Top-100 artists:
We use our proprietary AI - LiveArt Estimate™ to calculate current market value for each artwork. Based on this data LiveArt is able to provide numerous insights into artist and artwork financial performance, including:
See the measure of artist investment performance relative to risk. A higher ratio suggests better risk-adjusted returns, indicating more consistent performance with less risk.
Explore the most prolific periods in an artist's career based on artwork production volume and current market value. It also segments these periods by category, offering insights into when the most valuable pieces were created in each category.
Free to sign up. No credit card required.
| Image | Last Sale Date | Title | Edition No. | Last Sale | Last Sale Auction House | Last Sale Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 16, 2011 | Evolution of the Minotaur | 3 | Bonhams | London | |||
sculpture
170 cm (66.93 in)
bronze with a grey/light green patina
signed with initials and numbered 'MA 3/3' (on the base)
C.P. Snow, Michael Ayrton, Drawings and Sculpture, Cory, Adams & Mackay, 1966, no.142 (another cast ill.b&w.) Peter Cannon-Brookes, Michael Ayrton, An Illustrated Commentary, Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery, 1978, no.160, p.92 (another cast ill.b&w.) Following a visit to Italy in 1947, Ayrton's paintings became more sculptural, until with some practical guidance from Henry Moore, he began to sculpt and cast in bronze. Working trips to Italy and Greece immersed him in the ancient classical myths, particularly that of Daedalus, Icarus and the Minotaur in its labyrinth. He continued to explore these myths in his art for the rest of his career. Ayrton's Minotaurs become more tragic the more human they are. The anguish and plight of this half-man half-beast is tangible in the present lot. It has been described as the 'climax' of the group he made using a gorilla-like head as opposed to a bull. With arms raised and covering his eyes, the minotaur bares teeth in a painfully silent scream. The sheer presence of this lifesize work demands an emotive response in the viewer, more than any other.
