British painter in demand Flora Yukhnovitchknown for her floral canvases who draws inspiration from both the traditions of French Rococo, Italian Baroque and Abstract Expressionism, is the latest artist to sign with Hauser and Wirth.
“Flora is an artist with a remarkable creative vision who defines her own language of painting to evoke a fascinating universe. There is an undeniable force and energy in her work. She explores the history of art while applying conceptual rigor in considering a wide range of cultural references ranging from 18th century painting to the present day,” gallery president Iwan Wirth said in a statement.
In addition to her new representation at Hauser and Wirth, Yukhnovich has shown with Victoria Miro in London since 2021.
Yukhnovich will debut with the mega gallery with a solo exhibition in Los Angeles in 2024. She also has a solo exhibition »Ashmolean Now: Flora Yukhnovich x Daniel Crews-Chubb”, opening next month at AshmoleanOxford.
Flora Yukhnovitch, Puff (2022). Photo courtesy of Hauser and Wirth.
Born in London in 1990, Yukhnovich received her master’s degree at the City and Guilds of London Art School in 2017. She was still in school when she began attracting a following on Instagram for her dreamlike, swirling pastel compositions, dubbed with distinctive titles like Hot, wet and wild, I will have what she hasAnd Maybe she was born with it.
Its first dealer, Matt Watkins of Paraffin in London, took her straight out of art school after spotting her work on the social media platform.
Since April 2021, the artist has auctioned off 37 lots, all of which have sold, including 10 for more than $1 million, according to the Artnet Price Database. The first couple were small works on paper that performed well above their estimates, but barely made the headlines.
Flora Yukhnovitch, Lipstick, lip gloss, Hickeys too (2022). Photo courtesy of Hauser and Wirth.
Then came the first oil painting, offered at Phillips New York in June with a modest estimate of $60,000 to $80,000. It sold for $1.17 million, an increase of 1,374%. Yukhnovich market took off from therewith the £2.25 million ($3 million) I will have what she has at Sotheby’s London, and another nearly seven-figure sale at Christie’s London, both in October 2021.
Its current auction record stands at £2.69 million ($3.6 million), set at Sotheby’s London in March 2022. This year’s results have been slightly less explosive, the most expensive of the six lots on offer to date selling for £939,800 ($1.13 million).
“I am thrilled to join Hauser and Wirth,” Yukhnovich said in a statement. “I have long admired so many of the artists in the gallery – from the painters Maria Lassnig to Pat Steir, to those who work more conceptually, such as Pipilotti Rist and Roni Horn – and I am honored to be part of such a list.
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