10 In-Demand Works on Artsy This Week: December 14, 2020

In this weekly series, Artsy’s Curatorial and Editorial teams offer a look at the artworks that are currently gaining traction among collectors on Artsy. Looking at our internal data, we share a selection of works that Artsy members are engaging with through inquiries, page views, and saves, plus promising lots in current auctions. The following pieces are culled from recent online auctions and art fairs hosted on Artsy, as well as exhibitions and works added by our gallery partners.

This work by Amoako Boafo marks the artist’s second consecutive appearance in this series. Boafo’s 2018 painting Sibi recently sold during Art Miami and Context Art Miami’s combined online fair. The surge in on-platform inquiries on this untitled canvas is reflective of the frenzied overall demand for Boafo’s work this year. Earlier this month, his painting Baba Diop (2019) sold for HK$8.8 million ($1.1 million) at Christie’s hybrid sale “20th Century: Hong Kong to New York,” breaking the artist’s auction record.

Browse available works by Amoako Boafo

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Best known for his moving depictions of children in rural South Africa, Johannesburg-based artist Nelson Makamo became a global sensation in 2019 when one of his portraits was featured as the cover of Time magazine’s “Optimists” issue. The issue was guest-edited by the filmmaker Ava DuVernay, an avid collector of Makamo’s work who has introduced the artist to fellow high-profile collectors, including Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey. Since being uploaded to the platform on November 13th by Everard Read, this work by Makamo has received a high number of inquiries.

Uploaded as part of Galerie Terminus GmbH’s presentation at this year’s Art Miami and Context Art Miami’s combined online fair, this work by the renowned conceptual artist Anish Kapoor has seen significant interest. The Turner Prize–winning, Indian-born British artist is best known for creating elegant sculptures that combine geometric and organic forms using simple materials. This 2016 work is an alluring example of his mirrored works, the most famous of which is likely his 2006 sculpture in Chicago’s Millennium Park, Cloud Gate—or, as it’s more colloquially known, “The Bean.”

Another work that’s been gathering interest at this year’s virtual Miami art week is this globular, yellow-hued canvas by Kenny Scharf. While the work departs from Scharf’s canonical cartoon faces, it retains his specific attention to form and nuanced, vivacious approach to color and texture. Despite COVID-19, the Los Angeles–based artist has had a phenomenal year, with solo shows at Jeffrey Deitch and Almine Rech, and a recently announced upcoming collaboration with Dior. Scharf is also the subject of a special presentation at Jeffrey Deitch’s Miami Design District location, which features 101 of Scharf’s iconic circular faces.

Browse available works by Kenny Scharf

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Constructed of stitched-together plastic bottles, bags, and food wrappers, this work by Ghanaian artist Rufai Zakari sold as part of Nubuke Foundation’s presentation at Art x Lagos 2020. By using these found materials, Zakari looks to celebrate the strength and versatility of women while commenting on consumerism, industrialization, and pollution in Ghana. Zakari’s work is currently included in the group show “Devil’s In The Detail” at Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery’s London space.

This darkly humorous painting by Spanish artist Joan Cornellà recently sold after receiving a surge in inquiries. Known for his unsettling sense of humor, Cornellà’s absurdist cartoons and illustrations often carry with them bleak social commentary on everything from social media to religion.

Part of an edition of 50, this racy Jack Pierson print is already poised to surpass its high estimate at Heritage’s “Trending Contemporary” sale. With a boundless practice that includes—but is not limited to—photography, sculpture, painting, and bookmaking, Pierson is currently the subject of a solo exhibition at Kerry Schuss that takes particular focus on his five newest assemblage works.

Uploaded as part of Bonhams’s recent “Prints and Multiples” sale, bids on this Banksy screen print pushed its sales price well past the high estimate before the auction’s end. This print is emblematic of Banksy’s irreverent work examining contemporary issues like consumerism, political authority, patriotism, and the art market. Recently, Banksy was named one of Artsy’s most influential artists of the year and unveiled a new pandemic-themed mural in Bristol, England.

This past September, the impact of Keith Haring’s legacy was reaffirmed when Sotheby’s hosted an online auction of works from the artist’s personal collection, which included pieces by Scharf, , and . The sale quickly sold out, achieving three times its high estimate at $4.6 million. Reflecting the recent excitement and love for all things Haring, this print featuring the legendary street artist’s iconic barking dogs sold for more than double its high estimate at the Artsy x Wright sale “Modern and Contemporary Visionaries” after a flurry of activity.

Featured in Hindman’s recent “Prints and Multiples” auction, bids on this lithograph by the late artist Roger Brown were competitive over the past week; the result was a final sale price nearly double the estimate. Affiliated with the Chicago Imagists, Brown created works that married his interest in folk art, comics, and theater architecture, and frequently explored the isolation and surreality of post-war American life. This past October, Kavi Gupta featured Brown’s work in a presentation for one of Art Basel’s online viewing rooms.