The Drawing Center
Timed Auction

2026 Benefit Auction: "The World Is The Work"

Tue, Sep 29, 2026 12:00PM EDT - Wed, Oct 14, 2026 12:00PM EDT
  2026-09-29 12:00:00 2026-10-14 12:00:00 America/New_York Drawing Center Drawing Center : 2026 Benefit Auction: "The World Is The Work" https://auction.drawingcenter.org/auctions/the-drawing-center/2026-benefit-auction-the-world-is-the-work-24728
This year's benefit auction and exhibition, "The World Is The Work", brings together artists, curators, and art lovers from The Drawing Center's community. Each guest curator will present a selection of five or more works on paper by artists they admire. Works will be on view at The Drawing Center from October 7 through October 11, and will be available for purchase through a silent auction benefiting The Drawing Center and participating artists. Bidding will begin on September 29 at 12:00 pm ET and end on October 14 at 12:00 pm ET. The Drawing Center rbrickman@drawingcenter.org
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Melle van Herwaarden, "Untitled (Tom) I", 2026
Timed Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot
Lot 142A

Melle van Herwaarden, "Untitled (Tom) I", 2026

Estimate: $4,500 - $4,500
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Starting Bid
$2,750
[0 Bids]Bidding History
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Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $50
$200 $200
$1,000 $300
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $3,000
$50,000 $5,000
$100,000 $10,000

 

Melle van Herwaarden

Untitled (Tom) I, 2026

Ink on Paper

15 3/4 x 20 1/2 inches (40 x 52 cm)

Courtesy of Andrew Dubow

 

Selected by The Drawing Center

 

Melle van Herwaarden (b. 1995, the Netherlands) graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam, in 2020, where he studied VAV, Moving Image. Recent exhibitions include The Vandals, Gladstone Gallery, New York (2026); Moments of Being, Jeremy Scholar, London (2026); and Flemishness, CFA and velo project, Milan (2025). His work has also been exhibited at Paulina Caspari, Munich. Working predominantly in figurative painting, van Herwaarden’s practice centres on the human figure and its surroundings, often drawing upon friends and family as subjects.

 

Untitled (Tom) belongs to an ongoing series of works depicting Tom, a recurring subject within van Herwaarden’s practice. Across these paintings, repetition becomes a means of understanding: the same individual is encountered through different poses, settings and moments, resisting the possibility of a single, definitive portrait.

 

Here, Tom is shown in profile, his gaze directed beyond the picture plane. The restrained, almost monochromatic palette draws attention to subtle shifts of light across the face and neck, while the muted background leaves the figure suspended without a clearly defined setting.

 

Familiarity in this work does not necessarily produce certainty; instead, sustained attention reveals something more elusive, the quiet unknowability that can remain even between people who know one another well.

Overall Dimensions
Height: 15.75 in
Width: 20.50 in

Artworks purchased at the auction will be available for pickup at The Drawing Center beginning on October 19, 2026. Wrapping of the artwork is provided.

Please call ahead (212.219.2166 x216) to let us know when you plan to come pick up your work.

Shipping is the responsibility of the purchaser. Upon request, our staff will provide a list of shippers who deliver to destinations within the United States and overseas.