Whitney was born in Philadelphia in 1946 and studied at the Kansas City Art Institute before moving to New York City in 1968. He graduated with an MFA from Yale School of Art in 1972, but found himself at odds with the politically and theoretically oriented contemporary scene of the 1970s and 1980s, confronting the expectation that an African American artist should contend directly with themes of racial and cultural identity. Whitney was more interested in honing an abstract visual language, his early works incorporating patches of color surrounded by areas of empty space. At this stage in his career he was also focused on the power of gesture and immersed in the daily practice of drawing.

“When I first saw Cézanne, I thought, this is like Charlie Parker, only painting. It’s like polyrhythm, a beat and a beat and a beat and a beat, like call and response, you know.”

Arriving in New York in 1968, Whitney diverged from many of his Color Field contemporaries, finding inspiration in sources ranging from American quilt-making and free jazz to the Old Masters and the Fauves. His travels in Italy and Egypt during the 1990s brought about an architectonic shift in his practice, with structures such as the Colosseum, the pyramids and the Palazzo Farnese inspiring his use of interlocking geometric blocks: a format that has driven his work ever since.

“I don’t have any color theory. The color is magic, and I want the work to be magic. I lay a color down and that color calls another color, and then it’s a balancing act.”

Drawing widely from the world around him, Whitney works in an abstract language free from dogma and theory, guided instead by the natural frictions, accords and resonances between colors and forms.

“I follow the paintings—the paintings run to the door, through the door, around the corner, and I run after them.”

The last five years, in particular, have witnessed a renewed surge of interest in Whitney’s work: he mounted a major solo show at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas, in 2017, as well as participating in Documenta 14 that year. The fundamental structures of his practice, however—as consistent, complete and coherent as a world-view—remain unchanged.

‘Placing colour at the centre of things’: Venice exhibition brings together Stanley Whitney’s Italian-inspired paintings (theartnewspaper.com)

Whitney’s approach to painting arrived after many years of experimentation that saw the artist draw from a multitude of historical and cultural references, ranging from American quilt making and Jazz music, to the expansive natural landscape of the great American West.

Whitney was born in Philadelphia in 1946, and studied at the Kansas City Art Institute before arriving in 1968 in New York, where he became a favourite student of Philip Guston’s on a summer program at Skidmore College. Immersed in the city’s art world at a time when Abstract Expressionism and Pop were giving way to Minimalism, he was drawn to the Colour Field painting advocated by Clement Greenberg, as well as the use of colour and structure in the work of Donald Judd and Dan Flavin. Robert Rauschenberg became a friend. Whitney, however, never felt at home among any particular New York ‘school’—not least because, as an African American artist, he was something of an outsider. Unlike his Colour Field contemporaries, he valued a sense of touch and the artist’s hand, and sought to draw upon the wider world in his painting rather than to depart from it. For all that his mature works might share with Judd’s bold colour-combinations or the Constructivism of Piet Mondrian—another painter, incidentally, with a strong interest in jazz music—they would take on an expressive, resounding sense of life that was entirely Whitney’s own.

In the early 1990s, Whitney and his wife left the United States to live in Italy for several years, and it was here—catalyzed by inspirations as diverse as Giorgio Morandi’s metaphysical still lifes, the radiant Renaissance masterpieces of Botticelli, and the presence of classical architecture—that his art truly came together. The Roman Colosseum and the ancient trompe-l’oeil frescoes at Boscoreale outside Pompeii had a particular impact. Shifting him towards a frieze-like frontality free of foreground or background, these stimuli led to the color-stacking system that defines Whitney’s paintings to this day. His works’ space and mass is architectural as much as pictorial. Like the nested squares of Josef Albers before him, Whitney’s strict format allows him a total focus on the symphonic interrelations, communications and potential of color.

 

 

 

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Practical Information

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Stanley Whitney
American (Born 1946)
Category: Contemporary Art

Public Collections

Stanley Whitney’s works have joined numerous prestigious public collections including The Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY, USA; The Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD, USA; The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE; The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA, USA; The Long Museum, Shanghai, China; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, USA; Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden; The Modern Art Museum of Forth Worth, Fort Worth, TX, USA; The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, NY, USA; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX, USA; The National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Perez Art Museum, Miami, FL, USA; The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA, US; The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY, USA; The Smithsonian Museum, Washington DC, USA; The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY, US

Museum Exhibitions

ICA Boston

Stanley Whitney: How High the Moon | On View at ICA Boston

Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

FOCUS: Stanley Whitney | Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (themodern.org)

Gallery Representation

Gagosian

Stanley Whitney | Gagosian

 

 

 

PART I: SUMMARY

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Auction Market Overview

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2025 AUCTION STATISTICS
Turnover: USD 2,078,260
-12.6% vs. 2024
# Lots sold: 6
Sell-Through Rate: 100%

MARKET SEGMENTATION
36% of sales in the UK

Top Lot sold at Auction:
USD 2,319,000
(18 November 2021)

2022 was a record year for Stanley Whitney at auction, with a total turnover of USD 22,723,381, more than three times the level of 2021. This growth is driven by the increased inventory sold at auction, and by strong price increases.

The median auction price for Whitney’s smallest format (12×12 inches) went from USD 71,490 in 2021 to USD 120,654 in 2022, with a top price over USD 210,000, to come back down to a median of USD 81,909 in 2023.

Up to 2022, only one work had been bought-in over the course of the past 5 years, and most works have been selling over their estimates. All three major auction houses have been selling Whitney’s works, with a nice balance between London, New-York, and Hong-Kong.

Auction Summary

2025 Auction Highlights

6 Paintings sold at auction in 2025 for a total turnover of USD 2,078,260. With no lot failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 100%. The highest price so far has been achieved by First Fire, a painting dated 2009, that sold at Sotheby’s in New-York, on 19 November 2025, for USD 609,600.

2025 Top 3 Lots

2 lots sold for more than USD 500,000, generating a cumulative turnover of USD 1,178,060, representing 56.7% of the total turnover for 2025 so far.

Furthermore, 9 Works on Paper sold at auction in 2025 for a total turnover of USD 305,005, at an average price of USD 33.889.

2024 Auction Highlights

9 lots sold at auction in 2024 for a total turnover of USD 2,276,880. With no lot failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 100%. The highest price has been achieved by Blue Note, a painting dated 2020, that sold at Christie’s in New-York on 17 May 2024 for USD 567,000. This is the only lot that sold for more than USD 500,000.

2024 Top 3 Lots

2023 Auction Highlights

13 lots sold at auction in 2023 for a total turnover of USD 5,553,759. With 6 lots failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 68%. The highest price was achieved at Sotheby’s in London on 1 March 2023, when Untitled, a painting dated 1997, sold for GBP 1,076,500 (USD 1,295,583).

2023 Top 3 Lots

This is the only lot that sold for more than USD 1 million. 6 lots sold for more than USD 500,000, generating a cumulative turnover of USD 4,443,067, representing 80% of the total turnover for 2023.

2022 Auction Highlights

35 lots sold at auction in 2022 for a total turnover of USD 22,723,381. 2022 was a record year for Stanley Whitney at auction. 35 lots sold for a total turnover of USD 22,723,381. With only 1 lot failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 97%. The highest price has been achieved at Sotheby’s in London, on 2 March 2022, when Nightwatch, a painting dated 2012 sold for GBP 1,729,000 (USD 2,311,188).

2022 Top 3 Lots

9 lots sold for more than USD 1 million, generating a cumulative turnover of USD 14,951,797, representing 66% of the total turnover for 2022.

2021 Auction Highlights

17 lots sold at auction in 2021 for a total turnover of USD 6,994,514. With no lot failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 100%. The highest price has been achieved by Forward to Black, a painting dated 1996, that sold at Sotheby’s in New-York, on 18 November 2021 for USD 2,319,000.

2021 Top 3 Lots

2 lots sold for more than USD 1 million, generating a cumulative turnover of USD 3,549,000, contributing 50.7% to the total turnover for 2021.

 

 

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Top Lots

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#1. Forward to Black, 1996

Sotheby’s New-York: 18 November 2021
Estimated: USD 150,000 – 200,000
USD 2,319,000

Forward to Black | The Now Evening Auction | 2021 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Forward to Black, 1996
Oil on canvas
72 ½ x 85 inches (184.2 x 215.9 cm)
Signed Stanley Whitney, titled and dated 1996 (on the reverse)

#2. Nightwatch, 2012

Sotheby’s London: 2 March 2022
Estimated: GBP 300,000 – 500,000
GBP 1,729,000 / USD 2,311,188

Nightwatch | The Now Evening Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Nightwatch, 2012
Oil on linen
72×72 inches (183×183 cm)
Signed Stanley Whitney, titled Nightwatch and dated 2012

#3. Radical Openness, 1992

Sotheby’s New-York: 19 May 2022
Estimated: USD 600,000 – 800,000
USD 2,228,000

Radical Openness | The Now Evening Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Radical Openness, 1992
Oil on canvas
81 ½ x 103 ½ inches (207 x 262.9 cm)
Signed Stanley Whitney, titled Radical Openness and dated 1992 (on the reverse)

#4. Great Balls of Fire, 2005

Christie’s London: 22 February 2022
Estimated: GBP 400,000 – 600,000
GBP 1,482,000 / USD 1,973,631

STANLEY WHITNEY (B.1946) (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Great Balls of Fire, 2005
Oil on linen
72×72 inches (182.8 x 182.8 cm)
Signed and dated ‘Stanley Whitney 2005’ (on the reverse)

#5. Untitled, 1999

Seoul Auction: 22 March 2022
Estimated: KRW 1,800,000,000 – 2,500,000,000
KRW 2,124,000,000 / USD 1,773,656

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Untitled, 1999
Oil on linen
72 1/2 x 85 inches (184.2 x 216 cm)
Signed and dated ‘Stanley Whitney 1999’ (on the reverse)

 

 

PART II: AUCTION RESULTS

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2025 Auction Results

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6 Paintings sold at auction in 2025 for a total turnover of USD 2,078,260. With no lot failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 100%. The highest price so far has been achieved by First Fire, a painting dated 2009, that sold at Sotheby’s in New-York, on 19 November 2025, for USD 609,600.

2025 Top 3 Lots

2 lots sold for more than USD 500,000, generating a cumulative turnover of USD 1,178,060, representing 56.7% of the total turnover for 2025 so far.

Furthermore, 9 Works on Paper sold at auction in 2025 for a total turnover of USD 305,005, at an average price of USD 33.889.

