Modern Sculptures by Henry Moore, Michael Glancy, Toshiko Takaezu, and More at Showplace

The upcoming sale from Auctions at Showplace will present nearly 150 lots of fine art and design. Modern sculptures are particularly well-represented in the catalog, with notable examples from the likes of Henry Moore and Michael Glancy. Here are some of the key modern sculpture lots in this upcoming event. 

Henry Moore

Henry Moore’s Reclining Figure from 1983 is among the top modern sculpture lots in this auction (lot #5; estimate: USD 60,000 – $80,000). This patinated bronze sculpture depicts a nude woman propping herself up from a resting position with an elbow. The work is notable for its smooth, curved lines that evoke a mountainous landscape. 

Moore was among the most famous and successful British sculptors of the 20th century. He worked primarily in cast bronze and marble. Born in Yorkshire in 1898, Henry Moore studied art formally but was most strongly influenced by European and Aztec sculpture techniques that he observed in museums. A lasting interest in family groups, reclining forms, and ambiguous curves defined his career. 

Michael Glancy

Boreal Inner Star X, a 2013 glass and copper modern sculpture by Michael Glancy, is another notable piece in this Showplace sale (lot #19; estimate: $15,000 – $25,000). This contemporary, textured piece is composed of engraved Pompeii-cut glass with a spiky bronze overlay. A curved, globular vessel rests on a flat acrylic stand, which provides a matching base for the sculpture. 
Michael Glancy was a native of Detroit, Michigan. He actively worked with glass for 40 years and counted Dale Chihuly as an early mentor. In addition to his glassworking, Glancy experimented with electroforming– a metalworking technique that delivers highly detailed metal forms. He drew inspiration from the macro and micro scales of the natural world. “Michael Glancy’s work is aesthetic, it is scientific, and it might be considered as growing, literally by hand, from a near-molecular vision,” wrote Tina Oldknow, former Curator of the Corning Museum of Glass. “Beginning with cell-like patterns and arcane notations jotted on paper, Michael‘s objects slowly acquire form and texture, shaped and revealed by cutting, sandblasting, and the application of copper. New forms are then made from existing forms, and the evolution continues.”

Ursula von Rydingsvard 

A 1993 graphite and paint on wood sculpture by Ursula von Rydingsvard will also come under the hammer in this sale (lot #37; estimate: $6,000 – $8,000). This is a wall-mounted piece titled Grzebyk IV, or Comb IV. Like many of von Rydingsvard’s works, this piece utilizes carefully positioned wood pieces to create amorphous forms. 

Born in Germany to Polish and Ukrainian parents during World War II, Ursula von Rydingsvard studied art after immigrating to the United States. While her works are abstract, their forms suggest autobiographical and emotional undertones upon closer inspection. Her largest sculptures rise organically from the ground, built by layering pieces of graphite-blackened cedar. Von Rydingsvard’s works intentionally avoid description, labels, and language, instead seeking to visualize the indescribable. 

Toshiko Takaezu 

Several vases and closed forms by influential American ceramicist Toshiko Takaezu will also be available in this upcoming sale. Notable among them is a stoneware closed form with a white and gray matte glaze (lot #83; estimate: $3,000 – $5,000). The piece stands 7.5 inches high and 5.5 inches wide. It bears the artist’s initials carved on the bottom. 

Takaezu grew up in Hawaii and began working with ceramics during the Great Depression. She specialized in closed pots that served aesthetic rather than functional purposes. Takaezu intended to conceal the inner world of her vessels, allowing their outsides to speak to her vision. 

These modern sculptures and assorted works of fine art, jewelry, furniture, and more will be available with Auctions at Showplace on October 20, 2024 at 12:00 PM EDT. Interested collectors may bid live and online through Bidsquare. Find additional coverage of this and other events on Auction Daily.