Best of Bonhams

This November, Bonhams celebrates Modern Art in all its varied mediums, decades and geographies. Discover the likes of Barbara Hepworth and L.S. Lowry in Modern British and Irish Art; Chaïm Soutine, Max Pechstein, Egon Schiele and Paul Klee in our Expressionism: Germany, Austria and Beyond auction; non-conformist Eastern European artists in Rebel Spirits at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr; émigré artists of the Ecole de Paris in An International Salon; and modern artists and designers in our Modern Art & Design at Bukowskis auction. Beyond our international sales, we are also thrilled to present a non-selling exhibition of one of the UK's most extensive private collections of Egon Schiele’s works on paper at London New Bond Street.

In anticipation of our 'Modern Month', we spoke to Specialists about the top works of the season.

The Unflinching Eye of Egon Schiele:
Works of a Private Collector

London New Bond Street, 31 October - 16 November

Frederick Millar, Specialist, Impressionist and Modern Art: We are delighted to present this major exhibition of works by leading Austrian Expressionist artist, Egon Schiele. Collected over a period of fifty years, it is one of the most extensive private collections of the artist’s work in the country. Featuring works from Schiele’s most expressive period of 1910-1911, the collection illustrates his most important pivotal moments of artistic development and his maturation of style with almost chronological precision.

A true highlight of the collection is the 1911 rendition of the exotic performer, Moa. Infatuated by her intrigue and mystique, Schiele created a number of works depicting the dancer and Moa stands as one of the most elaborate known examples of her depiction. Throughout the past fifty years, Moa has been included in a host of important survey exhibitions, including a seven-year loan to the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and was recently featured in the 2016 biographical film on the artist, Egon Schiele: Tod und Mädchen.

An International Salon: The Ecole de Paris

Online, 7 - 15 November

Daria Khristova nee Chernenko, Department Director, Russian Art: Hawthorn Branch is a remarkable painting. Typical of Robert Rafailovich Falk's later still-lifes, the colour combination of the leaves' greens and the bright berry reds would have been well considered by the artist who was, as noted by his widow Angelina Shchekin-Krotova, 'meticulous when it came to composition'.

As with the majority of Falk's still-lifes from the period, the hawthorn branch is set against a darker background of brown and silvered wood, such that the different hues of green and red stand out whilst being illuminated by a shaft of gentle light. Art historians have noted that Falk's artistic method was dictated by the 'energy of the colours', and this is perfectly illustrated here.

Rebel Spirits: Non-conformist art from important European collections

Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr, 8 November

Daria Khristova nee Chernenko, Department Director, Russian Art: From the 1970s, the genre of the still life became the centre of Vladimir Weisberg's artistic universe. Following in the footsteps of Giorgio Morandi (1890-1964), he started to address the same subject repeatedly: carefully-selected objects placed on a pedestal, including vases to plaster copies of antique sculptures.

Still life with vase and flower in jar, dated 1966, derives from an important period for the artist as his signature style began taking shape. The painting is characterised by a distinct absence of colour, deep halftones, and various hues of lilac and green which create subdued yet complex colour relations. Weisberg envelops his objects in sfumato and half-tones, a technique that he would later call 'invisible' painting, referencing its mist and ghost-like effects.

Expressionism: Germany, Austria and Beyond

London, 16 November

Frederick Millar, Specialist, Impressionist and Modern Art: Uniting his dynamic Expressionistic style with the luxurious design and architecture of pre-war Berlin, Max Pechstein’s Bildnis Charlotte Cuhrt stands as a testament to familial love, creative collaboration, and a city at the precipice of artistic revolution.

After Pechstein was introduced to Max Cuhrt by prominent Berlin architect Bruno Schniedereit, he was commissioned to complete a portrait of Curht's daughter, Charlotte. Pechstein had previously completed a portrait of Cuhrt’s wife in an octagonal shape, which had been intended for a Schneidereit-designed pattern of wall panels for the family’s Berlin apartment; he was now set the task of completing another shaped portrait. The stunning intimacy of Bildnis Charlotte Cuhrt celebrates the bonds between sitter, artist, patron and collaborator, conjoining the family – quite literally – with their illustrious home.

Fittingly, the treasured work remained in the family’s collection for almost a century, after which it was displayed on loan at the Galerie Belvedere in Vienna from 2009-2014. A rarity for Expressionist paintings, this work is currently offered with both a contemporary frame and the original altar-like frame constructed by Schneidereit himself.

Modern Art & Design at Bukowskis

Bukowskis Stockholm and Online, 16 - 17 November

In October 1912, Maurice Utrillo travelled with his mother and future father-in-law to Belgodère in Corsica. During this stay, his palette became warmer and his more colourful creative period began. In Corsica, he created bright and intense artworks, taking the white-washed picturesque cityscapes as his main inspiration.  

Vue de Corte was earlier in the collection of Swedish sculptor Carl Milles.  In 1931, Carl Milles moved to Cranbrook, where he Milles came into contact with major art collectors and developed a passion for collecting international works of art himself. In New York, he became a frequent visitor to the renowned art dealer M. Knoedler & Co at 14 East 57th Street from which he acquired Vue de Corte. When Milles returned to Stockholm, Sweden the painting hung in his music room at the Milles estate.   

Modern British and Irish Art

London New Bond Street, 22 November

Ingram Reid, Head of Sale, Modern British and Irish Art: Street Scene is a quintessential painting by L.S. Lowry, one of Britain’s most treasured modern artists. Dating from 1941, this work hails from what is traditionally considered his finest period and bears all the qualities of his most desirable pieces. Running through the centre of the busy composition, the road gives a strong sense of perspective, order and space, and leads the eye towards the central gates in the background, symbolising the industry that lies beyond and supports its surrounding community. Factory chimneys, a church spire and a mill complete a series of rich iconography.

 Street Scene showcases Lowry's artistic range and is an exceptional portrayal of his most beloved subject. Having been in the same private collection for almost half a century, the resurfacing of this ‘perfect’ Lowry is an incredibly exciting moment.

Modern British Art

London Knightsbridge, 23 November

Catherine White, Head of Sale, Modern British and Irish Art: Later referred to by Colquhoun as her ‘magic realism’ or ‘super realism’ style, Anthurium is an exquisite example of Ithell Colquhoun’s meticulous paintings of plants and flowers and a culmination of some her finest work of this period. Exhibited at one of her first solo exhibitions, Exotic Plant Decorations at the Fine Art Society in 1936, Anthurium celebrates the notion of rebirth with its exaggerated scale and the immediacy of the foliage placed in the foreground with a glorious simplicity and delicate palette. 

Colquhoun first encountered Salvador Dalí's work in 1931, but the true extent of his influence did not come into fruition until the following year when she began experimenting with botanical paintings in watercolour and oil. Producing no less than 25 works for the 1936 exhibition, including Anthurium, these works reflect the inspiration of Dalí's precise techniques.

This captivating example of Colquhoun's floral works is a testament to her artistic vision. Despite her links to the Surrealist movement, she followed her own distinctive path throughout her life - not only as an artist but also as a writer and occultist - making her one of the most interesting female figures of the 20^th century.

Our Modern Month takes place this November. Find out more here.