1. Paintings

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#1. First Fire, 2009

Property from an Esteemed Private Collection
Sotheby’s New-York: 19 November 2025
Estimated: USD 280,000 – 350,000
USD 609,600

First Fire | Contemporary Day Auction | 2025 | Sotheby’s

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
First Fire, 2009
Oil on linen
60×60 inches (152.4 x 152.4 cm)
Signed, titled and dated 2009 (on the reverse)

#2. Agean, 2009

Sotheby’s London: 5 March 2025
Estimated: GBP 250,000 – 350,000
GBP 444,500 / USD 568,460

Agean | Contemporary Day Auction | 2025 | Sotheby’s

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Agean, 2009
Oil on linen
72×72 inches (183×183 cm)
Signed, titled and dated 2009 (on the reverse)

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USD 500,000

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#3. Out Into the Open, 2003

Sotheby’s London: 17 October 2025
Estimated: GBP 120,000 – 180,000
GBP 241,300 / USD 324,405

Out Into the Open | Contemporary Day Auction | 2025 | Sotheby’s

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Out Into the Open, 2003
Oil on canvas
40 1/4 x 40 1/8 inches (102.4 x 102 cm)
Signed, titled and dated 2003 (on the reverse)

#4. Breathing Sound, 2006

Sotheby’s New-York: 26 September 2025
Estimated: USD 150,000 – 200,000
USD 279,400

Breathing Sound | Contemporary Curated | 2025 | Sotheby’s

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Breathing Sound, 2006
Oil on linen
40 1/4 x 40 1/2 inches (102.2 x 102.9 cm)
Signed, titled and dated Aug. 2006 (on the reverse)

#5. Stay Song #22, 2018

Sotheby’s London: 25 June 2025
Estimated: GBP 100,000 – 150,000
GBP 177,800 / USD 242,080

Stay Song #22 | Contemporary Day Auction | 2025 | Sotheby’s

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Stay Song #22, 2018
Oil on canvas
40×40 inches (101.6 x 101.6 cm)
Signed, titled and dated 2018 (on the reverse)

#6. Untitled, 2019

Christie’s London: 22 October 2025
Estimated: GBP 25,000 – 35,000
GBP 40,640 / USD 54,315

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946), Untitled | Christie’s

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Untitled, 2019
Oil on linen
11 3/4 x 11 3/4 inches (30×30 cm)
Signed and dated ‘2019 Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

 

2. Works on Paper

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#1. Untitled, 2019

Sotheby’s New-York: 1 October 2025
Estimated: USD 40,000 – 60,000
USD 69,850
WORK ON PAPER

Untitled | Contemporary Discoveries | 2025 | Sotheby’s

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Untitled, 2019
Monotype in watercolor on Lanaquarelle paper
Sheet: 47 5/8 x 71 3/4 inches (121×182 cm)
Signed in pencil and dated 2019 (lower right)

#2. Untitled, 1999

Christie’s New-York: 27 February 2025
Estimated: USD 20,000 – 30,000
USD 52,920
WORK ON PAPER

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946), Untitled | Christie’s

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Untitled, 1999
Wax crayon on paper
22 1/2 x 28 3/8 inches (57.2 x 72.1 cm)
Signed and dated ‘Stanley Whitney 1999’ (lower right)
Signed again and dated again ‘1999 Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

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USD 50,000

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#3. Untitled, 2015-2016

Phillips New-York: 28 February 2025
Estimated: USD 25,000 – 35,000
USD 44,450
WORK ON PAPER

Stanley Whitney – New Now: Modern & Contemporary Art, New York Friday, February 28, 2025 at EST | Phillips

#4. Untitled, 2019

#5. Untitled, 1999

#6. Untitled, 2020

#7. Untitled, 2016

Rago: 30 July 2025
Estimated: USD 6,000 – 8,000
USD 16,510
WORK ON PAPER

111: STANLEY WHITNEY, Untitled < Post War & Contemporary Art, 30 July 2025 < Auctions | Rago Auctions

#8. Untitled, 1985

Christie’s New-York: 30 September 2025
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 16,510

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946), Untitled | Christie’s

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Untitled, 1985
India ink on mylar laid down on board
36 x 42 3/4  inches (91.4 x 108.6 cm)
Signed with the artist’s initials and dated ‘SW 85’ (lower right)

#9. Untitled, 1994

Phillips online: 16 December 2025
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 10,320
WORK ON PAPER

Stanley Whitney Modern & Contemporary Art: Online Auction, New York

STANLEY WHITNEY
Untitled, 1994
Water soluble crayon on paper
13 3/4 x 19 3/4 inches (34.9 x 50.2 cm)
Signed and dated “Stanley Whitney 94′” lower right
Signed, inscribed and dated “Roma 1994 Stanley Whitney” on the reverse

 

 

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2024 Auction Results

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9 lots sold at auction in 2024 for a total turnover of USD 2,276,880. With no lot failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 100%. The highest price has been achieved by Blue Note, a painting dated 2020, that sold at Christie’s in New-York on 17 May 2024 for USD 567,000. This is the only lot that sold for more than USD 500,000.

2024 Top 3 Lots

 

1. Paintings

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#1. Blue Note, 2020

Christie’s New-York: 17 May 2024
Estimated: USD 450,000 – 650,000
USD 567,000

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946), Blue Note | Christie’s (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Blue Note, 2020
Oil on linen
96×96 inches (243.8 x 243.8 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘“Blue Note” 2020 Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

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USD 500,000

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#2. The Language of nature, 2005

Dorotheum: 20 November 2024
Estimated: EUR 300,000 – 500,000
EUR 364,000 / USD 380,000

Stanley Whitney – Contemporary Art I 2024/11/20 – Realized price: EUR 364,000 – Dorotheum

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
The Language of nature, 2005
Oil on canvas
72×72 inches (183×183 cm)
Signed, titled and dated (on the reverse)

#3. Violet Times, 2012

Grisebach Berlin: 30 May 2024
Estimated: EUR 250,000 – 350,000
EUR 342,900 / USD 370,375

Detail view (grisebach.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Violet Times, 2012
Oil on canvas
60×60 inches (152.5 × 152.5 cm)
Signed, dated, titled and inscribed on the reverse with directional arrows

#4. Red Sung, 2016

Christie’s London: 27 June 2024
Estimated: GBP 250,000 – 350,000
GBP 277,200 / USD 349,855

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Red Sung, 2016
Oil on linen
60×60 inches (152.3 x 152.3 cm)
Signed and dated ‘2016 Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

#5. Stay Song #37, 2019

Hindman: 14 November 2024
Estimated: USD 200,000 – 300,000
USD 215,900

Stay Song #37, 2019 Lot 11

STANLEY WHITNEY (American, b. 1946)
Stay Song #37, 2019
Oil on linen
40×40 inches
Signed Stanley Whitney, titled and dated (verso)

#6. Stay Song 27, 2018

Bonhams New-York: 21 November 2024
Estimated: USD 180,000 – 250,000
USD 203,700

Bonhams : STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946) Stay Song 27 40 x 40 in (101.6 x 101.6 cm) (Painted in 2018)

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USD 100,000

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#8. Untitled, 2003

Phillips London: 27 June 2024
Estimated: USD 40,000 – 60,000
GBP 40,640 / USD 51,290

Stanley Whitney – Modern & Contemporary… Lot 62 June 2024 | Phillips

#9. Untitled, 2011

Phillips New-York: 15 May 2024
Estimated: USD 25,000 – 35,000
USD 35,560

Stanley Whitney – Modern & Contemporary… Lot 362 May 2024 | Phillips

2. Works on Paper

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#1. Untitled, 2020

Sotheby’s New-York: 23 September 2024
Estimated: USD 70,000 – 80,000
USD 71,500
WORK ON PAPER

Untitled | Walker Art Center Avant Garden Benefit Auction | Powered by Sotheby’s | Special Projects | Sotheby’s

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Untitled, 2020
Monotype in watercolor on Lanaquarelle paper
47 3/4 x 67 3/4 inches (121.3 x 172.1 cm)
Signed and dated recto

#2. Untitled, 2016

Christie’s New-York: 13 March 2024
Estimated: USD 25,000 – 35,000
USD 60,480
WORK ON PAPER

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946), Untitled | Christie’s (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Untitled, 2016
Gouache on paper
22 x 29 3/4 inches (55.9 x 75.6 cm)
Signed and dated ‘2016 Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

#3. Untitled, 2015

Phillips New-York: 13 March 2024
Estimated: USD 25,000 – 35,000
USD 55,880
WORK ON PAPER

Stanley Whitney – Modern & Contemp… Lot 340 November 2024 | Phillips

STANLEY WHITNEY
Untitled, 2015
Gouache on paper
22 x 30 3/8 inches (55.9 x 77.2 cm)
Signed and dated “2015 Stanley Whitney” on the reverse

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USD 50,000

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#4. Untitled, 2019

Phillips New-York: 25 September 2024
Estimated: USD 30,000 – 50,000
USD 40,640
WORK ON PAPER

Stanley Whitney – New Now: Modern … Lot 38 September 2024 | Phillips

#5. Untitled, 2014

Phillips New-York: 20 November 2024
Estimated: USD 25,000 – 35,000
USD 25,400
WORK ON PAPER

Stanley Whitney – Modern & Contemp… Lot 341 November 2024 | Phillips

#6. Untitled, 2019

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 2 April 2024
Estimated: HKD 70,000 – 100,000
HKD 151,200 / USD 19,330
WORK ON PAPER

STANLEY WHITNEY (B.1946), Untitled | Christie’s (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B.1946)
Untitled, 2019
Watercolor and crayon on paper
11 x 15 1/4 inches (27.9 x 38.7 cm)

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2023 Auction Results

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13 lots sold at auction in 2023 for a total turnover of USD 5,553,759. With 6 lots failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 68%. The highest price was achieved at Sotheby’s in London on 1 March 2023, when Untitled, a painting dated 1997, sold for GBP 1,076,500 (USD 1,295,583).

2023 Top 3 Lots

This is the only lot that sold for more than USD 1 million. 6 lots sold for more than USD 500,000, generating a cumulative turnover of USD 4,443,067, representing 80% of the total turnover for 2023.

