Kenneth Noland's Circum-Grid Green achieves 54% increase on estimate

Kenneth Noland's Circum-Grid Green (1973) made $185,000 against a $120,000 estimate at Sotheby's New York on June 12 - an increase of 54.1%.

The lot is one of a series of works known as "the plaids" that were produced during the early 1970s and consist of overlapping stripes of varying hues.

Kenneth Noland Circum
Kenneth Noland's Circum-Grid Green was executed in 1973

Noland (1924-2010) was one of the driving forces behind the development of colour field painting in the 1960s - a uniquely American movement characterised by flat blocks of colour.

A painting titled Heat (1958) sold at Christie's New York for $797,750 in 2000, a figure that stands as his auction record.

This is low in comparison to his contemporaries (which include the titan of American minimalism Mark Rothko), but artnews.com reported in 2010 that he has a "devoted following among U.S. buyers, and the number of European buyers interested in his work is rising."

Sol Lewitt's Blue Grid, Black Circles, Yellow and Red Arcs from Adjacent Corners (1972) made $161,000.

Lewitt (1928-2007) is credited with founding conceptual and minimalist art, which have proven the dominant movements of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Like Noland his auction record remains low despite his towering influence - it stands at $520,000 for Wall Floor Piece #1 (1976), which sold at Christie's New York in 2006.

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