Diego Rivera (Mexican, 1886-1957) Portrait of a Woman Holding a Child, Possibly The Mexican Mart

Description:

Diego Rivera (Mexican, 1886-1957)

Portrait of a Woman Holding a Child, Possibly The Mexican Mart
Signed and dated "Diego Rivera 1934" l.r.
Watercolor and conté crayon on Japan paper, sheet size approx. 15 x 11 in. (38.1 x 27.9 cm),framed.
Condition: Subtle rippling/paper irregularities, sandwiched between window mat and backing sheet.

Provenance: Collection of David L. Neumann (b. 1902),long-time Santa Fe dealer and scholar on Navajo turquoise, Navajo silversmithing, and American Spanish Colonial crafts. Following his graduation from the University of Michigan in 1925, Neumann attended the Académie Julian and resided in Paris's Montparnasse. Around 1928, Neumann returned to the United States, where he traveled extensively through the American Southwest, trading on reservations and in Mexico in the 1930s and 1940s. From 1932 to 1954, Neumann contributed a series of articles to the venerable El Palacio magazine on the status of Navajo Indian silverwork.

Photographer Manuel Álvarez Bravo documented the work of Mexican mural painters including Diego Rivera. While the subject of the present work is unknown, it may depict a patron at Neumann's retail shop in Miami, Florida, called "The Mexican Mart," which he operated from the early to mid-1930s.

N.B. Eight gelatin silver prints (seven by Bravo, two stamped and five unstamped) including one depicting the present work inscribed "Mr. David Newman [sic]--/'The Mexican Mart' Oct-9-34." on the reverse, accompany the lot.
Estimate $10,000-15,000

The edges of the sheet are not visible as the front mat is affixed to the backing mat all the way around, although the sheet itself is rippled so it is not laid down. There are no other issues to report.

All seven of the photographs by Bravo depict Diego Rivera works; the eighth photograph by an unidentified photographer depicts a work by Carlos Camarra.


The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Condition requests can be obtained via email (lot inquiry button) or by telephone to the appropriate gallery location (Boston/617.350.5400 or Marlborough/508.970.3000). Any condition statement given, as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Skinner Inc. shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.

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