1. Paintings

---

#1. Untitled, 1997

Sotheby’s London: 1 March 2023
Estimated: GBP 700,000 – 1,000,000
GBP 1,076,500 / USD 1,295,583

Untitled | Modern & Contemporary Evening Auction | | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Untitled, 1997
Oil on linen
75×88 inches (190.5 x 223.5 cm)
Signed Stanley Whitney and variously inscribed (on the reverse)

#2. Bob’s Smile, 2009

Christie’s London: 28 February 2023
Estimated: GBP 400,000 – 600,000
GBP 630,000 / USD 761,000

STANLEY WHITNEY (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Bob’s Smile, 2009
Oil on linen
72×72 inches (182.9 x 182.9 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘Dec. 2009 Stanley Whitney “Bob’s Smile”’ (on the reverse)

#3. The Last Cowboy Song, 2019

Phillips Hong-Kong: 30 March 2023
Estimated: HKD 4,000,000 – 6,000,000
HKD 5,080,000 / USD 647,142

Stanley Whitney – 20th Century & Conte… Lot 16 March 2023 | Phillips

STANLEY WHITNEY
The Last Cowboy Song, 2019
Oil on linen
72×72 inches (183×183 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘”The Last Cowboy Song” 2019 Stanley Whitney’ on the reverse

#4. Nigerian Smile, 2012

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 5 April 2023
Estimated: HKD 4,000,000 – 6,000,000
HKD 4,826,000 / USD 614,785

Stanley Whitney 史丹利・惠特尼 | Nigerian Smile 尼日利亞式微笑 | 50th Anniversary Contemporary Evening Auction | 2023 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Nigerian Smile, 2012
Oil on linen
72×72 inches (183×183 cm)

#5. Red, Green, Black, Blues, 2013

Sotheby’s New-York: 9 March 2023
Estimated: USD 500,000 – 700,000
USD 609,600

Red, Green, Black, Blues | Contemporary Curated | 2023 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Red, Green, Black, Blues, 2013
Oil on linen
72×72 inches (183×183 cm)
Signed Stanley Whitney, titled and dated 2013 (on the reverse)

#6. Bertacca, 2017

Christie’s New-York: 12 May 2023
Estimated: USD 400,000 – 600,000
USD 504,000

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946) (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Bertacca, 2017
Oil on canvas
72×72 inches (182.9 x 182.9 cm)
Signed and dated ‘Stanley Whitney 2017’ (on the reverse)

#7. Fellow Traveler, 2014

Christie’s London: 13 October 2023
Estimated: GBP 400,000 – 600,000
GBP 378,000 / USD 458,737

Stanley Whitney (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B.1946)
Fellow Traveler, 2014
Oil on linen
72 1/8 x 72 inches (183.3 x 182.9 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘2014 “Fellow Traveler” Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

#8. Stay Song #54, 2019

Ketterer Kunst: 9 June 2023
Estimated: EUR 200,000
EUR 254,000 / USD 279,400

Ketterer Kunst, Art auctions, Book auctions Munich, Hamburg & Berlin

STANLEY WHITNEY
Stay Song #54, 2019
Oil on canvas
40×40 inches (101.8 x 101.8 cm)
Signed, dated, titled and inscribed with two direction arrows and the direction “TOP” on the reverse

#9. Untitled, 2001

Sotheby’s Paris: 26 September 2023
Estimated: EUR 40,000 – 60,000
EUR 101,600 / USD 107,399

Untitled | Collection François Meyer : A Colorful Passion | 2023 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Untitled, 2001
Oil on canvas
12×12 inches (30.5 x 30.5 cm)
Signed and dated 2001 on the reverse

#10. Untitled, 2016

Christie’s New-York: 12 May 2023
Estimated: USD 40,000 – 60,000
USD 94,500

STANLEY WHITNEY (B.1946) (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B.1946)
Untitled, 2016
Oil on canvas
12×12 inches (30.5 x 30.5 cm)
Signed and dated ‘2016 Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

#11. Untitled, 2017

Ketterer Kunst: 9 June 2023
Estimated: EUR 60,000
EUR 76,200 / USD 83,820

Ketterer Kunst, Art auctions, Book auctions Munich, Hamburg & Berlin

STANLEY WHITNEY
Untitled, 2017
Oil on canvas
12×12 inches (30.5 x 30.5 cm)
Signed, dated and inscribed with a direction arrow and “TOP” on the reverse
Inscribed “1-2017 SMP” on the folded canvas and “170149” on the stretcher

#12. Untitled, 2007

Christie’s New-York: 10 November 2023
Estimated: USD 40,000 – 60,000
USD 56,700

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946) (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Untitled, 2007
Oil on canvas
12 1/8 x 12 inches (30.8 x 30.5 cm)
Signed and dated ‘2007 Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

#13. Untitled, 2003

Phillips London: 30 June 2023
Estimated: GBP 30,000 – 40,000
GBP 38,100 / USD 48,417

Stanley Whitney – 20th Century to Now Lot 42 June 2023 | Phillips

#2. Untitled, 2015

Phillips London: 30 June 2023
Estimated: GBP 20,000 – 30,000
GBP 40,640 / USD 51,260
WORK ON PAPER

Stanley Whitney – 20th Century to Now Lot 89 June 2023 | Phillips

#3. Untitled, 2016

Phillips New-York: 8 March 2023
Estimated: USD 25,000 – 35,000
USD 44,450
WORK ON PAPER

Stanley Whitney – New Now New York Lot 83 March 2023 | Phillips

#4. Untitled, 2020

Hindman: 19 April 2023
Estimated: USD 30,000 – 50,000
USD 37,800
WORK ON PAPER

Untitled Lot 66

STANLEY WHITNEY (American, b. 1946)
Untitled, 2020
Monotype in watercolor on Lanaquarelle paper
23 1/2 x 23 1/2 inches
Signed Stanley Whitney and dated (lower right)

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2022 Auction Results

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35 lots sold at auction in 2022 for a total turnover of USD 22,723,381. 2022 was a record year for Stanley Whitney at auction. 35 lots sold for a total turnover of USD 22,723,381. With only 1 lot failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 97%. The highest price has been achieved at Sotheby’s in London, on 2 March 2022, when Nightwatch, a painting dated 2012 sold for GBP 1,729,000 (USD 2,311,188). 9 lots sold for more than USD 1 million, generating a cumulative turnover of USD 14,951,797, representing 66% of the total turnover for 2022.

2022 Top 3 Lots

#1. Nightwatch, 2012

Sotheby’s London: 2 March 2022
Estimated: GBP 300,000 – 500,000
GBP 1,729,000 / USD 2,311,188

Nightwatch | The Now Evening Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Nightwatch, 2012
Oil on linen
72×72 inches (183×183 cm)
Signed Stanley Whitney, titled Nightwatch and dated 2012

#2. Radical Openness, 1992

Sotheby’s New-York: 19 May 2022
Estimated: USD 600,000 – 800,000
USD 2,228,000

Radical Openness | The Now Evening Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Radical Openness, 1992
Oil on canvas
81 ½ x 103 ½ inches (207 x 262.9 cm)
Signed Stanley Whitney, titled Radical Openness and dated 1992 (on the reverse)

#3. Great Balls of Fire, 2005

Christie’s London: 22 February 2022
Estimated: GBP 400,000 – 600,000
GBP 1,482,000 / USD 1,973,631

STANLEY WHITNEY (B.1946) (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Great Balls of Fire, 2005
Oil on linen
72×72 inches (182.8 x 182.8 cm)
Signed and dated ‘Stanley Whitney 2005’ (on the reverse)

#4. Untitled, 1999

Seoul Auction: 22 March 2022
Estimated: KRW 1,800,000,000 – 2,500,000,000
KRW 2,124,000,000 / USD 1,773,656

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Untitled, 1999
Oil on linen
72 1/2 x 85 inches (184.2 x 216 cm)
Signed and dated ‘Stanley Whitney 1999’ (on the reverse)

#5. Parisian Blue, 2012

Sotheby’s New-York: 20 May 2022
Estimated: USD 400,000 – 600,000
USD 1,623,000

Parisian Blue | Contemporary Day Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Parisian Blue, 2012
Oil on linen
72×72 inches (183×183 cm)
Signed Stanley Whitney and titled (on the reverse)

#6. A Brief History, 2018

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 27 April 2022
Estimated: HKD 2,300,000 – 3,800,000
HKD 12,475,000 / USD 1,589,820

Stanley Whitney 史丹利・惠特尼 | A Brief History 簡短的歷史 | Contemporary Evening Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
A Brief History, 2018
Oil on linen
72×72 inches (183×183 cm)
Signed, titled and dated 2018 on the reverse

#7. SunRa, 2016

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 7 October 2022
Estimated: HKD 7,500,000 – 10,000,000
HKD 10,055,000 / USD 1,280,810

Stanley Whitney 史丹利・惠特尼 | SunRa 桑・拉 | Contemporary Evening Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
SunRa, 2016
Oil on canvas
96 1/8 x 96 1/8 inches (244.2 x 244.2 cm)
Signed and dated 2016 on the reverse

#8. The Wild West, 2013

Sotheby’s London: 29 June 2022
Estimated: GBP 300,000 – 400,000
GBP 906,200 / USD 1,100,692

The Wild West | Modern & Contemporary Evening Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
The Wild West, 2013
Oil on canvas
72 x 71⅞ inches (183 x 182.5 cm)
Signed Stanley Whitney, titled The Wild West and dated 2013 (on the reverse)

#9. IDA Red Dressed in Green, 2020

Christie’s New-York: 17 November 2022
Estimated: USD 500,000 – 700,000
USD 1,071,000

STANLEY WHITNEY (B.1946) (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B.1946)
IDA Red Dressed in Green, 2020
Oil on linen
80×80 inches (203.2 x 203.2 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘”IDA Red dressed in Green” 2020 Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

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USD 1 million

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#10. Memory Garden, 2020

Christie’s London: 13 October 2022
Estimated: GBP 400,000 – 600,000
GBP 705,600 / USD 800,363

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946) (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Memory Garden, 2020
Oil on linen
72×72 inches (182.9 x 182.9 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘“Memory Garden” 2020 Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

#11. May Day, 2017

Phillips London: 30 June 2022
Estimated: GBP 400,000 – 600,000
GBP 627,500 / USD 763,010

Stanley Whitney – 20th Century & Contem… Lot 14 June 2022 | Phillips

#12. Midnight Hour, 2016

Christie’s New-York: 29 September 2022
Estimated: USD 400,000 – 600,000
USD 655,200

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946) (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Midnight Hour, 2016
Oil on canvas
60 1/8 x 60 1/8 inches (152.7 x 152.7 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘2016 “Midnight Hour” Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

#13. New York Sound, 2013

Christie’s London: 28 June 2022
Estimated: GBP 400,000 – 600,000
GBP 529,200 / USD 645,917

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946) (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
New York Sound, 2013
Oil on linen
60 3/8 x 60 3/8 inches (153.4 x 153.4 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘Stanley Whitney “New York Sound” 2013’ (on the reverse)

#14. Bird Call, 2013

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 26 May 2022
Estimated: HKD 4,000,000 – 6,000,000
HKD 4,914,000 / USD 625,995

STANLEY WHITNEY (B.1946), Bird Call | Christie’s (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B.1946)
Bird Call, 2013
Oil on canvas
60×60 inches (152.4 x 152.4 cm)
Signed, titled and dated “‘Bird Call” 2013 Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

#15. Morning Moment, 2019

Sotheby’s New-York: 30 September 2022
Estimated: USD 400,000 – 600,000
USD 554,400

Morning Moment | Contemporary Curated | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Morning Moment, 2019
Oil on linen
60×60 inches (152.4 x 152.4 cm)
Signed Stanley Whitney and dated 2019 (on the verso)

#16. This Array of Colors, 2014

Christie’s New-York: 13 May 2022
Estimated: USD 350,000 – 550,000
USD 529,200

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946), This Array of Colors | Christie’s (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
This Array of Colors, 2014
Oil on canvas
48×48 inches (122×122 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘2014 “This Array of Colors” Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

