African American Art 2024-10-03 Auction - 237 Price Results - Swann Auction Galleries in NY
BEAUFORD DELANEY (1901 - 1979) Untitled (Greenwich Village Street, New York.)ELIZABETH CATLETT (1915 - 2012) Reclined Figure.ALMA W. THOMAS (1891 - 1978) Atmosphere (Atmospheric Effect No. 4).
Done
New York, NY, United States
Auction Details

African American Art

Our October 3 auction of African American Art features exceptional and innovative post-war painting, including an outstanding New York painting by Beauford Delaney. Acquired directly from the artist by a friend, this untitled 1945?46 oil on canvas has remained in the family of the original owner. The depiction of a Greenwich Village scene with the El train tracks is infused with rich, dense layers of impasto and is an exemplar of Delaney?s modernist vision. Another painting highlight is Alma Thomas?s Atmosphere (Atmospheric Effect No.4), a vivid 1971 work in acrylic and watercolor on Arches paper. It was exhibited in the 1971 solo exhibition ?Recent Paintings by Alma W. Thomas, Earth and Space Series, 1961-1971,? at Fisk University, and acquired from the Franz Bader Gallery in Washington, DC. Equally groundbreaking is the figurative painting of Nelson Stevens, including his dynamic 1978 portrait of the singer and activist Nina Simone. Acquired directly from the artist, Uhuru?Nina shows off Stevens?s trailblazing style and the radical visual language fostered by his association with the AfriCOBRA collective. A beautiful, tonal painting by Hughie Lee-Smith stands apart from his other known 1940s paintings. This ballet scene recalls Lee-Smith?s experiences working at Karamu House in Cleveland during the WPA where he co-founded an inter-racial dance troupe.
Auction Curator:
Nigel Freeman
Nigel Freeman
Director of African American Fine Art
Sold
ALBERT ALEXANDER SMITH (1896 - 1940) My Bunk.: ALBERT ALEXANDER SMITH (1896 - 1940) My Bunk. Oil on linen canvas, circa 1930. 540x648 mm; 21¼x25½ inches. Signed in oil, lower right recto. Inscribed “Sketched in Meuse-Argonne
0004: ALBERT ALEXANDER SMITH (1896 - 1940) My Bunk.Est. $15,000-$25,000
Sold
JAMES LESESNE WELLS (1902 - 1993) Looking Upward.: JAMES LESESNE WELLS (1902 - 1993) Looking Upward. Linoleum cut on Japan paper, 1928. 352x232 mm; 13⅞x9⅛ inches, full margins. Signed, titled, dated and numbered 18/20 in pencil, lower
0005: JAMES LESESNE WELLS (1902 - 1993) Looking Upward.Est. $5,000-$7,000
Sold
JAMES LESESNE WELLS (1902 - 1993) Aspiration.: JAMES LESESNE WELLS (1902 - 1993) Aspiration. Linoleum cut on buff, fibrous Japan paper, 1928. 381x305 mm; 15x12 inches, wide margins. Proof, aside from an unknown edition. Provenance: the James
0006: JAMES LESESNE WELLS (1902 - 1993) Aspiration.Est. $2,000-$3,000
Sold
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Boy with a Broom.: RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Boy with a Broom. Painted plaster, 1929. Approximately 533x330x280 mm; 21x13x11 inches. Incised signature and date on the base. Provenance: acquired at the
0007: RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Boy with a Broom.Est. $20,000-$30,000
Sold
ALLAN R. FREELON (1895 - 1960) October Hills.: ALLAN R. FREELON (1895 - 1960) October Hills. Oil on linen canvas, 1940. 635x762 mm; 25x30 inches. Signed "A. R. Freelon" in oil, lower right recto. Titled, dated and dedicated "To Sarah and Sam"
0009: ALLAN R. FREELON (1895 - 1960) October Hills.Est. $20,000-$30,000
Sold
SARGENT JOHNSON (1888 - 1967) Singing Saints..: SARGENT JOHNSON (1888 - 1967) Singing Saints.. Lithograph on wove paper, 1940. 305x235 mm; 12x9¼ inches, ¾- to 1¼ margins. Signed, titled and numbered 140/150 in pencil, lower
0011: SARGENT JOHNSON (1888 - 1967) Singing Saints..Est. $5,000-$7,000
Sold
CHARLES WHITE (1919 - 1979) Pensive Child.: CHARLES WHITE (1919 - 1979) Pensive Child. Silver print, 1938-40. 203x229 mm; 8x9 inches. With the estate ink signature stamp on the mat, lower right. Provenance: the estate of the artist;
0012: CHARLES WHITE (1919 - 1979) Pensive Child.Est. $5,000-$7,000
Sold
WILLIAM E. SMITH (1913 - 1997) Pay Day.: WILLIAM E. SMITH (1913 - 1997) Pay Day. Linoleum cut on wove paper, 1938. 206x152 mm; 8⅛x6 inches, wide margins. Signed, titled and numbered 21/30 in pencil, lower margin.
0013: WILLIAM E. SMITH (1913 - 1997) Pay Day.Est. $3,000-$5,000
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Mary.: RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Mary. Cast bronze with a green patina, circa 1945. Approximately 533x140 mm; 21x5½ inches high. Signed "Barthé" on the base, lower edge. Provenance:
0020: RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Mary.Est. $40,000-$60,000Lot Passed
Sold
HAYWARD OUBRE (1916 - 2006) Entanglement.: HAYWARD OUBRE (1916 - 2006) Entanglement. Etching and aquatint, 1946. 183x150 mm; 7¼x5⅞ inches; full margins. Proof, aside from the edition of 50. Signed, titled and dated in pencil,
0021: HAYWARD OUBRE (1916 - 2006) Entanglement.Est. $1,000-$1,500
Sold
SAMELLA LEWIS (1923 - 2022) Migrants.: SAMELLA LEWIS (1923 - 2022) Migrants. Linoleum cut on thin Japan paper, 1949. 229x304 mm; 9x12 inches, full margins. Signed, titled, and numbered 1/5 in pencil, lower margin. From the first
0024: SAMELLA LEWIS (1923 - 2022) Migrants.Est. $8,000-$12,000