David Wojnarowicz was a multifaceted artist known for works that put the AIDS epidemic at the forefront of New York contemporary art, such as his iconic images from the documentary film Silence = Death and the monumental installation Lazaretto. Wojnarowicz was no stranger to the specter of death before his own AIDS diagnosis in the late 1980s. He had lived in New York’s East Village since 1978 and saw how AIDS ravaged his community and forced tragedy and trauma into their lives. In 1987, only 10 months after being diagnosed, Peter Hujar, Wojnarowicz’s partner and mentor, died of AIDS-related complications. This devastating loss to Wojnarowicz’s circle and the art world at large spurred the artist into a heightened state of activism.  

Our August 13, 2020 LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History sale features a superb run of rare works by the artists.

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David Wojnarowicz Early Works

Before becoming a political activist, Wojnarowicz’s work embodied the spirit of the unapologetic social outsider. As a teenager, Wojnarowicz lived on the streets of New York and spent time in Times Square alongside hustlers. He hitchhiked across the country multiple times and his ideas were as diverse and authentic as the people he had met along the way. His early work, like his Stoned Sketchbook, shows his penchant for highlighting the humor in society’s ironies.

He identified with Arthur Rimbaud, a nineteenth-century poet whose works exemplified individualism and the search for freedom from society. Wojnarowicz’s powerful Rimbaud series identifies the parallels between Rimbaud’s life and the contemporary queer underground in New York City.  

During the early 1980s, Wojnarowicz exhibited alongside other young East Village artists, such as Nan Goldin, Kiki Smith, and Keith Haring. His art was a conglomeration of empathy, humor, sensationalism, and a sense of community. Much of his early work incorporated found objects like scraps of paper, labels, and advertising posters. His materials coincided with his commitment to portray alternative politics, sexualities, and lifestyles which were discarded by the mainstream. It was not until he was selected for the 1985 Whitney Biennial that he gained international recognition, showing his works throughout the United States, Europe and Latin America.  

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David Wojnarowicz & the AIDS Crisis

Once Peter Hujar was diagnosed with AIDS, Wojnarowicz drew attention to the suffering felt by so many others by photographing Hujar in varying states of decline. This tender, moving series put a spotlight on the agony of AIDS and the loss of an important young contemporary. Wojnarowicz’s work became more politicized after Hujar’s diagnosis and death. The same boldness and candor that captured the attention of the international art world gave a new voice to the ongoing AIDS crisis. However, Wojnarowicz’s most ambitious installation was intended to be uncredited.  

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Lazaretto

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In the summer of 1990, Wojnarowicz and artist Paul Marcus were drawing caricatures on a paper tablecloth at a local café. These caricatures of political figures morphed into a “ship of fools” inspired by Hieronymus Bosch’s same-titled oil painting. The two artists knew that they wanted Senator Jesse Helms included on the ship and after a few meetings at a local East Village coffee shop, the idea of an entire installation materialized.  

Reflecting the gravity of the disease, the installation Wojnarowicz and Marcus envisioned would be unforgettable and monumental. Susan Pyzow, Marcus’s wife, joined in the collaboration and titled the exhibition Lazaretto for how society callously quarantined AIDS victims without concern or sympathy. Friends observed that Wojnarowicz especially worked feverishly to bring the installation to fruition as his body weakened by the day. Unbeknownst to Marcus and Pyzow, Wojnarowicz had been diagnosed with AIDS. As the exhibition opening neared, Marcus took on much of the responsibility for construction.  

With firsthand knowledge of the horrors of AIDS, Wojnarowicz and Marcus began to collect accounts from community members fighting the disease. These stories of injustice, pain, and loss of dignity were plastered on the walls of a constructed claustrophobic maze within the installation. Not only did the maze include these messages of despair and trauma, but it also consisted of black plastic walls that simulated body bags. Viewers would be forced to meet the harrowing experiences of the victims head-on as they navigated through it. A sickroom littered with pill bottles, garbage, and the refuse of a former life was constructed at the end of the maze. A skeleton of a young Black Latinx woman lay in a cot while daytime programs played on a television, reflecting how society, unmoved, ignored the decimation. At the center of the installation was the “ship of fools” ferrying grotesques of President George H.W. Bush, Cardinal O’Connor, and Senator Jesse Helms, all dressed in Ku Klux Klan hoods made of bills, across a blood-red sea of desperately reaching human hands and blocks spelling out victims’ names. The figures were caught in incriminating acts: Bush caught the severed hands with a fishing net while grinning and Cardinal O’Connor toasted the carnage with a glass of blood. Perhaps the most horrifying figure was Helms, who was devouring a Black infant, a comment on how minorities are especially ignored and marginalized when seeking HIV/AIDS treatment. A skeletal Christ-like figure with a crown of hypodermic needles was roped to the ship’s mast. Surrounding the ship were hundreds of plaster cast arms with numbers on the forearms representing the ghosts of the deceased reaching out to the viewers. Drawing this reference from the Holocaust, the AIDS pandemic was compared to a genocide of the LGBTQ+ community and other at-risk groups which purposefully lacked a response from the most powerful institutions. 

