The Auction Block

1. Freeman’s

Henri Matisse (1869–1954)

“Odalisque étendue”

Auction Date: May 4

Estimate: $100,000 to $150,000

As part of their sale of Modern & Contemporary Works of Art, which will include works
by Andy Warhol, Richard Pousette-Dart and Sam Francis, Freeman’s will offer this drawing
by Henri Matisse. Matisse’s series of odalisque pictures were made in the 1920s, after he
relocated to the French Riviera, and are representative of a softening of the artist’s approach
following World War I.

2. Bonhams New York

Peter Beard (b. 1938)

“Orphaned Cheetah Cubs in Mweiga nr. Nyeri, Kenya, 1968”

Auction Date: April 29

Estimate: $30,000 to $50,000

Bonhams will host a Fine Photographs auction, featuring more than 100 works from photographic masters including Ansel Adams, Jan Dibbets, Nan Goldin and Sally Mann. A highlight of the sale will be selections of animal photography, including Peter Beard’s “Orphaned Cheetah Cubs in Mweiga nr. Nyeri, Kenya,” from 1968. Beard, a prominent photographer and cultural icon, is known for his pictures of African wildlife, as well as his good looks and playboy impulses.

3. Sotheby’s

Henri Matisse (1869-1954)

“La Séance du matin”

Oil on canvas?

Auction Date: May 7

Estimate: $20 million to $30 million

Bright, classic and fresh-to-market works by Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Fernand Léger from a private American collection will lead Sotheby’s Evening Sale of Impressionist & Modern Art. The three paintings are important examples from a key phase in each artist’s career. “La Séance du matin” is one of Matisse’s celebrated works, painted in Nice in the 1920s It depicts his studio assistant Henriette Darricarrère, to whom he offered painting lessons during their time working together.

4. Potomack Company

Zhang Daqian (1899-1983)

“Letter to Wang Jiyuan,” 1967

Auction Date: May 3

?Estimate: $6,000 to $9,000

This one-page letter, in ink on paper, was inscribed by the internationally renowned 20th-century Chinese artist Zhang Daqian to his friend and colleague Wang Jiyuan. The two artists held a joint exhibition at the Smithsonian in 1971. Daqian wrote this letter from Sao Paolo, Brazil, in 1967, beginning his salutation warmly: “Jiyuan, my dearest brother, and to those you are closest to….” The letter is one of several Zhang Daqian letters featured in Potomack’s May sale.

Bringing the Hammer Down
Final selling prices for last month’s featured Auction Block items:

Potomack Company

Qi Baishi,?“Rat Eating Loquat and Two Gourds,” 1924

Ink on paper on scroll

Auction Date: Feb. 22?

Estimate: $60,000 to $90,000

Final Selling Price: $194,000

Freeman’s

Child Hassam, “The Norwegian Cottage,” 1909

Oil on canvas?

Auction Date: March 30

Estimate: $200,000 to $300,000

Final Selling Price: $242,500?
?

Sotheby’s?

John James Audubon and John Bachman?, “The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America,” 1845/48

3 vols., hand-colored lithographs

Auction Date: April 1

Estimate: $200,000 to $400,000

Final Selling Price: $245,000