Mercedes-Benz W196 R streamliner auction
February 1
Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart, Germany
sothebys.com
The extremely rare 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 R “Monza” Streamliner, a variant of the Grand Prix single- seater that was specially developed for high-speed circuits, is the solo star of this single-lot sale with an estimate of €50 million-€70 million. It has a great racing pedigree: the famed Argentine driver Juan Manuel Fangio competed in this very car—chassis 00009/54— at the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix and, after the spectacular Streamliner bodywork was added, the British racer Stirling Moss drove it at the 1955 Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
The car has been consigned by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum to help fund its upcoming renovation and expansion. It will go under the hammer at a special auction hosted at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.
"The Mercedes-Benz W196 R “Monza” Streamliner isn’t just one of the most beautiful racing cars ever made, it is also one of the most significant. This particular example is truly exceptional, having been raced by Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss—without a doubt two of the most talented racing drivers of all time. We are immensely proud to have been trusted to sell this car by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, and to know that the proceeds will contribute to the Museum’s endowment fund makes this auction even more special. That the sale will take place in the car’s spiritual home only amplifies the sense of occasion. This is one for the history books." –Gord Duff
Frieze Los Angeles
February 20-23
Santa Monica Airport, Los Angeles
frieze.com
Around 100 contemporary art galleries are landing at Frieze LA’s airport venue for the fair’s sixth edition. As well as presenting a selection of local and international galleries, the fair hosts the curated Focus section, dedicated to solo presentations by galleries that have a space in the U.S. and were formed in or after 2013.
ZSONAMACO
February 5-9
Centro Citibanamex, Mexico City
zsonamaco.com
ZSONAMACO is the largest art fair in Latin America. In addition to its main section for international contemporary art, it has areas dedicated to site-specific projects from the Global South, 20th-century art and experimental works from galleries and artist-run spaces in response to a curatorial theme. The focus for this year’s Ejes section, curated by Bernardo Mosqueira, is the connection between art and freedom.
"ZSONAMACO has been the best art hub in Latin America for many years, opening collectors’ eyes to art from Latin American countries. You see people from all over the world enjoying Mexico’s cultural scene, food and beautiful sunny climate. What happens around the fair is also important: the city puts on incredible exhibitions and local collectors open their homes. Sotheby’s does a takeover of Contramar, one of the most popular restaurants in Mexico, starting at 2 p.m. and ending around midnight. Guests come in and out all afternoon, as they visit nearby galleries. People say that everything that happens at ZSONAMACO happens on the first day at Contramar." –Lulu De Creel
ModaMiami
February 27-March 2
Coral Gables, Florida
modamiami.com
This luxury event for car enthusiasts brings together the world’s finest automobiles, alongside live music and entertainment, five-star culinary delights and select premier brands. A two-day auction (February 27-28) includes nine incredible and historically significant motorcars from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
Sharjah Biennial
February 6-June 15
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
sharjahart.org
The 16th Sharjah Biennial extends across the emirate of Sharjah with works by more than 140 participants, including 80 new commissions by artists including Cécile B. Evans, Julianknxx, Luke Willis Thompson and Zadie Xa. The theme set by the team of five curators is “to carry”: an open-ended framework for questions and reflections about what it means to enact change and to imagine new collective futures. The resulting projects take the form of residencies, workshops, sonic experiences and publications as well as exhibitions. The curators hope to encourage critical conversations and narratives told from multiple perspectives, geographies and languages.
"The 16th edition of the Sharjah Biennial is curated by Alia Swastika, Amal Khalaf, Megan Tamati-Quennell, Natasha Ginwala and Zeynep Öz. Titled “to carry,” the theme invites us to think about our histories, cultures and the weight of navigating foreign spaces. The biennial provides an opportunity to explore the Emirates’ rich history and sites, allowing visitors to venture beyond Sharjah city into its surroundings, including Al Hamriyah, Al Dhaid, Kalba and Al Madam." –Katia Nounou Boueiz
Origins
February 8
Diriyah, Riyadh
sothebys.com
Sotheby’s presents the first international art auction in the history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, featuring works by Saudi and international artists as well as jewelry, watches and handbags. “Origins” encompasses a free public exhibition (February 1-8) followed by a two-part evening auction in the historic city of Diriyah, where the first Saudi state was established in 1727. The sale coincides with the annual festival Diriyah Season and marks the opening of Sotheby’s new office in nearby Riyadh, located in the landmark Al Faisaliah Tower designed by Norman Foster.
"This inaugural auction in Saudi Arabia is the culmination of years of supporting cultural initiatives in the Kingdom and a natural evolution of our business, coming hand in hand with opening our Riyadh office. The Saudi market is developing apace, with a young demographic, growing collector base and expanding art community. Sotheby’s is also proud to support the second edition of the Ministry of Culture’s Islamic Biennale in Jeddah, following its launch in 2023. This is a long-term commitment; we look forward to what the future brings." –Edward Gibbs
Kandinsky’s Universe: Geometric Abstraction in the 20th Century
February 15-May 18
Museum Barberini, Potsdam, Germany
museum-barberini.de
At the beginning of the 20th century, pioneering artists aspired to a new visual language that abandoned figurative representation for the abstract interplay of colors, lines and shapes.
This exhibition traces the growth of geometric abstraction in Europe and the U.S. over the subsequent six decades. It features more than 100 works by over 70 artists, including Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, Sonia Delaunay, Josef Albers, Barbara Hepworth, Victor Vaserely, Agnes Martin, Bridget Riley and Frank Stella. Many of them sought to represent higher spiritual values in their work, none more so than Kandinsky, whose 1926 treatise “Point and Line to Plane” remains one of the most influential books written about 20th-century art.
“I am very much looking forward to the Museum Barberini’s forthcoming survey of “Kandinsky’s Universe.” Kandinsky is one of my favorite artists, and we have been privileged to handle a number of his important paintings at Sotheby’s. The exhibition will take Kandinsky as a starting point to explore his influence and the impact of the 20th century’s new visual language of geometric abstraction through the works of more than 70 artists from across the world. Spanning six decades and artists as diverse as Sonia Delaunay and Frank Stella, it promises a fresh look at this seminal development in the history of modern art.” –Helena Newman
Banner: The Mercedes-Benz W196 R. © Mercedes-Benz AG.
