Dr. Martin Eidelberg. Rago Arts and Auction Center image.
LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. – Dr. Martin Eidelberg, professor emeritus of art history at Rutgers University and an expert on art pottery and Tiffany glass, will be the speaker at Rago Arts and Auction Center on Thursday, June 6, at 6 p.m. Eastern. His talk is titled “The Men of Modern Design.”
Rago Arts and Auction Center, 333 N. Main St., will host an open house beginning at 5 p.m. The auction house will open at noon during the preview for Rago’s 20th Century Design Auctions.
About 1930, the history of modern design in the United States took a decisive turn when a small group of young men (almost all under 30) became aware of modern Dutch and German architecture, and they brought that functionalist, Bauhaus-oriented style to New York. Many of them, including Alfred Barr and Philip Johnson, worked at the newly founded Museum of Modern Art, and this institution became a center of advocacy for what they christened the “International Style.”
Eidelberg has two principal fields of research. He has published widely on the drawings and paintings of Antoine Watteau, as well as on many of the artists associated with him. His second field of specialization is modern decorative arts. In addition to publishing extensively on the American Arts and Crafts movement and Art Nouveau, with particular emphasis on American ceramics and the work of Louis C. Tiffany, he has also written widely about mid-20th century design.
RSVP to 609-397-9374, ext. 119 or raac@ragoarts.com. If unable to RSVP, please attend anyway. All are welcome.
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Dr. Martin Eidelberg. Rago Arts and Auction Center image.
Harry Bertoia, Untitled (Monumental Sonambient) from the Standard Oil Commission. Estimate: $500,000-700,000. Wright image.
CHICAGO – Wright will present “Harry Bertoia: Masterworks from the Standard Oil Commission” on Thursday, June 6. These works have never before been presented at auction. Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com
In 1974, Harry Bertoia was commissioned by the Standard Oil Co. to create sculptures for the plaza of their building, a modern skyscraper designed by architect Edward Durrell Stone.
Bertoia designed 11 Sonambients for the 4,000-square-foot reflecting pool at the building’s base, each sculpture ranging from 4 to 16 feet in height. The verticality of the Somabients’ brass and copper rods echoed the height and rhythm of the Standard Oil Building itself, and their sound resonated throughout the plaza. The kinetic sculptures he designed for the Standard Oil Co. were installed on June 24, 1975 and the installation is one of the most important public commissions of Bertoia’s career.
The plaza of the Standard Oil Building became among the most beloved public spaces in the city of Chicago. This commission was among the four major public sculptures in Chicago’s Loop, the other three by Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder and Marc Chagall.
Estimates on the three large-scale Somabients original to the Standard Oil commission range from $300,000-500,000 to $500,000-700,000 each. Six maquettes from the presentation Bertoia created for the project, as well as eight unique sounding sculptures, which he presented to the executives of the Standard Oil Co. as examples of his work are also included in this auction.
Harry Bertoia: Masterworks from the Standard Oil Commission is the second Wright auction dedicated exclusively to the works of this outstanding sculptor. Comprised of 17 lots, the auction will take place on June 6, beginning at noon Central Daylight Time. Gallery preview runs through June 5. All lots will be illustrated in a stand-alone catalog as well as online at www.wright20.com.
View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at LiveAuctioneers.com.
Newell Convers Wyeth (American 1882-1945), ‘Rural Delivery (Where the Mail Goes, ‘Cream of Wheat’ Goes),’ 1906, oil on canvas. Minneapolis Institute of Art, Gift of the National Biscuit Co., 70.63.
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. – The Fenimore Art Museum presents “The Wyeths: A Family Legacy,” an exhibition exploring the work of three generations of artists from this prominent family.
The Wyeths have greatly influenced each other’s techniques, media, and subject matter and have taught each other back and forth across the generations. Informed by a deep attachment to home and place, their works stand together to create a unique vision of American life. Works from N.C., Andrew, James, Henriette and Carolyn Wyeth are included, as well as Howard Pyle and Peter Hurd. The exhibition runs through Sept. 2, 2013.
The genesis of this rich family legacy began in 1902 when N.C. Wyeth traveled to Wilmington, Del., to study with Howard Pyle, one of the country’s most renowned illustrators. Pyle emphasized the use of dramatic effects in painting and the importance of personal knowledge of one’s subject. Three of Pyle’s oil paintings are included in the exhibition.
