The Week in Prints: 23rd - 29th September 2024

Victoria Miro opened Kusama’s latest solo exhibition, Every Day I Pray For Love, this week, marking her fourteenth collaboration with the gallery. The show is highlighted by the debut of a new Infinity Mirrored Room, Beauty Described by a Spherical Heart, which immerses viewers in a kaleidoscopic world of flashing LED lights and infinite reflections. At the heart of the installation is a mirrored sphere, capturing the essence of Kusama’s long-held fascination with immersive spaces and reflective surfaces.

In addition to the mirrored room, the exhibition showcases a dynamic array of Kusama’s latest paintings and sculptures, including the large-scale Death of Nerves and a series of intimate acrylic works titled Every Day I Pray for Love. The sculptures, such as The Moment of Regeneration, bring to life Kusama’s characteristic polka dots in vibrant fabric forms, while her new bronze works in the garden extend the themes of reflection and regeneration central to her practice.

The show, running until November, has already garnered significant attention, with tickets quickly booked out. Kusama’s new works are a testament to her continued exploration of life, death, and infinity, inviting visitors into her singular, sensory world.

Luna Luna, the world’s first art-themed amusement park, is set to bring its visionary installations to New York’s The Shed in November. Originally conceived in 1987 by Austrian artist André Heller, Luna Luna features an array of interactive rides and pavilions designed by some of the biggest names in contemporary art, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and Salvador Dalí.

The travelling amusement park recently reemerged in Los Angeles and will now make its way to New York, giving audiences a rare chance to experience Haring’s iconic carousel and David Hockney’s enchanted forest, among other installations. While many of the works can only be viewed due to their fragility, the playful spirit of Luna Luna encourages a different kind of interaction with art, one that moves away from the traditional confines of galleries and museums.

The Palazzo Strozzi in Florence has opened its doors to Painting Without Rules, a major retrospective of the work of Helen Frankenthaler, one of the most influential figures in American Abstract Expressionism. Curated by Douglas Dreishpoon, the exhibition not only presents 30 of Frankenthaler’s most significant paintings but also delves into her relationships with fellow artists such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and David Smith.

While Frankenthaler’s work has long been admired, the exhibition sheds light on the influence of her creative circle, including sculptors like Smith and Anthony Caro, with whom she shared a reciprocal artistic rapport. The show is organised chronologically, tracing six decades of Frankenthaler’s career, and includes rare examples of her sculptures alongside her iconic paintings.

Dreishpoon’s research into Frankenthaler’s correspondence with these artists reveals the candid and personal exchanges that shaped her practice. The exhibition captures Frankenthaler’s unique approach to abstraction - distinct from her male contemporaries - and her playful experimentation with geometry and form. This retrospective, running until January 2025, promises to deepen the understanding of Frankenthaler’s place within the broader narrative of 20th-century art.

Edward Enninful, the former editor-in-chief of British Vogue, is making waves in the art world through a new collaboration with the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris. Enninful has partnered with the institutions to create a series of prints inspired by the works of Claude Monet, one of the most celebrated figures in French Impressionism.

Using innovative “Hi-Rnd” printmaking technology, Enninful has reimagined some of his favourite Monet paintings, including the iconic Soleil Couchant I. The project brings Monet’s works into a new light, with each print offering a fresh take on the classic compositions. Available for purchase through Lito, Enninful’s prints aim to make high art more accessible, priced between £850 and £3,737.

Christie’s London concluded its Prints & Multiples auction this week with impressive results, achieving a 91% sell-through rate and a total hammer price of £1.83 million. The sale featured a mix of works from modern masters like Pablo Picasso and Marc Chagall to contemporary icons such as Andy Warhol and M.C. Escher.

Warhol’s Truck (complete set) (1985) was a standout, exceeding its high estimate of £120,000 to fetch £150,000. Picasso’s etchings and Chagall’s vibrant prints performed equally well, with many pieces selling above their estimates. M.C. Escher, in particular, captivated buyers, with his Three Spheres II (1946) achieving £60,000, well above its presale estimate of £20,000-£30,000.

With 39% of lots selling above estimate and only 8% remaining unsold, the auction reflected the continued strength of the prints market, particularly for high-quality, iconic works. Christie’s robust performance signals ongoing demand in the art market, despite broader economic uncertainties.

Stay tuned for next week’s roundup of the latest in prints.