Artwide’s first online fine art auction begins today, with bidding open through October 2, 2024. The Modern and Post-War Masters sale includes 55 lots from many of the icons of the 20th and 21st centuries. Ranging from sculpture to painting, prints to works on paper, it includes pieces from names like Pablo Picasso, Fernand Léger, Fançois-Xavier Lalanne, Balthus, Christo and Jean-Claude, Georg Baselitz, Kenneth Noland, John Chamberlain, Andy Warhol, Cindy Sherman, Jim Dine, and more.
What is Artwide?
Artwide brings the auction world into the 21st century. It offers an engaging, inclusive, transparent, and secure space to buy and sell fine art. The online auction and private sale site merges the ease of the digital experience with the expertise of art professionals. A range of auctions can be easily accessed, browsed, searched within, filtered for, and favorited.
Artwide was created by CEO and co-founder, Jean-Michel Melemedjian de Rus, a veteran of the art world. Through his experience with galleries, collectors, institutions, and investors, he saw a need for an alternative to the traditional auction house. A collector himself, he understood the opportunity to create a new paradigm for online sales that benefitted the buyer and seller, where transparency was key.
Henry Moore, “Reclining Woman No. 2,” 1980, courtesy of Artwide.
How Does Artwide Benefit the Buyer and Seller?
Arrive on the homepage of Artwide.com and you’ll see clearly how the auction works for buyers and sellers. Bidding opening and closing dates and times are denoted, along with a seller’s fee of 0% and a buyer’s premium of 9.5 to 14.5 percent. For upcoming sales, an “Accepting Artworks” button and a progress bar in green allows sellers to submit pieces for consideration in upcoming sales immediately.
How Does Consigning and Bidding Work on Artwide?
It’s easy to register in order to browse auctions and Artwide makes it straightforward to get verified in order to consign and/or bid. With multiple days open to bid, users have time to consider works on their own schedule, with convenient notifications for when a bid status changes. Closing times are clearly specified, with bids easily tracked. Immediately following the sale, winning bidders receive a clear invoice with hammer price, buyer’s premium, local taxes, etc., and Artwide’s team is ready to assist in shipping, storage, and any other collection needs.
Highlights from the Modern and Post-War Masters Sale
Open today through Wednesday, October 2, is Artwide’s inaugural fine art sale, featuring masterpieces from icons of the 20th and 21st centuries. Notable paintings include a 1957 work by Jean-Michel Atlan, an abstract 1960 work by Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, Kenneth Noland’s Here-In from 1975, and Gen Paul’s Le Violoniste circa 1950.
Standout sculptural pieces include John Chamberlain’s Maximumbetty from 2006, César’s Compression, Bidons from 1978, François-Xavier Lalanne’s Barracuda from 1998, and Henry Moore’s Reclining Woman No. 2 from 1980.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, “The Pont-Neuf, Wrapped (Project for Paris),” 1985, courtesy of Art Wide.
From Picasso to Cindy Sherman, Highlights from Artwide’s Inaugural Sale
An impressive selection of works on paper features pieces like a Pablo Picasso from 1970, Balthus’s 1948 Esquisses pour “Le Chat de la Méditerranée,” Julius Bissier’s Rondine from 1961, a pencil drawing on paper by Francis Picabia, and a 1943 sketch by Hans Bellmer.
We’ve got our eye on (by clicking the heart-shaped “favorite” button on the site) Fernand Léger’s Etude pour un e composition murale, 1953; Cindy Sherman’s Untitled (Madonna), 1975-1997; Andy Warhol’s Work Boots (Positive) and Work Boots (Negative) from 1985-1986.
Some of the earliest pieces are Jean Aujame’s oil on canvas circa 1930, Maurice Prost’s Panthère noire en marche circa 1928, and Auguste Chabaud’s La maison du garde barrière circa 1925-1930. And the most recent lots include a Pablo Atchugarry sculpture from 2009 and Cindy Sherman’s Untitled (Male/Female artist) from 1980-2012.
Fernand Léger, “Sans titre (Etude pour un e composition murale),” 1953, courtesy of Art Wide.
Fernand Léger, “Sans titre (Etude pour “la joie de vivre”),” 1950, courtesy of Artwide.
Upcoming Sales on Artwide: Photography, Contemporary, and Emerging Artists
It’s a busy fall and winter for Artwide sales, which is accepting artworks for a range of focuses. There is “Camera Obscura I” featuring masterpieces of modern and contemporary photography opening on October 13, a sale of Contemporary and Emerging Artists on October 28, auctions of work by Middle Eastern masters and emerging artists on November 11 and 19, and a Prints and Multiples Sale on December 4. The new year brings bidding of Street Art on January 14, photography on January 27, and Old Masters on February 10.