N.C. Wyeth married, raised a family, and within a decade established himself among America’s foremost illustrators with work featured in magazines and newspapers and in numerous popular books. N.C.’s five children inherited much of his talent. Daughters Henrietta and Carolyn became accomplished painters and are represented in the exhibition. Henriette’s husband, Peter Hurd, is represented by three of his works.
N.C.’s youngest child, Andrew, is one of America’s best-known artists. Andrew followed the tradition of realism he learned from his father and first gained recognition as a painter of watercolors. He later won acclaim for his work in egg tempera.
The third generation of the Wyeth family includes Andrew’s son, painter Jamie Wyeth. Andrew encouraged his son to study the drawings of Renaissance masters, but Jamie’s first formal art instruction was with his aunt Carolyn Wyeth, who taught him the art of draftsmanship. Jamie followed a tradition of realism in painting, and like his father and grandfather before him, developed his own distinctive style, characterized by strong images and sharp contrasts in his landscapes and portraits.
Guest curated by Megan Holloway Fort, Ph.D., “The Wyeths: A Family Legacy” at the Fenimore Art Museum is one of the few public exhibitions to display the work of the family together and highlight their connections. The exhibition draws on loans from the Addison Gallery of American Art, the Brandywine River Museum, the Roswell Museum and Art Center, and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
An exceptional Faberge pictorial kovsh by Feodor Ruckert will be offered at Jackson’s sale of World Treasures, June 11 and 12. Jackson’s image.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Treasure hunters need look no further than to Jackson’s International, who is hosting their summer World Treasures auction on June 11 and 12. Aptly named, this auction features a cavalcade of items from many different cultures, with an emphasis on Imperial Russian works. These treasures are drawn from a variety of estates and private collections from throughout the United States and Europe, with over 1,000 lots being sold in the two-day time frame. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding
This sale features an amazing sampling of Imperial Russian works with over 250 lots including Faberge, icons, silver and enamel items, as well as a fantastic and important collection of Russian lacquerware. Works by Faberge include an exceptional silver-gilt and shaded enamel pictorial kovsh by Feodor Ruckert, an impressive silver four-piece tea and coffee service, a silver-gilt and guilloche enamel frame by Farbege workmaster Michael Perchin, a large silver mounted and cut crystal bowl and many other items.
Over 85 Russian icons, circa 1500-1910, will be offered on this sale including many fine and hard to find subjects and examples. A fabulous enameled Feodor Ruckert icon of the Kazan Mother of God will be offered as well as a rare presentation icon depicting the Chronicler Saint Nestor of Kiev as presented by Metropolitan Ioannkiy of Kiev, dated 1896 and possibly gifted by the Imperial family.
There is also an important collection of Russian lacquerware to be offered. Consisting of over 100 examples, the collection features cigar humidors, cigarette boxes, photo albums, tea caddies, card cases, snuff boxes, trays, plates and exceptional Old Believer Easter eggs. With the exception of two of the lots, all of the Russian lacquer on this sale was acquired by the consignor from the noted exhibition, “Russian Lacquer Art From Two Centuries” at the Museum For Lacquer Art in Münster, Germany from May 11, 1995 through Jan. 4, 1996. All of the items were published and many were illustrated in the extensive 120-page color exhibition catalog. The art of exquisite painting on lacquerware is known to many countries—from early Chinese examples dating to the 16th century all the way through Continental examples from the 18th century. However, no miniature lacquer art has received the attention or rose to such heights as that of the works produced in Russia, with each item representing an intense period of labor. Finding a collection such of this, with early examples from all of the well-known villages (Fedoskino, Palekh, Kholui and Mstera) truly provides a unique opportunity to imbibe in the rich history surrounding these wonderful objets d’art.
Russian artwork will also be offered including original works by Ivan Bilibin, Aleskei Isupov, Boris Zvorykin, Alexi Remizov and others including an interesting collection of watercolors by Russian artist Vladimir Fedorovich Kadulin (Russian/American 1883 – after 1950), a talented and wildly successful satirical artist whose fame spanned just a little over 20 years and is known primarily today through the over 200 color postcard illustrations attributed to him (sometimes signed in transparent pseudonyms) covering a vast array of subjects. His work pushed the envelope in the realm of political satire, while still resonating with those who grew up in the Soviet system. His work reflected the real attitude of many Russians, which was violently suppressed by the Soviet government and subsequently caused him to flee to New York where he continued to paint, although he never achieved the success he had in his native homeland.
