Monday, April 4, 2011

Liz #5 to be Auctioned by Phillips de Pury & Company -- posted by Florida Fine Art Blog


Phillips de Pury & Company will be auctioning off Liz #5 as part of its Contemporary Art Part I auction on May12th and is estimated at $20,000,000 to $30,000,000.  Liz #5 was painted at the height of the actresses' fame which coincided with the most significant creative period of Warhol's career.

Liz #5 comes from an important private collector who acquired it from the estate of famed art dealer and collector Ileana Sonnabend.  Beginning in the early 1960's, her gallery was instrumental in introducing postwar America Art to Europe and she represented the most prolific and groundbreaking artists of her time including Jasper Johns, Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol. Liz #5 remained in her personal art collection until her death in 2007.  This is the first time a work from her estate will come to auction and it offers the rare possibility to acquire one of the Sonnabend treasures in the open market.

Liz Taylor was one of Warhol's most famous inspirations alongside Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Kennedy. Taylor captured Warhol's attention early on with her life's high profile romances and tragedy; it was this vibrancy and pathos that so attracted Warhol to her and ensured she was a formidable influence on his work throughout his career. In his own words he once said, "Elizabeth Taylor, ohhhh. She's so glamorous."

Article about Auction
Phillips de Pury & Company website
Warhol Museum website
Liz Taylor website

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