Andy Warhol's "Big Electric Chair" offered at Christies Auction House for $30 million.
By Watson Evans Art
Christies Auction House announced last week that they are offering Andy Warhol’s "Big Electric Chair" from the Matthys-Colle Collection, with a low estimate of $30 million. Standing alongside the most significant works in his career, 'Big Electric Chair' is seminal within Warhol’s _oeuvre _and has played a central role in establishing Warhol as the 20th Century’s most celebrated artist.
Alex Rotter, Chairman of 20th and 21st Century Art at Christie’s, describes the painting as_ “the ultimate still life… a solitary object in a quiet moment, reflecting the fragility of the human condition.”_ He likens it to the great still life traditions - from the Dutch Masters to Cézanne - highlighting its depth and resonance.
The painting is a tightly cropped version of an infamous Warholian image which dates to the early 1960s, the basis of what is now widely recognised as the highly coveted _Death and Disaster _series. The silhouette creates an aura that encourages contemplation on the binary nature of life and death, in the same vein as _momento mori _paintings from the Renaissance.
Warhol’s Electric Chair works were described by legendary Metropolitan Museum of Art curator Henry Geldzahler as “the most powerful paintings in Pop Art.” This sale will only serve to further ignite interest and collectibility in Warhol's highly coveted Death & Disaster series which was based on this painting.
Now Available: We are pleased to offer a signed 1971 edition of _Electric Chair - _in one of the most sought-after colour variations, from the Death and Disaster series.