Now on view at Phillips de Pury, New York, Black Holes finds the “Contemporary Art Star” Ryan McGinness offering 24 works from his “black holes” series. These arabesque paintings explore the infinite universe, and over the collected paintings find McGinness moving from color and taking to tonal black. In addition to the gallery itself, the material is (most exciting) viewable from the Highline. Black light’s illuminate from dusk.

Check it out through February 15, 2011.

Phillips de Pury & Company
450 West 15th Street
New York, NY

Highlights follow.

On March 7, 2010, Phillips de Pury brings 287 lots of contemporary art to the block for “Now: Art of the 21st Century.” Work from art stars like Damien Hirst, Kehinde Wiley, Marilyn Minter and Ryan McGinnely are among the offerings. The catalog itself is intriguing, not just for the drawings, paintings, and photographs, but for the commercial product listed as well. For example, several of Supreme’s artist skate decks are up for sale. The inclusion of these objects makes the auction an interesting indicator of the scope of fine art in the 21st century and the range of artistic production – nothing new, especially if you recall the theme of the Pop Life exhibition, but still fascinating when realized at the auction block.

“Now: Art of the 21st Century” takes place at 450 West 14th Street, New York, beginning at 12pm.

Highlights include Chris Johnson’s “Romantic Landscape” (2002) shown above, which is lot #272. A few more picks of the litter after the jump.

Some prized research materials locked away in my library include a few rather odd auction catalogs. Amidst a good number of years of Christies, Cowens, Northeast and Sotheby’s Americana listings is a single catalog for a sale of rare European football shirts. With few books on the subject, this stands in, and does a bloody good job.

So, while the notion of auction catalog as collectible is well established, the idea of auction catalog as work of art still requires some thought. Artforum reports that Phillips de Pury will be offering future contemporary catalogs as signed editions. Instant works of art with original artwork and signed numbering. The argument toward this publication deriving from the necessity of an income boost against the lowering auction figures rings true. Why not push profit?

If successful, one might imagine that the greatest achievement of the program is to kick start interest in auction house catalogs outside the traditional collectors circle. Limited as they are in normal circumstances, tagging them as such might just do the trick. Despite the potential, it will still be interesting to see if other houses follow suit. Phillips, after all, already does the most to attract the interest of the everyday punter.

There is no denying the current swell of interest in and around urban, or street, art. On September 6, Phillips de Pury will present a sale of some of the biggest names in the growing movement at their Saturdays @ Phillips sale. Lots featuring jewelry and Japanese toys are also included, but street art is the main draw. The preview will run from September 2 to 6, and offers a great opportunity to see, contrast and compare a number of street artists in one easy stop. 
Arguments abound that street art is about context as much as about aesthetic. Placement on the street. A sense of discovery. We can question if sale of street art destroys the integrity of the material, or minimizes IMPACT. However, it is important to note that the interest in street art from the art world and the academy has merit. With it, we are able to view street art more fully as a global phenomenon and sense the breadth and variation, never mind the creative impulse, of a loosely connected group of artists.
Among those presented at the sale are Kaws, Shepard Fairey and Invader. Three artists whose vision differs drastically, and indicate (again) that breadth and variation.
Phillips de Pury is located at Horwick Place, London, SW1P. For those of you in the States, a similar sale comes to the New York sale room in October.
Further highlights of the sale after the jump.

Vitra Edition is the radical arm of the Swiss design firm. From September 10 through 27, Phillips de Pury will host an exhibition of 24 objects from Frank Gehry and Konstantin Grcic (among others) at their London location. These pieces will be, for the first time, on displayoutside the Vitra campus. All the work was unveiled during 2007, and this year will be met by more eyes. 

A few highlights after the jump.