Refining taste: works selected by Danny Katz at Sotheby's

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Later this month, Sotheby’s is set to offer works from the collection of one of the most original and respected figures in the art world, Danny Katz, in a dedicated online sale. Exemplifying the legendary dealer’s broad interests, Refining Taste: Works Selected by Danny Katz (20-27 May) will present over 140 lots personally chosen by Danny himself, spanning a wide range of collecting disciplines including Antiquities, Old Master and 19th Century Paintings and Drawings, Modern British Art and European sculpture – the field in which Katz’s reputation was first established. Renowned for his discerning eye and the rich displays in his Mayfair gallery, Danny Katz has a long-held reputation as one of London’s leading art dealers. Now, after more than 50 years in the art world, Katz has taken the decision to narrow his focus of the works of art he handles, prompting him to select this carefully-curated group for sale, providing an extraordinary opportunity for collectors. Danny Katz commented: “As I near my 72nd birthday I want to slow down my business and work differently, turning my focus to my interests in philanthropy, academia, music, dance and neurology. This is an opportunity for others to start collecting. An opportunity for people who are spending more time in their homes right now to explore and buy something reasonably priced and beautiful, and when they get them home, to enjoy them as much as I have.” In light of global circumstances, the sale of ten works will help raise vital funds for two national charities, Refuge (Registered Charity 277424) and Trussell Trust(Registered Charity 1110522. The Daniel Katz Gallery will donate 100% of the selected lots net sale proceeds split in equal measure between the two organisations, who are providing essential support for those most in need during the pandemic. The start of 2020 has marked an unprecedented year for online sales at Sotheby’s. To date, over 50 dedicated online auctions have been held, totaling over $80million. In April, a sale of works from the collection of Old Masters dealer Rafael Valls more than tripled the high estimate to bring £1.6 million, with 98% of the lots finding a buyer.

Paul Nash Landscape of Bleached Objects Estimate: £40,000-60,000
This beautiful, haunting drawing is the perfect example of Nash’s very British take on Surrealism, combining the ancient, organic and timeless with a modern world of sharp lines and geometric design. As with many of his contemporaries – including Graham Sutherland and Henry Moore – Nash used found objects, that he either collected or photographed, as a starting point into a world of enhanced perception.

Eugène Louis Boudin Brussels Canal, 1871 Estimate: £60,000 - £80,000
Considered the grandfather of Impressionism, Boudin’s painterly style and practice of working en plein air inspired a generation of painters, including the young Claude Monet. This classic composition, depicting a canal in Brussels, is enlivened by the bright red roofs and dappling reflections on the water. Like the later Impressionists, Boudin sought to present the modern landscape, featuring workers and smoking factory chimneys, as opposed to idyllic views with Classical ruins and bucolic shepherds.

Reg Butler Figure in Space, 1957 Estimate: £40,000-60,000
The classic image of St Catherine martyred on her wheel is given a modern twist, resulting in a sculpture for the devastated Post-War world and the impending nuclear age. It was created at the height of Butler’s fame, when a bright young generation of British sculptors were fêted both at home and abroad, as this new, existential figuration was offered as a counter to the dominance of Abstract Expressionism.

James Jebusa Shannon Estelle Estimate: £50,000-70,000
A very international picture, Shannon’s Estelle was painted by the American-born artist whilst he was living in London. Inspired by the French avant-garde, the work is a wonderful example of late nineteenth century glamour and fashion, the sitter exemplifying the confident, radical and independent ‘New Woman’ of the 1880s.

Johann Joseph Zoffany, R.A. Portrait of the Artist’s Daughter Cecelia Clementina Eliza, Seated at a Desk Before a Window, Writing Estimate: £18,000-24,000
The sale offers fourteen works on paper by Johan Zoffany, including this intimate portrait of the artist’s daughter. The drawings once formed part of a larger group of fifty-three works that Zoffany assembled in the late 1790s and sent to India for the attention of his old friend Major-General Claude Martin. With images derived from the biblical, mythological, historical and modern worlds, as well as a number of sensitive and intimate portraits, it is thought that the contents of his gift was designed to reflect both men’s interests, humours and tastes.

Roman, 1st century BC - 1st century A.D Arm, Probably from a Statue of Diana Estimate: £30,000-50,000
Bronze, together with marble, was the most widely used medium for sculpture in the ancient world, however few examples survive as the intervening centuries saw a vast number of works melted down to make weaponry. Consequently, what endures of these many statues are limbs, heads, and only occasionally a full figure, and this arm, likely from a statue of Diana, is a survivor of such widespread recycling.

Graham Sutherland Vine Pergola Estimate: £40,000-60,000
Dating to Sutherland’s first years in the South of France, Vine demonstrates the artist melding the spiky, twisted organic forms of the War years – where the British landscape acted as metaphor for the tortured nation’s soul – with a brighter palette and a nod to the airiness of Pablo Picasso’s neo-classical work. The vine is steeped with an anthropomorphic quality, an organic equivalent to the twisted bodies of his great contemporary, Francis Bacon.

Johann Caspar Hiernle Virgin, c. 1750 Estimate: £25,000-35,000
Formerly on loan to major museums including the Liebieghaus, Frankfurt and the Landesmuseum, Mainz, this masterpiece of German Rococo sculpture has been recently sensitively conserved by Daniel Katz, bringing it back to its original glory – with striking gold and silver polychromy against pale skin tones.

Frank Dobson Study for Leisure, c. 1946 Estimate £3,000-5,000
This beautifully executed figure study is a classic example of how the sculptor’s drawings effortlessly convey weight and form. Leisure formed the basis for Dobson’s contribution to the 1951 Festival of Britain – a monumental sculpture titled London Pride, which remains on the site of the Festival, on the South Bank, where it is still enjoyed by Londoners today.