sculptures, and installations exploring the history of representation.

Kyle Dunn, False Start (2020)

This new painting by New York–based artist Kyle Dunn attracted collectors last week after it was included in Artsy’s “Portrayals of Queer Love” collection and editorial feature in celebration of Pride Month. The artist creates figurative work, using acrylic on foam panels (rather than conventional canvas), and often portrays himself. Dunn posted this particular piece on Instagram in March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, writing that the feelings of hope and hesitation that the piece captures are apt for the current moment. Dunn was featured in P.P.O.W’s online presentation for Frieze New York in May.

Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Dark Room Mirror (_2080162) (2017)

Paul Mpagi Sepuya is best known for his explorations of queer communities through photography. He uses a tripod, backdrops, and mirrors to fragment his portraits, complicating the viewer’s relationship with the image. This piece was included in Artsy’s Pride month collection “Portrayals of Queer Love” and editorial feature, which launched earlier this month. This particular piece received many views and inquiries as a result. Sepuya opened the online solo show “A conversation about around pictures” in late March with Vielmetter Los Angeles, and in April, he released his first major publicationthrough Aperture and the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. Sepuya was also featured in Mickalene Thomas’s 2019 show “Better Nights” at the Bass Museum in Miami.

Matthew Stone, Together (2020)

This large-scale digital print on linen by British artist Matthew Stone received a great amount of interest last week. In the work, which was featured in Artsy’s Pride feature and collection “Portrayals of Queer Love,” Stone explores the human body through a blend of traditional painting and digital manipulation. In 2019, Stone created the album artwork for FKA twigs’s latest release Magdalene. This piece will feature in an upcoming show at The Hole gallery in New York.

Cassi Namoda, Cyclone Idai and a mother’s embrace with beloved son one late night in Beira Town (Dedicated to my family and all those who were victims of Cyclone Idai / 2019–2020) (2020)

This piece by Mozambican artist Cassi Namoda featured in Stockholm gallery CFHILL’s recent exhibition “Black Voices/Black Microcosm,” which closed on May 12th. Namoda was also recently featured in Timothy Taylor’s show of female artists “Dwelling is the Light,” curated by Katy Hessel, founder of The Great Women Artists Instagram account. The large number of inquiries for this work came after Namoda was featured in Artsy Editoral’s recent article “Why the Contemporary African Art Market Is Uniquely Positioned to Weather COVID-19.”

Loie Hollowell, Milk Fountain (2019)