Javier Calleja - Modern & Contemporary Art Day Sale Hong Kong Saturday, June 1, 2024 | Phillips
  • “So, with art, I like this moment when the people arrive, see something and say, 'Wow.' This is why I like these new characters. I think there is something really important in their eyes, and it’s with only two drops, white color, and the shadows. So you get the sensation of real. But the T-shirt, background, and atmosphere are all very stupid and simple. So when your eyes notice the eyes in the painting, the brain feels like the whole image is real. They are very important to people. So your brain is looking at something real but your eyes are looking at something not real, and I think there is some kind of magic in such a moment.”
    Javier Calleja

    Lisa Boudet in conversation with Javier Calleja, 13 March 2023

    • Provenance

      NANZUKA UNDERGROUND, Tokyo
      Acquired from the above by the present owner

    • Exhibited

      Tokyo, NANZUKA UNDERGROUND, Open Your Eyes, 15 November - 25 December 2021

    • Literature

      Javier Calleja, Why Not?, Tokyo, 2023, p. 455 (illustrated p. 423)

    • Artist Biography

      Javier Calleja

      Javier Calleja (b. 1971) is a contemporary Spanish artist living and working in
      Malaga, Spain. Calleja is most known for his figurative style of cartoonish, doe-eyed
      characters with exaggerated features. His style is influenced by the toys and comics
      from his 70s and 80s upbringing. Calleja’s characters are often accompanied by text
      that contrasts the innocent and adolescent looking facial expressions of the
      characters represented in the compositions. Calleja works in painting, sculpture,
      and works on paper.

      Calleja holds a BFA from Granada University in Spain. His works have been exhibited worldwide and he is currently represented by Almine Rech.

      View More Works

192

Take it Easy

titled '"TAKE IT EASY"' lower centre
mixed media on paper, in original frame
work 65 x 50 cm. (25 5/8 x 19 5/8 in.)
frame 86 x 66 cm. (33 7/8 x 25 7/8 in.)

Executed in 2021.

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
HK$200,000 - 320,000 
€23,600-37,800
$25,600-41,000

Sold for HK$304,800

Contact Specialist

Anastasia Salnikoff
Associate Specialist, Head of Day Sale
+852 2318 2014
anastasiasalnikoff@phillips.com
 

Modern & Contemporary Art Day Sale

Hong Kong Auction 1 June 2024