Howard Finster (detail), ‘I Baptised My Wife, #464’ (sic), June 24, 1977. Enamel on Masonite. Estimate: $5,000-$8,000. Slotin Auction image.
The auction will provide bidders with an eclectic and exciting mix of offerings: Southern folk pottery, circus and carnival freak show items, tramp art, religious and fraternal items, quilts, African American carvings and paintings, game boards, self-taught artworks, masterpieces, international paintings, Native American art, pottery and blankets, santos, portraits, trade signs, canes, contemporary art and more. Slotin Auction specializes in bringing the strange, the unusual and the vanishing America to auction.
“We have a stunning catalog, with some of the best examples by each artist and art form we have every put together in one auction. There is much to choose from,” said Steve Slotin of Slotin Auction. He added, “Many of these extraordinary pieces are documented and illustrated in The Encyclopedia of American Folk Art and in Detour Art.” Whether you are looking for a museum-quality masterpiece or a starter piece for your collection, this sale will definitely have something for everyone, he said.
The Nov. 10 session will kick off at 10 a.m. (EST), with more 63 lots of face jugs, the crowd-pleasing expressions of Southern folk pottery crafted by some of the most famous artisans in the field: the Meaders family, including fantastic face jugs by Lanier and grape decorated pots by Arie and Cheever Meaders; George Ohr, Billy Ray Hussey, members of the Hewell family, B.B. Craig, Charles Lisk and the Brown family, which includes a fabulous, rare 1940s “Monkey Face Bust” by Louis Brown (est. $1,000-$3,000).
Circus and carnival items will feature a paint on canvas “Zola The Wizard” side show banner, circa 1930s-’40s, 72 inches by 128 inches (est. $3,000-$5,000); a collection of six carnival heads; knockdown dolls; and more.
Several fraternal, religious and anonymous items will also hit the auction block including “The Loyal Order of the Red Man Lodge Shrine,” 1931, a highly decorated wooden cabinet with stone arrowheads, carved animals, birds, axes behind hand-rolled glass, 82 inches high by 38 inches wide by 13 inches deep (est. $2,000-$4,000). A 1920s religious banner, “And The Lord Answered Me, And Said Write The Vision And Make It Plain Upon Tables,” paint on muslin features intricately detailed paintings of winged creatures and beasts with horned heads, 68 inches by 35 inches ($2,000-$4,000). Six early 1900s game boards will sell in separate lots, including an IOOF fraternal board and a “Family Square” game board featuring black and white photos of family members with paint and foil on reverse glass (est. $300-$500).
Rare African-American carvings, paintings and other decorative arts will also amaze. The famous William Rogers Wooden Frog, illustrated in Afro-American Traditions in Art and in Missing Pieces, will be a treat for the serious collector, (est. $2,000-$4,000); as well as a D.R. Villys Coiled Black Snake With Half-Eaten Rat from the Columbus Museum (est. $1,000-$2,000); and the wonderful In Loving Memory memorial wreath depicting an African-American soldier born in South Carolina 1881- died 1898, original photo surround by chicken feathers and paint decoration, also from the Columbus Museum (est. $1,000-$2,000) will be sold.
The self-taught art masterpieces start off strong with an amazing work by William Hawkins, Charging Bull With Matador, circa 1987, oil and enamel on plywood. 51 inches by 51 inches with frame, provenance, the Ricco-Maresca Gallery in New York (30,000-$40,000). Three incredible examples by Minnie Evans follow, rare and colorful, ranging in estimates from $3,000-$5,000. Two works by Bill Traylor, Horse and Black Dog, one from the Rosenaks and one from the Janet Fleisher Gallery, are certain to delight (est. $20,000-$40,000 and $10,000-$15,000). A documented work by Anna Mary Robertson, known worldwide as Grandma Moses, A Frosty Morn is included (est. $4,000-$6,000).
Sam Doyle is another auction favorite. Offered will be paint on roofing tin with applied seashell, initialed and titled Dr. Buz. (est. $20,000-$30,000); a paint on roofing tin Island Beauty (est. $10,000-$20,000); and two house paint on paper portraits of John F. Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy, circa 1980s, each from the Rosenak Collection and exhibited at the New Orleans Museum of Art, “Passionate Visions of the American South” exhibition (est. 3,000-$5,000 each).
The list of top-tier artist is extensive in this sale, with spit-and-soot drawings by James Castle, a rare work by Walter F. Cotton, pieces by heavy-hitters Sister Gertrude Morgan, Clementine Hunter, Joseph Yoakum, Nellie Mae Rowe, Justin McCarthy, S.L. Jones carvings, William Dawson, Raymond Coins, Uncle Pete Drgac, an erotic Lady In Red by the Rev. McKendree Long that exhibited extensively, Gustav Klumpp, Israel Litvak, Vestie Davis, Lawrence Lebduska, Thornton Dial Georgia Blizzard, Dwight McIntosh, Jon Serl, important Aboriginal artist Nanyin Maymuru, Elijah Pierce, and many others.
