In its first stand-alone Western Art sale in Los Angeles, Bonhams highlights notable American works of fine art. Isleta, New Mexico by German-born American artist Walter Ufer is a leading lot. Ufer was known for his raw and un-romanticized compositions. In Isleta, Ufer shows young women in their everyday settings, unaware of the artist’s presence.
A sculpture by Cyrus Dallin is another key lot. Titled Appeal to the Great Spirit, the 22-inch bronze model is the 12th in an edition of 107. It depicts a Native American mounted on a horse. His palms face up and his head tilts back. A Bob Kuhn artwork titled Elephants in the African Veldt is available as well. It was possibly inspired by Kuhn’s discovery of the biggest bull elephant in the world. Interested Western Art collectors can view the full catalog or register to place a bid by visiting Bonhams.
Akiba Antiques will kick off March with fine art, Asian antiques, furniture, and more in this auction. Among the highlighted fine art pieces is an original spin painting by Damien Hirst. The artist’s spin paintings are known for their vibrant colors, accessibility, and playfulness. In 1993, Hirst even dressed up in full clown makeup and invited attendees of a fair to make their own spin paintings. This particular piece was made in 2012 with bright splotches of blue and red to the left and right.
Among the Asian antiques on offer is a tree made of Chinese jade and stone from the early to mid 20th century. The work’s 50 flowers range in colors and materials, including a chain of small turquoise flowers inching their way up the tree. Decorating the tree’s planter are several cranes surrounded by swirling clouds.
Elsewhere in the catalog, Asian antiques collectors will find a Japanese Satsuma porcelain charger. A samurai warrior stands in the foreground of this plate. Though his face, shoulders, and much of his armor are visible, his arms and legs are indistinguishable from a crowd of wise men who surround him. This piece is an example of late Satsuma ware, which was produced in 19th and 20th-century Japan with an eye toward Western tastes. Those interested in this or any other piece can register to bid on LiveAuctioneers.
A Steinway & Sons grand piano with a malachite finish will lead the second day of Lion and Unicorn’s upcoming auction. This Model M mahogany piano was crafted in 1916. Known as a “Medium Grand,” Model M pianos can be found in conservatories, practice rooms, and home studios. Gilt accents decorate the available Model M. Bidders can also consider a more traditional Kohler & Campbell grand piano with a polished ebony finish.
The upcoming auction also offers a selection of fine art. An oil painting by Taras Loboda is among the key items. Issued in 2014, this painting shows a pale nude figure partially submerged in water. The figure’s rippled reflection adds abstraction to the piece. Taras Loboda, a Ukrainian artist based in Prague, is known for his figures of melancholy women. Maxim Antipov has described this trend in Taras Loboda’s work: “[He creates a] world of obvious reservations, piercing reticence when everything is stopped half a step before understanding, a moment before the solution.”
An early 20th-century portrait of a young woman by Italian painter Giovanni Boldini is available alongside a more contemporary piece from Haitian artist Montas Antoine. The colorful, untitled painting by Antoine depicts a village scene in bright shades of green, orange, and teal. Find the full auction catalog and place a bid on Lion and Unicorn’s website.
Patek Philippe introduced the Calatrava dress watch in 1932. This wristwatch is best known for its elegant looks and simple design. The Calatrava continues to be one of the most popular Patek Philippe models. A brushed 18-karat gold Patek Philippe Calatrava wristwatch is among the highlights of the upcoming Fine Estate auction. It features gold brick links, a fold-over clasp, and applied baton hour markers.
Another noteworthy lot is a model of the Chantilly chateau built for Tiny Alice, a three-act play written by Edward Albee. Designed by the United Scenic Artists of New Jersey, the model measures approximately 17 feet long by 3.5 feet high. William Ritman (1928-1984), the set designer for the play’s American debut, also designed sets for several other Albee plays. Furniture collectors will find a Bohemian cabinet designed by Dan Pohl in the auction as well. Inspired by tramp art and Americana folk art, the cabinet is crafted with pine, turned spindles, and bobbins. Multi-hued, transparent paint decorates the exterior with Rococo swirls of paint on the inside. Primarily an oil painter, Pohl took up furniture design after decades of collecting. To view the auction’s complete catalog and register to bid online, visit Bidsquare.
Carl Julius Rudolf Moll (1861 – 1945) was among the founders of the Viennese Secession. Moll was a subtle painter, favoring a limited range of subjects that included interior scenes, landscapes, and still lifes rendered in muted colors. A recently rediscovered painting by Moll highlights Freeman’s upcoming European art and Old Masters auction. Executed in 1905, Weißes Interieur (White Interior) features art critic and writer Berta Zuckerkandl-Szeps. She wears a white gown and stands in the center of a decorated living room in Döbling, Vienna. She gazes away from the viewer, revealing only her back.
