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Pollock landscape

Pollock landscape resurfaces in Freeman’s auction Oct. 5

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
Pollock landscape
Jackson Pollock (American, 1912-1956), ‘Pennsylvania Landscape,’ signed bottom right, signed again at top left on the stretcher, oil on canvas, executed in 1936,12½ x 18 5/8in. Estimate: $60,000-$100,000. Freeman’s image

PHILADELPHIA – Considered lost for many years, Jackson Pollock’s Pennsylvania Landscape returns to the art market on Oct. 5, when Freeman’s will hold its single-owner auction of the Collection of Dr. Henry & Mrs. Fannie Levine. This special sale honors the legacy of these prominent Philadelphia collectors. It is also a rare opportunity for discerning buyers seeking blue-chip material offered for the first time in decades. Bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.

Collectors will also find a diverse offering of work by Karel Appel and Paul Jenkins, as well as a 1949 still life by Bernard Buffet.

Curiosity and love of learning connected all of the Levines’ endeavors, from their careers in medicine to their passion for travel, music and art collecting. They frequented museums and galleries, both in Philadelphia and around the world. They brought home carefully wrapped treasures in their suitcases whenever they returned from holiday. Over the years, this grew into a collection that is both deeply personal and historically significant.

Henry Levine’s voracious appetite for art and its makers led him to collect certain artists in great depth, tracing their development over time. He was particularly interested in how artists explored different techniques and materials and the auction includes work across a variety of media by artists such as Asger Jorn, Karel Appel and Paul Jenkins, alongside excellent examples by Bernard Buffet, Raoul Dufy, Jackson Pollock and Jean Dubuffet.

The undoubted highlight of the sale is a 1936 painting by Jackson Pollock, depicting the rolling hills of a familiar Pennsylvania country scene. Pollock’s Pennsylvania Landscape is an exciting discovery, both for the art market and the academic community. Freeman’s will bring this treasure back to the market for the first time in nearly 50 years.

Helen Harrison, director of the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center, recently described it as a “gem,” painted while the artist was employed by the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project. According to Harrison, Pollock kept Pennsylvania Landscape for himself and brought it to Kansas City to show his influential teacher, Thomas Hart Benton.

Beyond the superlative Pollock painting, the Levine Collection has a significant number of works by two artists: Dutch CoBrA artist Karel Appel and American mid-century abstract artist Paul Jenkins.

Karel Appel was a leading figure and founding member of the mid-century CoBrA art movement. In Big Boy Blue (estimate: $50,000–$80,000), a single, central figure is scrawled in lines over stark background planes of yellow, white and black. Another canvas from 1967, Untitled (Two Heads), (estimate: $40,000–$60,000), depicts two visages composed of myriad strokes of pure reds, blues, oranges and greens.

Pollock landscape
Karel Appel (Dutch, 1921-2006), ‘Big Boy Blue,’ signed bottom right, oil on canvas, executed in 1962, 38 13/16 x 31½in. Estimate: $50,000-$90,000. Freeman’s image

Jenkins’ paintings in this collection show the depth and diversity of the American artist’s work. This includes numerous pieces from the artist’s best-known, mature style of works. These “Phenomena” pieces represent the artist’s interest in color field painting. Phenomena Saracen Shadows (estimate: $12,000-$18,000) is among the captivating examples.

Pollock landscape
Paul Jenkins (American, 1923-2012), ‘Phenomena Saracen Shadows,’ signed bottom right, signed again, titled, dated 1966 and located ‘New York,’ verso, signed, titled and dated again on the stretcher, acrylic on canvas, 32 7/8 x 32 7/8in. Estimate: $12,000-$18,000.

Though Jenkins is best known for this “Phenomena” style, the Levines also valued his earlier work, which portrayed a somewhat psychedelic abstraction rendered in heavily applied pigments. Medusa ($12,000-$18,000) shows the distinct contrast between these two styles.

For more information, contact Dunham Townend, head of sale, at dtownend@freemansauction.com or 267-414-1221.

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Pollock landscape