Isabel Norsten
Specialist, Head of Sale
PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF HOLLY SOLOMON
Lot 128
RICHARD PETTIBONE(1938-2024)Portrait of Holly Solomon
15 May 2025, 14:00 EDT
New YorkSold for US$24,320 inc. premium
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Contemporary Art (US)
Rachel Griffith
Sale Coordinator
RICHARD PETTIBONE (1938-2024)
Portrait of Holly Solomon
signed and dated 'R. Pettibone 1970' (on the overlap)
synthetic polymer and silkscreen on canvas in artist's frame
15 1/4 x 12 in (38.6 x 30.5 cm)
Painted in 1970
signed and dated 'R. Pettibone 1970' (on the overlap)
synthetic polymer and silkscreen on canvas in artist's frame
15 1/4 x 12 in (38.6 x 30.5 cm)
Painted in 1970
Footnotes
Provenance
Holly Solomon Gallery, New York.
Collection of John Solomon, Los Angeles.
Holly Solomon was far more than a dealer or collector—she was a cultural catalyst whose discerning eye and audacious vision helped redefine the landscape of postwar American art. This remarkable collection reflects the legacy of an individual whose influence rippled far beyond the walls of her gallery, capturing the spirit of experimentation, collaboration, and conviction that characterized her life's work. Her personal collection traces the arc of a transformative force in contemporary art, one who not only nurtured talent but also fundamentally shifted the terms by which it was understood and celebrated.
Trained in drama and art history at Sarah Lawrence College and the Strasberg Institute, Holly's induction into the arts began through performance. Appearing in avant-garde films and serving as a muse to artists such as Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg, she quickly immersed herself in the radical energy of 1960's New York scene. However, it was her prescient instinct and remarkable commitment to emerging artists that distinguished her as one of the most visionary figures of her era. In 1969, Holly Solomon and her husband Horace established 98 Greene Street Loft in SoHo—a trailblazing experimental space that became a refuge for artists across disciplines. This venue launched artists like Gordon-Matta Clark, Laurie Anderson, Robert Mapplethorpe and Robert Kushner, among many other artists and poets, fostering a community that challenged traditional exhibition venues. Holly's involvement was deeply collaborative and hands-on — she provided not only a platform but a sense of creative permission.
With the opening of the Holly Solomon Gallery in 1975, her vision became a formalized and influential force in the art world. In an era dominated by Minimalism and Conceptualism, Solomon boldly advocated for what was then considered radical: pattern, decoration, narrative, and ornamentation. She welcomed genres like craft and folk art into the contemporary conversation, embracing materials and aesthetics such as embroidery, quilting, pattern and vibrant colors. Her support was neither fleeting nor transactional as she showcased works by pioneers of new media and championed artists like Nam June Paik, Judy Pfaff, William Wegman, Joe Zucker, Mary Heilmann and Valerie Jaudon among many other important figures from the period. William Wegman recalled fondly, "She was an original, as strong as a personality as any of her artists. She loved art and people. Her death, like Warhol's, leaves a gap." (as quoted in The New York Times, 9 June 2002).
Holly Solomon shaped not just exhibitions, but careers, movements, and artistic language. She cultivated deep, enduring relationships with artists—often acquiring works early in their careers, well before they were recognized by the market or institutions. Phyllis Kind, another innovative female dealer from the period expressed her admiration, "Holly was always exploring and experimenting, and when she found a focus, as she did with Pattern and Decoration, she really could make it happen. She was one of those dealers whose aesthetic judgments trickled down to us, the public. They came from the top." (as quoted in Hyperallergic, 1 Feb 2014). Her success was a testament to the transformative power of advocacy—of choosing to uplift the visionary and the unorthodox. The Collection of Holly Solomon is more than a gathering of exceptional works; it is a living archive of cultural courage. It honors the enduring impact of a woman who refused to follow convention and instead forged a new path—one that reshaped the art world from the inside out.
