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Benny Andrews had already established himself as one of America's leading black artists when he created ‘Mrs. Viola Andrews - My Mother' in 1974. The oil and mixed media collage has a $10,000-$15,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Susanin's.

Benny Andrews’ ‘Mother’ top pick at Susanin’s, Oct. 17

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf

Benny Andrews had already established himself as one of America's leading black artists when he created ‘Mrs. Viola Andrews - My Mother' in 1974. The oil and mixed media collage has a $10,000-$15,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Susanin's.
Benny Andrews had already established himself as one of America’s leading black artists when he created ‘Mrs. Viola Andrews – My Mother’ in 1974. The oil and mixed media collage has a $10,000-$15,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Susanin’s.
CHICAGO – Benny Andrews’ starkly poignant portrait of his sharecropper mother picking cotton is one of the featured works of art in Susanin’s Premiere 77 auction on Oct. 17. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding. The sale will begin at 10 a.m. Central.

Mrs. Viola Andrews – My Mother, an oil and mixed media collage on canvas, measures 60 by 48 inches. It carries a $10,000-$15,000 estimate.

Benny Andrews was born in Madison, Ga., in 1930, one of 10 children. He attended Fort Valley State College in Georgia and later received a BFA degree from the Art Institute of Chicago. He taught art for 19 years at Queens College in New York and was at one time director of the Visual Arts Program at the National Endowment for the Arts.

Andrews’ artwork was exhibited nationally and internationally for more than 40 years before his death in 2006. His work is in the permanent collections of numerous institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Susanin’s Premiere 77 auction will also have more than 700 lots of additional artwork, furniture, decorative arts, Asian arts and silver.

Tops among the furniture is a pair of French Art Deco bronze mounted cabinets of macassar ebony. Both cabinets contain two interior drawers, which are marked, “Gouffe a Paris.” The cabinets are 55 1/4 inches wide, 34 inches high and 19 inches deep. The estimate for the pair is $8,000-$10,000.

A 1952 painting by Enrico Baj (Italian, 1924-2003) that was once exhibited at the Indianapolis Museum of Art will also be offered at Susanin’s The abstract enamel on canvas painting depicting two figures has a $15,000-$25,000 estimate.

An etching and aquatint by Joan Miro (1893-1983), a signed and numbered (46/50) edition, also carries a $10,000 by 15,000 estimate.

Norwegian artist Reidar Berge’s Carousel, an acrylic on Masonite panel, has provenance from the Rockford Art Museum in Rockford, Ill. The painting measures 48 by 108 inches and has a $5,000-$7,000 estimate.

View the 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 Susanin’s Auction’s complete catalog.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Reidar Berge (b. 1922) captured the kinetic excitement of a carousel in this 9-foot-long painting. Image courtesy of Susanin's.
Reidar Berge (b. 1922) captured the kinetic excitement of a carousel in this 9-foot-long painting. Image courtesy of Susanin’s.

Pablo Picasso's fascination with bull fighting is conveyed in this pottery bowl, which is signed and stamped ‘Edition Picasso Madoura.' The 5-inch-diameter bowl has a $1,000-$1,500 estimate. Image courtesy of Susanin's.
Pablo Picasso’s fascination with bull fighting is conveyed in this pottery bowl, which is signed and stamped ‘Edition Picasso Madoura.’ The 5-inch-diameter bowl has a $1,000-$1,500 estimate. Image courtesy of Susanin’s.

Exotic macassar ebony makes a bold statement in a pair of French Art Deco cabinets. Image courtesy of Susanin's.
Exotic macassar ebony makes a bold statement in a pair of French Art Deco cabinets. Image courtesy of Susanin’s.

Italian artist Enrico Baj titled this large painting 'Leakage.' It measures 39 1/4 by 78 3/4 inches. The estimate is $15,000-$25,000. Image courtesy of Susanin's.
Italian artist Enrico Baj titled this large painting ‘Leakage.’ It measures 39 1/4 by 78 3/4 inches. The estimate is $15,000-$25,000. Image courtesy of Susanin’s.

Joan Miro's signed etching and aquatint titled ‘Mambo' is from an edition of 50 and measures 44 1/2 by 28 3/4 inches. The estimate is $10,000-$15,000. Image courtesy of Susanin's.
Joan Miro’s signed etching and aquatint titled ‘Mambo’ is from an edition of 50 and measures 44 1/2 by 28 3/4 inches. The estimate is $10,000-$15,000. Image courtesy of Susanin’s.