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Alexander Archipenko (Ukrainian/American, 1887-1964) created ‘Round Torso’ in 1937. The 46-inch-high polished terra-cotta sculpture has a $200,000-$300,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.

Modern paintings, sculpture on deck at Leslie Hindman’s May 16 sale

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf

Alexander Archipenko (Ukrainian/American, 1887-1964) created ‘Round Torso’ in 1937. The 46-inch-high polished terra-cotta sculpture has a $200,000-$300,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.
Alexander Archipenko (Ukrainian/American, 1887-1964) created ‘Round Torso’ in 1937. The 46-inch-high polished terra-cotta sculpture has a $200,000-$300,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.
CHICAGO – Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ May 16 auction will feature American and European paintings, sculpture, fine prints, photographs and multiples. The star of the sale’s remarkable Modern and Contemporary session, Alexander Archipenko’s 1937 Round Torso sculpture ($200,000-$300,000), comes with exemplary provenance from the private collection of Michael Greenwald, Gary, Ind. The starkly elegant 46-inch high polished terra-cotta figure was originally purchased at Katherine Kuh Gallery in 1937 by collector and artist Claire Florsheim.

LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.

Also among the auction’s modern and contemporary works, Deborah Butterfield’s Horse is estimated to bring $20,000-$40,000. The mixed media sculpture depicts a mare in fibrous, modernist form. It was acquired from the Lee Hoffman Gallery in Birmingham, Mich., by Irma Ecksel, its present owner.

Roy Lichtenstein’s Untitled Head I ($70,000-$90,000), executed in 1970, has been in private hands since 1971, when Gray Atkinson, Sebastopol, Calif., acquired it from the Margo Leavin Gallery in Los Angeles.

Fine bronzes round out the auction’s modern sculpture selection; Lynn Chadwick’s Two ($30,000-$50,000), Fritz Wotruba’s 1964 Standing Figure ($20,000 to $30,000) and Michael Ayrton’s Re-Entry ($10,000 to $15,000) all come from private Chicago-area collections.

In the Fine Prints, Photographs and Multiples session, Pablo Picasso’s Les Repas Frugal ($120,000 to $140,000), from La Suite des Saltimbanques, represents a despondent transition between two of the painter’s most significant periods and was only his second work as a novice printmaker. Les Repas Frugal combines styles from Picasso’s melancholic Blue period and his Rose period, marked by his fascination with wandering acrobatic performers. It was acquired at R.S. Johnson International Gallery in 1972 by its current owner.

The afternoon auction’s painting offerings come with equally glowing provenance. Henri Jean Guillaume Martin’s Lisette cousant, assise sous une des tonnelles de Marquayrol ($80,000-$120,000) is the property of a Barrington Hills, Ill., collector. Elias Rivera’s Wall of Passion ($30,000-$50,000) was used as the cover for a 2006 monograph by Edward Lucie-Smith of the artist’s work; that same year, Rivba Yares Gallery celebrated the painting with an exhibition in Santa Fe, N.M.

The auction’s exhibition takes place May 12 through May 15 at 1338 W. Lake St. in Chicago’s West Loop.

For details phone 312-280-1212.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Pablo Picasso’s etching ‘Le Repas Frugal’ is from an edition of 250. The work measures 18 1/8 inches by 14 3/4 inches. It has a $120,000-$140,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.
Pablo Picasso’s etching ‘Le Repas Frugal’ is from an edition of 250. The work measures 18 1/8 inches by 14 3/4 inches. It has a $120,000-$140,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.

Roy Lichtenstein’s 1970 brass sculpture ‘Untitled Head I’ stands 25 1/2 inches tall. No. 17 of an edition of 75, it carries an estimate of $70,000-$90,000. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.
Roy Lichtenstein’s 1970 brass sculpture ‘Untitled Head I’ stands 25 1/2 inches tall. No. 17 of an edition of 75, it carries an estimate of $70,000-$90,000. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.

‘Horse’ is a mixed media sculpture by Deborah Butterfield (American, b. 1949). It measures 26 1/2 inches by 46 inches by 11 inches and has a $20,000-$40,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.
‘Horse’ is a mixed media sculpture by Deborah Butterfield (American, b. 1949). It measures 26 1/2 inches by 46 inches by 11 inches and has a $20,000-$40,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.

‘Wall of Passion’ by Elias Rivera (Mexican, b. 1937) measures 80 inches by 68 inches. The 1997 oil on canvas has a $30,000-$50,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.
‘Wall of Passion’ by Elias Rivera (Mexican, b. 1937) measures 80 inches by 68 inches. The 1997 oil on canvas has a $30,000-$50,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.