Rago’s art auction Nov. 14 is a matinee double feature

‘Performer in a Diamond’ by Chaim Gross (American, 1904-1991) measures 144 inches by 76 inches by 25 inches. The bronze sculpture was cast in 1969. It has a $35,000-$45,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center.

‘Performer in a Diamond’ by Chaim Gross (American, 1904-1991) measures 144 inches by 76 inches by 25 inches. The bronze sculpture was cast in 1969. It has a $35,000-$45,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center.
‘Performer in a Diamond’ by Chaim Gross (American, 1904-1991) measures 144 inches by 76 inches by 25 inches. The bronze sculpture was cast in 1969. It has a $35,000-$45,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center.
LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. – Rago’s fall sale of 19th- and 20th-century American and European Art on Nov. 14, beginning at noon Eastern, will be followed at 2 p.m. by a sale of Postwar and Contemporary Art – an action-packed afternoon of auctions. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

The sales, composed of 357 lots, showcase work from Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt, William Aiken Walker, Harry Leith-Ross, Thomas Hill, Chaim Gross, Bessie Vonnoh, Anton Henning, Kehinde Wiley, Andy Warhol and Carl Morris.

“Prospective bidders will find a variety of appealing price points for desirable works taken largely from private collections and estates,” said Rago’s Meredith Hilferty. “The selection of original works in both sales is particularly strong, from Alexander Archipenko to Kehinde Wiley.”

Among the original works in the sale is a notable selection of works from the Lambertville, N.J., estate of Marcia Chapman, including lot 73, a fine Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt beach scene in a Badura frame, estimated at $12,000-$18,000 as well as a Harry Leith-Ross landscape with figures, also at $12,000-$18,000. Among other paintings by Pennsylvania artists is lot 132, Earl ”Bill” Horter’s River Town, Manayunk Hills in a Harer frame, estimated at $12,000-$18,000.

There is a fine and rare pair of paintings by William Aiken Walker, lot 4, Male and Female with Corn Pipes, framed separately, and estimated at $8,000-12,000. Lot 8, an oil by Thomas Hill depicting Vernal Falls, Yosemite is available with an estimate of $18,000-$24,000.

Lot 14, an untitled nude by Hendrik Jan Wolter carries a pre-sale estimate of $7,000-9,000. There are a number of paintings by David Burliuk, three of which were a gift to their consignor from the artist. The highlight is lot 128, Ocean and Flowers, an oil on canvas estimated at $18,000-$24,000.

Rago has secured a fine selection of sculpture. First among many is lot 121, a monumental work by Chaim Gross from The Philip and Muriel Berman Collection. Performer in a Diamond, cast in 1969, measures 144 inches by 76 inches by 25 inches and carries an estimate of $35,000-$45,000. Also for sale: lot 70, Floating Torso (Variant), circa 1940, in painted plaster by Alexander Archipenko, estimated at $25,000-$35,000.

Rago’s is proud to be the first auction house in the United States to offer the work of Bui Xuan Phai (Vietnamese, 1920-1988). Among the works on paper in the sale are two pieces by the artist, lot 124, an untitled self-portrait estimated at $6,000-$8,000 and lot 125, an untitled nude estimated at $3,000-$5,000.

Also of great interest: lot 9, William Glackens’ Peddler on Delancey Street in graphite on paper, estimated at $6,000-$8,000 and lot 1, an untitled watercolor by William Trost Richards from 1891, estimated at $3,000-$5,000.

Those seeking photographs will find five gelatin silver prints of Diego Rivera by Tina Modotti in three lots, as well as work by Margaret Bourke-White, Lewis Hines and Man Ray. Among the prints in the sale is lot 2, Grant Wood’s lithograph July 15th, 1938, estimated at $3,000-5,000.

A highlight among the paintings in this session is lot 580, Amazing Grace by Anton Henning, a large mixed media work. Signed and dated, it is offered at $12,000-$18,000. Another is lot 500, a large, untitled oil on linen by Carl Morris, circa 1975, also estimated at $12,000-$18,000. Also expected to draw great interest is lot 520, Abstract Expressionist Leonard Nelson’s Yellow of July, 1979-81, estimated at $8,000-$10,000.

There are many standouts among the broader selection of works on paper. Lot 543 is Robert Mangold’s Point, Line, Plane, a pencil drawing from 1974, estimated at $4,000-$6,000. Lot 528a is an Andy Warhol drawing estimated at $20,000-$30,000. The subject of this 1982 work is Jon Gould, Warhol’s muse and lover who died of AIDS in 1986.

Highlights among the original prints in the sale include a number of works by Warhol. Four come from a fine estate collection and include lot 528, an Andy Warhol Electric Chair screenprint in colors from 1971, signed, dated and numbered and accompanied by original receipt (estimate $6,000-$8,000); Campbell’s Soup Can (Scotch Broth) from 1969 (estimate $8,000-$12,000); and two 1974 Flowers hand-colored screenprints (estimate $1,500-$2,000 each).

For details phone 609-397-9374.

