Other highlights: Andy Warhol and Singapore modern art
By A&M

33 Auction will hold its Asian Modern and Contemporary Art 2019 Singapore Autumn Sale on 8 December 2019, offering 101 lots.

Affandi, ‘Offering to the Almighty’, 1973, oil on canvas, 100 x 150cm. Image courtesy of 33 Auction.

The main highlight for the season is Indonesian modern artist Affandi’s ‘Offering to The Almighty’ (1973) (estimate: SGD140,000 – 250,000). Depicting a procession ritual for the Balinese Ubud Royal Family, it features the symbols of nobility including the naga banda, or the dragon and the bade, or tower, rendered in the artist’s signature energetic strokes. The painting was acquired from a solo exhibition in Medan in the same year it was painted and has remained with its collector till now. "We are humbled to be entrusted with many important works including first-to-market piece by Affandi,” says David Fu, Director of 33 Auction. “We hope the collectors will pay special attention to these rare pieces.”

Le Pho, ‘Standing Nude’, ink and gouache on silk, 32 x 19cm. Image courtesy of 33 Auction.

Another highlight is ‘Standing Nude’ (c. 1937) (SGD80,000 – 100,000) from Le Pho. The subject is bathed in light, wearing only a loosely draped diaphanous white scarf. A reclining nude, ‘Nue (Nude)’ (1931) by the artist had fetched the highest price at auction at HKD10,925,000 (approximately SGD1,904,386) for a Vietnamese artwork in May this year. A still life from the artist, ‘Les Chrysanthèmes’ is also available in the upcoming sale at an estimate of SGD15,000 to SGD22,000.

33 Auction continues to lead the expansion of the market for Singapore modern artworks. A spotlight is shone on second-generation artists such as Cultural Medallion recipients Thomas Yeo (1984), Teo Eng Seng (1986) and Goh Beng Kwan (1989). "We hope collectors will also pay attention on Singapore abstract modernist works which have been undervalued in comparison to the peers,” says Fu.

Goh Beng Kwan, ‘Clouds over Bali Beach’, mixed media collage on canvas, 86 x 100cm. Image courtesy of 33 Auction.

Goh is known for his mixed-media collage works incorporating unusual objects such as nails, tea wrappings and Chinese oracle papers. Inspired by nature on his travels, his works in the sale are ‘Clouds over Bali Beach’ (SGD6,000 – 8,000), as well as ‘Monkey Forest in Ubud’, Kusamba Fishing Village, Bali’ and ‘Tea Merchant Series’, each with an estimate of SGD4,000 to SGD6,000.

Yeo similarly experimented with surprising materials in his artmaking, including repurposed pieces of previous works as a symbol of rebirth. In the sale is ‘Shell Motif’ (1987) (SGD4,000 – 6000), which juxtaposes the curved figure against a vivid blue background.

Singapore master potter Iskandar Jalil’s stoneware pieces in three lots add to the variety of local modern artworks in the sale, with estimates ranging from SGD5,000 to SGD12,000, along with Ng Eng Teng’s sculptural work ‘Double Profile’ (1994) (SGD10,000 – 15,000).

Lim Tze Peng, ‘Elgin Bridge I’, oil on canvas, 110 x 208cm. Image courtesy of 33 Auction.

A special section is dedicated to portrayals of the Singapore River, tracing the changes that have taken place in the city across decades. Lim Tze Ping’s ‘Elgin Bridge I’ (2000) (SGD100,000 – 150,000) composed in reality and memory and Low Puay Hua’s ‘Singapore River Scene’ (SGD5,000 – 7,000) both paint the landmark as a destination of bustling entrepot trade activity from yesteryears. These are in contrast to Koeh Sia Yong’s ‘AM, Noon, PM of Singapore River’ (2009) (SGD9,000 – 13,000) and Tung Yue Nang’s ‘Smooth Sailing’ (2013) (SGD4,000 – 6,000) which see the river winding through a cosmopolitan city centre of modern architecture in a documentation of Singapore’s rapid development.

Andy Warhol, ‘Campbell’s Soup - Pepper Pot’, 1968, screenprint on paper, 88 x 55cm. Image courtesy of 33 Auction.

In a new move, the auction house are offering works by Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst and Sohan Qadri, which will test the Singapore art market’s capacity for international contemporary artists. Warhol’s range of instantly recognisable images are well represented in the sale, with ‘Campbell’s Soup – Pepper Pot’ (1968) (SGD30,000 – 40,000), ‘Cow’ (1976) (SGD12,000 – 16,000), and a set of ten Marilyn Monroe portfolio screenprints at an estimate of SGD12,000 to SGD16,000.

Richard Prince x Supreme, 2007, skateboard decks, 79 x 19cm (each). Image courtesy of 33 Auction.

Younger collectors are now collecting across categories at auction, from art to design, and in a new initiative, 33 Auction will offer two limited-edition skateboard decks that cult streetwear brand Supreme made in collaboration with luxury house Louis Vuitton (2000) (SGD8,000 – 13,000) and artist Richard Prince (2007) (SGD4,000 – 6,000).

The auction will take place at Hilton Singapore, Grand Ballroom, Level 3 on 8 December 2019 from 2pm. Members of the public can attend the preview hosted at The Luxe Art Museum on 6 and 7 December 2019 from 10am to 8pm daily. For more information, including access to the sale catalogue, click here.