Njideka Akunyili Crosby participated in the museum’s Artist-in-Residence program in 2011-12, and was a recipient of the museum's Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize in 2015. Crosby's captivating paintings seamlessly straddle racial, geographic and socio-political concerns in an extraordinary embodiment of the increasingly transnational nature of the contemporary art world. Shown at the Prospect exhibition this year in New Orleans, Bush Babies layers densely-collaged imagery to form a lush, geometric still life.

SELECT WORKS FROM THE CONTEMPORARY ART DAY AUCTION
17 May

Chris Ofili
Black Triangle 1
2018
Estimate $300/400,000

Chris Ofili’s work has been shown frequently at the Studio Museum, notably in his solo exhibition Chris Ofili: Afro Muses 1995-2005 (2005). Part of the group of Young British Artists that fundamentally changed the contemporary art world, Ofili's diverse practice is anchored by his use of a mélange of materials to craft images that shift between figuration and abstraction. Executed by the artist specifically for this sale, Black Triangle 1 recalls the monumental oil and charcoal works the artist showed at his most recent solo exhibition at David Zwirner, New York.

Kehinde Wiley
Charles I
2018
Estimate $100/150,000

A Studio Museum Artist-in-Residence program from 2001-02, Kehinde Wiley’s work is a highlight of the Museum’s permanent collection, and has been featured in Museum exhibitions including Kehinde Wiley: The World Stage: Africa, Lagos ~ Dakar (2008). Charles I embodies many of the most important themes in the artist’s body of work, addressing notions of race, gender, and politics through the pictorial tropes of European portraiture. The present work was painted just this year, and incorporates the same floriate details and sensitivity to its subject matter that make Wiley's recently-unveiled portrait of President Barack Obama instantly iconic.

Sam Gilliam
Red Shoes
2017
Estimate $120/180,000

A seminal figure in the history of the Studio Museum, Sam Gilliam’s work has appeared in numerous shows at the institution, from 1969 to the present. Graphic and unapologetically vibrant, the present work channels the legacy of the artist’s groundbreaking investigations into form and color as well as his exploration of hard-edge abstraction. Red Shoes comes on the heels of Sotheby’s record-setting auction of the artist’s work in March 2018.

Toyin Ojih Odutola
From a Place of Goodness
2017-2018
Estimate $10/15,000

Born in 1985, Toyin Ojih Odutola has already been featured in two shows at the Studio Museum, underscoring the institution’s commitment to fostering young talent in the art world. The present work is an example of Odutola’s well-known series of portraits, most recently exhibited in 2017’s Toyin Ojih Odutola: To Wander Determined at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York – the artist’s solo debut in a major museum. Works by Toyin Ojih Odutola, a young artist on the rise, are very rare on the secondary market.

Rashid Johnson
Untitled Escape Collage
2018
Estimate $100/150,000

The Studio Museum has supported Rashid Johnson from the outset, exhibiting his work in the seminal 2001 exhibition, Freestyle, which is credited with launching his career. Untitled Escape Collage is an archetypal example of Johnson’s oeuvre, combining disparate materials and a variety of media into a composition that is unified by its symbolic connection and resonances with black history. The present work notably features one of the most symbolically-potent materials in Johnson’s arsenal: black soap.

*FULL LIST OF PARTICIPATING ARTISTS*
Derrick Adams Kevin Beasley Sanford Biggers McArthur Binion Frank Bowling Mark Bradford Jordan Casteel Njideka Akunyili Crosby Stan Douglas Leonardo Drew Melvin Edwards Charles Gaines Theaster Gates Sam Gilliam Leslie Hewitt Steffani Jemison Rashid Johnson Isaac Julien Titus Kaphar Glenn Ligon Eric N. Mack Julie Mehretu Wardell Milan Oscar Murillo Wangechi Mutu Kori Newkirk Toyin Ojih Odutola Chris Ofili Adam Pendleton Robert Pruitt Yinka Shonibare MBE Gary Simmons Xaviera Simmons Lorna Simpson Shinique Smith Hank Willis Thomas William Villalongo Nari Ward Carrie Mae Weems Stanley Whitney Kehinde Wiley Lynette Yiadom-Boakye

About The Studio Museum in Harlem Founded in 1968 by a diverse group of artists, community activists, and philanthropists, The Studio Museum in Harlem is internationally known for its catalytic role in promoting the work of artists of African descent. Now approaching its 50th anniversary, the Studio Museum is preparing to construct a new home at its current location on Manhattan’s West 125th Street. Designed by Adjaye Associates in collaboration with Cooper Robertson, the 82,000 square foot facility will be the first created expressly for the Museum’s program. The new building will enable the Studio Museum to better serve a growing and diverse audience, provide additional educational opportunities for people of all ages, expand its program of world-renowned exhibitions, effectively display its singular collection, and strengthen its trailblazing Artist-in-Residence program.