In cruel irony, Louie Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” blared in the background, and a jabbering Howdy Doody puppet danced in a case among dollar bills. The ship all at once represented the politics, discrimination, homophobia, and profit behind inaction, the immorality that lurks behind a moral façade, and the profound suffering as the end result. Outside of the elaborate exhibition were free supplies of condoms, needle kits, and informative pamphlets.  The artists offered parts of the exhibition for sale with proceeds and donations benefiting AIDS organizations. The boat from the installation was never sold and was destroyed after the exhibition’s tour.  

The artists presented Lazaretto anonymously. Though Wojnarowicz’s name would bring attention, it was felt that even more would be garnered by remaining nameless. The exhibition opened at P.P.O.W. on September 6 and ran through September 29, 1990. It was beyond impactful and was extremely well received by the public; admission lines wrapped around the block. The installation traveled nationally before ending its tour at the Art at the Armory: Occupied Territory show at the Chicago Avenue National Guard Armory organized by the Museum of Modern Art in Chicago, during which time Wojnarowicz tragically passed away from AIDS-related complications on July 22, 1992, but not without a legacy. On voicing his beliefs, Wojnarowicz had once stated, “I think what I really fear about death is the silencing of my voice. I feel this incredible pressure to leave something of myself behind.” Eventually, the Lazaretto artists’ names were revealed but the public outcry for a human response to the crisis and the activism spurred by the exhibition were already set in motion.

The ever abused statue of a small neighborhood in Queens dedicated to a soldier who participated in the Trail of Tears.

Winfield was a small town in Queens, now absorbed by its larger neighbor, Woodside. It was developed by entrepreneurs G.G. Andrews and J.F. Kendall in 1854 and named for General Winfield Scott, who fought in the War of 1812; the Black Hawk War; carried out the command of his commander-in-chief Andrew Jackson and forcibly relocated the Cherokees in the incident known as the “Trail of Tears”; commanded U.S. forces in the Mexican War; ran for President under the Whig banner in 1852, losing to Franklin Pierce; and returned to the military when the Civil War broke out, living long enough to see the Union victory. Scott had moved into a townhouse on W. 12^th St. in New York City in 1853, and was a New Yorker when the small development in Queens was given his name.

The war memorial was crafted by Italian sculptor James Novelli (1865-1940) and honors seven soldiers from Winfield who perished in World War I. Dedicated in 1926, it depicts an allegorical representation of Victory wearing a laurel crown and carrying a sword in her right hand and a shield on her left. On the marble stele she stands upon is carven the names of the seven Winfield heroes.

When the memorial was constructed, 65^th Pl. and Laurel Hill Blvd. was a moderately-traveled city crossroads, but the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway was constructed along Laurel Hill Blvd. in the late-1950s and the memorial was then at a very busy corner, as there’s an expressway exit nearby. It was hit by cars numerous times and was decapitated in 1989. It was also attacked by air pollution and graffiti vandals.

Finally, the memorial was hit by a car in 2001 and knocked onto the expressway, which necessitated a 10-year absence from the corner while the Parks Department once again rebuilt it and reinstalled it in 2011. Today, it’s well-protected by traffic bollards. 

The Roman Catholic parish of St. Mary’s was established in Winfield in 1854, the first year of the development, and for many years was the “go-to” church for Roman Catholics in western Queens until other parishes could be established. At first the church had a predominantly German-speaking congregation. As is typical of Catholic parishes in New York City, a small town developed surrounding the church, with rectories (priests’ residences), cenacles (nuns’ residences) and parish grade schools; St. Mary’s, built in 1915 and boasting marvelous ecclesiastical lettering on its signage, still stands on 47^th Ave., though it’s now leased to other schools. St. Mary’s Church was rebuilt in a modern structure in 1957.

