Major Works by Mayhew, Warhol, Halley, and Houser Anchor Freeman’s May Post War & Contemporary Art Auction in New York
Press
On May 13, Freeman’s will present its Post War & Contemporary Art auction, a thoughtfully curated offering of 83 lots that invites bidders on a visual journey through eight decades of art history. Exploring a cohesive yet diverse range of mediums, movements, and dimensions, the sale features an impressive array of works by sought-after 20th- and 21st-century artists.
Leading the sale is a series of cornerstone works, including a fresh-to-market landscape by Richard Mayhew; a provocative text-based Andy Warhol canvas; and an emblematic mid-1960s Robert Rauschenberg solvent transfer. The selection is further distinguished by a vivid, large-scale Peter Halley abstraction, monumental outdoor sculptures by Allan Houser, and an impressive 28-foot-tall Beverly Pepper column.
Pushing the boundaries of material and technique are "shapeshifting" works by Olga de Amaral, Dorothea Rockburne, and Heidi Bucher. For fans of non-objective works, stellar examples by Frank Stella, Gerhard Richter, and Sam Francis lead the charge, balanced by the edgy photorealism of Janet Fish and Marilyn Minter. The sale is rounded out by energetic, contemporary voices, including Ann Craven, Sterling Ruby, and Austin Eddy.
Zachary Wirsum, SVP, Head of Department, Post War & Contemporary Art, says, “In typical Freeman’s fashion, our May Post War & Contemporary Art auction is a smoothly curated shuffle of the familiar and the unexpected, offering something extraordinary for every discerning taste and budget. True to form, the sale is enticingly punctuated by opportunities to discover overlooked works for the savvy and the daring, including the top lot: Richard Mayhew’s fresh-to-market, dreamlike landscape, distinguished by its mesmerizing magentas and hazy blazes of orange, as his rising market continues to show room for growth.”
LEFT TO RIGHT
Lot 7 | Andy Warhol, Repent and Sin No More! (Positive), c.1985-1986 | Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Auction Highlights
Lot 7 | Andy Warhol, Repent and Sin No More! (Positive), c.1985-1986
Estimate: $100,000 – 150,000
A compelling example of Warhol’s late work, Repent and Sin No More! (Positive) highlights the artist’s engagement with religious subject matter through the lens of mass media. Employing his signature silkscreen technique—borrowed from commercial production—Warhol transforms a biblical directive into a bold visual statement, underscoring the tension between sacred message and mechanical reproduction. The designation “Positive” references the photographic process, reinforcing the work’s industrial language. Reflecting Warhol’s complex relationship with faith, the composition operates simultaneously as a meditation on spirituality and a commentary on the circulation of moral messages within contemporary culture.
Lot 28 | Richard Mayhew,Finale, 2002
Property from the Collection of James Washington Compton, Chicago, Illinois.
Estimate: $150,000 – 250,000
Offered at auction for the first time, Finale is a centerpiece of the sale and a compelling example of Richard Mayhew’s mature practice. Over the course of an eight-decade career, Mayhew developed a distinctive visual language that seamlessly unites abstraction and landscape, producing lyrically colored, atmospheric compositions rooted in both memory and place. Painted at the turn of the millennium, the work captures the artist at the height of his powers, unfolding as a radiant, dreamlike terrain where vivid passages of orange, violet, and blue guide the viewer through a richly immersive space. A founding member of the Spiral collective, Mayhew believed in landscape as a shared human experience—an idea that resonates throughout Finale, where the interplay of light, color, and form evokes both introspection and a broader sense of collective consciousness.
Lot 56 | Olga de Amaral, Fragmento incompleto, 1980
Estimate: $25,000 – 35,000
Reflecting the growing market recognition of textile-based practices, Fragmento incompleto highlights Olga de Amaral’s pioneering approach to fiber as a fine art medium. Working with linen, cotton, gesso, and pigment, Amaral creates richly textured surfaces that blur the boundaries between weaving, painting, and sculpture. Her work often evokes architectural and historical references—from pre-Columbian traditions to ecclesiastical ornament—while engaging with light and material in striking ways. With renewed institutional and market interest in textile art, Amaral’s work continues to gain prominence, reinforcing her position as a leading figure in the field.
Lot 60 | Allan Houser, Spirit of the Wind, 1993
Estimate: $80,000 - 120,000
Lot 61 | Allan Houser, Migration, 1992
Estimate: $50,000 - 70,000
Two important sculptures by Allan Houser—Migration (1992) and Spirit of the Wind (1993), estimated at $50,000–70,000 and $80,000–120,000, respectively—highlight the artist’s late-career shift toward increasingly abstract and monumental forms. Created just one year apart, the bronzes distill figuration into dynamic silhouettes: the smooth, flowing contours of Migration recall his earlier stylized figures, while the sharper, more angular Spirit of the Wind evokes the energy of his warrior subjects. Rooted in Houser’s Chiricahua Apache heritage, both works engage themes of cultural continuity and transformation, while his sophisticated use of negative space lends a sense of movement and openness, underscoring his lasting contribution to American sculpture.
Lot 72 | Robert Rauschenberg, Battery, 1965
Estimate: $100,000 – 150,000
Created during the height of Rauschenberg’s exploration of solvent transfer, Batteryexemplifies a technique that became central to his practice from the late 1950s through the 1960s. By transferring printed imagery onto paper using chemical solvents, Rauschenberg collapsed distinctions between drawing and collage, as well as between handmade and mass-produced images. In this work, fragments of everyday life—citrus fruits, utilitarian objects, and partial commercial text—are layered into a lively composition animated by gestural marks.
Lot 52 | Gerhard Richter, FAZ-Übermalung, 2002 | Estimate $60,000 - 80,000
Additional Highlights
Lot 26 | Ann Craven, Yellow Canary (Stepping Out on Orange, with Hollyhocks and Cherries), 2019
Estimate: $15,000 – 25,000
Lot 34 | Roger Brown, Nuclear Winter, 1984
Estimate: $50,000 – 70,000
Lot 41 | ManoloValdés, Selene, 2020
Estimate: $60,000 – 80,000
Lot 44 | Jamie Nares, Western, 2001
Estimate: $50,000 – 70,000
Lot 49 | Janet Fish, Pink Ribbon and Yellow Ribbon, 1981
Estimate: $50,000 – 70,000
Lot 52 | Gerhard Richter, FAZ-Übermalung, 2002
Estimate: $60,000 – 80,000
Lot 68 | Peter Halley, Blue Velvet, 2002
Estimate: $80,000 – 120,000
Sale Preview
The sale preview will be held at Freeman’s New York gallery, 32 East 67th Street:
May 6 - 9, 11 - 12 | 10 am to 5pm
May 13, 9 am until the final hammer of the sale
Closed May 10
How to Bid
The Post War & Contemporary Art auction will be offered on May 13 at 10am EDT in Freeman’s New York saleroom. Bidding will be available in person, over the phone, and via absentee or live online bidding. For more information, please visit freemansauction.com.
Freeman’s is a premier American auction house offering services in multiple categories including fine art, jewelry, design, books and manuscripts, furniture, decorative arts, antiquities, couture, and Asian works of art. With 16 regional locations nationwide, the firm provides auctions, appraisals, private sales, and art advisory services, connecting clients to the global art market. Freeman’s strives to bring art, history, and design to life by connecting people with extraordinary objects through exceptional service and expertise.
