Phillips’ New Now: Modern & Contemporary Art sale on Wednesday, 25 September, is slated to kick off the live auction season in New York with an impressive selection of works that showcase the very best of contemporary art today alongside work by artists who have come to define the 20th century zeitgeist. Among the nearly 260 lots of the sale, highlights include works by George Condo, Sean Scully, and Manolo Valdés. A portion of the proceeds from a group of 7 important lots will benefit Noise for now, including works by Cindy Sherman, Kon Trubkovich, and Francesca DiMattio, among others. Founded in 2017, Noise for now is a non-profit with the goal of providing and protecting reproductive healthcare for those across the United States. Leading up to the auction, Phillips will host an exhibition of all the works in the sale at 432 Park Avenue, which will be open to the public from 16-25 September.

Avery Semjen, specialist, head of New Now, New York, said, “Phillips’ New Now: Modern & Contemporary Art auctions have become a highly anticipated moment in the sale calendar and our team is proud to have assembled such a strong sale to commence our live auction season in New York. The works included in the September auction have a wonderful dialogue between them, with many of the artists reinterpreting traditional themes in ways that support their own voice and vision. We are also honored to play a role in supporting Noise for now’s urgent and critical mission through the sale of 7 works in the auction. We encourage our community to keep the organization’s goal of reproductive justice in mind as you place your bids on 25 September".

Among the top lots of the auction is George Condo's Stepmonk’s Diary, a monumental six-foot work on paper. The work exemplifies the artist's distinctive portraiture style, blending art historical references like Old Masters, Surrealism, and Cubism with pop culture. Known for his grotesque, cartoon-like figures, Condo's work challenges traditional representations of the human form, creating “antipodal beings” that blur the lines between familiar and foreign. His concept of “psychological cubism” presents multiple emotional states simultaneously in one figure. Executed in 1996, Stepmonk’s Diary features a faceless, dreamlike figure emerging from the artist's imagination, encapsulating Condo’s exploration of identity and psychological depth. With the work having been acquired by the present owner directly from the artist, Phillips’ September auction marks the first time that Stepmonk’s Diary is being offered publicly.

Sean Scully’s Untitled, 1991, marks a pivotal moment in the artist’s career, merging the stripes of his 1980s works with the checkerboard patterns that defined his early 1990s paintings. United by the soft blending of pastel colors, the composition juxtaposes vertical stripes with a red and black grid, creating a dynamic visual rhythm. Scully saw the checkerboard as a breakthrough, forcing him to paint “without direction,” unlike the structured nature of stripes. The work’s geometric forms are softened by gestural brushwork, capturing the tension between order and chaos. Influenced by Mexican architecture and Irish stone walls, Scully’s use of “bricks” evokes the passage of time, while his tonal palette reflects deeper emotional truths.

A promise of sunshine after the rain by Vaughn Spann exemplifies the artist's deep engagement with materiality and color, using both to convey messages about race and power. Painted in 2021 as part of his Rainbow Paintings series, the work reflects on the tragic death of Trayvon Martin, with the rainbow symbolizing both the artificial colors of the candy Martin carried and a hopeful promise of better times. Spann’s inclusion of a black arc within the traditionally joyful rainbow speaks to the complexities of Black identity in America. Painted on terry cloth, the piece is also a nod to personal memories of folding towels with his grandmother, blending personal history with broader social commentary. Spann’s choice of medium combined with his altered depiction of a rainbow creates a work that invites myriad interpretations but ultimately stands alone as a poignant homage and hopeful emblem for the future.

Painted in 2018, Robin F. Williams' Joggers presents two stylized, larger-than-life figures set against a vibrant landscape, blending humor with a nod to art history. The six-foot-tall figures, rendered in a muted gray, contrast sharply with the electric greens, pinks, and oranges of their lush surroundings, creating an otherworldly effect. Williams describes her figures as "zombie nudes," reimagining classical and pop culture representations of the nude. With chiseled forms reminiscent of Baroque sculptures and an outdoor setting akin to Impressionist works by Cezanne, Joggers subverts traditional depictions of nudes. By including both male and female figures in motion, Williams challenges the historical objectification of the female nude and repositions the figures as active, rejecting the viewer’s gaze. This playful and thought-provoking work intertwines classical themes with contemporary commentary, creating a modern Garden of Eden.

Phillips will also offer a work by Daisy Parris in the September sale. Parris' I’d rather get no sleep next to you than sleep alone is a monumental 15-foot-wide painting that envelops the viewer in a warm, intimate atmosphere through its vivid, emotive strokes. Painted in 2022, the piece's loose, sweeping pigments – from royal blue to deep burgundy – evoke wildflowers in a watery terrain, using color to express the coexistence of opposing emotions—sweetness and brutality. Parris' work reflects on the extremes of human experience, exploring themes of flesh, blood, and tenderness. Featuring cut canvas pieces stitched with pops of color, the work embodies the artist's process of working through emotions and problem-solving. Through texture, depth, and a dynamic palette, they create a powerful emotional connection across the canvas.

Among the notable lots in the auction, Phillips is proud to offer a selection of 7 works from which a portion of the proceeds will benefit Noise for now. The non-profit organization was founded in 2017 to raise money and awareness for local organizations throughout the United States working to provide and protect reproductive healthcare, including abortion. The funds raised through Phillips’ auction will provide urgent and much-needed assistance to independent clinics and abortion funds that support those seeking important medical care. Among the lots in this section of the sale are Cindy Sherman’s Untitled, Kon Trubkovich’s Dance before my mirror 2, and Francesca DiMattio’s Sevres Mint Bench.