NEW YORK, 7 September 2017 – Sotheby’s is pleased to present the Contemporary Curated auction on 27 September, featuring works from Neither Appearance Nor Illusion: Property from the Collection of Santiago Barberi Gonzalez. For the first time, stunning pieces of 20th century design, from the beloved designer’s collection, will be offered in addition to works by visionary post-war and contemporary artists. Amplifying this season’s special connection to the fashion community, Marie Claire Creative Director and Project Runway judge, Nina Garcia, will serve as the sale’s curator, lending her impeccable taste and keen creative eye to selecting a diverse group of works that prompts an engaging dialogue between the spheres of art and fashion. Pieces by Alexander Calder, Lawrence Weiner and Jenny Holzer appear among the fashion authority’s picks from the sale’s 330+ lots.

Prized works by established female artists, such as Joan Mitchell’s sprawling triptych, Parasol (estimate $1.5/2 million), and Yayoi Kusama’s Beyond My Illusion/Imaginary Flowers of Shangri-La (estimate $650/850,000) lead the two-session sale, with Helen Frankenthaler’s Haze (estimate $500/700,000) and Robert Indiana’s The Dietary (estimate $400/600,000) – a glorious manifestation of the artist’s signature iconography – among the other top lots.

Willem de Kooning’s Untitled (estimate $200/300,000) from the collection of celebrated sculptor Costantino Nivola highlights the sale’s sizeable offering of extraordinary pieces; the work was gifted to Nivola by his dear friend, who dedicated the work ‘For Tino’ within the composition. A twelve-piece painting, AIDS (estimate $200/300,000), by artist collective General Idea, Eva Hesse’s rare Untitled, 1963 (estimate $50/70,000), and a series of Alexander Calder jewelry round out the exceptional lots on offer. Created during the 1940s and 1950s, the exquisite group made of lustrous metals, including two necklaces in gold, exhibit Calder’s unparalleled technique; gold necklaces by the artist have yet to ever appear at auction and will open the sale’s various-owner sequence.

THE IMPECCABLE COLLECTION OF FASHION MAGNATE, SANTIAGO BARBERI GONZALEZ

The single-owner sequence, Neither Appearance Nor Illusion: Property from the Collection of Santiago Barberi Gonzalez, begins the sale’s afternoon session, with Butt (estimate $300/400,000) by Antony Gormley, On Kawara’s JUNE 10, 2004 (from Today series, 1966-2013) (estimate $200/300,000) and John McCracken’s Black Pyramid (estimate $120/180,000) leading the contemporary art on offer. An octet of Fairytale Chairs (estimate $60/80,000) by Ai Weiwei, a group of bronze surrealist figures by Claude Lalanne (estimates $1,5/2,000 to $7/9,000), and vibrant velvet “Boa” Sofa (estimate $10/15,000) by Fernando & Humberto Campana further distinguish the exceptional sale and encapsulate the late designer’s unbridled passion and unmistakable vision. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to a charity honoring the late designer’s fervent support of the arts. Separate release available.

The New York exhibition opens to the public on 22 September, alongside works from the 16 – 29 September Contemporary Art Online auction.

THE CURATOR Nina Garcia Instagram: @NinaGarcia

“Art is something so personal, you get a feeling from it. There is an emotional response that happens when you see an artwork you love. Art moves you, but art also finds you. Art is also a reflection of our time – it’s a window into what is important and relevant in society.” - Nina Garcia

Originally from Barranquilla, Colombia and based in New York, Nina Garcia is Creative Director at Marie Claire magazine. To many, she is best known as the unerring, formidable fashion judge on the Peabody Award winning hit show, Project Runway, which is now on its 16th season and viewed in over 13 different countries around the world.

A New York Times bestselling author of four books on style: The Little Black Book of Style, The One Hundred, The Style Strategy and Nina Garcia’s Look Book, Nina is also responsible for covering the designer fashion markets of New York, Milan and Paris. Nina is an undisputed authority on the industry, and has cultivated an elite following of fashion “insiders” as well as an adoring fan base worldwide.

She is the recipient of the 2010 Oracle Award organized by the NGO Fashion Group International (FGI). Prior to her work at Marie Claire, she worked as Fashion Director at Elle and previously held positions at both Mirabella and Perry Ellis. A graduate of Boston University, as well as the famed Fashion Institute of Technology, Nina has always credited her drive and success to her stylish parents for first showing her the potential of quality design and impeccable fashion.