Preview for Inaugural New York Post War and Contemporary Art Sale

On November 14, Freeman’s | Hindman brings to market a strong selection of 24 works by renowned 20th and 21st century artists as part of the inaugural Post War and Contemporary Art auction in the firm’s New York saleroom. The sale features significant pieces by Helen Frankenthaler, Wayne Thiebaud, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Salvo, alongside contemporary innovators such as Mark Grotjahn, Stanley Whitney, Kenny Scharf, and Glenn Ligon.

Aaron Cator, Senior Specialist in the Post War and Contemporary Art Department and Head of Sale, expressed his excitement:

“I am delighted to present the firm's inaugural Post War and Contemporary Art Sale in New York at 32 East 67th Street—a group of tightly curated works across 24 lots by leading artists from the 1940s to the present day. This sale ranges in both medium and period, with best-in-class works from 20th-century luminaries and masters, alongside salient examples by the most acclaimed and innovative artists working today.”

Auction Highlights

Lot 6 | Mark Grotjahn, Untitled (Violet and Canary Yellow Butterfly 43.78), 2012
Estimate: $700,000 – 900,000
Leading the sale is Mark Grotjahn’s Untitled (Violet and Canary Yellow Butterfly 43.78), a remarkable piece from a series of large-scale paintings and drawings that the artist initiated in 2001. This series investigates multiple-point perspective and explores vibrant color in innovative ways. The focal point of Untitled (Violet and Canary Yellow Butterfly 43.78) serves as an anchor, embodying Grotjahn’s belief that the creative process is as much about chance as it is about meticulous abstraction. As he noted during his 2010 exhibition at the Portland Art Museum: “I changed the focal points because it changed the composition of the works and found that it was visually interesting and worthwhile… the only problems I was trying to solve were visual ones.”

Grotjahn often revisits forms within series like Butterfly, employing similar shapes and perspectives while experimenting with different colors, frequently exhibiting them together. The grand scale of his works envelops viewers, commanding the entire visual field and drawing comparisons to the immersive effect of Mark Rothko’s paintings. The large-scale drawing on offer, with its rich canary yellow and violet tones, creates a pulsating visual experience that captivates the eye and highlights the artwork's dynamic surface and materiality.

Lot 20 | Wayne Thiebaud, Slice of Lemon Meringue Pie, 1961
Estimate: $600,000 – 800,000
Though known for touching on a wide variety of quintessentially American subject matter throughout his career—landscapes and cityscapes of his local California, portraits, lipstick containers, and paint cans—Thiebaud is best known for his playful and highly recognizable depictions of food, especially sweets and baked goods. This painting brilliantly transforms a simple slice of pie into a vibrant abstraction, with the meringue rendered in swirling, textured strokes. “Pie has a long history and it has other implications: the idea of ‘Pie in the Sky,’ the old American preoccupation with Mom and Apple Pie,” Thiebaud once remarked.

Thiebaud’s influences span Disney animation, advertising, and the Pop Art movement. However, unlike his Pop contemporaries, he emphasized the artist’s hand, using bold color contrasts to animate familiar subjects. The result is a painting that feels more nostalgic and personal than commercial, inviting viewers to reflect on food’s cultural symbolism.

Lot 2 | Salvo, Senza Titolo, c. 1997
Estimate: $50,000 – 70,000
In Senza Titolo, Salvo (the pseudonym of Salvatore Mangione) explores the transformative power of light. A bright sun illuminates parts of the landscape with stylized hues of fuchsia, orange, and blue, while shadowed areas showcase natural greens and browns. Initially part of the Arte Povera movement, known for challenging traditional notions of "high" art through unconventional materials and concepts, Salvo shifted his focus in 1973 to these vibrant, pictorial works rooted in landscape, mythology, and art history, employing exaggerated forms and colors.

Renowned for revisiting scenes at different times of day, Salvo captures moments of transition, reflecting his fascination with the miraculous nature of everyday life. These otherworldly landscapes, like Senza Titolo, bursting with color, are now in high demand and sure to attract intense interest on the day of the auction.  

Lot 11 | Stanley Whitney, Stay Song #37, 2019
Estimate: $200,000 – 300,000
Celebrated for his vibrant color grid paintings, Whitney has established himself as one of the foremost abstract artists of his time and a masterful interpreter of color, as it evokes emotion, triggers nostalgia, transforms spaces, and fuels artistic creation.

Dancing with vibrant hues of green, blue, red, yellow, and orange, Stay Song #37 exhibits the quick, gestural, and spontaneous application of color for which Whitney is known. While he paints, Whitney immerses himself in a soundtrack of experimental jazz, drawing inspiration from artists such as Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, and Charlie Parker. Stay Song #37exemplifies his ability to transform abstraction into an emotional and sensory experience.

Additional Highlights Include:

• Lot 3 | Albert York, Untitled, 1982 | Estimate $60,000 – 80,000
• Lot 5 | Helen Frankenthaler, Relay II, 1976 | Estimate $60,000 – 80,000
• Lot 8 | Andy Warhol, Grace Kelly, 1984 | Estimate $100,000 – 150,000
• Lot 10 | Kenny Scharf, JUDY JUDY JUDY...AKA JUDY INFINITUM, 2013 | Estimate $70,000 – 90,000

Sale Preview

The sale preview will be on view from November 4 through November 13, 10AM – 5PM, at Freeman’s | Hindman’s flagship showroom at 32 East 67th Street.

How to Bid

The Post War and Contemporary Art auction will be offered on November 14 in Freeman’s | Hindman’s New York saleroom. Bidding will be available in person, over the phone and via absentee or live online bidding. For more information, please visit hindmanauctions.com.

About Freeman’s | Hindman

Freeman’s | Hindman merged in 2024 to create a global team of experienced specialists who embrace tradition and innovation, creating a truly client-centric auction house. As America’s oldest auction house, Freeman’s has been an active part of the auction world and art market for nearly 220 years. Hindman, established in 1982, brings an expansive cross-country network, wealth of expertise, and strong relationships with fiduciaries nationwide to build a market-leading auctions and appraisals firm in Freeman’s | Hindman.