This forlorn-looking intersection at 48^th Ave. and 72^nd St. by the Long Island Rail Road was once the location of Winfield’s LIRR station, located at the spot where the Port Washington branch separates from the main line going to Jamaica. The station was considered redundant due to its nearness to the Woodside complex, and was eliminated during the latter’s grade crossing elimination and elevation above Roosevelt Ave. below the new IRT elevated to Corona in 1915-1916. Later, other local stations on the Port Washington branch, Elmhurst and Corona, were also eliminated; recent rumblings about rebuilding the Elmhurst station on Broadway and Dongan Ave. about a mile east of here were quietly tabled.

New York’s not primarily a railroading town, not in the league of Chicago or Denver, for example. Goods get in and out of New York City mainly by truck, even though there are dreams of a rail freight tunnel crossing Upper New York Bay that would help to alleviate NYC’s crushing truck traffic.

The New York Connecting Railroad runs from the Oak Point freight yards in Hunts Point, Bronx, southwest through Port Morris, south through Randall’s Island, southeast across the Hell Gate Bridge, and then generally southerly through Steinway, Woodside, Elmhurst, Middle Village and Glendale, to Fresh Pond yards where it meets a junction with the LIRR and New York and Atlantic railroads. Canadian Pacific and CSX freights generally make this run during the week, though there are occasional runs by the Providence and Worcester as well. Some mail trains run late at night.

The NYCR’s handsome masonry arches above Queens Blvd. were constructed in 1910, and are some of the finest examples of railroad infrastructure to be found around town. 

The site of Elmhurst Park was once the location of two KeySpan Newtown gasholders, a highway landmark popularly known from helicopter traffic reports as the “Elmhurst gas tanks.” With the support of the community, the site was sold by KeySpan (the former gas supplier) to the City of New York for $1 and was cleaned up and returned to the public as open space.

The park now features lush lawns, jogging paths, seating, sculpture, modern comfort stations, safety lighting, and more than 620 trees. The playground, designed for young children, is energy-themed, in keeping with the site’s history. Storm water at the site will be collected in an underground retention system to reduce the amount of water flowing into the sewer pipes in the street.

Since 2019, the park has also been home to Queens’ Vietnam Veterans Memorial after a lengthy 12-year development period. Inscribed on the memorial in the same type font as the famed Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington are the names of 371 Queens residents who perished in the 1960-1975 conflict.

—Kevin Walsh is the webmaster of the award-winning website Forgotten NY, and the author of the books Forgotten New York (HarperCollins, 2006) and also, with the Greater Astoria Historical Society, Forgotten Queens (Arcadia, 2013)

Following a blossoming of interest in the 1960s, Chinese export silver has never been more collectible than it is today. The demographics of the market, however, have changed. The days of American collectors ruling the roost has given way to Chinese collectors, demonstrating their willingness to out-pay and outbid all others.

The definition of these wares is quite limited in scope: items using silver mined in China, as well as silver acquired through the opium trade, maritime trade, and through Western flatware and foreign currency. With material originating from varied sources, the standard purity of Chinese export silver ranges from about .840 to .980, unlike Sterling which is consistently .925. 

The span of manufacturing of the more collectible examples of Chinese export silver extends from the last quarter of the 18th century to the early 20th century, with roughly fifty known makers. Forms include tea ware and hollowware, vases and urns, goblets, candlesticks, flatware, card cases, boxes, and much more. Export silver became more commercial in quality after the first quarter of the 20th century, but production in older styles continues. 

Most pieces are repoussé in the round with scenes of dragons, figures in courtyard settings, battle scenes, and of a variety of vegetation. Most have hallmarks, some with Chinese characters, and many bearing the name of a silversmith firm or retail shop. Early on, silversmiths adopted the practice of stamping their pieces with pseudo-English hallmarks, possibly derived from flatware brought by foreign travelers to be copied by local craftsmen. As time went by, these hallmarks became more abbreviated into Western-style initials, and the examples sometimes bear the place of manufacture such as Canton, Hong Kong, Shanghai, or Beijing.

Many examples are engraved. Because of strong maritime trade, captains and crews often stayed for two to three months before returning, so numerous cups and bowls bear names, dates, and occasions including milestones, sporting tournaments, and as presentations for notable events.

Desirability and quality go hand in hand. The pieces showing the highest definition to faces, buildings, and foliage are in far greater demand than those with softer details. Prices overall can span, for small boxes, napkin rings, and novelties from $200-500, to large and elaborate urns and vases in the $20,000-40,000 range.

For further exploration, there are several good books and catalogs on the subject including Chinese Export Silver by H.A. Crosby Forbes, The Silver Age – Origins and Trade of Chinese Export Silver at Hong Kong Maritime Museum, and The Chait Collection of Chinese Export Silver, and information can also be found in old auction catalogs and records of permanent exhibitions at a variety of institutions including the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.

