Lot 88043. Zdzislaw Beksiński (1929-2005). Untitled, 1971 Oil on board, 23-1/2 x 19 inches (59.7 x 48.3 cm). Signed verso: Beksiński 71 PROVENANCE: Andrzej Banach Collection, Kraków, Poland; Galerie Akka, Béziers, France; Private collection, Munich, Germany, acquired from the above, 2012. Estimate $60,000 – 80,000. Heritage. 05/07/26

A mysterious portrait of a young woman against a monochrome background. Signs of decay, or rather a fantastical metamorphosis, reveal themselves in her face, half-concealed by red hair. The atrophied nose and the surrealistically distorted, doubled mouths contrast with a single shining pearl on her forehead, suggesting purity, while the halo distinguishes the woman as a higher being. The synthesis of anthropomorphic and monstrous forms, of the morbid and the dreamlike, which dominates Beksiński’s œuvre and establishes him as one of the most significant influences on the horror and fantasy genres, strongly resonates in the present work. The dystopian realism of Beksiński’s art has inspired numerous renowned video game titles in recent decades, including Scorn (2022), The Medium (2021), Tormentum: Dark Sorrow (2015), and Dark Souls (2011).

Olej Zdzisława Beksińskiego może jednym podobać się zaś drugim nie, lecz ma znaczącą proweniencję bowiem pierwotnie pochodził z krakowskiej kolekcji Andrzeja Banacha. Skondensowany esej amerykańskiego domu aukcyjnego Heritage uzupełnią tę pracę.

Jeden z czytelników napisał, że Piotr Dmochowski podważył autentyczność tej pracy