10 In-Demand Works on Artsy This Week: September 30, 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.

Mandy El-Sayegh, Net-Grid Study (Bread and Life) (2021)

Malaysian-born artist Mandy El-Sayegh continues her practice of constructing multi-layered canvases through found fragments. Her striking compositions, meant to convey the unpredictability of information, are often composed of layered collections of clips from the Financial Times, advertisements, and pages of Arabic calligraphy. Net-Grid Study (Bread and Life), now available with a starting bid £28,000 at this year’s Art of Wishes benefit auction, is part of El-Sayegh’s ongoing “Net Grid” series, in which she paints grids over silkscreened layers to represent the borders of language.

Browse available works by Mandy El-Sayegh.

Jenny Saville, Exodus (2020–21)

Another work currently available through the Art of Wishes benefit auction is this charcoal-on-paper work by Jenny Saville. The artist, an original member of the Young British Artists, is celebrated for her visceral portrayals of nude women that fixate on the imperfections of flesh and subvert the male gaze. Referencing the Book of Exodus, this charcoal and pastel drawing renders a group of children being carried by an anonymous figure covered in cloudy, graffiti-like scrawls. The piece highlights Saville’s ability to move between figuration and abstraction, and puts her in conversation with the artists of the Italian Renaissance. Recent paintings and drawings by Saville, including this piece, are currently exhibited across five museums in Florence through February 22nd: the Museo Novecento, Museo di Palazzo Vecchio, Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Museo degli Innocenti, and Museo di Casa Buonarroti.

Browse available works by Jenny Saville.

Patrick Eugène, waiting on tomorrow (2021)

In the Amref Health Africa ArtBall benefit auction, this introspective 2021 portrait by Patrick Eugène has already attracted 16 bids ahead of the sale’s October 12th close. In waiting on tomorrow, the artist—influenced by his Haitian-American background—depicts moments of solitude in Black America through thick, gestural brushstrokes and a contrasting, bright color palette.

Browse available works by Patrick Eugène.

Lynda Benglis, Peace of Heaven (2013-2015)

This biomorphic piece by the visual artist Lynda Benglis is currently available to buy now as part of Storm King Art Center’s benefit auction, which closes on October 7th. Part of an edition of 40, the cast phosphorescent polyurethane sculpture quickly changes from delicate ivory into a neon glow-in-the-dark green. It continues the artist’s experiments with natural phosphorescent as a medium, as well as her fascination with bringing natural phenomena to the forefront of her work.

Browse available works by Lynda Benglis.

Kerry James Marshall, Untitled (Man) (2017)

This two-color woodcut-on-paper work by the lauded artist Kerry James Marshall is featured in the current FRONT benefit auction, which closes on October 8th. The editioned woodcut depicts a Black man with crossed arms, clasped hands, and an open mouth. Other editions of this print are currently in the collections of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Art Institute of Chicago, and the British Museum.

Browse available works by Kerry James Marshall.

Erwin Wurm, Almost A Perfect Day II (2021)

This playful photograph by Erwin Wurm is featured in this year’s Moncler benefit auction and is available to buy now. The multidisciplinary Austrian artist is known for incorporating everyday objects into his absurdist, clever sculptures. In Almost A Perfect Day II, Wurm references Moncler’s famous puffer jacket as he explores the coat’s silhouette. Moncler’s benefit auction, hosted exclusively on Artsy and curated by designer Sergio Zambo, is inspired by the Italian fashion label’s 2 Moncler 1952 collection and features special editions by Wurm, Prem Sahib, and Andrea Anastasio. The works by the artists, included in the sale, transform everyday items to align with Moncler’s roots. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the nonprofit FREE THE WORK in an effort to promote inclusivity and diversity through the hiring of transgender and BIPOC staff across film, advertising, and television.

Browse available works by Erwin Wurm.

Vivian Greven, )(X (2021)

For her evocative paintings, the Düsseldorf-based artist Vivian Greven uses virtual reproductions of sculptures from the Greco-Roman period that reinforce the antiquated, idealized body type to examine the role of beauty in contemporary society. Those figures, rendered in pastel washes and smooth brushstrokes, are reduced down to their limbs, torsos, and heads to reveal intimate moments of exploration. In )(X, two profiles are moments away from kissing, creating an anticipatory experience for the viewer. The work was recently featured in Kadel Willborn’s presentation at Art Basel, through which it gained a flurry of inquiries from Artsy users.

Browse available works by Vivian Greven.

Simphiwe Ndzube, Hintsa (2021)

This surrealistic acrylic-on-canvas work by Simphiwe Ndzube was the subject of a wealth of attention from collectors when it was recently exhibited in Stevenson’s presentation at Art Basel; the painting is now sold. The rising artist reflects on post-apartheid South Africa through mythology-inspired compositions. His works reflect his fictional world Mine-moon, which is populated by boldly colored human-animal hybrids. Currently, eight new works by Ndzube are being shown in the artist’s first U.S. solo museum exhibition at the Denver Art Museum, on view through October 10th.

Browse available works by Simphiwe Ndzube.

Julie Mehretu, Untitled (2021)

Julie Mehretu is acclaimed for her large-scale, dynamic abstractions that reflect the crucial sociopolitical changes in urban cities. The artist often transposes a map of a city onto a canvas, and then builds up frenetic layers of thick acrylic paint, pencil, ink, and pen to create these monumental works. This untitled ink-on-paper drawing has garnered a number of inquiries since it was uploaded to Artsy in mid-September by the Berlin-based gallery carlier | gebauer. This surge in interest for the artist’s work follows her record-breaking $6.5 million Dissident Score (2019–21), which sold on Artsy in June to benefit the Art for Justice Fund.

Browse available works by Julie Mehretu.

Jeff Koons, Diamond (Red) (2020)