LOS ANGELES — Andrew Jones Auctions will kick off the new year and the new decade on Saturday, January 11, with a very special sale dedicated to fine art from the collection of Gerard Leon Cafesjian (1925-2013), the legal publishing legend, art connoisseur and philanthropist who collected with a discerning eye and an adventurous spirit.
The auction will be held online and in the Andrew Jones Auctions gallery located at 2221 South Main Street, Los Angeles, starting promptly at 10:30 a.m. Pacific time. Internet bidding will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. In all, 140 lots will come up for bid, to include contemporary paintings, sculptures, prints and mixed media works.
“In six decades of collecting, Gerard Cafesjian broadened his vision and honed his eye to bring together international avant-garde works that make statements, reveal beauty, display whimsy and challenge the viewer,” said company president and CEO Andrew Jones. We’re honored to offer this segment of his collection, which features international artists in a variety of media.”
Two works by Vesna Kittelson (Croatian/American, b. 1947), from the artist’s War Painting Series (est. $2,000-$3,000) reveal Cafesjian’s concern with crimes against humanity and social injustice. His eye for color and playfulness are evident in pieces like Yvonne Canu‘s (French, 1921-2008) “Fleur sous les fleurs” (est. $2,000-$3,000) and Roberto Sebastian Matta’s (Chilean, 1911–2002) “Untitled,” 1970 (est. $2,000-$3,000) as well as irreverent works like Igor Gusev’s (Ukrainian, born 1970) large-scale oil on canvas titled “Elvis Returns,” 2010 (est. $6,000-$8,000).
An admiration for the intimacies that can be found in world localities is revealed in Margaret Leahy’s (American, 20th century) acrylic “Brooklyn Backyard,” 1981, which depicts a window’s view of his childhood neighborhood (est. $600-$800). Further afield locations are seen in the Virgilio Raposo (Portuguese, born 1955) painting titled “Lisbon,” 2003 (est. $800-$1,200) and Jyothi Basu’s (Indian, born 1960) pastel work titled “The Chosen One,” 2004 (est. $3,000-$5,000).