#17. Untitled, 1987

Sotheby’s New-York: 11 March 2022
Estimated: USD 80,000 – 120,000
USD 403,200

Untitled | Contemporary Curated | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Untitled, 1987
Oil on canvas
32 x 30 1/4 inches (81.3 x 76.8 cm)
Signed Stanley Whitney and dated 1987 (on the verso)

#18. Summers Night, 2007

Christie’s London: 1 July 2022
Estimated: GBP 220,000 – 280,000
GBP 315,000 / USD 379,609

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946), Summers Night | Christie’s (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Summers Night, 2007
Oil on canvas
40 3/8 x 40 3/8 inches (102.4 x 102.4 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘Aug. 2006 “Summers night” Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

#19. Blue in Green, 2005

Phillips New-York: 16 November 2022
Estimated: USD 300,000 – 500,000
USD 327,600

Stanley Whitney – 20th Century & C… Lot 344 November 2022 | Phillips

#20. Untitled, 2007

Christie’s London: 2 March 2022
Estimated: GBP 30,000 – 50,000
GBP 163,800 / USD 218,954

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946), Untitled | Christie’s (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Untitled, 2007
Oil on canvas
12 1/8 x 12 1/8 inches (30.8 x 30.8 cm)
Signed and dated ‘2007 Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

#21. Untitled, 2018

K Auction Seoul: 23 February 2022
Estimated: KRW 100,000,000 – 200,000,000
KRW 241,500,000 / USD 211,334

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Untitled, 2018
Oil on linen
12×12 inches (30.5 x 30.5 cm)
Signed and dated ‘2018 Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

#22. Untitled, 2016

Phillips New-York: 9 March 2022
Estimated: USD 30,000 – 50,000
USD 176,400

Stanley Whitney – New Now New York Lot 9 March 2022 | Phillips

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Untitled, 2007
Oil on canvas
12 1/8 x 12 inches (30.8 x 30.5 cm)
Signed and dated 2007 on the reverse

#24. Untitled, 2014

K Auction Seoul: 24 August 2022
Estimated: KRW 170,000,000 – 200,000,000
KRW 201,250,000 / USD 156,803

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Untitled, 2014
Oil on canvas
12×12 inches (30.5 x 30.5 cm)
Signed and dated ‘2014 Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

#25. Untitled (#4), 2006

Phillips New-York: 19 May 2022
Estimated: USD 40,000 – 60,000
USD 132,300

Stanley Whitney – 20th Century & Contem… Lot 323 May 2022 | Phillips

#26. Untitled, 2018

K Auction Seoul: 22 June 2022
Estimated: KRW 130,000,000 – 200,000,000
KRW 155,250,000 / USD 124,872

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Untitled, 2018
Oil on canvas
12×12 inches (30.5 x 30.5 cm)
Signed and dated ‘2018 Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

#27. Untitled, 2020

Phillips Hong-Kong: 21 June 2022
Estimated: HKD 700,000 – 900,000
HKD 945,000 / USD 120,385

Stanley Whitney – 20th Century & Conte… Lot 155 June 2022 | Phillips

 

#28. Untitled, 2007

Sotheby’s London: 15 October 2022
Estimated: GBP 40,000 – 60,000
GBP 107,100 / USD 119,731

Untitled | Contemporary Day Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Untitled, 2007
Oil on canvas
12×12 inches (30.5 x 30.5 cm)
Signed and dated 2007 on the reverse

 

#29. Untitled, 2014

Sotheby’s London: 28 April 2022
Estimated: GBP 40,000 – 60,000
GBP 88,200 / USD 109,701

Untitled | Contemporary Curated | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Untitled, 2014
Oil on canvas
12×12 inches (30.6 x 30.6 cm)
Sated 01-2014 on the overlap; signed and dated 2014 on the reverse

#30. Untitled, 2006

Christie’s London: 1 July 2022
Estimated: GBP 30,000 – 50,000
GBP 88,200 / USD 106,290

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946), Untitled | Christie’s (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Untitled, 2006
Oil on linen
12 1/8 x 12 1/8 inches (30.7 x 30.7 cm)
Signed and dated ‘2006 Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

#31. Untitled, 2009

Seoul Auction: 28 June 2022
Estimated: KRW 130,000,000 – 200,000,000
KRW 153,400,000 / USD 100,769

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Untitled, 2009
Oil on linen
12 1/8 x 12 1/8 inches (30.7 x 30.7 cm)
Signed and dated ‘2009 Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

#32. Untitled, 2007

Sotheby’s London: 30 June 2022
Estimated: GBP 40,000 – 60,000
GBP 81,900 / USD 99,586

Untitled | Modern & Contemporary Day Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Untitled, 2007
Oil on canvas
12×12 inches (30.6 x 30.6 cm)
Signed and dated 2007 on the reverse

#33. Untitled, 2018

K Auction Seoul: 25 May 2022
Estimated: KRW 100,000,000 – 200,000,000
KRW 115,000,000 / USD 94,542

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Untitled, 2017
Oil on linen
12×12 inches (30.5 x 30.5 cm)
Signed and dated ‘2017 Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

#34. Untitled, 1995

Christie’s New-York: 29 September 2022
Estimated: USD 30,000 – 50,000
USD 81,900

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946), Untitled | Christie’s (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Untitled, 1995
Oil on canvas
7 x 9 1/2 inches (17.8 x 24.1 cm)
Signed and dated ‘Stanley Whitney 1995’ (on the reverse)

#35. Untitled, 2003

Christie’s online: 20 July 2022
Estimated: USD 40,000 – 60,000
USD 69,300

STANLEY WHITNEY (b.1946), Untitled | Christie’s (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (b.1946)
Untitled, 2003
Oil on linen
12×12 inches (30.5 x 30.5 cm)
Signed and dated ‘2003 Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

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2021 Auction Results

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17 lots sold at auction in 2021 for a total turnover of USD 6,994,514. With no lot failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 100%. The highest price has been achieved by Forward to Black, a painting dated 1996, that sold at Sotheby’s in New-York, on 18 November 2021 for USD 2,319,000. 2 lots sold for more than USD 1 million, generating a cumulative turnover of USD 3,549,000, contributing 50.7% to the total turnover for 2021.

2021 Top 3 Lots

#1. Forward to Black, 1996

Sotheby’s New-York: 18 November 2021
Estimated: USD 150,000 – 200,000
USD 2,319,000

Forward to Black | The Now Evening Auction | 2021 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Forward to Black, 1996
Oil on canvas
72 1/2 x 85 inches (184.2 x 215.9 cm)
Signed Stanley Whitney, titled and dated 1996 (on the reverse)

#2. Untitled, 1999

Christie’s New-York: 9 November 2021
Estimated: USD 500,000 – 700,000
USD 1,230,000

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946) (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Untitled, 1999
Oil on linen
72 1/2 x 85 inches (184.2 x 215.9 cm)
Signed and dated ‘Stanley Whitney 1999’ (on the reverse)

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USD 1 million

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#3. Light a New Wilderness, 2016

Christie’s London: 30 June 2021
Estimated: GBP 120,000 – 180,000
GBP 525,000 / USD 724,837

STANLEY WHITNEY (B.1946) (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B.1946)
Light a New Wilderness, 2016
Oil on linen
96×96 inches (243.8 x 244 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘Stanley Whitney Light a New Wilderness 2016’ (on the reverse)

#4. Stay Song 21, 2018

Phillips New-York: 18 November 2021
Estimated: USD 80,000 – 120,000
USD 693,000

Stanley Whitney – 20th Century & C… Lot 313 November 2021 | Phillips

#5. Iraqi Blues, 2007

Phillips London: 14 October 2021
Estimated: GBP 120,000 – 180,000
GBP 302,400 / USD 413,849

Stanley Whitney – 20th Century & Co… Lot 108 October 2021 | Phillips

#6. Song Sung, 2016

Sotheby’s New-York: 30 September 2021
Estimated: USD 150,000 – 250,000
USD 378,000

Song Sung | Contemporary Curated | 2021 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Song Sung, 2016
Oil on canvas
60 1/8 x  60 1/8 inches (152.7 x 152.7 cm)
Signed and titled on the reverse

#7. Cool Breeze, 2006

Sotheby’s New-York: 21 July 2021
Estimated: USD 80,000 – 120,000
USD 252,000

Cool Breeze | Contemporary Art Online | New York | 2021 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Cool Breeze, 2006
Oil on canvas
40 1/4 x 40 1/4 inches (102.2 x 102.2 cm)
Signed, titled and dated Aug. 2006 on the reverse

#8. Stay Song 40, 2019

Phillips New-York: 24 June 2021
Estimated: USD 70,000 – 100,000
USD 214,200

Stanley Whitney – 20th Century & Conte… Lot 314 June 2021 | Phillips

#9. Untitled, 2006

Rago: 10 November 2021
Estimated: USD 20,000 – 30,000
USD 162,500

113: STANLEY WHITNEY, Untitled < Post War & Contemporary Art, 10 November 2021 < Auctions | Rago Auctions (ragoarts.com)

#11. Untitled, 2019

Christie’s London: 16 October 2021
Estimated: GBP 20,000 – 30,000
GBP 60,000 / USD 82,304

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946), Untitled | Christie’s (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Untitled, 2019
Oil on canvas
12 1/4 x 12 1/4 inches (31×31 cm)
Signed and dated ‘2019 Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

#12. Untitled, 2018

Bonhams Hong-Kong: 25 November 2021
Estimated: HKD 200,000 – 300,000
HKD 627,500 / USD 80,481

Bonhams : Stanley Whitney (B. 1946) Untitled

#13. Untitled, 2018

Seoul Auction: 26 October 2021
Estimated: KRW 37,000,000 – 55,000,000
KRW 93,150,000 / USD 68,499

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Untitled, 2018
Oil on canvas
12×12 inches (30.5 x 30.5 cm)
Signed and dated ‘Stanley Whitney 2018’ (on the reverse)

#14. Untitled, 2001

Christie’s New-York: 9 March 2021
Estimated: USD 25,000 – 35,000
USD 62,500

Stanley Whitney (b. 1946), Untitled | Christie’s (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Untitled, 2001
Oil on canvas
12×12 inches (30.5 x 30.5 cm)
Signed and dated ‘Stanley Whitney 2001’ (on the reverse)

#15. Untitled, 2002

Christie’s New-York: 9 March 2021
Estimated: USD 25,000 – 35,000
USD 62,500

Stanley Whitney (b. 1946), Untitled | Christie’s (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Untitled, 2002
Oil on canvas
12×12 inches (30.5 x 30.5 cm)
Signed and dated ‘Stanley Whitney 2002’ (on the reverse)

#16. Untitled, 2005

Sotheby’s Milan: 27 May 2021
Estimated: EUR 20,000 – 30,000
EUR 50,400 / USD 61,455

Untitled | Contemporary Art | Milan | 2021 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Untitled, 2005
Oil on canvas
12×12 inches (30.5 x 30.5 cm)
Signed, inscribed and dated 2005 on the reverse

 

#17. Untitled, 2015

Phillips New-York: 3 March 2021
Estimated: USD 20,000 – 30,000
USD 60,480

Stanley Whitney – New Now New York Lot 2 March 2021 | Phillips

 

 

 

PART III: FOCUS

 

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Record Breakers

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Radical Openness, 1992

Sotheby’s New-York: 19 May 2022
Estimated: USD 600,000 – 800,000
USD 2,228,000

Radical Openness | The Now Evening Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Radical Openness, 1992
Oil on canvas
81 ½ x 103 ½ inches (207 x 262.9 cm)
Signed Stanley Whitney, titled Radical Openness and dated 1992 (on the reverse)

An arresting medley of contrasting and complementary colors executed on a remarkable scale, Stanley Whitney’s Radical Openness is an exemplary painting from 1992, the pivotal period in which the artist discovered and mastered his mature painterly language. Included in the acclaimed 2015 Karma Gallery exhibition Structured by Color: Stanley Whitney, Works from the 1990s and Now in conjunction with the Studio Museum in Harlem, the present work is reflective of Whitney’s deep exploration of abstraction. Whitney’s practice is marked by years of experimentation using varied processes and applications, including a period of painting with a mop directly on the floor. By employing a grid, Whitney discovered a framework with which to both order and liberate his paintings like Piet Mondrian and Josef Albers before him. With a structure built from rows of blocks of colors divided by horizontal bands, the brushstrokes thick and loose, Whitney unlocks a limitless realm of possibility, an infinite world of color.

