Marc Chagall, Mégaclès reconnait sa Fille pendant le Festin, from Daphnis et Chloé, 1961. Lithograph printed on Arches wove paper, signed in pencil. Estimated: $20,000 - 27,000.
London – An outstanding collection of Chagall prints leads Bonhams New Bond Street Prints and Multiples sale on 16 December. The selection of 26 lithographic works by Chagall comes from a single private collection curated over the past two decades, and spans Chagall’s print-making career from the 1950s-80s, including his collaborations with master-printmaker Charles Sorlier and Mourlot Studios. This includes Printemps au Pré, published by Tériade Editeur, Paris in 1961, which has an estimate of £20,000-30,000.
A particular highlight in the collection is a selection of 10 lithographs from one of Chagall’s most important series, Daphnis et Chloé. The full portfolio of 42 lithographs was commissioned by Tériade, a great supporter of Chagall’s and one of the most important art publishers of the 20th century. The lithographs were created in Paris with his master lithographer Sorlier and took over a decade to produce, beginning in the 1950s.
A selection of 13 prints by British favorite David Hockney also highlights the sale, including a very rare, early, and unrecorded proof of his Self-Portrait from 1962. Only three other impressions are known, including one in the Tate collection (estimate: £7,000-10,000). Prints by street art enfant terrible Banksy are another highlight, notably Choose Your Weapon (estimate: £100,000-150,000), a design which first appeared in stencil on the wall of a Bermondsey pub in 2010. Printed in an edition of only 25, the original design was so sought-after that the artist released a Queue Jumper Grey edition for those who had queued for a chance to purchase a print but missed out. This features alongside one of Banksy’s early works, Grin Reaper, 2005 (estimate: £50,000-70,000), exemplifying the whimsical yet witty humor the artist is known for.
Laetitia Guillotin, Head of Sale, commented: “We are extremely excited to offer such a remarkable single-owner collection of Chagall lithographs which are a testament to the passion of their collector and desirability of Chagall’s wonderful Daphnis et Chloe series. Collectors will likely be equally thrilled by the other wonderful prints in the sale, showcasing works spanning from the 16th-century to the present day: including a private British collection of The Little Masters, a very attractive selection of Picasso ceramics, and 13 prints by David Hockney.”
