With a visionary mind and a highly intuitive eye, Michel Tapié (1909-1987) was one of the most influential art critics of the last century. From his first exhibitions in Paris to the founding of the International Center for Aesthetic Research in Turin, Tapié transcended geographical and cultural boundaries, with a proactive network of relationships between New York, Europe and Japan, and brought together divergent artists whose expression he recognized as "art autre." His aesthetic universe is reflected in these masterpieces presented at Sotheby's by Appel, Falkenstein, Imai, Jenkins, Ossorio, Serpan, Damian, and Zenderoudi which come directly from his collection.

Unique masterpieces from the visionary collection of the legendary art critic Michel Tapié. Sotheby’s Paris is thrilled to offer never before seen works from the descendants of Tapié in dialogue with one another as they would have been at the time.

Property from the Legendary Collection of Michel Tapié

In the Contemporary Art Day Sale, Sotheby’s Paris presents a unique and cosmopolitan selection from the Nouvelle École de Paris, featuring highly original and heterogeneous forms of expression, united by the same spirit of renewal that animated the Parisian art scene in the aftermath of the Second World War. The colorful, emblematic paintings of Russian émigrés De Stael, Lanskoy and Poliakoff, the energetic, dynamic signs of Hartung and Dubuffet, the richly textured surfaces of Mathieu, Riopelle and Fautrier, the intuitive watercolor brushstrokes of Zao Wou-Ki and the bold abstraction of Atlan will trace this seminal period that rewrote the rules of art.

Seminal works by the new generation of artists active on the lively, cosmopolitan Parisian scene in the decades following the end of the Second World War.

Nouvelle École de Paris

Laure Prouvost’s work, The Chair, from 2014, “plays” a key role in the film Ma France à moi, directed by Benoît Cohen, Cinema Curators, Galerie Nathalie Obadia and Get the Moon, which will be released on 20 December. Laure Prouvost's work is a three-legged chair, the fourth leg of which has been replaced by a mound of literary, multi-genre and multilingual works. It refers both to this image of breakage, of lack, of significant injury, but also to a certain humanized reparation, a compensation embodied in this case by culture. For almost 25 years, Laure Prouvost has been deconstructing words and language, objects and their perception, images and their representation, to propose deliberately dysfunctional variants that challenge the thought systems that govern our daily lives.

To coincide with the shooting of the film Ma France à moi, directed by Benoît Cohen, Cinema Curators, Galerie Nathalie Obadia and Get the Moon, commissioned by Echo Studio, have collaborated to stage and "play" the work The Chair in the film, which will be released on 20 December.

Unprecedented Collaboration Between a Contemporary Artwork and a Movie

The Chair by Laure Prouvost

Sotheby's is pleased to present a unique selection of Spanish masterpieces at auction, illustrating the most important stages in the country's recent art history. From the earliest generations, such as the one represented here by Picasso, to those that emerged after World War II, these painters revolutionized artistic idioms and influenced the international cultural scene, exploring gestural, spatial, material and realistic expression, without ever forgetting their roots. In addition to the titanic Picasso, the sale features leading Spanish artists such as Chillida, Lopez-Garcia, Ossorio, Oteiza, Saura and Tapies.

A selection of iconic masterpieces by leading Spanish artists with singular creative paths, sharing the same roots.

Spanish Art

Paris

Head of Day Sale, Specialist, Deputy Director, Contemporary Art

Isobel Gooder

Associate Specialist, Impressionist & Modern Art

Joséphine Viat

Associate Specialist, Contemporary Art

Armance Gay

Associate Cataloguer, Contemporary Art

Damiane Pestre

Department Coordinator | Impressionist & Modern Art

Thibault Mandon

Meet our Specialists

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Sotheby’s Paris December Contemporary Day Auction will bring together an exciting group of works by some of the most sought-after Post-War and Contemporary artists of the moment. The works presented span over one hundred years, offering a veritable panoply of 20th and 21st century pieces that defined art history. This season’s sale will combine an exceptional selection of contemporary works, by both French and international artists.

Art Moderne et Contemporain Day Auction