Also prominent in this sale are works of modern art by Gene Davis, one of the original Washington color artists (Cornflakes, est. $3,000-$5,000); a pair of works by Red Grooms, a fantastic Seated Woman by Oaxacan master, Rodolfo Morales, Neo-expressionist, Hunt Slonem’s Hornbills, and others.
Chuck and Jan Rosenak also authored Navajo Folk Art, The People Speak and The Saint Makers. Numerous examples from their collection and featured in these respective books will be auctioned over the two-day sale, including works by Charlie Willeto, Felipe Archuleta, Mamie Deschillie, Navajo Yei Masks, and a large collection of santos including the image used for the front cover of their book, Our Lady of Solitude by Marie Romero Cash, 35 inches high, (est. $1,000-$2,000) and more than two dozen beautiful pieces of Navajo pottery and rugs.
Perhaps the king of the crowd-pleasers is the late Howard Finster, a true superstar in the folk art galaxy. This sale will include his 1977 enamel on masonite titled I Baptised My Wife, #464 (est. $5,000-$8,000) and Friendly Walls of The Artists Work, a grouping of six original works numbered 2,057-2,062 and dated 1981, framed together with the artist’s signature wood-burned framing in the shape of a large cross, 28 inches wide by 66 inches high, ex. Phyllis Kind Gallery, (est. $4,000-$6,000). Twenty-two more works by Finster will sell including several numbered in the 1,000 range, two enormous cutouts, Santa and Lincoln, 91 inches high and 77 inches high (est. $4,000-$6,000 each), and a handmade grandfather clock pre-1976 (est. $2,000-$3,000).
Eight rare original portraits and signs from the Calvin and Ruby Black Folk Art Possum Trot Environment in California, provenance ex. Larry Whitely, are sure to attract attention, Libbie, paint on board, 15 inches by 14 inches (est. $1,000-$2,000) as well as the “Ticket Office” sign and “Look But Don’t Touch” inside signs (est. $500-$800 each) are highlights.
A Kentucky menagerie of possum, pigs, bears, foxes, polecats and horses by Minnie and Garland Adkins will bring a smile to every bidder’s face. Alabama mud artist Jimmy Lee Sudduth is well represented with 19 works, as are other auction favorites Purvis Young, James Harold Jennings, Mose Tolliver, Inez Wallker and Steve Ashby. Also included in the sale are nine pages of International art ranging from Haitian, Oceanic, African, Inuit, Russian and Mexican.
As always, Slotin will feature several new discoveries of note: intricate detailed works by prison artist Sonny Lucero, 1970s city scapes by James Eason, California outsider artist Louis Vuittonet, collage artist Fred Reber, New Jersey Jewish artist Charles Rabin, Southwestern landscape artist Michael Allen McGuire, as well as a rare mural submission drawing by Larry Connatser.
Slotin Auction is always accepting quality consignments for future sales. To consign a single piece or an entire collection, call them at 770-532-1115, or 404-403-4244. Or email them at auction@slotinfolkart.com.
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
Howard Finster (detail), ‘I Baptised My Wife, #464’ (sic), June 24, 1977. Enamel on Masonite. Estimate: $5,000-$8,000. Slotin Auction image. Louis Brown, ‘Monkey Face Bust,’ 1940. Estimate: $1,000-$3,000. Slotin Auction image. William Rogers, ‘Wooden Frog,’ illustrated in Afro-American Traditions In Art’ and in ‘Missing Pieces,’ Estimate: $2,000-$4,000. Slotin Auction image. Unknown African American, ‘In Loving Memory’ memorial wreath, chicken feathers, paint and photo. Estimate: $1,000-$2,000. Slotin Auction image. William Hawkins, ‘Charging Bull With Matador.’ Estimate: $30,000-$40,000. Slotin Auction image. Minnie Evans, ‘Lady With Flowers,’ 1967. Estimate: $4,000-$6,000. Slotin Auction image. Sam Doyle, ‘Dr. Buz.’ Estimate: $20,000-$30,000. Slotin Auction image. Gene Davis, ‘Cornflakes,’ 1958, signed, dated and titled, oil on canvas. Estimate: $3,000-$5,000. Slotin Auction image. Calvin and Ruby Black, ‘Look But Don’t Touch.’ Estimate: $500-$800. Slotin Auction image. Marie Romero Cash, ‘Our Lady of Solitude,’ Estimate: $1,000-$2,000. Slotin Auction image.
