Wesselmann and Smithson works from the Estate of Mimi Kazon
Freeman’s | Hindman is honored to present salient works from the distinguished collection and Estate of Mimi Kazon in Park Avenue, New York. Mimi Kazon, a lifelong supporter and friend of artists and creatives, amassed a meaningful collection of Post War works during her lifetime, demonstrating the breadth and depth of her collecting activity and singular passion.
From spending the summer season in Springs in East Hampton–an enclave for artists, particularly those associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement–to regularly attending gallery shows in Manhattan and museum exhibitions at The Museum of Modern Art, Mimi Kazon developed a deft eye for extraordinary, often intimately scaled works of art. Indeed, we are particularly excited to present two exceptional works from the Estate of Mimi Kazon by Tom Wesselmann and Robert Smithson in our May 13 Post War and Contemporary Sale in New York.
Tom Wesselmann’s Little Great American Nude #10, 1961, exemplifies his pioneering approach to representing the female form in Post War American art. This oil and collage on panel, part of his Great American Nude series, is intimate in scale and audacious in the subject, reflecting Wesselmann’s bold embrace of sensuality, American iconography, and the visual language of popular culture.
Lot 22 | Tom Wesselmann (American, 1931-2004) | Little Great American Nude #10, 1961 |
Estimate: $60,000 - 100,000
Emerging in the early 1960s alongside contemporaries such as Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselmann was a key figure in the Pop Art movement, though his work diverged through its overt eroticism and painterly lushness. In Little Great American Nude #10, a reclining female figure is rendered in flat swathes of pinks and reds, surrounded by domestic details such as patterned wallpaper, fruit, and a mirror. The figure operates simultaneously as an object of desire and as a symbol–both critiquing and celebrating Post War American ideals of femininity, beauty, and comfort. The integration of cultural markers, including a flag-inspired curtain and campy décor, firmly situates the nude within a distinctly American context, reflecting Wesselmann’s fascination with the consumerist American dream and its imagery.
The Great American Nude series–particularly early, smaller works like this–redefined traditional depictions of the nude in art. Rather than shying away from sexuality, Wesselmann embraced it fully, transforming the body into a bold, stylized emblem of American culture. In doing so, he both acknowledged the conventions of the Western art tradition and simultaneously disrupted them.
Lot 1 | Robert Smithson (American, 1938–1973) | Ziggurat Mirror, 1966 | Estimate: $10,000 - 15,000
Produced in 1966, Robert Smithson’s Ziggurat Mirror is a lesser-known but conceptually rich work that aligns with his broader explorations of entropy, mirrors, surfaces, and ancient architectural forms. Although not as widely discussed as his iconic Spiral Jetty, Ziggurat Mirror taps into many of the salient themes that define his overall practice. Indeed, the reflective surfaces stand vertically, providing a shimmering reflective surface that overlaps itself and conveys Smithson’s interest in experimentation with layering mirrors and glass to produce a complex yet remarkably beautiful three-dimensional form.
Among the other highlights from the Estate are notable works by Richard Anuszkiewicz, Roy Lichtenstein, and Willem de Kooning, further underscoring Mimi Kazon's defining taste.