In Radical Openness, tangles of red, green, blue and black on washes of diverse colors define space on their own terms rather than through tradition figure-ground relationships. These layered blocks segment the canvas, forming the grid to fabricate the larger composition. Though initially tempted to absorb the work as an amalgamate whole, the discerning eye begins to analyze the various interactions within the individual elements. In the first row, at the top right, a green scribble lightly conceals an orange scribble, under which a yellow wash peeks through. The result of this specific interaction of colors is entirely distinct, for instance, from the green thatching over the yellow wash in the second row on the left. In this manner, the blocks act reciprocally. The shapelier top rows acting as foils for the less-defined, darker forms that creep along the painting’s bottom edge. The blocks pulsate against each other, seeming to emerge and recede, expand and contract, connect and disassociate.

Nightwatch, 2012

Sotheby’s London: 2 March 2022
Estimated: GBP 300,000 – 500,000
GBP 1,729,000 / USD 2,311,188

Nightwatch | The Now Evening Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Nightwatch, 2012
Oil on linen
72×72 inches (183×183 cm)
Signed Stanley Whitney, titled Nightwatch and dated 2012

Stanley Whitney’s Nightwatch, executed in 2012, is a testament to the artist’s exploration of the conceptual capabilities of color within the manifestation of deeply hued grids of acute primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries. Since the 1990s, Whitney’s celebrated series of color grid paintings, which simultaneously embrace the freedom of color and the order of a geometric grid, have become the hallmarks of his painterly practice. On the surface of the present work, the colors appear to emerge and recede, expand and contract, defining space on their own terms rather than through perspective or traditional figure-ground relationships. Whitney describes his compositions as similar to the call and response flow of traditional African-American music, with one color calling forth another and dictating the structure of the work. Like a jazz soloist, Whitney improvises with color, spontaneously juxtaposing warm and cool, loud and soft, creating a work of arresting chromatic complexity.

In Nightwatch melodic diagonals of blue squares contend with counterpoints in yellow and orange, while patches of complementary red and green dance along the lowest row like the syncopation of a rhythm section. Whitney’s sublime talent lies in his ability to conduct an ensemble of color, creating a visual and symphonic dynamism that eschews cacophony. A revelation, Whitney’s approach to painting arrived after many years of experimentation that saw the artist draw from a multitude of historical and cultural references, ranging from American quilt making to jazz. Varying approaches to both process and application, including a period of working on the floor with a mop, were informed by an internal pressure to synthesize the manifold influences of art history. Deeply influenced by early Minimalism, his Color Field predecessors, ancient architecture and New York’s avant-garde jazz movement, Stanley Whitney continues to create in the semblance of aesthetic abstinence to further deconstruct the idiosyncrasies of non-objective art. With a visceral sense of optical and sensorial beauty, Nightwatch furthers Whitney’s investigation into the complexities of color, illuminating an entirely ground-breaking aesthetic language.

Great Balls of Fire, 2005

Christie’s London: 22 February 2022
Estimated: GBP 400,000 – 600,000
GBP 1,482,000 / USD 1,973,631

STANLEY WHITNEY (B.1946) (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Great Balls of Fire, 2005
Oil on linen
72×72 inches (182.8 x 182.8 cm)
Signed and dated ‘Stanley Whitney 2005’ (on the reverse)

Alive with color and feeling, Great Balls of Fire (2005) is a joyous example of Stanley Whitney’s unique abstract practice. Since arriving at his mature style in the 1980s, Whitney has painted almost exclusively on square-format canvases: at 72×72 inches, Great Balls of Fire represents one of the largest scales on which he works. Its surface is divided into four unequal, horizontal bands, which are each themselves filled with bright banners of color and divided by smaller strips the width of the artist’s brush.

A far cry from the austere Modernist grid, the freehand, block-like shapes—which Whitney lays down like bricks, working from top to bottom—have an engagingly human presence. Their surfaces range from opaque coats to diaphanous, loosely-painted layers of pigment, and they seem to push against the containing canvas as if hinting at a larger, unseen whole. The vibrant, freewheeling rhythm of Whitney’s works is often reflected in their titles: Great Balls of Fire refers to Jerry Lee Lewis’ rock’n’roll classic of 1958. Its bright colors dance together in counterpoint, syncopation and harmony, with different tones of blue, orange, yellow, red and green arranged using an improvisatory ‘call-and-response’ approach.

 

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Large Paintings

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Agean, 2009

Sotheby’s London: 5 March 2025
Estimated: GBP 250,000 – 350,000
GBP 444,500 / USD 568,460

Agean | Contemporary Day Auction | 2025 | Sotheby’s

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Agean, 2009
Oil on linen
72×72 inches (183×183 cm)
Signed, titled and dated 2009 (on the reverse)

Stanley Whitney’s Agean stands as a compelling example of Whitney’s mature style, in which he orchestrates chromatic harmonies into a structure at once rigorous and expressive. Throughout his five decade career, Whitney thoroughly redefined the possibilities of abstraction, developing a singular approach to color and composition that draws inspiration from sources as diverse as classical architecture, jazz improvisation, and the color fields of modernist masters. Executed in 2009, a pivotal year for Whitney, the present work belongs to the artist’s celebrated grid format, in which blocks of vibrant color are stacked in seemingly free yet precisely measured arrangements. By then, Whitney had fully embraced this approach, refining a process that had first crystallized during extended stays in Italy in the 1990s. Influenced by the rhythm of Renaissance facades and the spatial logic of ancient structures, Whitney developed his signature stacked compositions, a format that would become a hallmark of his practice.

“Painting is like music. When I first saw Cézanne, I thought, This is like Charlie Parker, only painting. It’s like polyrhythm, a beat and a beat and a beat and a beat, like call and response, you know— in the middle of the beat there’s another beat. Cézanne was key and a big source for me. Going back and forth—the music, the color, the rhythm, the beat.”

In Agean, Whitney presents an effervescent arrangement of bold hues—burnt orange, cerulean blue, canary yellow, and deep crimson—each jostling against its neighbor in a dynamic yet controlled equilibrium. The brushwork, loose yet confident, allows the colors to breathe, while subtle variations in opacity and saturation lend a sense of movement to the composition. This interplay between color and form recalls the improvisational structures of jazz, a persistent influence in Whitney’s work, where rhythm and variation create a visual music of sorts. One of the most striking aspects of Agean is its ability to evoke a sense of both order and spontaneity. Whitney’s method involves no preliminary sketching; instead, each mark is made directly onto the canvas in a process of intuitive decision-making. Yet, despite this improvisational approach, the final composition exudes balance and coherence. The painting is neither rigid nor chaotic; rather, it exists in a state of fluid equilibrium, embodying the artist’s belief in the intrinsic power of color to structure space and create meaning.

Whitney’s work is often contextualized within the lineage of color field painting, drawing comparisons to figures such as Mark Rothko and Ellsworth Kelly. However, his approach diverges significantly from theirs. Unlike Rothko, who sought to dissolve form in favor of floating veils of color, or Kelly, whose crisp edges emphasized geometric clarity, Whitney’s drips and splashes embrace the physicality of the painted surface. His brushstrokes retain their gestural energy, and his compositions, though structured, remain deeply human in their irregularity. In this, Whitney’s work resonates with the painterly traditions of European masters such as Titian and Matisse, as well as the African American quilt-making traditions that have informed his aesthetic sensibility. Agean exemplifies the unique qualities that have cemented Whitney’s place in the canon of contemporary abstraction. In its lively interplay of hues and its assured yet playful composition, the painting offers a testament to Whitney’s lifelong engagement with the language of color—an engagement that continues to inspire and challenge our perceptions of abstraction today.

Fellow Traveler, 2014

Christie’s London: 13 October 2023
Estimated: GBP 400,000 – 600,000
GBP 378,000 / USD 458,737

Stanley Whitney (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B.1946)
Fellow Traveler, 2014
Oil on linen
72 1/8 x 72 inches (183.3 x 182.9 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘2014 “Fellow Traveler” Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

Spanning almost two meters in height and width, Fellow Traveler is a luminous large-scale painting by Stanley Whitney. Painted in 2014, the year before his breakthrough exhibition at the Studio Museum in Harlem, it captures the distinctive chromatic language for which he has since received widespread critical acclaim. Rendered in his signature format, and on one of his largest scales, the work comprises four rows of quivering colored blocks, each intercepted by vertical bands. Tones of red, teal, sky blue and gold jostle and sing, each alive with the trace of the painter’s touch. Whitney draws inspiration from art history and jazz, as well as travels in Italy and Egypt: an influence conjured, perhaps, by the present work’s title. With a major solo exhibition at the Palazzo Tiepolo Passi during last year’s Venice Biennale—which included a number of works from this period—and a forthcoming retrospective at the Buffalo AKG Museum in 2024, he has taken his place as one of America’s greatest living abstract artists.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Whitney arrived in New York as an art student in the late 1960s. He admired the work of Paul Cézanne, Giorgio Morandi and Piet Mondrian, as well as Philip Guston, Morris Louis and other contemporary figures associated with Abstract Expressionism. During this period Whitney studied at the Yale University School of Art, where Josef Albers had famously launched his extraordinary sequence of Homages to the Square. Like Albers, Whitney was fascinated by the relationships between different tonalities. Yet where the former Bauhaus artist tested his observations with precise, near-scientific rigor, Whitney allowed himself to be guided by intuition, responding in real time to the frictions, harmonies, textures and discords that arose from his application of color. The rhythms of Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, Charlie Parker and others were deeply instructive in this regard, furnishing Whitney with a flair for improvisation. It was not until the early 1990s, however—inspired by a series of trips abroad—that Whitney hit upon the gridded format that would come to define his art. In Rome he marveled at the Colosseum; in Naples he visited the National Archaeological Museum, where he admired the Boscoreale frescoes. These extraordinary wall paintings, with their keen sensitivity to the relationship between color and space, prompted Whitney to begin thinking about his works in architectural terms. From this point onwards, Whitney began to arrange his compositions in tessellating bricks, later adding horizontal strips that divide the blocks like beams or lintels. The hues vibrate at their contact points like chords, creating a temple of light, space and color.

