On May 14, Christie’s is presenting a sale of work by abstract expressionist women artists accompanied by NFTs from Rewind Collective. In a first for the auction house, the offering—presented in collaboration with gallerist, collector, and philanthropist Amar Singh—will see physical paintings accompanied with related digital work.
“Trailblazers: Centuries of Female Abstraction” features work by Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan, Helen Frankenthaler, Yvonne Thomas, and Lynne Drexler,” said Isabella Lauria, Head of Post-War to Present Sales at Christie’s. “Working with Amar Singh of Amar Singh Gallery, we will continue building on his work championing female artists and as part of this grouping will also be offering for sale an NFT lot created by the REWIND Collective, a feminist digital artist collective responding to existing paintings and art world structures.”
Lynne Mapp Drexler, “Daffodil Gloucester,” oil on canvas, 1960, 22 x 24 inches; courtesy of Christie’s.
The anonymous Rewind Collective use their practice as a means of honoring artists who were forgotten amid the patriarchal gaze, highlighting women and minorities in their work. For this series the collective has continued its narrative by creating NFTs in response to paintings from five female figureheads of abstract expressionism.
“Works by abstract expressionist painters like Grace Hartigan, Elaine de Kooning, and Helen Frankenthaler show us the rich history of where women artists have been and the innovative and exciting Rewind Collective shows us where women artists are going,” said the author of Ninth Street Women, Mary Gabriel.
Rewind Collective, “Thinking of Grace (Cedar Tavern),” non-fungible token, courtesy of Christie’s and Rewind Collective.
Included in the sale, the collective has created the video work and NFT Thinking of Helen, drawing from Frankenthaler’s Moon spin. Presented as a room within an estate, viewers will experience the digital interiors where Frankenthaler’s works have been hung upon the elegant walls of the home, which reflects the artist’s signature style.
“I think this is a beautiful and important project which celebrates women and I am thrilled to be working with Christie’s and Rewind Collective to bring this to market. There’s a lot of noise in the NFT market but when it comes to highlighting women and minorities, NFTs can be used as a powerful tool for positive change,” said Singh.
Grace Hartigan, “Pigeon Calls,” 1962, Oil on canvas, 31 inches x 33 inches; courtesy of Christie’s.
The sale also encompasses NFTs like Thinking of Grace (Cedar Tavern) that references the tavern frequented by creatives of the time, a nod to de Kooning’s bull paintings titled Thinking of Elaine (I Call Bull), a tribute to Thomas’s love for Aspen that uses AI technology in Mother Nature XVI, and more.
“Rewind Collective’s work highlights the underestimated role women have played in the history of the global struggle for equality and human rights, and challenges structures of power, authority, and ownership in the art world today,” said Katie A. Pfohl, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, New Orleans Museum of Art.
Rewind Collective, “Thinking of Elaine (I Call Bull),” non-fungible token, courtesy of Christie’s and Rewind Collective.
Rewind Collective, “Remember Us IV (Watch Your Head),” non-fungible token, courtesy of Christie’s and Rewind Collective.
Elaine de Kooning, “Red Oxide Grotto (Cave #175),” 1988, Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 inches; courtesy of Christie’s.
