7 December: Blind Traveler finds a Home, results
The auction of Patrick Kuppens’ collection, ‘Blind traveler finds a home’, was a great success. Spread over an afternoon and evening session, there was often fierce competition for rare editions/ photos/ ephemera…
The first lot where there was heavy competition was Marcel Duchamp’s candy paper (lot 2015), which eventually found its way across the ocean for 6400 euros. A little further on, a collage letter by Marcel Mariën (lot 2052) was hammered off at 1700 euros. The extensive collection of ephemera and catalogues around Marcel Broodthaers all swiftly changed hands for fine prices, including 500 euros for a very rare 1969 invitation card to a film evening featuring work by Broodthaers, Lamelas and Beuys (lot 2083).
In the delightful collection around Zero/ Nul, we started with a nice result for a (later?) print of the legendary photomontage ‘La saut dans le vide’ by Yves Klein (lot 2110), which found a new owner at €3400. Then again, a fine copy by Jes Petersen ‘Piero Manzoni. life and work’ (lot 2122) sold at 1150 euros. A somewhat odd duck was the original photo ‘Lochblendenstruktur/ 3.8.14. E 1’ from 1967 by Gottfried Jäger, which was settled at €2400 after a fierce battle online. A collection of ‘Vice Versand’ editions, including work by Robert Filliou sold on the phone for 1700 euros.
A great lover of photography, Patrick Kuppens also collected some remarkable pieces in that field over the years, such as a rare photograph by Miroslaw Tichy (lot 2264), which eventually sold for 1500 euros. In the evening session, a large colour picture by Richard Prince from the ‘Adult Comedy Action Drama’ series (lot 2387) was sold to a collector by phone for a very fine 3900 euros.
The artist undoubtedly most looked forward to was René Heyvaert. The Kuppens collection was, without doubt, home to one of the most extensive in that field. The sculpture in the shape of a wooden cross (lot 2273) sold online at 5000 euros, the extremely rare ‘IX’ catalogue left at 1700 euros. The fascinating 1976 drawing, encased in a frame designed by the artist himself (lot 2282) also sold online for a staggering 8200 euros.
A second Heyvaert section from the collection followed in the evening session and again prices went well above estimates. For example, the monumental triptych from 1971 (lot 2348) went for 7400 euros to the same online bidder as mentioned with the lots above.
The wooden sculpture that Heyvaert hung on a simple little string (lot 2349) was worth a staggering 8800 euros. The drawing ‘Kalmpjes man’ (lot 2358) went under the hammer as the final lot for a more than deserved 3000 euros.
An exceptional collection of editions and letters by Thierry De Cordier was also on offer.
For instance, an illustrated letter from 1986 to an early collector went out the door at 2600 euros, while the rare edition ‘My Hands’ was acquired by an institution for 1000 euros. The metal book edition by Honoré d’O (lot 2422) was also purchased by the same institution for 450 euros.
War photographer Don McCullin’s fantastic photograph, ‘Snowy the Mouseman’, specially printed for Patrick Kuppens, sold at 1400 euros. The exceptional dummy edition of Tine Guns ‘The Diver’ (lot 2443) ended up selling for a nice 600 euros while an original collage by the amazing Katrien De Blauwer (lot 2448) was hammered off at a well-deserved 1000 euros.
Gabriel Orozco’s picture ‘Trebol Time’ (lot 2450) went out the door at 3200 euros and the last lot of the auction, the small Borremans catalogue with the original ‘Saint John’ watercolour (lot 2456) managed a modest 3000 euros.