Nigerian Smile, 2012

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 5 April 2023
Estimated: HKD 4,000,000 – 6,000,000
HKD 4,826,000 / USD 614,785

Stanley Whitney 史丹利・惠特尼 | Nigerian Smile 尼日利亞式微笑 | 50th Anniversary Contemporary Evening Auction | 2023 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Nigerian Smile, 2012
Oil on linen
72×72 inches (183×183 cm)

Belonging to Stanley Whitney’s celebrated color grid series in which the artist explores both the visual and conceptual capabilities of color, Nigerian Smile is a dynamic and iconic example of the artist’s acclaimed practice. A rhythmic mash-up of reds, blues, oranges, and greens, the present work embodies Whitney’s career-long commitment to his own personal tenants of abstraction, guided by a longstanding process which the artist has developed over the course of the last three decades. Describing these works that appear to have a life of their own.

“I don’t have any colour theory. The colour is magic, and I want the work to be magic. I lay a colour down and that colour calls another colour, and then it’s a balancing act. You don’t want to have something dominate something else, and you want to have good transitions” 

The Last Cowboy Song, 2019

Phillips Hong-Kong: 30 March 2023
Estimated: HKD 4,000,000 – 6,000,000
HKD 5,080,000 / USD 647,142

Stanley Whitney – 20th Century & Conte… Lot 16 March 2023 | Phillips

STANLEY WHITNEY
The Last Cowboy Song, 2019
Oil on linen
72×72 inches (183×183 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘”The Last Cowboy Song” 2019 Stanley Whitney’ on the reverse

All-encompassing is an unusual way to describe a painting, given the limitation of dimension and subject matter, yet it precisely defines the canvas of Stanley Whitney. Drawing influences from Renaissance painting to jazz music, Whitney’s color grid paintings are integral to the current discourse of abstract painting in contemporary art. He developed his signature style in the 1970s when he discovered the paintings of Morris Louis, which enlightened his intuitive sense of pure color exploration. Since then, he has been an active proponent of color field painting and highly regarded for his spontaneous approach.

Integral to Whitney’s approach to painting is the process by which he is able to ‘lay two colors so close to each other and not trap them, but rather allow air for the canvas to breath’.ⁱ The present lot, The Last Cowboy Song painted in 2019 exemplifies Whitney’s distinctive approach to painting that gives complete autonomy to colors. A sense of composure is formed between the loosely structured grids and the rhythmic hues stacked against one another. To create his signature style, Whitney stacks irregular-shaped rectangles of color within a square format canvas and works in a sequential manner, moving methodically from one square to the next, row after row, from left to right, top to bottom. In doing so, Whitney is able to let the color form the structure rather than having a structure to fill in the color.

Red, Green, Black, Blues, 2013

Sotheby’s New-York: 9 March 2023
Estimated: USD 500,000 – 700,000
USD 609,600

Red, Green, Black, Blues | Contemporary Curated | 2023 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Red, Green, Black, Blues, 2013
Oil on linen
72×72 inches (183×183 cm)
Signed Stanley Whitney, titled and dated 2013 (on the reverse)

Executed in 2013, Red, Green, Black, Blues seems to pulsate with an internal rhythm as Stanley Whitney revels in a visual symphony evocative of an unconstrained jazz improvisation. The present work belongs to Whitney’s highly celebrated series of color grid paintings, which simultaneously embrace the freedom of color and the order of the grid. As colors emerge and recede, expand and contract, they define space on their own terms rather than through perspective or traditional figure-ground relationships. Squares in multiple tonalities of cerulean, ultramarine, phthalo green, with cadmium red and orange, draw attention to the pulsing playful interplay existing within each of the elements. Executed on a large scale and presented in Whitney’s iconic square canvas, Red, Green, Black, Blues presents an exceptional example of the artist’s most archetypal format and celebrated style.

STANLEY WHITNEY’S COOPER SQUARE STUDIO IN NEW YORK, 2015. PHOTO BY RICHARD GOLDSTEIN © STANLEY WHITNEY.

The grand scale of the present work and its enveloping all-over composition that seems to explode with color reflects the advancements of the Abstract Expressionist and color field painters such as Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock. Whitney’s work is undoubtedly informed by an internal pressure to synthesize the manifold influences of art history and his predecessors.

“I wanted something as open as Pollock but as structured as Mondrian. That was a big distance I was trying to work in, that space between those two artists. Which covers a lot of ground, a lot of possibilities.”

Whitney’s grid paintings are thus filled with an exquisite tension as the gestural strokes and gentle drips contradict the structure of the grid.

Untitled, 1997

Sotheby’s London: 1 March 2023
Estimated: GBP 700,000 – 1,000,000
GBP 1,076,500 / USD 1,295,583

Untitled | Modern & Contemporary Evening Auction | | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Untitled, 1997
Oil on linen
75×88 inches (190.5 x 223.5 cm)
Signed Stanley Whitney and variously inscribed (on the reverse)

Untitled from 1997 is an early example of Stanley Whitney’s celebrated color grid series in which the artist explores the conceptual possibilities of color. Displaying deep hues of acute primaries, secondaries and tertiaries, the present work is imbued with rhythmic dynamism that pulses, expands, and contracts before the viewer’s eyes. Vivid and large-scale, Untitled attests to Whitney’s life-long experimentation with color.

“I don’t have any color theory. The color is magic, and I want the work to be magic. I lay a color down and that color calls another color, and then it’s a balancing act. You don’t want to have something dominate something else, you want to have good transitions”

IDA Red Dressed in Green, 2020

Christie’s New-York: 17 November 2022
Estimated: USD 500,000 – 700,000
USD 1,071,000

STANLEY WHITNEY (B.1946) (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B.1946)
IDA Red Dressed in Green, 2020
Oil on linen
80×80 inches (203.2 x 203.2 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘”IDA Red dressed in Green” 2020 Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

A masterful study of color and its compositional potential, Stanley Whitney’s IDA Red Dressed in Green is a largescale example of the artist’s famed color field aesthetic. Often inspired by the rhythms of Whitney’s curated musical playlists, works from this grid series – of which Whitney has become renowned – hum with a tempo that can be felt in the synergies that lie between each color block. The present example owes its name Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys’ 1938 classic, ‘Ida Red’, an upbeat folk tune that tells the cheeky tale of the singer’s adoration for Ida Red. As the day goes on and the night grow dark, Wills thinks of Ida Red and how she has made a “plumb fool” out of him. The lyrics of this tune, which speak of dimming fires and gentle Sunday nights, have been captured beautifully in Whitney’s picture. The signature hues of red cement the canvas, flanked on either side by midnight hues and starry yellows that evoke the feeling of a cozy night spent by the blazing firelight. Whitney muses on the playful nature of the song, introducing a vibrant palette of greens that Ida Red is ‘dressed in’. The effect is a jubilant palette, one that resonates with life and the steps of a line dance.

Memory Garden, 2020

Christie’s London: 13 October 2022
Estimated: GBP 400,000 – 600,000
GBP 705,600 / USD 800,363

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946) (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Memory Garden, 2020
Oil on linen
72×72 inches (182.9 x 182.9 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘“Memory Garden” 2020 Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

Rendered on an immersive 72-by-72-inch scale—among Stanley Whitney’s larger formats—Memory Garden is a glowing instance of his celebrated chromatic language. Painted in 2020, it offers a veritable symphony of colour, articulated in the loose square grid that represents his signature structure. Bricks of blush pink, forest green and azure blue quiver alongside black, yellow and red, each of the four rows divided by a horizontal colored strip. Whitney paints each block with gestural, intuitive brushwork, allowing light to seep through the structure and edges to bleed into one another’s territory. Currently the subject of a major exhibition at the Palazzo Tiepolo Passi, mounted to coincide with the 2022 Venice Biennale, Whitney combines influences ranging from art history and architecture to experimental jazz, underpinned by a deep sensitivity to the complexities of color. He stands today at the forefront of contemporary abstraction, with his first museum retrospective scheduled for 2024 at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum.

SunRa, 2016

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 7 October 2022
Estimated: HKD 7,500,000 – 10,000,000
HKD 10,055,000 / USD 1,280,810

Stanley Whitney 史丹利・惠特尼 | SunRa 桑・拉 | Contemporary Evening Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
SunRa, 2016
Oil on canvas
96 1/8 x 96 1/8 inches (244.2 x 244.2 cm)
Signed and dated 2016 on the reverse

Instantly recognizable, SunRa is a testament to the Stanley Whitney’s celebrated color grid series in which the artist explores the conceptual capabilities of color. Named after the visionary jazz artist of the same name, SunRa is a dynamic ode to New York’s avant-garde jazz movement, with the artist stating: “Painting, for me, is like music” (Stanley Whitney quoted in: Alteronce Gumby, “Oral History Project: Stanley Whitney by Alteronce Gumby,” BOMB, 21 April 2015, online). Deep hues of acute primaries, secondaries and tertiaries imbue the present work with a dynamic rhythmicality that pulses, expanding and contracting before the viewer’s eyes. Painted in 2016 and exhibited at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth in 2017, one year after Whitney’s seminal exhibition at the Studio Museum, Harlem, SunRa is a vivid large-scale work that attests to the artist’s life-long preoccupation with color. As seen in the present work, despite the apparent density of the colour blocks, highly saturated with intense pigments, the overall effect of the work is that of a distinct weightlessness, a snapshot of colours and lines that extend beyond the borders of the canvas. Whitney’s distinctive painterly practice was featured in a solo exhibition at the 59th Venice Biennale, showcasing the artist’s evolution of form and color.

The Wild West, 2013

Sotheby’s London: 29 June 2022
Estimated: GBP 300,000 – 400,000
GBP 906,200 / USD 1,100,692

The Wild West | Modern & Contemporary Evening Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
The Wild West, 2013
Oil on canvas
72 x 71⅞ inches (183 x 182.5 cm)
Signed Stanley Whitney, titled The Wild West and dated 2013 (on the reverse)

Executed in 2013, Wild West belongs to Stanley Whitney’s highly celebrated series of color grid paintings, which simultaneously embrace the freedom of color and the order of the grid. As colors emerge and recede, expand and contract, they define space on their own terms rather than through perspective or traditional figure-ground relationships. In the present work, a central cluster of deep blue and lemon yellow form a harmonic balance, nestled by blocks of solid and layered hues of reds, greens and oranges. Neutralizing strips of sky blue and dark brown run across the central horizontal, stabilizing the blocks of colors into a visual ensemble that eschews cacophony.