TOWSON, MD — July 16, 2020 – Baltimore-based Auctioneer Alex Cooper will host a two-day Gallery Auction on Thursday, July 23rd and Saturday, July 25th, featuring an expansive collection of modern and contemporary art, a capsule collection by Nathaniel K. Gibbs, fine jewelry, sterling silver, currency, fine rugs, period, mid-century modern, quality reproduction and period furniture, and decorative arts.

Lot 1011, Attb. John Singer Sargent. Boy with Flute, Charcoal; Estimate $10,000-$15,000

The auction is headlined by two stunning works attributed to the artist John Singer Sargent, Turkish Baths, oil on canvas, c.1891, and Boy with Flute, charcoal drawing on paper, 1891. Both works were accepted by Elizabeth Oustinoff, American Associate of the the John Singer Sargent Catalogue Raisonne directed by Richard Ormond and were examined by the Raisonne vetting committee on October 2, 2019.  The pieces remain under academic review by the Raisonne committee.  Turkish Baths, was additionally inspected and tested by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, New York, NY, on November 21, 2019.

Lot 1010, Attb. John Singer Sargent. Turkish Baths, Oil on canvas; Estimate $30,000-$50,000

The pieces have long been owned by one family out of the Chicago area and were acquired in the early part of the 20th century as part of a much larger collection of works. Turkish Baths, lot 1010, is being offered at an estimate of $30,000-$50,000 and Boy with Flute, lot 1011, is offered with an estimate of $10,000-$15,000. Both pieces are signed.

“We are very pleased to offer these important works at our auction,” said Paul Cooper, Vice President of Alex Cooper. “We look forward to assisting these impressive pieces in finding their new home.”

The Thursday, July 23rd, auction will begin promptly at 12 noon EST; the Saturday, July 25th, auction will begin at 10 am EST. These auctions will take place at Alex Cooper Auctioneers, located at 908 York Road in Towson, Maryland.

Evoking the storied walls of English estates and the gilded halls of French chateaux, our July 21 European Lifestyle auction gathers together the decorative and intellectual traditions of Britain and the Continent with a selection of fine art, furniture, decorative arts, and ephemera that recall the luxury and leisure of the country house.

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Featuring themes relating to philosophical, equestrian, pastoral, and leisurely pursuits, this sale includes fine porcelain and ceramics, furniture from the Baroque through Neoclassical periods; landscape pictures, portraits and Old Master drawings; sculpture; historical and literary volumes; and refined objects and accessories for entertaining and embellishing home and garden.

Allow us to lead you through a wandering, wistful tour of the erstwhile halls and sumptuous rooms of a bygone era.

The Parlor

“The cup of tea on arrival at a country house is a thing which, as a rule, I particularly enjoy. I like the crackling logs, the shaded lights, the scent of buttered toast, the general atmosphere of leisured cosiness”

—P.G. Wodehouse, The Code of the Woosters, 1938

The parlor could be considered the heart of the home, where one luxuriates in the comfort of upholstered furniture and soft carpets warmed by a roaring fire.  Well suited to enjoying witty repartee over a game of cards or a cup of tea, a lady might spend her afternoon in the parlor sketching portraits or writing letters, her fine penmanship illuminated by the soft glint of candlelight reflected from the polished wood and gilt surfaces of her secirétaire.

Lot 73 | Jan Frans van Dael (Flemish, 1764-1840) A Still Life of Roses, Peonies, and Other Flowers on a Ledge, oil on panel, $25,000-40,000

Jan Frans van Dael was one of the most highly regarded still life painters in Paris during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Originally from Antwerp, the artist moved to Paris in 1786, and by 1793 he was appointed the official painter to the Court. Louis XVIII, Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais and Marie Louise were among his greatest patrons, each owning several of his works. The present painting is a magnificent example of Van Dael’s mastery at capturing fresh flowers in a bright but soft light against a characteristic dark background, a manner he inherited from fellow countryman  Gerard van Spaendonck (1746–1822), and that remains oblivious to the more scientific concerns of his generation.

Lot 78 | A Louis XV style gilt-bronze mounted marquetry and parquetry mahogany and kingwood cabinet, François Linke (French, 1955-1946), Paris, circa 1900, $4,000-6,000

This Louis XV style kingwood and mahogany cabinet by François Linke, circa 1900, demonstrates the full artistry of the master ébéniste’s lavish work in marquetry and gilt-bronze, so emblematic of the opulence of the Belle Époque.  An original drawing by Linke relating to this model is illustrated in Christopher Payne, François Linke, 1955-1946, The Belle Époque of French Furniture.