Model for Chicago Picasso sculpture could fetch $35 million: Christie's

1 of 4. A cubist sculpture (R) by artist Pablo Picasso that he gave to the city is seen in Chicago, Illinois, October 2, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Jim Young

By Mary Wisniewski

CHICAGO | Wed Oct 2, 2013 7:15pm EDT

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A model for the cubist sculpture that Pablo Picasso gave to the city of Chicago could fetch as much as $35 million when it is sold at auction next month - a record for a sculpture by the artist, Christie's said on Wednesday.

Picasso never visited Chicago but he admired the city and donated a 50-foot-tall (15-meter) steel work, which was completed in 1967 and sits in the city's Daley Plaza.

Picasso made two scale models for the sculpture. He sent one to Chicago for the builders of the full-size work to work from, which is now on display at the city's Art Institute, and kept one.

The model kept by Picasso, which is being sold, belonged to his granddaughter, Marina Picasso, before going into the personal collection of art dealer Jan Krugier.

Sharon Kim, Christie's international director in Impressionist and Modern Art, said the pre-sale estimate was based on prices realized for comparable works by Picasso.

The highest price ever paid for a Picasso sculpture was $29.1 million for "Tete de Femme (Dora Maar) in 2007, according to Christie's.

The model being offered for sale, a 41-1/2 inch (104-cm) sheet-metal work, was put on display on Wednesday until Thursday at Christie's in Chicago ahead of a November 4-5 auction in New York.

Christie's decided to display it in Chicago to bring the three works together in the city.

Initially controversial, the statue has become a beloved icon in Chicago and its muscular metal weirdness an unofficial symbol of America's third-largest city.

When the Picasso was first unveiled in 1967, the response was chilly. According to Chicago newspaper columnist Mike Royko, a few people applauded but most were silent as they had been hoping for something pretty.

But Royko thought the statue captured the predatory spirit of Chicago, with its "cold, mean" eyes like the eyes of the city's gangsters, slum lords, and crooked cops.

Kim said Picasso revered Chicago in part because the Art Institute of Chicago was the first American institution to display his work. When the city tried to offer him $100,000 for the sculpture, he refused it.

The statue is now a magnet for tourists and small children who like to slide down the front. But people are still arguing over what it is - a woman, a horse or a giant insect?

"I think it's sort of like a monkey," said Lisa Reilly, 42, of Grayslake, a suburb of Chicago. "It's cool."

Other works owned by Krugier to be offered in the New York sale next month include works by artists Edward Hopper and Joan Miro.

(Reporting by Mary Wisniewski; Editing by Patricia Reaney and David Brunnstrom)

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Well Known Artist Pledges to Donate 9/11 Twin Towers And Help Raise Over $400 Million for Charity

    NEW YORK, NY, February 09, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Richard Sean Manning is a prolific artist, with substantial studios is Lockport, New York and St Petersburg, Florida.

He works in a number of mediums, including paint, wood, metal, glass and clay, creating art to benefit others. He uses upwards of 5 tons of clay each year, and his ceramic art is sought after by private collectors and museums.

Inspired to commemorate all those who lost their lives on that date now woven into American history, he has committed to create a series of ceramic '9/11 Twin Towers' to donate to museums across the country to mark each anniversary.

The first permanent exhibit valued at $65K, was installed at the Great Explorations Children's Museum which is located in St Petersburg, Florida.

"My aim is to help open a dialogue about unity through art, between educators and students who were not even born on 9/11/01, and to give pause for a moment of silence for all of us to never forget what happened on that fateful day." says Richard Sean Manning.

Cognizant of the need to raise funds to add a 9/11 curriculum to programming at museums prompted the artist to paint a series of Unity Art.

Together with his business partner, Laura Manning, they co-founded The Manning Arts as a platform to help 501c3 organizations raise money for worthy causes through an online gallery of original art.

Mr Manning has pledged to paint 3000 original works of art as a memorial to all those who perished in the Twin Towers on 9/11.

Even though his paintings are inspired by this tragic event, they are diverse in color and content and raise social awareness.

Laura Manning manages the back end of the business, photographing and documenting each work of art and maintaining the online art gallery.

She works with 501c3 organizations who register online to participate in The Manning Arts innovative fundraising initiative that has the potential of raising over $400 million for worthy causes.

'It sounds like a lot of money, but when you do the math, and figure that each original is available in a numbered series of 550 fine quality giclee prints, in 3 sizes, representing 1650 options per original, it's almost 5 million works of art." states Laura Manning.

Participating charities are assigned a unique URL that links them to The Manning Arts online art gallery, which they can upload to their website and share with their supporters.

The success of this fundraiser is based on getting the word out to loyal supporters to click on the link and purchase a work of art for their home, office or as a gift.

Included in every purchase is a 66% tax deductible, charitable contribution from the supporter to the charity that originates the order through their unique link.

At point of sale, funds are split by PayPal using an adapted payment integration that instantly deposits 66% of the proceeds of the order into the charity PayPal account.

The remaining 34% is deposited to The Manning Arts PayPal account and covers the cost of fulfilling the order, including handling and shipping directly to the supporter. It's as simple as that!

To see how it works, visit http://www.TheManningArts.org/GreatEx and purchase a work of art to benefit the Great Explorations Children's Museum.

To inquire about your museum receiving a donation of a one of a kind pair of '9/11 Twin Towers' as a permanent exhibit, or to register your 501c3 organization to participate in this unique fundraiser, please visit http://www.TheManningArts.org.

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