View a fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet during the sale at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

Click here to view Rago Arts and Auction Center’s complete catalog.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Anton Henning (German, b. 1964) titled this mixed media work in oil, cloth, wood and metal on plywood ‘Amazing Grace.’ The 1988 work is 55 1/2 inches by 67 inches and has a $12,000-$18,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center.
Anton Henning (German, b. 1964) titled this mixed media work in oil, cloth, wood and metal on plywood ‘Amazing Grace.’ The 1988 work is 55 1/2 inches by 67 inches and has a $12,000-$18,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center.

A pair of oil on board paintings, ‘Male and Female with Corn Pipes,’ by William Aiken Walker has an $8,000-$12,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center.
A pair of oil on board paintings, ‘Male and Female with Corn Pipes,’ by William Aiken Walker has an $8,000-$12,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt (American, 1878-1955) painted this French beach scene in 1913. The oil on canvas painting measures 25 3/4 inches by 31 3/4 inches. The estimate is $12,000-$18,000. Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center.
Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt (American, 1878-1955) painted this French beach scene in 1913. The oil on canvas painting measures 25 3/4 inches by 31 3/4 inches. The estimate is $12,000-$18,000. Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center.

A favorite artist of Rago's is Kehinde Wiley (American b. 1977), represented in this sale by, lot 650, Elkannah Watson's ‘Study’ from the 2005 Passing/Posing Series. This painterly graphite and oil wash on paper, signed and dated, is estimated at $10,000-15,000. Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center.
A favorite artist of Rago’s is Kehinde Wiley (American b. 1977), represented in this sale by, lot 650, Elkannah Watson’s ‘Study’ from the 2005 Passing/Posing Series. This painterly graphite and oil wash on paper, signed and dated, is estimated at $10,000-15,000. Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Phoenix museums scrambling to survive recession

The Heard Museum displays no more than 20 percent of its permanent collection at one time. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

The Heard Museum displays no more than 20 percent of its permanent collection at one time. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
The Heard Museum displays no more than 20 percent of its permanent collection at one time. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
PHOENIX (AP) – Some metropolitan Phoenix museums that face shutdown or consolidation are stymied about what to do with valuable collections of artifacts and art.

The weak economy has taken its toll on the West Valley Art Museum, the Heard Museum West in Surprise and the Phoenix Museum of History, which was acquired by the Arizona Science Center. The fate of the Mesa Historical Museum also is in question.

Some museum representatives are seeking homes for the collections at other museums or putting them into storage. The Mesa Historical Museum, which remains open, may create traveling museum displays in malls, libraries or other facilities. But finding the right place for large collections is proving elusive as more museums in Arizona and across the country fall on hard times. The West Valley Art Museum will mark its 30th anniversary with a foreclosure auction in December unless it is able to raise $500,000 to repay its bank loan. Bankruptcy also is an option.

Since the museum closed in June, its 4,000-piece collection of ethnic dresses and works by Arizona artists, valued at roughly $3 million, sits in a climate-controlled room on-site. The collection also includes fine-art prints, etchings and silk screens from around the world.

Bee Gatliff, president of the museum’s board of trustees, said museum leaders are in talks to place the collection in an undisclosed location for storage until the museum can reorganize and reopen.

When a museum closes, its collection is typically distributed to a sister museum or universities, said Dewey Blanton, spokesman for the American Association of Museums in Washington.

“There have been some instances in this recession of museums talking about selling pieces of their collection to balance their budget,” Blanton said. “That is a definite no-no.”

Earlier this year, Fort Ticonderoga, a historic site and museum in northern New York, considered selling off parts of its collection to pay its bills, which is frowned upon in the museum world, Blanton said. The state government stepped in at the last minute with an infusion of funds.

Most museums, including the West Valley museum, hold their collection in trust for the public. Sale proceeds must be used solely for the benefit of the collection, according to the American Association of Museums’ code of ethics.

When the Heard Museum West closed in September, the 400 pieces of Native American art were returned to the archives of the Heard Museum in Phoenix, the main facility.

“There’s not really any place to display them at the moment,” said museum spokeswoman Debra Krol.

“There will be items that will be pulled from time to time for future exhibits.”

Krol said the Heard displays only 15 percent to 20 percent of its 40,000-piece permanent collection at a time.

Vic Linoff, president of the Mesa Historical Society board, said officials at the Mesa museum were talking with city officials about Mesa taking ownership of the 50,000-piece collection and moving it to the town’s center, near other cultural facilities.

The museum’s popular “Play Ball: The Cactus League Experience,” showcasing the history of the Cactus League in Arizona, will move in February to a temporary home at city’s Arizona Museum for Youth.

“One of the things we are looking at is a new model of the museum world,” Linoff said. “We don’t have to do everything within four walls. Instead of expecting people to come to you, you go to the people.”

Linoff said it’s possible the collection could be shown at shopping centers and other commercial venues. The museum’s “Wallacepalooza” exhibits have done well at all three Mesa libraries, he said.

Linoff said the museum would be open at least through the end of the year. If it were moved out of its building, a 1913 schoolhouse, the collection would be maintained by the historical society.

“If we merge into the city, the city becomes the owner of the collection, just the way it is with the Museum of Natural History,” Linoff said.

“Five years from now, the museum may be off on its own, it may have its own building (again). We are not in this tight economic situation forever.”

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Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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