Art in intergenerational dialogue. Modern & Contemporary Art Day Sale at Phillips New York

New York auction house Phillips, one of the most important players in the global art market, proves once again that it can combine heritage with modernity. The upcoming Modern & Contemporary Art Day Sale, scheduled for 21 November 2025 at its headquarters at 432 Park Avenue, is a unique display of curatorial precision, bringing together modernist masters, postmodern provocations and the contemporary voices of a new generation. Two sessions – morning and afternoon – create a multi-threaded portrait of art from the last 150 years, from Rodin to Cattelan, from Emily Kame Kngwarreye to Tyler Mitchell.

The morning session opens with works by women who have redefined the canon and redefined the relationship between intuition and form. Mary Abbott, Suzanne Jackson and Emily Kame Kngwarreye represent different continents, but they share a spirit of freedom and independence. The works of Australian Aboriginal artist Kngwarreye, auctioned in parallel with her exhibition at Tate Modern in London, remind us of the power of art rooted in spirituality and landscape. Suzanne Jackson, whose first major retrospective at SFMOMA runs until March 2026, introduces poetic abstraction full of movement, gesture and colour. Phillips has placed their works in the context of the modernists, showing how the female perspective helped shape the history of the 20th century.

This juxtaposition is not accidental. The catalogue features Auguste Rodin’s Les Bourgeois de Calais, a symbolic study of courage and sacrifice in which the artist abandoned the classical ideal of beauty to convey the drama of emotion. Next to it is Alexej von Jawlensky’s Abstrakter Kopf: Amethyst from 1932, a subtle combination of spirituality and colour expression. These two works form a bridge between the 19th and 20th centuries, between emotional realism and the search for pure form.

Tom Wesselmann, whose Great American Nude #18 from 1961 will be on the market for the first time in two decades, is at the heart of American Pop Art. The painting, part of a famous series, combines oil painting with fragments of advertisements and photographs – a commentary on the consumer dream of 1960s America. Wesselmann, like Robert Indiana in his numerical paintings of the 1960s, reminds us that pop culture can become a tool for reflection on society. Both names, now reinterpreted by Pace and Kasmin galleries, are back in the spotlight of collectors.

The afternoon session of the Modern & Contemporary Art Day Sale brings a breath of fresh air. Phillips focuses on artists who have gained international recognition in recent years but still represent freshness and authenticity. Alexis Ralaivao, Ana Segovia and Calida Rawles create a visual language of identity, body and cultural memory. Tyler Mitchell, a renowned photographer and director, presents his monumental 2021 photograph Albany, Georgia – a hymn to black independence and the aesthetics of freedom. The same photograph is part of the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, and its earlier presentation at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta cemented Mitchell’s position as one of the most important artists of the younger generation.

The same section of the auction features Maurizio Cattelan’s Daddy Daddy, an iconic sculpture from 2008 in which the Italian artist transforms the figure of Pinocchio into a symbol of decline, guilt and unattainable ideals. Cattelan, known for his ironic approach to religion and pop culture, once again forces the viewer to confront their own sense of discomfort. It is a work that not only provokes but also redefines the boundary between art and social commentary.

The second pillar of the afternoon session is Sigmar Polke, whose Untitled (Crime Story – Happy End) from 2005 epitomises his artistic philosophy: a combination of irony, technical experimentation and inspiration from mass culture. Polke, one of the most important German post-war artists, transforms the language of comics into an expressive landscape of emotions. His works, currently on display at the Museo Nacional del Prado and the Fondation Vincent van Gogh in Arles, confirm the growing interest in his oeuvre.

There is also no shortage of artists who have strengthened their position in the collectors’ market in recent years – George Condo, Rashid Johnson, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye and Amoako Boafo are creating a new map of contemporary expression. Boafo, presenting his 2017 portrait Red Dress, pays tribute to Thelma Golden, curator and director of The Studio Museum in Harlem. This work, full of texture and energy, combines individual style with a universal message of dignity and identity.

However, this year’s edition stands out for more than just its catalogue of names. Phillips, in addition to presenting outstanding works, is involved in social activities – some of the works will be sold to benefit the Coalition for the Homeless, an organisation that helps people experiencing homelessness in New York. The auction includes works by Joan Snyder, Katherine Bradford and Stanley Whitney, showing that art can be both an aesthetic experience and a gesture of solidarity.

Phillips auction house has been combining tradition with modernity for years. With offices in New York, London, Hong Kong and Geneva, it is now one of the pillars of the contemporary art market. In addition to selling works of art, it also conducts private transactions, investment advisory services and educational programmes for collectors. Its approach to curation – based on coherent narratives and intergenerational dialogue – makes each auction not only a commercial event, but also an artistic manifesto.

In the age of digitalisation, Phillips skilfully combines the world of physical auctions with modern online solutions, enabling collectors from around the world to participate in real-time bidding. It is a strategy that not only increases global reach but also attracts a younger generation of collectors – conscious, bold and seeking authentic emotions.

Modern & Contemporary Art Day Sale is a panorama of art in motion, where past and present intertwine with fascinating fluidity. Phillips proves once again that the art market is not just about record prices, but about stories that inspire. In a world where many auction houses compete for media attention, Phillips focuses on dialogue, context and emotion. It is this subtle difference that keeps collectors coming back – not for sensation, but for meaning.

Author: Luxury Boutique