The masterpiece by the abstract artist Jackson Pollock entitled Number 31, painted in the year 1949, is one of the defining modern artworks of the 20th century. Christie’s will exclusively offer it in its May auction in New York. The painting has spent the last sixteen years in a private collection and is estimated to be worth 45 million dollars.
Christie’s auction house will sell Pollock’s painting Number 31 during its 20th Century Evening Sale event, which will be held on May 12th at Rockefeller Plaza in New York. Painted in 1949, the work is one of the best examples of Pollock’s famous expressionist drip paintings, representing a pivotal moment in the development of 20th century art. The painting has been part of a private collection since 2006.
Pollock created Number 31 in a flurry of artistic creativity at the end of 1949 and the work was then exhibited with Pollock’s art dealer, Betty Parsons, later that same year. Critics immediately hailed it as “the best painting he has yet done.” The 78.7 x 57.2 cm work has been shown in many important exhibits, including the 1967 Jackson Pollock retrospective at MoMa in New York.
