The Look You Love for Less
Does this double dip recession have you down to your last three Aston Martins? Has your maid been forced to fire her personal trainer? Have you been forced to make the embarrassing switch from single-malt to blended? At tomorrow’s auction the blue chip names are likely to do as well as always but what about the buyers who love the look yet can’t afford a mega-star signature at the bottom of the canvas? For all those noveau-poor enthusiasts out there, here are a few suggestions for works that can be fetched for a fraction of the big names but still have all the wall power…
Can’t afford $3,000 for an Ellsworth Kelly (Lots 19-22)? How about Lot 245, James Norman’s Number 7, with all the beautiful colors and bold primary shapes of the Kelly for a sixth of the estimate? Or Lot 243, John Friel’s gorgeous Untitled 1966 canvas for a cheerful, sharp, and sleek graphic impact?
Have a thing for Roy Lichtenstein’s Shipboard Girl (Lot 223) but find it unwise to sail first class? How about Lot 226, Blondie by Paul Dillon? Dillon shares Lichtenstein’s fascination with the power of newsprint comics, their unpretentious pop impact–and both artists subvert the comics’ comforting banality to critique the culture at large. But with Blondie, Dillon adds the power of Warholian repetition, not only with the comic but with the stern newspaper masthead–then tops it all off with the bold yellow stencil, “Blondie”, which not only personalizes the work but conversely reduces it to a product, a commodity to be crated. Where Lichtenstein mutates and purifies the dull newsprint hues of his Sunday funnies inspirations into brilliant colors, Dillon embraces the original comic’s muted, faded grandeur.
Got an eye for Op but can’t shop till you drop? Instead of Lot 170, Bridget Riley’s Untitled (Fragment 7), why not go with Victor Vasarely, an equally strong name. Check out Vasarely’s Tau-Ceti, Lot 171, which will probably go for less than a quarter of the Riley. What first appears to be a grid of identical green squares subtly morphs into a series of ever-changing diagonals. Still too much? How about Lot 229, KLE I & Untitled, by Kyohei Inukai–three eye grabbing Serigraphs from the height of the era. Or Charles Hinman’s Untitled & Color Door, Lot 172, two pre-CGI assaults on our expectations for shape and perspective.
Finally, if conceptual, text-based works turn you on but the price of John Baldessari (Lots 160 and 161) turns you off, may I suggest Hot Shot by Ed Ruscha, Lot 167? Eternally clever, Ruscha offsets the word “hot” twice for graphic impact against a background of what looks like stylized television static–the garish title phrase spoofing both its self and the medium.
Or Lot 162 by Alexis Smith, which was Peter’s pick of the day on October 4th. What self-respecting Angelino wouldn’t want a local gal’s visual tribute to LA’s greatest poet of crime, Raymond Chandler? And if this is too rich for your blood try Wall Batterton’s Toy Dispenser, Lot 168–playful, witty, impishly burdening a 2-D stamp with the curse of gravity. And one of the favorites for many of those who have visited our showroom this preview is the equally witty, “Do Not Touch Work of Art”, Lot 169 by Gifford Myers. Myers captures the coldness and 
distance–the opposite of playfulness and freedom–that sadly can be the gallery and museum experience. And what if you’re not only counting your pennies but are afraid of being called a slave to brand names? What could be less ostentatious than a work by Anonymous, Lot 5 entitled !&!&!& I & Yield–a series of five smart and colorful calligraphic blasts.
Whatever you passion, whatever your budget, these items show that Richard Dorso’s collection has something you can acquire and will treasure.
Lot 245 James Norman Number 7 1963 Acrylic on canvas Signed, titled and dated on stretcher; Westerly Gallery New York label verso on stretcher Canvas: 36″ x 36″; Frame 37″ x 37″ Provenance: Westerly Gallery, New York Estimate $500 – 700
Lot 243 John Friel Untitled 1966 Acrylic on canvas Signed and dated verso 33.75″ x 32.25″ Estimate $500 – 700
Lot 226 Paul Dillon Blondie 1978 Stencil on laminated newsprint Signed, dated, titled verso Sheet: 20″ x 24″; Frame: 20.5″ x 24.5″ Estimate $500 – 700
Lot 167 Ed Ruscha Hot Shot Published by Bernard Jacobson, Ltd., London 1973 Lithograph on white wove paper edition of 100 5.875″ x 8.25″; Frame: 10.5″ x 13″ Estimate $4,000 – 6,000
Lot 169 Gifford Myers DO NOT TOUCH WORKS OF ART 1979 Unglazed ceramic relief on plaque Signed and dated lower left on verso, “4” lower right verso 10.375″ x 14.375″ “Do not touch works of art”, gallery postcard for Gifford Myers exhibition attached to back Estimate $500 – 700
Los Angeles Modern Auctions Blog 