New York Sound, 2013

Christie’s London: 28 June 2022
Estimated: GBP 400,000 – 600,000
GBP 529,200 / USD 645,917

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946) (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
New York Sound, 2013
Oil on linen
60 3/8 x 60 3/8 inches (153.4 x 153.4 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘Stanley Whitney “New York Sound” 2013’ (on the reverse)

Spanning over 1.5 metres in height and width, New York Sound (2013) is an exuberant large-scale painting that glows with Stanley Whitney’s unique sense of color, touch and light. For almost three decades, Whitney has worked in the same format: a square surface divided into four unequal, horizontal bands, which are each themselves filled with bright banners of color, and divided by smaller strips the width of the artist’s brush. Within these outwardly limited tactics, he achieves an extraordinary freedom, playing lyrically among endless notes of color, translucency and texture. New York Sound’s chromatic blocks range from a broad-brushed neon yellow—which fluoresces at the upper left like a beacon—to leafy greens, rich oranges, dripping scarlet, opaque flags of brown and a descending trio of turquoise to cobalt blue. Whitney paints freehand from top to bottom, responding to each color in turn in an improvisatory ‘call and response’ approach. Indeed, as New York Sound’s title implies, music is a key organizational component to Whitney’s work, which can be understood in terms of rhythm, counterpoint, syncopation and harmony, with each painting an individual variation on a never-ending theme.

Parisian Blue, 2012

Sotheby’s New-York: 20 May 2022
Estimated: USD 400,000 – 600,000
USD 1,623,000

Parisian Blue | Contemporary Day Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Parisian Blue, 2012
Oil on linen
72×72 inches (183×183 cm)
Signed Stanley Whitney and titled (on the reverse)

Parisian Blue, executed in 2012, constructs a lusciously vibrant surface driven by an internal rhythm as Stanley Whitney revels in the creation of a new visual symphony evocative of an unconstrained jazz improvisation. Squares in multiple tonalities of cerulean, ultramarine and parisian blue, phthalo green, with cadmium red and orange, draw attention to the pulsing playful interplay existing within each of the elements. Aided by its monumental format, presented in Whitney’s iconic square canvas, Parisian Blue is a unique window into the impeccable technique of the artist. The present work’s grand scale replicates the advancements of Mark Rothko, creating an experience that inhabits the viewer through an unrivaled confrontation with the spiritual presence of color. Carrying the expectation of a symphony for our viewing pleasure, Parisian Blue is an unwavering harmonic structure inviting the playful gaze within and across the unstructured blocks of color constituting its metrical whole.

Untitled, 1999

Christie’s New-York: 9 November 2021
Estimated: USD 500,000 – 700,000
USD 1,230,000

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946) (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Untitled, 1999
Oil on linen
72 1/2 x 85 inches (184.2 x 215.9 cm)
Signed and dated ‘Stanley Whitney 1999’ (on the reverse)

Delineated into four horizontal rows, Untitled is a canvas rife with expressive color and energetic brushwork within an orderly construct. The top row is made up of six blocks in overlapping jewel tones that glow with an internal light. Whitney paints over an initial layer with a secondary color and leaves just enough of the original that it peers from between the scumble of lines like a lantern through the occluding branches of a forest. The second and third rows continue this trend but are slowly given over to more dense applications of paint that begin to drip and merge into the subsequent register below. The last row is a more claustrophobic array of several smaller squares that are nearly solid in their pigment, only allowing a small amount of the buttery yellow background to glint forth. Pulling from sources as diverse as the works of Piet Mondrian, experimental jazz, and the legacy of American quilting, Whitney organizes his canvases around rectilinear forms and lines in various competing and complementary colors.

Light a New Wilderness, 2016

Christie’s London: 30 June 2021
Estimated: GBP 120,000 – 180,000
GBP 525,000 / USD 724,837

STANLEY WHITNEY (B.1946) (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B.1946)
Light a New Wilderness, 2016
Oil on linen
96×96 inches (243.8 x 244 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘Stanley Whitney Light a New Wilderness 2016’ (on the reverse)

Painted in 2016—the year after Stanley Whitney’s seminal exhibition at the Studio Museum, Harlem—Light a New Wilderness is a vivid large-scale work that demonstrates his lifelong preoccupation with colour. Spanning two and a half metres in height and width, it comprises stacked blocks of bright tonal fields, interspersed with horizontal strips of orange, red, green and pink. Painted freehand, the work’s grid-like structure dissolves into a shimmering interplay of hues, with traces of the artist’s hand visible in his loose brushwork and thinly-applied layers. Arriving in New York as a young artist in 1968, Whitney diverged from many of his contemporaries, finding inspiration in sources ranging from American quilt-making and experimental jazz to the Old Masters and the Fauves.

His travels in Italy and Egypt during the 1990s brought about an important shift in his practice, with structures such as the Colosseum, the pyramids and the Palazzo Farnese inspiring his use of interlocking geometric blocks. By drawing widely from the world around him, Whitney creates an abstract language free from dogma and theory, guided instead by the natural friction, harmony and resonance between colors and forms.

 

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Medium Paintings

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Stay Song 2, 2017

Phillips New-York: 20 November 2024
Estimated: USD 200,000 – 300,000
USD 203,200

Stanley Whitney – Modern & Contemp… Lot 336 November 2024 | Phillips

First exhibited at documenta 14 in 2017, Stanley Whitney’s Stay Song #2, 2017, features the artist’s distinctive soft-grid composition in a palette dominated by warm reds, oranges and yellows. An early example from the artist’s Stay Song series, the present work is one of just five Stay Song paintings shown in the important Kassel presentation. Stay Song #2 exemplifies the iterative compositional process that has dominated Whitney’s practice for over twenty years.

“Getting the rhythm of the painting is really important to me; there’s no beginning to it and no end, and I can shift around in it from any one spot. And I want to make paintings to be lived with, not just looked at. When you live with my paintings, you begin to see different things; they’re always different.”

Working always with blocks of color and oftentimes with square canvases, the artist constantly evolves his work as he continues to refine choices of color and subtleties of line. An inflection point in Whitney’s career came following his time in the Mediterranean in the early 1990s. Inspired by the ancient stone masonry of the region, particularly Egypt and Italy, Whitney found their architectural structures to be an apt framework from which to explore color. Unlike more precise and straight-edged modern building constituents, the weathered, handmade forms are unmistakably organic, often leading to irregular spaces and gaps. Likewise, Whitney’s painting is enlivened by the rounded edges of the color blocks, the small gaps where the underlying canvas peeks through and the moments of overlapping, bleeding color. The resulting work is a chromatic symphony, as Whitney explains, where the colors tell him what to do; no color dominates but all contribute to the harmonious whole.

 “I couldn’t figure out what my subject matter was until I began to focus on color. I already knew that I could use color to carry my work. But then I realized that color was the subject in and of itself. That’s when things sort of gelled.”

Breaking from earlier Color Field painters, one of Whitney’s most defining contributions to contemporary abstraction is his work’s distinctive rhythm. Featuring repeated or proximal colors, such as the rust reds and tangerine oranges in Stay Song #2, his work utilizes rhyming and unexpected combinations that allude to the spontaneity of jazz music.

Red Sung, 2016

Christie’s London: 27 June 2024
Estimated: GBP 250,000 – 350,000
GBP 277,200 / USD 349,855

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Red Sung, 2016
Oil on linen
60×60 inches (152.3 x 152.3 cm)
Signed and dated ‘2016 Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

Spanning over 1.5 meters in height and width, Red Sung (2016) is an exuberant large-scale painting that glows with Stanley Whitney’s unique sense of color, touch and light. For almost three decades, Whitney has worked in the same format: a square surface divided into four unequal horizontal bands, which are each themselves filled with bright banners of colour, and divided by smaller strips the width of the artist’s brush. Within these outwardly limited tactics, he achieves an extraordinary freedom, playing lyrically among endless notes of color, translucency and texture. Red Sung’s chromatic blocks range from the titular red—which underlines the painting, and stands to the left next to a warm yellow—to leafy greens, rich oranges, teals, turquoises and a beam of deep blue. Whitney paints freehand from top to bottom, responding to each color in turn in an improvisatory ‘call and response’ approach. Indeed, as Red Sung’s title implies, music is a key organizational component to Whitney’s work, which can be understood in terms of rhythm, resonance, syncopation and harmony, with each painting an individual variation on a never-ending theme. With a major solo exhibition at the Palazzo Tiepolo Passi during the 2022 Venice Biennale, and a career retrospective at the Buffalo AKG Museum that concluded in May 2024, Whitney has taken his place as one of America’s greatest living abstract artists.

Stay Song #54, 2019

Ketterer Kunst: 9 June 2023
Estimated: EUR 200,000
EUR 254,000 / USD 279,400

Ketterer Kunst, Art auctions, Book auctions Munich, Hamburg & Berlin

STANLEY WHITNEY
Stay Song #54, 2019
Oil on canvas
40×40 inches (101.8 x 101.8 cm)
Signed, dated, titled and inscribed with two direction arrows and the direction “TOP” on the reverse

The creative process behind the works is closely linked to music, Whitney’s second great passion, which is also reflected in the work’s title (or the titles of the associated series of works) “Stay Song”. Going from upper left to lower right, the artist fills the picture’s surface with a broad brush and places one block of color next to the other, almost like writing music notes on a piece of paper. This way the tonality of each color square determines the following one: a process that the music lover Whitney compares to the “call and response” principle between two solo instruments in jazz. The musical concept of harmony also plays a major role in Whitney’s work, because it is harmony and disharmony in the interaction and the clash of the adjacent color values that makes for the unique appeal of his expressive, dynamic and rhythmic works. The result is a painterly quilt, a square, composed of fields of bright colors with a winning rhythm and melody. After the revolutionary works of American Color Field Painting of the 1940s and 1950s, Whitney succeeds in breathing new energy and new life into abstract painting of the 21st century with his captivating, simply constructed and yet complex color compositions.

Blue in Green, 2005

Phillips New-York: 16 November 2022
Estimated: USD 300,000 – 500,000
USD 327,600

Stanley Whitney – 20th Century & C… Lot 344 November 2022 | Phillips

The colors of Stanley Whitney’s Blue in Green, 2005, dance across the canvas as the eye tries to keep up. One shade of blue picks up another; elsewhere, green fights red, and planes of pigment that luxuriate in their hue meet their chromatic counterparts across the canvas. Typical of Whitney’s post-2000 work, Blue in Green takes color as its subject matter. While the artist’s obsession with color was aways been present, it was only in the early 2000s that color emerged as his foremost agent for formal exploration. Whitney asks, “How could I lay two colors so close to each other and not trap them, but rather allow air for the canvas to breathe?” In Blue in Green, his preoccupation with this question is fruitfully displayed. A bright red horizon line splices the canvas, meeting green rectangles at either end. The influence of color theorists like Josef Albers is clearly felt, though while Albers treated color like science, Whitney understands it as a feeling, nearly musical in its intuitiveness. The complementary colors in the present example make each hue seemingly sing louder.