The European Art and Old Masters auction also highlights an unrecorded Pierre-Auguste Renoir still life painting titled Roses. It is part of a series of rose paintings that Renoir completed in his last years. Renoir, who started his career painting flowers on porcelain for the Sèvres workshop, returned to this subject throughout his life. The offered lot is rendered in a warm red, yellow, and brown palette. The available work comes with seven archival letters sent by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and his son, Jean Renoir. The event includes works by other 17th-century European Old Masters, including Valentin de Boulogne, Carlo Dolci, and Lionello Spada. View the full listings and register to bid on Bidsquare.
Made to distract, decoy ducks are placed in hunting areas to attract real birds. Carved wooden decoys are more difficult to find as plastic versions have become more popular. The upcoming Winter Sale 2021, presented by Copley, will offer a selection of carved Dudley decoys. Dudley decoys have compact bodies with sculpted lines that flow from beak to tail. The decoys were made by twin brothers Lee and Lem Dudley. These carved decoys also feature in books like Joel Barber’s Wild Fowl Decoys and William J. Mackey’s American Bird Decoys.
Another featured lot is a painting by Frank Benson. From his youth, the artist aspired to be an ornithological illustrator. Upon returning from Paris to his home in Massachusetts, he began painting portraits and birds. The available Redheads in Flight shows a flock of birds flying in formation over a marsh. Other notable lots include fine art by Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait, Edmund H. Osthaus, and Ogden M. Pleissner. Visit Bidsquare for the full listings and to place a bid.
Several tanzanite jewelry pieces will be available in North American Auction Company‘s upcoming sale. Tanzanite is considered a relatively new gemstone, discovered in 1967 by a Masai tribesman. The gem is only found in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. Tanzanite’s color ranges from light violet-blue to ultramarine blue. A 47.26-carat South Sea pearl, sapphire, and diamond lattice bracelet is also among the notable jewelry lots. Originally called Broome pearls, South Sea pearls are generally larger than other types. These pearls are cultured along the northwest coast of Australia. A GIA report accompanies the lot, certifying the clarity of the sapphires and diamonds.
Beyond jewelry, this auction will include a selection of Native American weapons and artifacts. A buffalo bison horn headdress attributed to the Blackfoot people will be on offer. Made between 1880 and 1920, the headdress features a buffalo bison hide cap with two horns. The headdress is decorated with beaded lace and long cloth strips. To view these lots and place a bid, visit Bidsquare.
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A French explorer, cartographer, and the “Father of New France,” Samuel de Champlain published his second book in 1613 detailing his expeditions in the New World. Titled Les Voyages du Sieur de Champlain, he gives an account of his travels along the Atlantic coast and into Canada. De Champlain also describes the establishment of a permanent French settlement in Quebec. A first edition copy of Les Voyages is up for bid in the upcoming Books & Manuscripts auction, offered by Freeman’s.
Though books and manuscripts lead the sale, there are also many photographic works from Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Mark Cohen. Another notable item in the event is a draft of a telegram signed by First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln to Mr. Augustus Gumpert [sic]. The telegram is addressed to Barnum’s Hotel in Baltimore, the hotel where John Wilkes Booth conspired to assassinate the president.
Other items in the sale include a first special edition copy of A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, a first English edition copy of Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle by Vladamir Nabokov (inscribed with a butterfly drawing), a graphite drawing of Toad in a bathing suit for the book Frog and Toad Are Friends, and more. View any of these lots and register to bid on Bidsquare.
Jacob Adriaensz Backer (1608-1651) was a Dutch painter known for his quickly-completed portraits. With Rembrandt’s assistance, he excelled in his work but always adhered to portraits and nudes. Backer was especially interested in capturing hands and feet. A portrait of a woman wearing a black gown with a white collar and cuffs, attributed to Jacob Adriaensz Backer, is available in Session II of Hindman’s upcoming European Furniture and Decorative Arts auction.
Among furniture, notable lots include an Anglo-Colonial cabinet from the 19th century and an Edwardian mahogany sideboard. A singing bird automaton box, offered with its key, is on offer as well. Find fine art, decorative art, Asian art, watches, and more in the upcoming auction. Visit Bidsquare for the full listings and to place a bid.
Artist Victor Vasarely was known for his contributions to the Op Art movement. His influences were taken from Bauhaus design principles, Wassily Kandinsky, and Constructivism. Vasarely’s luminous patterns of squares and circles changed how viewers perceive two-dimensional space. The upcoming Geometric Abstraction auction, presented by Bonhams, highlights several works by Victor Vasarely. In one painting, titled Salgo Positive, the viewer can observe several boxes filled with muted colors. Geometric shapes served as recurring subjects in many of Vasarely’s works.
Offered lots include work from American sculptor and painter Alexander Calder. He redefined the contemporary art scene with his suspended sheet metal and wire sculptures. One available piece, titled Lunar View (Aspect lunaire), is an example of 20th-century geometrical abstraction. Colored with a bright palette, the 1961 painting shows abstract comet-like shapes revolving around a pyramid. To view the complete catalog and register to bid online, visit Bonhams.
