Latest news with #MarleneDumas
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Nine foot beauty queen portrait sets auction record for a living female artist
The global art market is not immune to the trade winds of change blowing us all over the place right now. Even though they brought in $1 billion, the slimmed-down May sales in New York failed to reach their targets. On the minus side, a bust by Alberto Giacometti of his brother Diego, estimated at around $70 million (€61.57 million), failed to find a buyer at Sotheby's. On the plus side, the collection of Barnes & Noble founder Leonard Riggio and his wife Louise made $272 million (€239.46 million) at Christie's, the only collection to realise this total in the last 18 months. It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good. Marlene Dumas, South African-born born Netherlands-based 71-year-old old set a new auction record for a living female artist with Miss January, 1997. 'Miss January' by Marlene Dumas. She has explored portraiture for 40 years, and this monumental nine feet tall work of a beauty queen nude from the waist down, apart from a pink sock, sold for $13.6 million (€11.96 million) at Christie's. There were records too for previously overlooked 20th century women artists like Grace Hartigan, Dorothea Tanning, Remedios Vara and Kiki Kogelnik. Christie's global president, Alex Rotter, said that what we are seeing is an emphasis on individual taste among collectors. 'Leaves of a Plant' by Georgia O'Keeffe made $12.9 million (€11.35 million) at Sotheby's. "The market is no longer about following the crowd. It is about individual taste and passions. What art makes you feel. That is a very interesting and exciting development for the market". The global downturn is influenced by factors like a decline in the number of Asian buyers and the absence of Russian wealth. These do not affect the market for Irish art. Underlying global uncertainty does play into the Irish market, but not at a level where the highs are stratospheric and the lows catastrophic. Our very conservative market is characterised by slow, steady growth. It operates in a relatively low-value segment, which shows up in all current statistics as being most immune to all that is going on. One segment that has proved to be not at all immune is the market for young contemporaries. Entirely absent from the sales this month were prices in the millions for young artists that few people had ever heard of. One possible explanation is that buyers of mid-career artists can afford to wait, as this work will continue to be available in the future, especially at a time of uncertainty. 'Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue' . The top lot of the week was Mondrian's Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue from the Riggio collection. It made $47.6 million (€41.87 million). Magritte's L'Empire des Lumieres from the same collection made $35 million (€30.79 million). There was a record at Christie's for Monet when his Peupliers au bord de l'Epte, crepuscule, sold for $43 million (€37.82 million) and set a new record for his celebrated Poplars series. 'Homme Assis' by Picasso. At Sotheby's, Picasso's Homme Assis from 1969 made $15.1 million (€13.28 million) and Georgia O'Keeffe's Leaves of a Plant made $12.9 million (€11.35 million). Roy Lichtenstein's Reflections: Art made $5.4 million (€4.75 million), one of nine Lichtensteins which collectively made $29 million (€25.51 million). There was a new world record for Mainie Jellett at Whyte's on Monday evening when Achill Horses, featured here last week, made a hammer price of €210,000. The previous record was €110,000 set at Whyte's in 2019 for Than Land Eire from 1940. This painting is included in the current Mainie Jellett Evie Hone exhibition at the National Gallery of Ireland. Read More Works by leading Irish and international artists at outdoor exhibition in Cork
The Citizen
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
In the gloom, two South Africans bring global glory
Despite the gloom, Marlene Dumas and Rayno Nel have proven that South Africans can still conquer global stages in art and sport. South African artist and painter, Marlene Dumas and Rayno Nel in action during the World's Strongest Man competition in Sacramento, California. Pictures: Instagram and Robyn Beck/AFP Amid the weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth which seems to be present-day South Africa, it is good to know that our supposedly traumatised country can still produce world-beaters. There were two of them this week who rose to the highest heights in their respective fields. SA-born Artist Marlene Dumas set a global auction record for the most expensive painting sold by a living female artist. This after her 1997 painting Miss January sold for a staggering $13.7 million (more than R245 million) at Christie's 21st Century Evening Sale auction in the United States. Fair enough, Dumas, 72, has lived in Amsterdam since 1976… but we'll still call her ours. ALSO READ: SA-born artist Marlene Dumas breaks global record with over R245 million painting sale [PICS] Someone who hasn't left and has his feet still solidly on local ground is newly crowned strongman world champion Rayno Nel, a former Cheetahs rugby player who has won the World's Strongest Man championship in California. He was the first athlete from Africa to take the title in the 48-year history of the event. The achievement was even more notable because Nel only took up the strongman sport two years ago, after retiring from rugby and then focusing on his career as an electrical engineer. Fly, the Beloved Country… ALSO READ: Rayno Nel eager to keep improving after winning strongman world title
The Herald
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald
SA-born artist Marlene Dumas breaks record with R246m sale
A 1997 art piece painted by South African-born artist Marlene Dumas has sold for more than R230m at Christie's New York, setting a new benchmark for female artists in the 21st century art market. Dumas' provocative 2.74m-tall oil painting Miss January sold for a staggering $13.635m (R246.7m) on Wednesday, setting a new world record for a living female artist. The monumental portrait, a striking image of a blonde woman nude from the waist down, captivated collectors during the 21st Century Evening Sale held via Instagram Live and YouTube. Auctioneer Yü-Ge Wang, associate director and senior client adviser at Christie's, led the sale which saw fierce bidding and ultimately achieved a total of $96.5m (R1.75bn). An impressive 92% of lots were sold by number and 97% by value, with four artists breaking auction records: Louis Fratino, Simone Leigh, Emma McIntyre and Dumas. Dumas' record surpasses the previous benchmark held by British painter Jenny Saville, whose work Propped (1992) sold for £9.5m (R228m) at Sotheby's London in 2018. Despite this groundbreaking achievement, Dumas' sale still trails the record for a living male artist Jeff Koons' Rabbit (1986), which sold for $91.07m (R1.65bn) in 2019. Christie's reflected on Dumas' evolution as an artist, stating: 'Dumas started exploring and scrutinising the female form at age 10, with a drawing called Miss World ' which depicted idolised glamour models. More than 30 years later, she returned to the subject with Miss January , a portrait that threads the line between revealing and concealing, and serves as perhaps the best example of her influential female portraiture.' Born in Cape Town in 1953, Dumas is based in the Netherlands, where she represented the country at the 1995 Venice Biennale and was later featured in the central pavilion in 2015.
