AmericanArtist
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“Good artists do not copy, great artists do not steal.”
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“You change the world by being yourself.”
Yoko Ono
Cut Piece
1964
performed in New Works of Yoko Ono,
Carnegie Recital Hall, New York
March 21, 1965
Photo: Minoru Niizuma
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“If I saw the art around me that I liked, then I wouldn’t do art.”
John Baldessari
Inflatable Women/Divers/Baby
1988
Black and white photographs, oil tint, and vinyl paint
91 x 72½ in.
Price realised
USD 314,500
775482691897491456

“I’d always wanted to know the difference between a mark that was art and one that wasn’t.” — Roy Lichtenstein
Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997)
Kiss III
1962
Magna on canvas
64 x 48 in.
Price realised
USD 31,135,000
774669193720233984

“Where there is no shadow, there is no light.”
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610)
The Taking of Christ
1602
oil on canvas
133.5 cm × 169.5 cm (52.6 in × 66.7 in)
National Gallery of Ireland
774569373689167873

“I blur things to make everything equally important and equally unimportant. I blur things so that they do not look artistic or craftsmanlike but technological, smooth and perfect. I blur things to make all the parts a closer fit. Perhaps I also blur out the excess of unimportant information.”
Gerhard Richter (b. 1932)
Zwei Liebespaare
signed, titled and dated ’“Zwei Liebespaare” Richter 66’ (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
45¼ x 63in. (115 x 160cm.)
Painted in 1966
Price realised
GBP 7,300,500
774567246070726656
Paintings from thrift stores.
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“You are a light. You are the light. Never let anyone — any person or any force — dampen, dim or diminish your light … Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won.” — John Lewis
John Lewis
2020
Watercolor on paper
12 x 9 in
Price: Not for Sale
774444327568113664
Many artists do start with realism because it helps build foundational skills like observation, proportion, and technique. Over time, some move toward abstraction as they become more interested in expressing ideas, emotions, or experimenting with form and color beyond literal representation.
However, not all artists follow this trajectory. Some dive straight into abstraction, while others stick with realism their entire lives. It really depends on the artist’s interests, influences, and creative journey.
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“You really need faith in yourself to make art and to stand up for what you believe in.”
Elizabeth Peyton (b. 1965)
Annette Greenwich St.
signed with the artist’s initials, titled and dated ‘Annette Greenwich St. EP 2004’ (on the reverse)
oil on panel
14 x 11 in. (35.5 x 27.9 cm.)
Painted in 2004.
Price realised
USD 365,000
773716663083335680

“Painting is a means of translating what is intangible into something that can be grasped visually.”
Elmer Nelson Bischoff (American, 1916-1991)
Girls, Ocean, Mirror
signed, titled and dated ‘Elmer Bischoff/ Girls, Ocean, Mirror/ 10/61’ (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
53 ¾ x 72 in. (136.5 x 182.9 cm.)
Price realised
USD 100,000
773367409167007744

“You meet rich people and you hang around with them, and one night they’ve had a few drinks and they say ‘I’ll buy it!’ Then they tell their friends, ‘You must have this person’s work, darling,’ and that’s all you need. That’s all it takes. Get it?”
Andy Warhol
Uncle Sam, from Myths
screenprint in colors with diamond dust, on Lenox Museum Board, 1981, signed in pencil, numbered 135/200 (there were also 30 artist’s proofs), published by Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, Inc., New York, with the artist’s copyright ink stamp on the reverse, the full sheet, in very good condition, framed
Sheet: 38 x 38 in. (965 x 965 mm.)
Estimate
USD 30,000 – USD 50,000
772994076484272128

“You really need faith in yourself to make art and to stand up for what you believe in.” — Elizabeth Peyton
ELIZABETH PEYTON (B. 1965)
Jude Law as Lord Alfred Douglas
titled and dated ‘Jude Law as Lord Alfred Douglas 27.11.98’ (on the reverse)
watercolor on paper
29 ¾ x 22 in. (75.6 x 55.9 cm.)
Painted in 1998.
Price realised
USD 187,500