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MoMA Acquires 324 Works on Paper and New Auction Records for Kazimir Malevich and Kerry James Marshall

The Museum of Modern Art acquired 324 works from the Merrill C. Berman Collection, and new auction records for Kazimir Malevich, Kerry James Marshall, and David Hockney were set at this week's spring sales at Christie's and Sotheby's.

Benjamin Sutton

May 17, 2018 — 4 min read

Elena Vladimirovna Semenova, "Relaxation Room" (1926), gouache, pen, and ink on composition board, 14 7/8 x 20 3/8 in, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Merrill C. Berman Collection — Elena Vladimirovna Semenova, “Relaxation Room” (1926), gouache, pen, and ink on composition board, 14 7/8 x 20 3/8 in, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Merrill C. Berman Collection

Transactions is a weekly collection of sales, acquisitions, and other deals. Subscribe to receive these posts as part of the weekly Art Movements newsletter.

Valentina Kulagina, "International Working Women’s Day Is the Fighting Day of the Proletariat" (1931), lithograph on paper, 38 x 28 in, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Merrill C. Berman Collection — Valentina Kulagina, “International Working Women’s Day Is the Fighting Day of the Proletariat” (1931), lithograph on paper, 38 x 28 in, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Merrill C. Berman Collection

The Museum of Modern Art acquired 324 works on paper from early-20th century European avant-garde movements — including Dada, Russian Constructivism, Futurism, de Stijl, and the Bauhaus — from the collection of Merrill C. Berman, an investor and security analyst based in Rye, New York. The acquisition includes works by 97 artists — among them pieces by Aleksandr Rodchenko, Hannah Höch, John Heartfield, Nikolai Sedelnikov, and Herbert Bayer — and a total of 96 works by women. “By representing crucial figures — often women and artists from lesser-known geographies — missing or underrepresented in our collection, this extraordinary body of work is especially welcome as the Museum continues its commitment to diversifying modernism’s narratives,” MoMA curator of drawings and prints Christophe Cherix said in a statement.

Amedeo Modigliani‘s painting “Nu couché (sur le côté gauche)” (1917) sold for $157.2 million at Sotheby’s Impressionist and modern art evening sale on May 14. The sale brought in a total of $318.3 million.

Kerry James Marshall, "Past Times" (1997), acrylic and collage on canvas (courtesy Sotheby's) — Kerry James Marshall, “Past Times” (1997), acrylic and collage on canvas (courtesy Sotheby’s)

Kerry James Marshall‘s “Past Times” (1997) was sold at Sotheby’s for $21.1 million, the highest price ever paid for a work by the artist. The Contemporary Art Evening Auction also set a record for the highest price paid at auction for a work by David Hockney, and brought in a total of $392.3 million on Wednesday night.

Update, 5/18/2018, 10:45am: Kerry James Marshall’s dealer, Jack Shainman, revealed to the New York Times that the buyer of “Past Times” is rapper and music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. Combs was reportedly introduced to Marshall’s work by the music producer and collector Swizz Beatz.

Kazimir Malevich, "Suprematist Composition" (1916) (courtesy Christie's) — Kazimir Malevich, “Suprematist Composition” (1916) (courtesy Christie’s)

Kazimir Malevich‘s “Suprematist Composition” (1916) set a new auction for the artist on Tuesday night when it sold for $85.8 million at Christie’s Impressionist and modern art sale, which brought in a grand total of $415.8 million. The sale’s total might have been much higher had two Pablo Picasso paintings consigned by casino magnate Steve Wynn not been withdrawn at the last minute.

The Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) acquired works by Barbara Knezevic, Susan MacWilliam, Mary McIntyre, and Helen O’Leary.

“Mother and Child” (1996), a bronze sculpture by “the grandfather of Singapore sculpture,” Dr. Ng Eng Teng, was acquired by the National Gallery Singapore.

Objects donated by Mark Segal to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History (image courtesy the National Museum of American History, Washington, DC) — Objects donated by Mark Segal to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History (image courtesy the National Museum of American History, Washington, DC)

Journalist, publisher, and LGBTQ rights activist Mark Segal gave papers and artifacts from his personal collection — including t-shirts, pins, and a donation can he carried in the Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day march in 1970 — to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

A prop shield made in 2013 and used by actor Chris Evans until 2015 in the Captain America films was acquired by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

The Nationalmuseum in Stockholm acquired “A Rocky Landscape with a Tree and Two Figures,” a pencil and ink work on panel by the 17th century Italian artist Salvator Rosa.

Henry Church, "A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed" (1888), sandstone and iron, High Museum of Art, Atlanta (photo by Wmpearl, via Wikimedia Commons) — Henry Church, “A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed” (1888), sandstone and iron, High Museum of Art, Atlanta (photo by Wmpearl, via Wikimedia Commons)

The High Museum of Art acquired Henry Church, Jr.‘s 1888 sandstone and iron sculpture “A Friend in Need Is a Friend Indeed” thanks to a gift from the Forward Arts Foundation.

Portrait Bust of a Man (140–160 CE), Roman, marble, height: 30 in (courtesy the J. Paul Getty Museum)

The Getty Museum acquired a Roman marble portrait bust dating from the 2nd century CE. The sculpture was in the collection of the Denver Art Museum for 52 years before it was deaccessioned last year, sold at Sotheby’s, and acquired by the Getty from a London-based dealer.

Ruby City, the Linda Pace Foundation’s forthcoming contemporary art center in San Antonio, acquired seven works by Isaac Julien, Tala Madani, Wangechi Mutu, Do Ho Suh, and Ana Fernandez.

Henri Matisse‘s “Grand Masque,” a 1948 aquatint, was sold at Swann Auction Galleries for $87,500, a record for the work.