Andy Warhol @ Christie's: Studio 54 online-only sale celebrates Andy's legacy at the nightclub

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Halston, Liza Minnelli and Steve Rubell by Andy Warhol. Unique gelatin silver print, 8 x 10 in. (20.3 x 25.4 cm.). Executed circa 1978. Estimate: $6,000-8,000. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2013.
NEW YORK, NY.- Following the success of the first online only sale of Andy Warhol @ Christie’s which doubled its pre-sale estimate at $2.3m, Christie’s is pleased to announce details about the second online-only sale. For one week, from Friday, April 26 through Friday, May 3, collectors around the world will have the opportunity to log in and bid online for more than 215 paintings, drawings, photographs and prints by Pop Art’s superstar, Andy Warhol.

This sale will feature works dedicated to Andy’s legacy at the infamous nightclub Studio 54. Estimates range from $1,500 to $70,000, offering both seasoned collectors and first-time buyers extraordinary global access to Warhol’s work. The timed online format allows clients to browse, bid, receive instant updates if another bid exceeds theirs, organize shipping, and pay from anywhere in the world.

THE LEGENDARY STUDIO 54
“If the 1970s was a decade of heedless optimism, then Studio 54 was its glittering epicentre. During its reign as New York's number one hot spot to see and be seen, it was the place where paparazzi mingled with celebrity, where highbrow danced with low-brow, where pop art and fine art talked into the wee hours of the morning.” — Anthony Haden- Guest.

Located at 254 West 54th Street in Manhattan, the nightclub was founded by four equal partners, Steve Rubell, Ian Schrager, Tim Savage and Jack Dushey. Among the many celebrities present during the opening night on April 26, 1977 were Mick Jagger, Liza Minnelli, Jerry Hall, Diana Vreeland, Halston, Brooke Shields, Debbie Harry, newlyweds Donald and Ivana Trump, newly engaged Rick Hilton and Kathy Richards, and many other well-known party-goers. Hordes scrambled to gain entry but only a few got past the door. Some celebrities, including Warren Beatty, Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Henry Winkler, Cher, and Frank Sinatra were unable to get in, in part due to Studio 54's elusive doorman, Marc Benecke.

A week after the opening, the nightclub celebrated Bianca Jagger’s 27th birthday. Bianca entered on a white horse and the resulting publicity firmly established Studio 54 as the preferred nightclub for celebrities, including Michael Jackson, Andy Warhol, Bianca Jagger, Peter Beard, Elton John, Truman Capote, Jerry Zipkin, Elizabeth Taylor, Farrah Fawcett, Lauren Hutton, Liz Smith, Marisa Berenson, Divine, Jack Nicholson, Nick Rhodes, Hugh Hefner, Mariel Hemingway, Diane von Fürstenberg, Richard Gere, and Matt Dillon. Some of the world's most famous performers also performed their new songs: Donna Summer, Grace Jones, Gloria Gaynor, Sylvester, The Village People, Cheryl Lynn, Brooklyn Dreams, James Brown, Phyllis Hyman, Amii Stewart, Chic, The Ritchie Family, Rick James, Stephanie Mills, Roberta Kelly, and Arthur Russell all sang their most famous songs during the partying.

Andy Warhol is widely recognized as one of the defining figures of 20th century art and culture, as well as a philanthropist of extraordinary generosity. As an artist, he unabashedly embraced the populist and the commercial. As a philanthropist, he insured that his giving would extend past his death by establishing The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, which received almost the entirety of his estate. Proceeds from this sale and all subsequent sales under the partnership benefit the Warhol Foundation’s grant-making programs in support of artists and non-profit arts organizations.

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