Edward Munch, Self-portrait between the clock and the bed, 1940-43, Munch Museum, Oslo. Image: Scala / Art Resource, NY

Endeavoring to understand the full extent of Whitney’s influences brings us, perhaps unexpectedly, to Edward Munch. Munch’s Self-portrait between the clock and the bed offers an excellent example of the sort of 20^th century color treatment that inspired Whitney. The Norwegian artist’s influence was so strong that Whitney even titled a 1997 painting in homage, After Munch. In Munch’s self-portrait, the artist’s face is highlighted in warm reddish oranges, positioned against the cooler blue and green tones of his apparel. The effect is one of measured chromatic contrast, the very type of ‘color stack’ that came to define Whitney’s work.

Piet Mondrian, Broadway Boogie Woogie, 1942-3, The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Image: © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY

If the color is the subject, the grid is the formal vehicle through which Whitney engages his exploration. When Whitney first saw Mondrian’s Broadway Boogie Woogie in 1968 he was led to recognize, as identified by Andrianna Campbell, “the ability of line to undermine the plane.”ⁱⁱ In contrast with his predecessor’s more formal structures, Campbell continues, Whitney’s works not grounded by the “anti-natural” or “timeless quality” that Rosalind Krauss famously ascribed to grids.ⁱⁱⁱ In Blue in Green the grid guides the viewer up, down and across the color fields with a recurrent sense of movement and openness. Rather than adhering to strict geometric forms, colors overlap, lines flex and borders subtly bleed into one another. This is not the strict linear structure of a Mondrian, but a painting about freedom. Whitney makes the grid as naturally as he breaks it.

Summers Night, 2007

Christie’s London: 1 July 2022
Estimated: GBP 220,000 – 280,000
GBP 315,000 / USD 379,609

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946), Summers Night | Christie’s (christies.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (B. 1946)
Summers Night, 2007
Oil on canvas
40 3/8 x 40 3/8 inches (102.4 x 102.4 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘Aug. 2006 “Summers night” Stanley Whitney’ (on the reverse)

For the past three decades, Stanley Whitney has begun each painting in the same manner, and while listening to the same music—Miles Davis’s ‘Bitches Brew’: he first paints a horizontal strip along the top edge of the canvas before laying down bright, colorful blocks from left to right. The resulting compositions are sensitive, strong, vivacious, and playful, refracting ideas around music, poetry, and art history through brilliant grids of color. Painted in 2007, Summers Night evokes dusk in the city: the glow of streetlamps, the day’s red-hot heat cooling to a tolerable temperature, the way that concrete streets come alive during those warm summer’s nights. Although abstract, Whitney’s painting tells a lyrical story; it captures an entire mood, at once architectural, musical, and embodied. For the artist, 2022 marks an exciting moment in his long career. His solo presentation, Stanley Whitney: The Italian Paintings, is currently on view at the Palazzo Tiepolo Passi as part of the Venice Biennale. In December 2021, the Baltimore Museum of Art unveiled the artist’s Dance with me Henri, a commission of three stained glass windows for the museum’s new Ruth R. Marder Center for Matisse Studies, and next year will bring Whitney’s retrospective at Buffalo AKG Art Museum. It wasn’t until the early 1990s that Whitney felt he finally understood his own aims. Through encounters with ancient architecture while on a trip in Italy and Egypt, the conceit of painting space through color came to feel almost inevitable. Certainly, this architectural vision is palpable in Summers Night which, without even the hint of representational imagery, summons an entire urban ecosystem. The painting radiates its own heat, and the colors resides the sultry, soft breeze of a sweltering, joyous city.

Iraqi Blues, 2007

Phillips London: 14 October 2021
Estimated: GBP 120,000 – 180,000
GBP 302,400 / USD 413,849

Stanley Whitney – 20th Century & Co… Lot 108 October 2021 | Phillips

A vibrating pictorial field of chromatic energy, Iraqi Blues exemplifies Stanley Whitney’s understanding of color as the primary subject of his artmaking. Whitney nestles blocks of flaming red and fleshy salmon pink against rectilinear forms filled with cool blues and neutralizing lozenges of black, white, and grey. The tonal juxtapositions cultivate a harmonious balance that stabilizes the riotous expression of color laid down on the canvas in the grid formation that has become an idiosyncratic signature of the American artist. Evidencing the significance of music in Whitney’s practice, the present work is titled after a 2003 album by the American singer-songwriter Elvis L Carden. The painter recognizes musical and artistic composition to be analogous. Beginning at the top left corner of the canvas, Whitney applies his colored blocks in rows, running from left to right, until he reaches the bottom right corner. The grid formation is understood, not as a proscriptive structure, but as a liberating compositional tool that facilitates improvisation through color, texture, and chromatic intensity. Each brightly hued lozenge gives rise to the next in a rhythmic syncopation of color, mimicking the call and response motif in jazz. Just as individual musical notes are composite parts of a melody, Whitney explains that the grid system allows him to isolate individual blocks of color within wider compositions. The eye is consequently engaged in a dynamic process of observation as the focus of the gaze moves between the intimate scale of a singular rectangular block to the jostling rows of oblong forms contained within the square canvas.

Josef Albers, Homage to the Square: Young, 1951-52, oil on masonite. George A.Hearn Fund, 1953. New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art. © 2021. Image copyright The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Art Resource/Scala, Florence © The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation / DACS 2021

Whitney’s affinity with color positions him as a key successor of the Color Field painting that dominated the New York art scene in the decades preceding the younger painter’s arrival from Kansas City in 1968. While similarly engaged in the abstract experimentations with color that preoccupied artists associated with the movement such as Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman, Whitney’s emphasis on the spatial precision of his work, which he pursued by integrating drawing into his artmaking process, set his working practices apart from those employed by the Color Field painters. The resultant structural quality of his work resides in the gridded arrangement of color which first emerged in response to the stacked stone slabs encountered by the artist in the architecture of ancient Egypt and Rome during his extensive travels in the 1990s. Whitney’s sustained painterly investigation of the grid aligns his work with the process-based gridded art of Josef Albers, Sol LeWitt, Agnes Martin, and Carl Andre. Representing the distinctive visual language cultivated by the artist through the diverse visual references that inform his practice, Iraqi Blues demonstrates his innovative approach to the gridded motif that asserts his reputation as a vital figure at the forefront of contemporary American abstraction.

Song Sung, 2016

Sotheby’s New-York: 30 September 2021
Estimated: USD 150,000 – 250,000
USD 378,000

Song Sung | Contemporary Curated | 2021 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Song Sung, 2016
Oil on canvas
60 1/8 x  60 1/8 inches (152.7 x 152.7 cm)
Signed and titled on the reverse

Stanley Whitney’s Untitled, executed in 2016, is a testament to the artist’s exploration of the conceptual capabilities of color within the manifestation of deeply hued grids of acute primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries. By committing himself to this particular motif over the course of nearly six decades, he has dismantled the pedagogy behind the process of reduction and opened the greater method to a limitless and weightless field of space within the scope of color. Untitled is a testament to his deeply intimate exploration of the delicate compositional balance between color and liminal space, and his greater deconstruction on the architectural formality of stimuli within the modern art canon.

Untitled, 1987

Sotheby’s New-York: 11 March 2022
Estimated: USD 80,000 – 120,000
USD 403,200

Untitled | Contemporary Curated | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Untitled, 1987
Oil on canvas
32 x 30 1/4 inches (81.3 x 76.8 cm)
Signed Stanley Whitney and dated 1987 (on the verso)

Known for his colorful grid compositions, Stanley Whitney revels in the creation of abstract forms of expression that are able to amuse his viewers’ scrutiny. It was his early frustrations in finding a subject matter that captured his attention that took him into the exploration of color and space; this would turn into a lifelong profound exploration of these foundational elements like Donald Judd and Josef Albers had done before him. Whitney’s obsession originated from the possibility of creating an illusionistic structure that contained space and air, while still working with pure fields of color. His now iconic solid grids emulate stable structures that remain rhythmic, spontaneous, and erratic in nature. Akin to unconstrained jazz improvisations, the artist explains his chromatic design as solely dependent on the color that came before it – opposing the traditionally calculated approach of field colorists in abstract expressionism, Whitney unsystematically executes each square, letting himself be surprised by every step of the process. The present work is a rare and historic example of the artist’s work that captures Whitney’s development of his iconic compositions and style.

THE PRESENT WORK ILLUSTRATED ON THE INVITATION TO THE 1987 NEW YORK EXHIBITION AT PEG ALSTON FINE ARTS, HOWARD MCCALEBB: PARADIGMS AND STANLEY WHITNEY: PAINTINGS, MONOPRINTS.

Inspired by the solidity of architectural structures such as the Colosseum in Rome, and Cezanne’s abstraction of landscapes into reticules of changing pigments, Whitney executes a solid matrix in his canvases that recreate colorful areas of vibrating emotion. An artistic proposal that takes as much from action painting as it does from color theory, Whitney creates condensed spaces of expression that nonetheless highlight the irregular and imperfect gesture of his polychromatic brushstrokes. The end result is a canvas that carries the weight of the filled shapes while still providing the viewer with the opportunity to immerse himself into their dynamic relationship. Using his famously square-shaped canvas, in Untitled, Whitney provides us with a cheerful landscape that captures and sustains our attention through the joyful relationship of its components. Early in his artistic explorations, Whitney toyed with the idea of drawing and color as interchangeable building blocks. In the painting, the elements appear to be inseparable– eliminating one, nullifies the other. Working in delimited patches of color that the artist filled with marked brushstrokes, this colorful reticule incorporates all of Whitney’s initial explorations of forms and space into what would become a lifelong proposal, reminding us that paintings are dynamic entities, to “be lived with, not just looked at”.

 

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Works on Paper

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Untitled, 2020

Sotheby’s New-York: 23 September 2024
Estimated: USD 70,000 – 80,000
USD 71,500

Untitled | Walker Art Center Avant Garden Benefit Auction | Powered by Sotheby’s | Special Projects | Sotheby’s

STANLEY WHITNEY (b. 1946)
Untitled, 2020
Monotype in watercolor on Lanaquarelle paper
47 3/4 x 67 3/4 inches (121.3 x 172.1 cm)
Signed and dated recto

Over his 50-year career, Stanley Whitney has been steadfastly committed to abstraction and pursuing formal innovations in space, rhythm, and color. He arrived at his mature work in the early 2000s, when he began creating paintings marked by richly colored grids in vibrant hues. This unique monoprint retains the artist’s spontaneous and intuitive approach to art-making. Whitney first composed the image using watercolor on a wood surface. It was then run through a press and transferred onto paper. Layers of color, ranging from deep blues to vivid oranges and yellows, interact dynamically, suggesting a sense of movement and depth within the two-dimensional space.