**Originally Listed At $300**

Leonard Baskin (American, 1922-2000). "Nimrod" color lithograph (artist proof) 1975. Signed with date in lower right of image. Artist's signature and "A.P." handwritten in pencil below image. "FOX" blind stamp of Herb Fox in lower left below image. A fascinating color lithograph depicting the Old Testament figure Nimrod, a grandson of Noah and Mesopotamian king who is considered to have built the Tower of Babel in Jewish and Christian tradition. Shown from the chest up, the figure stands tall with sloped shoulders draped in a green robe and head facing left. He holds a bow and arrow before him, as the Torah describes him as a mighty hunter. His name is written in Hebrew behind him while dark shadows befall his face, distorting his features - perhaps a reference to the confusion of tongues caused by the Tower of Babel. A remarkable example from Baskin's Old Testament series that showcases his characteristically enigmatic manner and grand scale. Size of image: 23.75" W x 36.25" H (60.3 cm x 92.1 cm) Size of frame: 36.5" W x 49.5" H (92.7 cm x 125.7 cm)

Leonard Baskin was a 20th century "Renaissance Man" - a highly respected sculptor, printmaker, writer, and watercolorist. His prints included mythological, classical, and biblical scenes as well as portraits and floral studies. Baskin studied at Yale University from 1941 to 1943 and received his B.A. at the New School for Social Research in 1949. He also founded Gehenna Press which specialized in fine book production and taught printmaking and sculpture at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts as well as Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts from 1953 until 1974. Baskin's artworks are in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, the Vatican Museum, the Smithsonian Institute, the Tate Gallery in London, and other elite institutions. His noted public sculptural commissions include pieces for the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial as well as the Holocaust Memorial in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Baskin also received many prestigious honors, such as a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Gold Medal of the National Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Jewish Cultural Achievement Award. He was also honored with numerous retrospective exhibitions at institutions including the Smithsonian Museum, the Albertina Museum, and the Library of Congress.

Provenance: ex-private Bishop Family Trust collection, the Trust of the late Bill Bishop, a noted antiquarian with shops in Scottsdale, Arizona and Allenspark, Colorado, USA, acquired before 2010

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#174737

Artist's signature and "A.P." (abbreviation for artist proof) handwritten in pencil below image. "FOX" blind stamp of Herb Fox in lower left below image. Set in custom matte and frame with suspension wire on verso for display. A few minor nicks to frame, but none affecting lithograph. Lithograph has not been examined outside of frame but appears to be in excellent overall condition.