Featured in the upcoming Rare Posters auction, offered by Rennert’s Gallery, is a set of four Art Nouveau posters from Alphonse Mucha. Each woman portrayed on the posters represents a gemstone—emerald, amethyst, ruby, and topaz. Mucha, a Czech artist who gained renown for his commercial works, simplified his highly decorative style in these pieces to focus on more clearly defined forms. His subjects pose evocatively in flowing dresses, surrounded by flowers. According to The Art Story, Mucha “… celebrated femininity as the antidote to an overly-industrialized, impersonal, ‘masculine’ world.” Over 30 posters by Alphonse Mucha will be available in this auction.
Other leading lots include works from Jean Dupas and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Ambassadeurs / Aristide Bruant, a poster by the latter artist, depicts a leading cabaret singer of Paris’ Montmartre neighborhood. The subject’s face is detailed, but the poster is dominated by his red scarf and wooden walking stick. Bruant, the singer, refused to perform in his nightclub until the streets of the city were plastered with this poster. The image has since become one of Toulouse-Lautrec’s most-recognized works. Advertising posters are highlighted in the sale as well, selling Bellanger cars and Ricqlès peppermint extract. View the complete catalog and register to bid by visiting Rennert’s Gallery.
Several European artists featured in Freeman’s upcoming European Art & Old Masters auction were instrumental in the French Impressionist movement of the 1870s and 1880s. Berthe Morisot and Edgar Degas are two of those artists. Morisot was best known for her wide range of subjects — including landscapes, portraits, and still lifes. Available in the auction is an oil painting by Morisot titled Apollon Révélant sa Divinité à la Bergère Issé, after François Boucher. This painting shows two nymphs holding one another while lying in the grass. Edgar Degas was well-known for his pastel drawings, paintings of ballerinas, and bronze sculptures. Highlighted here is a brown-patina bronze sculpture of a woman in a ballet pose. The sculpture is signed “Degas” and stands 17 inches tall.
Traditional drawings, paintings, and prints are also showcased in this auction. Many of the featured artists were prominent during the Renaissance Period up until the 1800s. Included in these lots are artists such as Albrecht Dürer with his woodcut of The Rhinoceros and print titled The Man of Sorrows with Hands Bound. Also featured is Robert Jacques Francois Faust Lefevre’s drawing titled Napoléon en Costume de Sacre and Jean Michel Moreau le Jeune’s Portrait de l’Artiste par Lui-Même. To view the entire collection of European and Old Master works available and register to bid, visit Freeman Auctions.
Duck hunters use confidence decoys to lull their prey into a false sense of security. These decoys are not modeled after ducks, but instead other birds that a duck would encounter in an everyday environment, such as a goose or swan. A 1920 swan confidence decoy carved by Charles Birch is among the featured lots in the upcoming Winter Sale 2020, presented by Copley Fine Arts Auctions. The swan comes to auction in its original condition. This is considered unusual because most Birch decoys of this period were repainted after continuous use.
Decoy collectors can also consider a pair of hooded mergansers carved by Ira Hudson. Hudson was among the first decoy makers to realize that patrons were buying his work not only to hunt birds but also for home decoration. He began adding details to his decoys to satisfy collectors. This style change can be seen in the available pair of hooded mergansers, in particular with the female merganser’s crest.
Beyond decoys, the Winter Sale 2020 also offers books and fine art related to hunting and birdwatching. Among these lots is a complete second edition of John James Audubon’s The Birds of America (1856). The book’s second edition included more species and reorganized Audubon’s observations. The second edition also marked the first time that Audubon’s research became widely available to the public. This copy was previously owned by Quaker businessman Charles Evans, whose inscription marks the book’s front page. Also included in this lot with The Birds of America are the three volumes of Audubon and Rev. John Bachman’s The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (1856). Register to bid for this event on Bidsquare.
The 1997-98 Woman on Blue Bus Seat sculpture, available in the upcoming Post-War & Contemporary Art Auction presented by Bonhams, is the creation of artist and sculptor George Segal. The inspiration behind Segal’s sculptures often came from his own body and the people surrounding him. In his lifetime, Segal dabbled across Expressionism and Modern Art. However, he was most noted for his work in the Pop Art movement.
Beyond the sculpture pieces, bidders will also find a collection of 152 full-sized Supreme skateboard decks. Bonhams explains the success mantra for Supreme, one of the most-recognized skateboard brands: “It was this cross-pollination of styles, designs, and motifs that identified Supreme as a breakthrough presence in the industry.” Also presented are works such as Surprised Woman, a sculpture by Viola Frey, and Repose II, an inkjet print by Wolfgang Tillmans. For more information on these lots, visit Bonhams’ official website.
Wedgwood pottery made a breakthrough with the introduction of Jasperware, followed by other distinct styles of tableware. The “Fairyland Lustre” series was introduced by Wedgwood in 1915, a year after the start of the First World War. According to antique dealer Nicholas Dawes, “Many Europeans were looking for something to escape from the horrors of war,” finding that escape in Wedgwood’s neon scenes of goblins and fairies. The upcoming auction offered by Skinner features a Wedgwood Fairyland Lustre malfrey pot and cover.
Other highlights include mid-century silver designed by prominent silversmiths. Among them is a pair of sterling silver vases by Jean Puiforcat. The vases follow his signature geometric Art Deco style. Marble works by Italian sculptor Cesare Lapini are also offered. Lapini’s marble sculpture titled Volere e Potere—approximately translating to Where There’s A Will There’s A Way—depicts a young girl embroidering. Interested bidders can also explore period furniture, paintings, sculptures, and tapestries in this auction. View the full listings and register to bid online on Bidsquare.