Russian treasures are only one small part of this fantastic sale. Also included are over 250 oil paintings, by listed American and European artists, including a wonderful collection of European genre paintings, circa 1875-1920, covering a vast majority of subjects, including a Cesar Pattein (1850-1931) oil on canvas of Apple Pickers.
American art is also well represented, including a fresh to the market painting by Frederick Carl Frieseke (1874-1939) of The Pink Parasol. This painting will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonne of Frieseke’s work being compiled by Nicholas Kilmer, the artist’s grandson and sponsored by Hollis Taggart Galleries, New York. The sale will also feature works by Fern Isabel Kuns Coppedge, Louis Aston Knight, Walter Palmer, Alfred Herber Hutty and many others. Another interesting offering from the realm of American art is a large cache of photographic negatives by famous American photographer, Arnold Genthe. The 473 negatives consist mostly of period dancers modeling in the nude in mixed indoor studio settings and include many named models and notable individuals.
With over 100 fine art bronzes, there is certainly a find for most any treasure hunter, including a beautiful large gilt bronze lamp by French artist Raoul F. Larche of Loïe Fuller, circa 1910. There is also a good deal of European works on this sale, including carved polychrome statuary and gilt bronze ecclesiastical items including a gorgeous oil on canvas by German artist Franz Ittenbach (German 1813-1879) depicting The Madonna and Child in Clouds Above a Small Village.
There are over 50 pieces of 17th-19th century period furnishings on this sale, including late Renaissance, William and Mary, Georgian and early American, the most noteworthy being an impressive French Louis XVI-style gilt bronze mineralogy cabinet, after the original by Swiss cabinet maker, George Haupt.
The sale has more than 40 pieces of art glass to choose from including works by Daum, Galle, Loetz, Lalique, St. Louis and Baccarat. There is also an impressive collection of Viennese enameled silver, bronze and jeweled objects of virtue, including a cornucopia horn (possibly the work of Hermann Bohm) and a scenic charger in the manner of Herman Ratzerdorfer, among others.
A fine collection of English, European and American porcelain will also be offered, including a dozen KPM plaques, with one example being a massive (21 3/4 inches by 14 3/4 inches) artist- signed plaque depicting Judith. Also, over 60 pieces of Meissen including figures and cabinet plates, impressive Sevres style urns, American Belleek and Staffordshire. Also, an exceptional group of American and European works in sterling silver will be offered. Decorative arts by E.F. Caldwell and Tiffany will be sold, including a fine L.C. Tiffany “Red Poppies” and dore bronze table lamp from the early 20th century.
Asian treasures will also be offered in this sale, including carved jades such as a carved white jade brush pot and cover, gilt bronzes, cloisonné pieces, porcelain and ivory. An original painting by Vietnamese artist, Le Pho (1907-2001) depicting The Two Florists and measuring 36 inches by 29 inches will be offered.
An impressive Mughal jewel encrusted gold mounted ivory dagger, from the 19th century, will also be offered. A small sampling of Sino-Tibetan figures will also be sold, including a large and fine gilt bronze figure of Avalokitesvara.
All items may also be viewed in their entirety on Jackson’s website. To order a full-color 300 page catalog or get assistance in placing a bid, call 800-665-6743 or visit Jackson’s website at www.jacksonsauction.com.
View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at LiveAuctioneers.com.
An exceptional Faberge pictorial kovsh by Feodor Ruckert will be offered at Jackson’s sale of World Treasures, June 11 and 12. Jackson’s image.
A large and exceptional Russian lacquer Easter egg is just one example of the large collection of Russian lacquerware to be offered at Jackson’s sale of World Treasures. Jackson’s image.
A fresh to the market painting by Frederick Carl Frieseke of ‘The Pink Parasol’ will be sold at Jackson’ sale of World Treasures. Jackson’s image. An impressive Louis XVI-style mineralogical cabinet after the original by George Haupt will be offered at Jackson’s sale of World Treasures. Jackson’s image.
An oil on canvas painting by Vietnamese artist Le Pho of ‘The Two Florists’ will be offered at Jackson’s. Jackson’s image.
Dale Chihuly handblown glass bowl. Kaminski Auctions image. BEVERLY, Mass. – On June 9, Kaminski Auctions will present their 20th Century Decorative Arts Auction. The sale, which will begin at 10 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, will encompass many noteworthy lithographs, paintings, etchings, furniture and glass pieces from artists and makers such as Andy Warhol, Orrefors, Chihuly and Nakashima.
LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.