The South African
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The South African
Would you pay R246 million for this Marlene Dumas painting
In a proudly South Africa moment, Cape Town-born Marlene Dumas set a new auction record, becoming the most expensive living female artist after her 1997 painting Miss January sold for $13.6 million (R246 million) at Christie's this week. The artwork, a last-minute consignment from the Rubell Family Collection, had been estimated between $12 million and $18 million, with a third-party guarantee in place. Marlene Dumas's Miss January (1997) sold for $13.6 million, including fees. Image: Christie's Bidding opened at $9 million and quickly escalated, with the hammer coming down at $11.5 million (before fees), prompting applause in the saleroom. With fees, the final price reached $13.6 million. The winning bid came from an anonymous telephone buyer. The painting is a towering oil-on-canvas piece measuring approximately 9 feet tall (281.9cm x 101.6cm) and revisits themes deeply personal to Marlene Dumas, who has lived in the Netherlands since the late 1970s. It draws inspiration from Miss World , the first known drawing she created at age 10, and connects to her earlier works such as the 1988 Misinterpreted – widely seen as a self-portrait – and her 1992 survey exhibition Miss Interpreted at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. This sale surpasses the previous record for a living female artist, held by Jenny Saville, whose Propped (1992) fetched £9.5 million ($12.4 million) at Sotheby's London in 2018. Before this auction, Dumas's highest price was $6.33 million, achieved in 2008 for The Visitor (1995) at Sotheby's London. While her market has remained steady, only a handful of her works have crossed the $1 million mark in recent years. Between 2022 and 2024, 15 Dumas works were sold at auction, but only five exceeded $1 million, and just two surpassed their high estimates. The sale was also notable due to the rarity of deaccessions from the Rubell Family Collection, one of the most prominent in the world. According to past statements, the Rubells have sold fewer than 20 pieces out of more than 5 000 collected over five decades. Miss January was previously displayed at their private museum in Miami during Art Basel in December. Dumas's historic result reaffirms her global significance and places her firmly at the top of the contemporary art market. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The South African
Who is Marlene Dumas?
Marlene Dumas is a South African-born, Dutch-based contemporary artist, internationally acclaimed for her powerful, emotionally resonant paintings and drawings. She was born in 1953 in Cape Town and has lived in the Netherlands since the late 1970s. Her work often focuses on the human figure and explores intense themes such as: Love, sex, and death Race and identity Violence and guilt Politics and vulnerability Dumas is known for using photographs – personal and journalistic – as references, which she transforms through expressive brushwork into deeply psychological portraits. Her style blurs the boundaries between intimacy and detachment, creating haunting and evocative imagery. The Painter (1994) Perhaps her most iconic work. Depicts her young daughter nude, covered in paint, staring directly at the viewer. Themes: innocence, creativity, perception of the artist, and female identity. Magdalena (1995) A provocative depiction of Mary Magdalene. Interrogates religious iconography and sexuality. Dead Marilyn (2008) A portrait of Marilyn Monroe based on the morgue photo taken after her death. Reflects on celebrity, mortality, and media exploitation. Osama (2010) A controversial painting of Osama bin Laden based on a widely circulated image. Challenges viewers to confront how media and politics shape villainy. Lucy (2004) One of many works named after or inspired by real women. Emphasizes the expressive quality of watercolor and fluid linework. The Image as Burden (1993) A smaller but symbolically heavy painting that inspired the title of a major retrospective. Portrays a man carrying a limp woman, echoing themes of martyrdom, violence, and love. Miss January (1997) This artwork recently garnered significant attention when it sold for $13.6 million (R246 million) at Christie's in New York on 14 May 14 setting a new auction record for a living female artist. 'Miss January' is a towering oil-on-canvas piece measuring approximately 9 feet tall (281.9cm x 101.6cm). It portrays a blonde woman standing confidently, nude from the waist down, wearing only a single pink sock. The subject's direct gaze and assertive posture challenge traditional representations of the female nude, confronting viewers with themes of vulnerability, power, and the objectification of women. Painted in 1997, the work revisits Dumas's earlier explorations of femininity and identity, echoing her first known drawing, 'Miss World,' created when she was just 10 years old. Through expressive brushwork and a limited color palette, Dumas blurs the lines between intimacy and detachment, inviting contemplation on the complexities of representation and perception. The sale of 'Miss January' not only established a new benchmark for Dumas's market value but also underscored her influence in contemporary art. The painting was previously part of the esteemed Rubell Family Collection, known for its commitment to contemporary artists. Marlene Dumas is considered one of the most important painters of her generation. Her work is part of major collections, including: The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York The Tate Modern, London The Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
