10 In-Demand Works on Artsy This Week: July 29, 2021
In this weekly series, Artsy’s Curatorial and Editorial teams offer a look at the artworks that are currently gaining traction among collectors on Artsy. Looking at our internal data, we share a selection of works that Artsy members are engaging with through inquiries, page views, and saves, plus promising lots in current auctions. 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.
Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe, Rancher (2021)
Demand for this recent painting by Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe has spiked after it was uploaded to the platform in early July. Rancher—a portrait of a woman rendered in gray tones, dressed in traditional Western wear, and set against a textured, vibrant rural backdrop—is demonstrative of the Oregon-based Ghanaian artist’s ability to communicate with his audience through the use of vivid color. The work is also part of a growing trend of BIPOC artists reinterpreting representations of the American West and cowboy culture. Quaicoe’s work was mentioned in a recent Artsy collector profile on Pete Scantland.
Browse available works by Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe.
Oluwole Omofemi, Invader II (2021)
From the time it was uploaded by Out of Africa Gallery in early July, interest in this stunning painting by Oluwole Omofemi was through the roof; the work is now currently on hold. This frenzy of inquiries reflects the growing collector demand for the Nigerian artist’s introspective portraits and quiet, domestic scenes which often highlight Afrocentric pride. In this portrait, a woman is seen engulfed by a bright yellow cloud in a rich blue setting with her eyes closed. It’s the artist’s second reimagining of his grandmother who underwent chemotherapy treatment before ultimately losing her battle with cancer.
Josh Smith, Untitled (2014)
This 2014 untitled canvas of a black palm tree swaying in front of a sunset by the New York–based artist Josh Smith has already seen a flurry of inquiries since being uploaded to the platform by Xavier Hufkens in mid-July. Beloved for his stylized, gestural paintings of his own name, the artist is equally celebrated for his works that expressively blend abstraction with figuration and often incorporate iconoclastic objects such as leaves, insects, skeletons, and fish.
Pierre Soulages, Peinture 92 x 73 cm, 3 avril 1974 (1974)
This canvas by the French artist Pierre Soulages, uploaded by Opera Gallery, recently received an uptick in inquiries. Starting in the 1950s, the artist moved away from using walnut stain on paper and instead began using oil—specifically black—paint on canvas to create his famous abstract works. Peinture 92 x 73 cm, 3 avril 1974 is a quintessential example of Soulages employing the dark color to explore the relationship of light and reflection.
Christina Quarles, Day Is Dun (2021)
Christina Quarles’s 2021 drawing Day Is Dun has garnered immediate interest since being uploaded to Artsy by Hauser & Wirth on July 21st. The piece is featured in the new group show “In Focus: LA Artists,” on view through August 22nd at the gallery’s Los Angeles outpost. This work on paper presents an excellent opportunity to collect a piece by the Los Angeles–based artist as her astronomical market presence continues to grow rapidly. This past June, Quarles opened her first solo exhibition in London at the South London Gallery. And in the U.S., the artist’s work is currently being presented in a solo show at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago through September.
Andrea Marie Breiling, Not A Solid Stone (2021)
This mesmerizing Andrea Marie Breiling canvas, uploaded to the platform by Almine Rech in mid-July, has racked up serious interest. Titled Not A Solid Stone, the large-scale work is typical of the Los Angeles–based artist’s practice, in which she creates sprawling paintings filled with bursts of bold colors and hazy lines rendered solely in spray paint and without any brushes.
Ziping Wang, The Forgotten Tapestry (2021)
Part of Ziping Wang’s current solo exhibition, “The Other Landscape,” at the gallery Unit London, this alluring painting continues to receive a steady stream of inquiries. Drawn to the visually appealing colors and design of food wrappers, Wang combines these images with traditional Chinese motifs, fragments of wallpaper-like cutouts, and cartoonish renderings of snacks to produce fragmented collages that create a captivating illusion of flatness.
Witt Fetter, Surrender Dorothy (2020)
One of the works up for auction at this year’s “Summer Benefit” sale for worthless studios, Surrender Dorothy by the Brooklyn-based artist Witt Fetter has already met its reserve ahead of the auction’s August 2nd close. Fetter is best known for paintings that pair scenes of gender reveal explosions with images of wildfire containment. With this 2020 work, the artist continues to dissect the gender binary by subtly referencing Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, rendering her dress and the fabled road in cerulean blues and baby pinks.
Al Freeman, Monster Drink (2016)
Another work featured in worthless studios’s “Summer Benefit” auction is this subversive 2016 oil-stick-on-paper work by Canadian artist Al Freeman. With six bids in, Monster Drink has also met its reserve and is swiftly approaching its estimate of $2,500. The work is part of Freeman’s ongoing practice of exaggerating items typically associated with masculinity to absurd effect. In this case, the hypermasculine neon packaging of a Monster Energy can is drained of its color, rendered lifeless and flat—weakening the male-coded object.
Jessica Lichtenstein, Nightfall (2018)
This otherworldly work by Jessica Lichtenstein is also included in worthless studios’s auction and has met its reserve with four bids. Composed of wood, palladium leaf, and mother of pearl inlays, Nightfall’s iridescent surface is replete with hypersexualized female silhouettes—that take inspiration from Japanese anime—leaping from a tree into an unknown abyss. It reflects the artist’s appreciation of women’s sexuality and their complex nature.