The upcoming auction of Vintage Posters, offered by Swann Auction Galleries, features a number of Art Nouveau posters by renowned artists of the early 20th century. Several featured works were designed by Alphonse Mucha, a Czech painter, illustrator, and graphic artist known for his stylized theatrical posters. Highlighted is his Cycles Perfecta poster, advertising a British bicycle company. A woman in a flowing orange dress is shown leaning over the handlebars.
Also among the key lots in this sale is a collection of over 350 posters by Puerto Rican artists. The set includes images from five decades of Puerto Rican graphic art and was amassed by an American college student in the 1970s. Also up for bid is an illustration by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. He was working on a design for Simpson, a British bicycle company, meant to advertise the company’s new bicycle chains. Simpson rejected his poster, saying the pedals were not accurate. Toulouse-Lautrec had 200 copies printed at his own expense, and one of those copies is available in this auction. View any of these lots and register to bid on Invaluable.
Christie’s will present a selection of decorative art, furniture, antiques and fine art in the upcoming Interiors sale. Among the 283 available pieces, one key lot is titled Ravenoville. This includes a collection of 29 chromogenic prints, which are full-color, silver-based photographs produced from a color negative, a slide, or a digital image. The collection was made by contemporary German photographer Götz Diergarten. His work often focuses on the everyday beauty of simple buildings. The available photos show a small French town that is laid out in a straight line along the shore.
Another lot of interest is a piece by landscape artist David Bates. The available painting depicts a woman in a chair. Created with thick oil on wood, Bates’ distinctive technique can be seen throughout his work. Also on display is a Portuguese needlework carpet and a North European eight-light chandelier made of polished brass. To find more information and register to bid online, visit Christie’s official website.
The upcoming Dogs in Art & Sporting Art auction, offered by Doyle, is scheduled to coincide with the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, which is an all-breed conformation show held yearly in New York City. The show draws almost 3,000 dogs, thousands of people, and takes place over two days. This auction is anchored by over 100 paintings, most of which depict dogs working and performing the duties of the hunt. One featured painting is Meet of the Royal Buckhounds on Ascot Heath by Richard Barrett Davis, who was an animal painter for William IV and Queen Victoria.
Arthur Wardle is another painter represented in the sale. One of the best-known dog artists of his time, he was sixteen years old when he exhibited his first painting at London’s Royal Academy. Wardle would go on to show 100 of his paintings there. The dog pictured in the available piece, titled Patience, is a terrier patiently waiting for an animal to show itself. Terriers were often used as subjects by Wardle. Setters on the Scent is a painting by Percival Leonard Rosseau, an American artist who studied at the Académie Julian in Paris. Rosseau did not set out to specialize in painting dogs. However, when one of his paintings showing his wife and two Irish wolfhounds was well received by the Paris Salon critics, he began to pursue scenes with sporting dogs in earnest.
Beyond paintings, the featured lots also include a few works of sculpture and jewelry, including a Cartier gold, diamond, and ruby brooch in the shape of a dog. The dog has an onyx eye patch, as well as one diamond eye (on top of the patch) and one ruby eye. The brooch is stamped “Cartier, Paris.” Though most of the lots are focused around dogs, there are also several sporting-related works, including horse sculptures and paintings. Artworks of hunted birds, a set of duck decoys, and a selection of sporting trophies will be presented as well. View any of these lots and register to bid on the Doyle auction site.
Anders Zorn was a painter known for his brushwork and vibrant color palette. He is often regarded as the “Swedish Impressionist” in the art world. His works appear both realistic and free-flowing, including an etching titled Self-Portrait with Fur Coat and Cigarette. His self-portrait is one of the highlighted items in the upcoming Works on Paper and Paintings auction, presented by Rachel Davis Fine Arts.
This auction of 484 lots includes categories of Asian art, antiques, fine art, and more. Among the available lots is a lithograph by James A. M. Whistler. He is one of the artists who contributed to the Post-Impressionist movement. Another featured item is a Shiko Munakata woodcut. A woodblock print artist, Munakata was widely recognized for his black and white prints and his expressive, sketched lines. Also on display are Will Barnet’s color silkscreen works and a Budd Hopkins’ collage painting. To find more information and register to bid online, visit Invaluable
After remaining in storage for almost 20 years, a selection of ephemera, documents, and memorabilia from the estate of John and Elaine Steinbeck will come to auction. The event, offered by Curated Estates Auctions, will include more than 200 items from the couple’s life together. John Steinbeck’s novels on the Great Depression and the plight of migrant workers earned him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962, along with the Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award along the way. Elaine Steinbeck, the author’s third wife, was accomplished in her own right. She was one of the first female stage managers on Broadway, working on the original production of Oklahoma! in 1943. The lots available in this sale particularly track their life together.
Among the key items are John and Elaine Steinbeck’s wedding album and the bridal hat shown in the photos. Three of the 28 photos are missing from the album, but Elaine wrote a code for the remaining pictures. She labeled the people shown in the photographs as well as her personal remarks about her wedding day: “Pat and the Judge (isn’t Pat Handsome?)… This is our favorite picture. Tom is saying, as usual, ‘You know what?’ and I guess I am saying ‘No! What!’” Another set of photos shows the couple vacationing in the Virgin Islands in 1959. Scenic views of the beaches are included alongside portraits of their family and friends.
Letters and manuscripts will also be highlighted in this auction. Elaine Steinbeck’s personal copy of East of Eden was printed as a limited first edition. Her version of the book was made by the publisher with an added first page, reading “this copy has been specially bound for Elaine Steinbeck.” Individual pages of John Steinbeck’s poetry, essays, and personal letters are available as well. Interested bidders can also find a 1954 photo of the Steinbecks in a small Tuscany town. Elaine wrote on the back of the photo that it was the only one showing her husband without his mustache. View these lots and browse the complete catalog on Bidsquare.
