By: Alina Cohen
Mnuchin has mounted a small tribute to Ed Clark, who passed away in October at age 93. Against a cobalt blue wall, the gallery is showing lush, abstract paintings and works on paper made between 1960 and 2004,which feature Clark’s wide, voluminous brushstrokes. Within hours of the fair’s opening, three had already been sold to private collectors for figures between $150,000 and $175,000,while two others were on reserve. “This is a celebration of the show and his life,” said gallery partner Sukanya Rajaratnam, referring to Mnuchin’s 2018 survey of Clark’s work, which was the first in New York since 1980.
Clark’s work hangs across from pieces by Alma Thomas: a painting that sold for $1.25 million, and a drawing priced at $250,000. And David Hammons, who recently made headlines for a major new commission by the Whitney, is also represented in the booth. The gallery is showing his African-American Flag (1990, sold for $1.5 million) and Orange is the New Black (2015, $1.25 million), an orange mask with threads dangling from its chin. The gallery also sold a Helen Frankenthaler painting, White Joy (1981, $1.65M) and a Frank Bowling painting, Irv Sandler’s Visit (1977, $275,000). In other words, Clark is in good company among fellow luminaries of modern and contemporary art.