A beautifully carved walnut coffee table from George Nakashima is poised to be the top lot of the upcoming auction. The remarkable table was made as part of Nakashima’s Conoid Collection and features a solid walnut plank supported on an angular leg and board. The dynamic linear contrast between the natural and finished edges gives the table a highly sculptural level of visual interest. Two Polaroid photographs and hand-drawn plans for the table add to the unique value of this Nakashima piece. The exquisite coffee table is predicted to fetch between $12,000 and $15,000 at the Sunday auction.
Among the most prominent of the prints included in the sale are three screenprints by Andy Warhol. The iconic artist’s Saint Apollonia image will appear as Lot 1385, Saint Apollonia FS II 331, screenprinted on Essex Offset Kid Finish paper. Produced in 1984, the Saint Apollonia image is part of the artist’s multiple print reinterpretations of Renaissance masterpieces. Here, as in his other Renaissance-focused works, the artist applies his bold color scheme to flatten and embolden the image, transforming a devout saint into a bold queen fit for the secular world. This striking image will be offered at $10,000 to $15,000.
Two screenprints from Warhol’s “Flower” series will also appear in the auction. The graphic prints, both from 1974, represent the artist’s renewed focus on the striking linear compositions possible with floral still lives. These two colorful examples of Andy Warhol’s signature style are estimated at $2,000 to $4,000 each.
Prints from other important artists such as David Hockney, Peter Max, and Samuel Margolies will also appear in the sale. The Margolies print, Man’s Canyons, captures a strikingly angular view of a New York street, and comes to Kaminski from a private collector. Man’s Canyons is estimated at $3,000 to $5,000.
Jane Peterson’s gouache painting, Two Toucans, is sure to garner much bidder interest. The Midwestern artist held her first solo exhibition of her colorful and impressionistic paintings in Boston, and has since enjoyed much popularity in the area. Peterson’s framed painting is predicted to sell for between $8,000 and $12,000.
Kaminski’s upcoming auction will also present a new sculpture from popular contemporary artist Angel Chen. Chen’s captivating paintings and sculptures have been exhibited in solo exhibitions around the world including Hong Kong, Paris, Los Angeles, Thailand and Costa Rica. Bronze Stiletto (Prada) is a departure from her other, more ethereal works, and presents a bold take on the consumption of fashion so pervasive in the artist’s native Los Angeles area. The Bronze Stiletto is offered at $4,000 to $6,000.
An important piece of ceramic sculpture from artist and craftsman Erik Gronberg will also be among the top lots of the sale. Gronberg’s pieces are in the collections of many West Coast institutions, including the De Young Museum. The large footed bowl to be presented at Kaminski captures the artist’s eclectic style and carries decals of cowboys, Indians, and other figures backed by swatches of saturated color. Gronberg’s ceramic piece is estimated at $6,000 to $9,000.
The Twentieth Century sale will also present a number of decorative pieces from well known Modern designers, including Kosta Boda, as well as a broad selection of Murano glass pieces. Of particular interest is a Sven Palmquist for Orrefors monumental handmade modernist bowl of blown blue glass. The bowl, signed Orrefors and Sven Palmquist on the base, is predicted to sell for between $1,500 to $2,500.
A monumental Venini chandelier in orange and clear glass will surely be a presence in the showroom and is estimated to sell for between $10,000 and $20,000. Also attracting much attention is a Dale Chihuly Macchia blown glass studio bowl, signed and dated 1983. The beautiful bowl is estimated at $2,000 to $3,000.
View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at LiveAuctioneers.com.
Artist Max Liebermann’s villa and garden in Wannsee. Image by dalbera. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
JERUSALEM (AP) – Israel’s national museum has located the heir of the owner of a valuable impressionist painting that was stolen by the Nazis after a photo was discovered showing the work in the original owner’s home, the museum said Wednesday.
Israel Museum spokeswoman Dena Scher said the museum purchased the Garden in Wannsee painting by the German-Jewish artist Max Liebermann from the owner’s heir after ownership was established. The painting is already on display in the museum and will stay there.
The painting’s original owner, Max Cassirer, was a wealthy Berlin businessman from a family of art dealers. The impressionist painting, which depicts the garden of the artist’s summer residence, was confiscated by the Nazis in 1941 together with Cassirer’s other assets. After the war, it was given to a Jewish restitution organization and found its way to Israel.
In 2012, the work was identified by the designated heir after discovering a photograph from Cassirer’s music room in which the walls were covered in paintings, including the Liebermann work.
