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Boston, Mass – May 2, 2012 – Skinner, Inc. will auction prints, photographs, paintings and sculptures on Friday, May 18th in two sessions at its Boston gallery. The prints and photography portion of the sale will begin at 12 p.m.; paintings and sculptures at 4 p.m.
Fine Prints
Skinner continues to experience strong growth with multiples and works on paper. The upcoming sale will present an excellent assortment of prints and photography. A fine selection of modern & contemporary works will be offered, spearheaded by works of Roy Lichtenstein and Paul Klee.
The cover lot is Roy Lichtenstein’s Imperfect Diptych. From 1986 to 1988 Lichtenstein created a series of works that collectively came to be known as the Imperfect Series. Each work in the series features tangram-like geometric shapes, in which one element projects beyond the normal frame of composition. Lichtenstein often used a method known as overprinting to saturate colors; the Mylar elements in these collages have a clear coat overprint to maintain the reflective qualities of these saturated portions. Lichtenstein’s Imperfect Diptych (lot 79, estimated between $20,000 and $30,000) is the twenty-fourth work in the series and is an excellent example of the techniques used throughout the series.
Paul Klee’s Höhe! (Height!) of 1928 (lot 73, $50,000 to $70,000) demonstrates the artist’s iconic visual vocabulary of fine lines to create a dream-like and whimsical image.
African-American Artists
The sale also features an interesting group of fine paintings and prints by African-American artists such as Jacob Lawrence’s Lawyer’s and Clients (lot 76, $4,000 to $6,000) and an untitled color lithograph by Gene Davis (lot 37, $2,000 to $3,000). Also on offer are several paintings by Sam Gilliam including an acrylic and pastel on canvas entitled Iceland I (lot 510, $20,000 to $30,000), and an untitled abstract (lot 509, $2,000 to $3,000).
Photography
Ansel Adams’s The Tetons and the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming (lot 158, $35,000 to $45,000) represents one of many photography highlights. This work demonstrates Adams’s magnificent use of burning and dodging techniques to create the rich look of his iconic landscapes.
Adams inspired another photographer featured in the sale: Eliot Porter. A chance meeting with Adams and a subsequent meeting with Alfred Stieglitz, prompted Porter to abandon a career as a research biologist to pursue photography. He eventually became a pioneer in dye transfer prints. Porter’s Certain Passages (lot 171, $3,500 to $4,000)is a portfolio comprised of eight landscapes that descended through the family of the artist. Harry Callahan’s Eleanor (lot 161, $12,000 to $18,000), an image of his muse, will also be offered.
Fine Paintings and Sculpture
Fine paintings on offer range from Old Masters through contemporary works. Works from the 18th and 19th centuries include a strong group of Dutch and German masters by artists including Jan Jacob Spohler, Hermann Herzog, Richard Zimmermann, and Hermann Baisch. Other highlights include a portrait attributed to Allan Ramsay (lot 208, $10,000 to $15,000) titled Portrait of a Lady Holding a Book of Verse, Eugène Louis Lami’s Equestrian Portrait of Louis Phillippe, King of France, 1830 (lot 210, $18,000 to $22,000), and Awaiting the Master by Wouterus Verschuur I (lot 244, $12,000 to $18,000).
Karel Appel’s Presque Une Joie (lot 517, $80,000 to $100,000) leads the 20th century works. The composition makes use of Appel’s signature texture: a thick impasto, often with paint applied directly from the tube. While the present work is not explicitly figurative, its title [“Almost a Joy”] refers to the human condition in terms of melancholy. For Appel, despair was always a counterpart to joy, but the speed with which it could change from one to the other was emblematic of the modern world. Two Op-Art pieces by Victor Vasarely (lots 528 & 529, both $25,000 to $35,000) are also offered.
A bronze cast by Georg Kolbe, Skizze zu Wolkenfahrt, (lot 501, $40,000 to $50,000) depicting Dante’s tragic lovers, Paolo and Francesca, highlights the fine sculpture offered in the sale.
Previews, Catalogue and Bidding
Previews for the auction will be held on Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 12 p.m.-5 p.m., and Thursday, May 17, 12 p.m.-8 p.m., and Friday, May 18, 8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Department director, Robin Starr, will offer a gallery walk of selected works on Thursday, May 17 at 5:30 p.m. in the Boston Gallery. To register, please visit: http://conta.cc/paintings-may17.
Illustrated catalogue #2598B is available from the subscription department at 508-970-3240. It is also available at the gallery. Prices realized will be available at www.skinnerinc.com during and after the sale. Skinner’s site also allows users to view all lots in the auctions, leave bids, order catalogues, and bid live in real-time through SkinnerLive!
About Skinner
Skinner, Inc. is one of the world’s leading auction houses for antiques and fine art. With expertise in over 20 specialty collecting areas, Skinner draws the interest of buyers from all over the world and its auctions regularly achieve world record prices. Skinner provides a broad range of auction and appraisal services, and it is widely regarded as one of the most trusted names in the auction business. Skinner’s appraisal experts regularly appear on the PBS-TV series, Antiques Roadshow, and its specialty departments include American Furniture & Decorative Arts, American & European Works of Art, European Furniture & Decorative Arts, 20th Century Design, Fine Ceramics, Fine Silver, Fine Jewelry, Couture, Fine Musical Instruments, Asian Works of Art, Fine Wines, Rare Books & Manuscripts, Oriental Rugs & Carpets, American Indian & Ethnographic Art, Fine Judaica, Antique Motor Vehicles, Toys, Dolls & Collectibles, Discovery and Science, Technology & Clocks. Skinner galleries are located in Boston and Marlborough, Mass. For more information on upcoming auctions and events, visit Skinner’s web site www.skinnerinc.com.
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Contacts
- Robin Starr, Director of American & European Works of Art, 508-970-3259, rstarr@skinnerinc.com
- Kate de Bethune, Director of Marketing, 508-970-3231, kdebethune@skinnerinc.com
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