Sol
Lewitt

LeWitt’s current auction record is held by this monumental configuration of the artist’s characteristic sculptural cubes, when it sold out of the Mallin Collection at Sotheby's New York in February 2023. It was created in 1991, during LeWitt's mature period, and demonstrates the artist's sustained exploration of geometric forms and spatial relationships. LeWitt had a systematic approach to sculpture, which is why many of his works are so geometrically precise compared to the looser form of his painted works. LeWitt began his series of modular sculptures (or “structures,” as LeWitt preferred to call them) in the 1960s, connecting 12 linear elements at eight corners. The modules would then be connected to create larger, more complex sculptures that challenged the commodification of art in their enormous size. 1 x 2 Half Off (1991), however, is an example of a deceptively simple single-module work.

The sale of Wavy Brushstroke (1995) at Sotheby's New York in November 2014 set a record for LeWitt at the time, achieving more than double its high estimate. It represents one of LeWitt's later explorations into two-dimensional work, and was created just 12 years before his death. Combining gouache, watercolour, and drawing techniques, this painting stands in direct contrast with the rigid, monochromatic sculptures that occupy most of this list. The brushstrokes are, as the title suggests, more organic, but still with LeWitt’s characteristic sense of direction and deliberation - LeWitt called this “controlled movement.” Unlike his earlier works, which were produced by assistants using sets of instructions, LeWitt painted this piece and other curvilinear works from the 1990s himself - a factor that greatly contributed to its record sale price in 2014.

Hanging Sculpture 24 D (1991) achieved this significant result at Sotheby's New York in November 2023. It was created in the same year as the record-breaking 1 x 2 Half Off (1991), and sold for its top 10 value in the same year, too. This suspended sculpture shows LeWitt’s ability to transform simple forms through mathematical relationships and his skilful use of negative space. Similarly, its title suggests a systematic, mathematical approach to compositional experimentation, with “24” and “D” denoting variations within a larger series. At over 3 metres tall, it hangs, seemingly weightless, on a wall at eye-level for the viewer - a point that was always important to LeWitt. As such, viewers are encouraged to engage with the space the work occupies.