October 15, 2016 - 12:33 AMT
Peter Saul painting sets world record at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers

The September 30 Modern and Contemporary Art auction at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers offered a monumental Peter Saul with a presale estimate of $250,000 ­ 350,000. Saul¹s Guernica, 1974, sold for $575,000, setting a record for the artist at auction, Art Daily said.

The fluorescent psychedelic painting is an interpretation of Pablo Picasso¹s famed 1937 anti-war piece, Guernica, depicting the atrocities of the Spanish Civil War. Saul¹s 1974 version, Saul¹s Guernica, is an art historical riff reflecting his own objections to the Vietnam War. Its large scale and vibrant colors showcase Saul¹s melting cartoon imagery and surrealist funk approach to painting.

Alternate versions of the painting have previously sold at auction in 2007 and 2008. The painting was offered from the Estate of Robert and Lois Orchard of St. Louis, Missouri and sold to a West Coast buyer.

Additional highlights of the sale include two works by Fernand Léger, a painting titled Deux femmes tenant des fleurs from 1954 that sold for $800,000 and a gouache titled Paysage Village from 1914 that sold for $725,000. Bob Thompson¹s Landscape with Blue Nude, 1965, sold for $197,000 and Gabriel Munter¹s Blumen mit weisser rose II, 1950, sold for $106,250.

The Modern and Contemporary Art auction was following by a Fine Prints evening sale where Picasso¹s Francoise sur fond gris, 1950, sold for $106,250.

Additional results can be found online at lesliehindman.com. The Fine Art department is currently accepting consignments for the upcoming December 14 and 15 Post War and Contemporary Art, American and European Art and Fine Print sales.

Photo: Art Daily