Taner Ceylan, Spiritual. Sold for £70,850 at Sotheby’s London.
Taner Ceylan is truly a hyperrealist of the highest order.
This work
is a reflection of the artist’s own personal challenges in the year of execution. The bleeding face, the punch-drunk gaze and the bruises all refer to his own emotional experience transferred to his pugilistic model, simultaneously shocking and piteous.
John William Godward, Contemplation. Sold for $638,500 at Sotheby’s New York.
The subject in
this intimate portrait
is viewed almost from below, which emphasises her goddess-like status. The sitter was Godward's favourite model, an Italian woman who some scholars suggest may have been his mistress, and his affection for her is immediately evident in his intensely careful treatment.
Robert Longo, Untitled (Tiger Head, No. 8). Sold for £845,000 at Sotheby’s London.
Dominating the picture, the monumental tiger’s head in
the present work
dwarfs the viewer with its majestic stillness. Holding our gaze, the regal creature’s intense stare seems to cancel out any outside noise and makes time stand still. Part of Longo’s Mysteries series, which began in 2009, Untitled (Tiger Head) is a seminal example of the artist’s brutally masculine charcoal drawings.
Pair of diamond ear clips, Adler. Sold for £40,000 at Sotheby’s London.
Each of the
earrings
is of abstract design and is set with brilliant-cut and baguette diamonds.
Andy Warhol, Lenin (F. & S. II.402). Sold for £43,750 at Sotheby’s London.
This portrait
of the Russian political leader Vladimir Lenin was created by the Andy Warhol in 1987, the year he died.
Jan Fabre, Mur de la Montée des Anges. Sold for €100,000 at Sotheby’s Paris.
This fascinating 1993 work
by Belgian artists Jan Fabre is constructed entirely from beetles and wire.
Taner Ceylan, 1881 (From the Lost Painting Series). Sold for £121,250 at Sotheby’s London.
This 2010 work
is from Taner Ceylan’s The Lost Paintings series, which aims to question the point of view of western art as well as Orientalism.
Canan Tolon, Glitch III (From the Glitch Series). Sold for £79,250 at Sotheby’s London.
The stark contrast between the whites, blacks, oranges and greens in Tolon’s
Glitch III
creates great depth against the two dimensionality of the canvas, tempting the viewer to look closer to see if there is an architectural monument or a portrait hidden between the layers of lines.
Sotheby’s Istanbul office has been involved in the consignment of many lots from a wide variety of categories, from fine jewellery to contemporary art. These pieces have gone on to be sold in Sotheby’s salerooms around the world. Click ahead to discover more about 8 works with Turkish provenance.
For more information about Sotheby's Istanbul, view our Istanbul location page.