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Portia Harcus collection reflects a gallerist’s keen eye at Grogan and Co. Oct. 28

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BOSTON — For decades, Portia Harcus (1934-2022) was an esteemed Boston gallerist, championing new talent and helping them find new audiences through exhibitions and personal relationships with both clients and artists. Her recent passing has brought her personal collection to light at Grogan & Co. Its Saturday, October 28 sale titled The Collection of Portia Harcus shows the keen and patient eye of a seasoned art dealer and collector. The catalog is now available for bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

Harcus was a fan of Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997), and the sale reflects that fact with eight items from his lengthy output. The lot with the highest estimate in the group and the sale overall is Lamp, a 1981 woodcut in colors signed and dated by Lichtenstein and numbered 1/30. It is estimated at $10,000-$20,000.

Another top lot is the River of Ponds III lithograph by Frank Stella (b. 1936-), which was a clear favorite of Harcus — she was photographed with this very piece in the image used for her obituary. River of Ponds III is from the Newfoundland series and is signed and dated 1971 and numbered 49/75. It carries an estimate of $8,000-$12,000.

Harcus was a collector of fine and historic photography as well. Animal Locomotion by Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904) is a composite print showing two series of timed sequential images of athletes leap-frogging one another. Undated but probably from the 1880s or 1890s, the print is estimated at $200-$400.

Margaret Bourke-White (1904-1971) is one of the most celebrated photojournalists in American history. She took the photo used for the first issue of Life magazine, she captured the Depression-era soup line image Kentucky Flood, and as the first woman war correspondent, she was first to photograph liberated Nazi concentration camps. Her Workers at American Woolen Company silver gelatin print from the Harcus collection shows the genius of her work, combining humanity with the patterns of mechanical automation. It is estimated at $800-$1,200.
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Roy Lichtenstein,’ Lamp,’ estimated at $10,000-$20,000 at Grogan & Company.
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Frank Stella, ‘River of Ponds III’ (from the Newfoundland series), estimated at $8,000-$12,000 at Grogan & Company.
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Eadweard Muybridge, ‘Animal Locomotion,’ estimated at $200-$400 at Grogan & Company.
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Margaret Bourke-White, ‘Workers at American Woolen Company,’ estimated at $800-$1,200 at Grogan & Company.
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Neil Welliver, ‘Duck Trap,’ estimated at $1,500-$2,500 at Grogan & Company.
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Ralph Steiner, ‘Clothesline Crossing,’ estimated at $800-$1,200 at Grogan & Company.
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