The Art of Infinity: Christie’s to Auction Works by M.C. Escher

Escher’s elaborate works fascinatingly combine mathematics and imagined reality. Although the art world has long been ambivalent about his work, his extraordinary ability to render complex mathematical concepts has won him great acclaim among scientists and computer graphics artists. He gained worldwide fame in the 1960s, when his work resonated with the esthetics of the hippie movement, whose members considered him a pioneer of psychedelic art.

The online auction, entitled “The Art of Infinity,” held from July 8–22, offers 60 iconic prints and drawings from the collection of Robert Owen Lehman Jr. Many of these works have seldom appeared at auction. The diverse selection includes early Italian landscapes, preparatory studies of Escher’s most well-known prints, and his self-portrait. According to Lindsay Griffith, head of prints and multiples at Christie’s New York, it’s an unprecedented collection of Escher works on paper to appear in the last decade.

If you happen to be in New York this July, you can catch the exhibit of the works in the auction from July 12–17 at Christie’s 10th annual Art+Tech Summit in Radio City Music Hall in the heart of Manhattan.