artnet Auctions Launches Modern and Contemporary Sale

NEW YORK and BERLIN, May 11, 2010 - artnet Auctions offers continuous online auctions of fine art, prints and
photographs. Beginning May 11, artnet Auctions will present 60 modern and
contemporary works of art by artists including Damien Hirst, Alberto
Giacometti, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol. Represented in the sale are some
of the most important artists of the 20th-21st centuries.

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(Photo: www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100511/MM01043 )

Leading the sale is an exceptional collection of works by cutting edge
contemporary artists including Gilbert + George, Damien Hirst, Richard
Pettibone and Wayne Thiebaud. Ferrocene, 2008, is one of two works by Damien
Hirst offered in the sale. This 36 x 52 inch spot painting in vibrant primary
colors is offered in pristine condition (estimate: US$550,000-US$750,000). In
contrast, Richard Pettibone's diminutive Soup Can, 1968, is a 5 x 4 inch
replica of the Warhol original, in acrylic on canvas (estimate:
US$75,000-US$125,000). Other contemporary highlights include Hot Dog Row,
2000, a mixed media work by Wayne Thiebaud (estimate: US$225,000-US$325,000)
and Torture Cross, 1981, a graphic collage by the irreverent British duo
Gilbert + George (estimate: US$35,000-US$45,000).

Pop art also figures prominently in the sale including works by
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. Six works by Andy
Warhol trace the artist's career from the 1954 Happy Bug Day, a unique
watercolor on offset lithograph (estimate: US$20,000-US$28,000) to two
stunning 1987 Camouflage screenprints (estimates: US$15,000-US$20,000 each).
Ground-breaking street artist Jean-Michel Basquiat is represented with a rare
work in acrylic on brown paper, Untitled (Taxi Cab), 1980 (estimate:
US$375,000-US$475,000).

The auction also features a collection of modern masterworks by Willem de
Kooning, Alberto Giacometti, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. Giacometti has
set numerous auction records in recent months. Included in this section is an
exquisite pencil on paper drawing by the artist, Tete d'homme (estimate:
US$100,000-US$200,000). Among the other modern highlights are two remarkable
works by Pablo Picasso, Bacchanale, 1959, a dramatic linocut which juxtaposes
earth tones with cerulean blue and white (estimate: US$75,000-US$85,000) and
Untitled, 1963, a subtle watercolor depicting the horse and the bull, iconic
imagery which recurs throughout Picasso's oeuvre (estimate:
US$150,000-US$200,000).

Rounding out the sale are sculptures by some of the most celebrated
artists of the last century including Harry Bertoia and Henry Moore, and
Latin American works of art by Jesus Rafael Soto and Wifredo Lam.

We invite you to browse the sale. Visit
www.artnet.com/ModernandContemporary

About artnet:

artnet has been online since 1995 and is host to approximately 2,000,000
visitors each month. Through its Price Database of over four million auction
sales results and its Gallery Network of over 2,200 galleries worldwide,
artnet is the leading online resource for the international art market. With
artnet Auctions, artnet has added a transaction platform to its successful
information services.

www.artnet.com | www.artnet.de | www.artnet.fr

Sarah Bradley, +1-212-497-9700 ext. 197, sbradley at artnet.com