“The rightful restitution of works of art that were stolen or unwillingly sold during the Second World War is a challenge that many continue to face,” said museum director James Snyder. “We do our best to be exemplary in the handling of World War II restitution claims and are especially pleased to be able to achieve a resolution in the case of Max Liebermann’s masterwork Garden in Wannsee.”
The heir chose to remain anonymous. Imke Gielen, the lawyer who handled the case, refused to say at what price the painting was purchased, saying only that “the price is based on the market value.”
Other Liebermann works have previously sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Gielen commended the museum for its handling of the case. “Once they are approached regarding a piece of art, they are usually very proactive about the restitution,” she said.
Experts believe that hundreds of thousands of pieces of looted art remain unclaimed.
The Israel Museum holds some 1,200 pieces of art identified as having been seized from Jews by the Nazis and has restituted over two dozen. The museum has launched an Internet catalog of the works to help identify heir or the artwork.
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Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report.
Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed
AP-WF-05-29-13 1828GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Artist Max Liebermann’s villa and garden in Wannsee. Image by dalbera. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Civil War-era caltrop. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Mooreland Auction Services.
VALENCIA, Pa. (AP) – Finding an antique military anti-personnel weapon in the ground at your business is an exciting prospect. If you happen to be a military historian, that discovery is absolutely thrilling.
Paul Starr III, purchasing agent at H.P. Starr Lumber on Route 8, said employee Tim Leitem approached him holding a muddy item that resembled a jack like the ones children snatch up after bouncing a rubber ball. Only this item was much larger than a toy jack.
“As soon as I saw it, I knew what it was,” said Starr, who is a military historian.
The six-pointed item found by Leitem as he moved inventory around on the lumberyard property is a caltrop, Starr said.
He explained caltrops were thrown by the military onto roads where enemy troops were expected to march. No matter how they fell, at least one of the weapon’s points would pierce the soft spot on a horse’s hoof.
“If a horse stepped on it, it would go lame and have to be put down,” Starr said.
A caltrop could also pierce a soldier’s boot, hobbling him and possibly causing a life-threatening infection.
Starr said the cruel weapons have been used for more than 1,000 years.
He estimates the caltrop found on the Starr property is from the late 18th century, and was made by a blacksmith.
Starr wonders if the caltrop was deployed along what is now Route 8 during the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791-1794.
He explained that after the Revolutionary War, veteran and Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton forced farmers to pay a significant tax on their grain to repay debt accumulated during the war.
The farmers felt the act constituted taxation without representation, and rebelled against it.
The rebellion climaxed in 1794, when Washington sent U.S. marshals to collect the tax and 500 men attacked the home of an Allegheny County tax collector.
Starr said 12 soldiers, four rebels and two civilians were killed during the insurrection, which was named the Whiskey Rebellion because the grain being taxed was used in part to make whiskey.
Starr said he can picture caltrops being tossed by the rebels onto the road to hurt the government forces arriving to collect the tax.
He said a house on the H.P. Starr property is from the Revolutionary War era, and served as a stagecoach stop, hotel and tavern over the years. It could have housed rebels participating in the Whiskey Rebellion.
“If this house could talk, Lord only knows the stories it would tell,” Starr said.
However, Andrew Gaerte, the educational manager at the Fort Pitt Museum in Pittsburgh, doubts the caltrop found at the Starr property was deployed by a participant in the Whiskey Rebellion.
He said caltrops are normally only found near forts or roads where troops were known to march.
Also, Gaerte said the only reference to the use of caltrops in the area he has seen was a 250-year-old account in which officers desperate to defend Fort Pitt set up bear traps and caltrops around the fort.
The latter, Gaerte said, were meant to pierce the moccasins of Native Americans looking to invade the fort.
Gaerte was interested to hear that a Revolutionary War-era house is on the Starr property, and suggests that may be the reason the device was found there.
“It could have been a curiosity brought back home by a soldier or something like that,” Gaerte said.
Regardless of its origin, Starr remains ecstatic about the antique weapon, which he plans to display in his home.
An oil on board painting by Puerto Rican artist Miguel Pou, titled Houses on the Hills, 1936, 6 inches by 8 1/2 inches, framed and signed and dated, sold for $8,619 at a Spring Estates Auction held May 18-19 by Crescent City Auction Gallery in New Orleans. Also, a collection of 71 Mardi Gras pins went for $3,437; an early 19th century William and Mary walnut chest on stand, 63 inches tall, brought $2,725; and a giclee on canvas by George Rodrigue (b. 1944), titled Nude With Blue Dog, made $3,081. Prices include a 23 percent buyer’s premium.
