Arshile Gorky’s ‘Charred Beloved I’ sold for $23.4M

Arshile Gorky’s masterpiece ‘Charred Beloved I’ was sold at Christie’s auction house in New York for $23.4 million. The canvas was put up for sale by David Geffen, who had owned it for 30 years. The previous owner was publishing magnate S.I. Newhouse.

Gorky’s latest record of $14 million was set in November 2018 by his ‘Good Afternoon, Mrs. Lincoln’.

‘Charred Beloved I’ was the artist’s phoenix-like response to a devastating studio fire in January 1946. The fire destroyed not only 20 of Gorky’s paintings but also his cherished books and drawings.

This tragic event was a devastating blow; however, it was not the first time Gorky was forced to start anew. Later, the artist embarked on what would become known as his ‘ballroom series’ on the 17th floor at 1200 Fifth Avenue in New York City. Among the masterpieces born from this period were the four canvases, including the iconic ‘Charred Beloved I’, which defined Gorky’s signature style.

“A most awesome phoenix: how Arshile Gorky rose from the ashes to create a masterpiece,” Christie’s wrote of the artist.