And what can be inferred from the most exciting lot from Phillips Contemporary Art evening sale on May 17th, 2023.
Behind the much hyped anchoring lots for the sale, like Banksquiat. Boy and Dog in Stop and Search (2018) by Banksy that sold for $9.7m with BP, and two sculptures by Yayoi Kusama, that sold to the same bidder for $5.9m collectively, the most exciting lot, which spurred intense 12-minute bidding, pushing the estimate of $100,000-$150,000 nine-fold to staggering $990,600 with BP, was a painting by the late American artist, Noah Davis. It has become the second most expensive work sold by the artist, since the sale of Congo No.7, 2014, at Christie's New York in November, 2022, for $1.5m.
A round of applause from the audience followed the bidding.
Noah Davis, Untitled, 2010. Sold at Phillips for $990,600.
This indicates that albeit the market has become more discerning and less prone to making impulsive purchases, buyers are still eager to open their wallets for rare works of high quality. And Noah Davis is the prime example of that.
The untimely passing of the artist from a rare for of cancer in 2015 at the age of 32 has made his paintings hard to come by, while highly coveted by collectors. Inspired by the movies of Roger Corman and Alfred Hitchcock, Noah depicted black bodies in a uniquely dystopic ethereal and captivating way, thanks to the use of subdued diluted hues and effortless brushstrokes that helped create a sense of emotional intimacy with his subjects.
Noah Davis, Untitled, 2015. On view at MoMA New York.
Noah Davis was a prominent figure in Los Angeles art scene. In 2013, he cofounded with his wife and brother the Underground Museum in Arlington Heights, Los Angeles, aiming to bring museum-grade art to historically disadvantaged African American and Latino neighborhood. Noah was championing blackness until his last breath, proclaiming his body of work "our black countercultural dystopia" - a world, populated exclusively by dark-skinned people - in a 2013 interview with Art in America.
While his museum is currently closed, Noah's undying legacy of bringing forward black artistry continues to live on through his exceptional body of work. No surprise that his alluring paintings keep outperforming the estimates and causing a frenzy on the auction floor.
Noah Davis, Diabetes, 2009. David Zwirner.
Noah Davis, Congo No. 7, 2014. Sold at Christie's New York for $1.5m.
Noah Davis, Karon, 2008. David Zwirner.
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