Waverly Rare Books’ Jan. 24 auction features modern art at attractive prices

FALLS CHURCH, Va. – An auction of fine art prints, posters and works on paper ranging from the late 19th century to present day and featuring art accessible to the new collector – with more than 250 lots estimated at $200 or less – is planned for Thursday, Jan. 24, by the Waverly Rare Books division of Quinn’s Auction Galleries. The auction has a start time of 6 p.m. Eastern. View all 382 lots in the online catalog and bid absentee or live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.

Among the who’s who of collectible artists represented in the sale are such sought-after names as Marino Marini, Raphael Soyer, Jacques Villon, Clay Huffman, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Charles Bragg, Alfredo Castañeda, Tsuguharu Foujita, James Montgomery Flagg, Pablo Picasso, Sol LeWitt, Marc Chagall and David Hockney.

A serigraph in colors of the first silkscreen print by Mexican artist Alfredo Castañeda (1938-2011), titled Demostracion (above), carries an estimate of $2,000-$3,000. It’s edition #46 out of 50, is signed, dated 1974, titled and editioned, all in pencil. It’s housed in a 24-by-32-inch frame and comes with a certificate of authenticity and the original bill of sale.

One of the most recognizable images in all of American art, James Montgomery Flagg’s (1870-1960) iconic 1917 World War I poster art titled I Want You, will be offered as one of the sale’s highlights. The period lithograph poster measures 40¾ inches by 31 inches in the frame (the sheet is 30 inches by 40 inches). Produced by Leslie Judge (New York), the litho should realize $5,000-$7,000.

An etching by Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973) from the artist’s edition of 310 titled Vollard Suite #53: Les Repos du Sculpteur devant le Petit Torse (1933) is signed in pencil and rendered on Montval laid paper with the Vollard watermark. The frame measures 15½ inches by 10¾ inches. Estimate: $6,000-$9,000.

A limited-edition porcelain plate by Sol LeWitt (American, 1928-2007), untitled and made especially for the Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht, the Netherlands, has an estimate of $800-$1,200. Measuring 11½ inches in diameter, the plate is #439 of 500 and is signed in glaze on verso. Sol LeWitt was linked to various movements, including conceptual art and minimalism, and his work is widely collected.

A lithograph in colors on Arches paper by the renowned French-Russian artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985), titled David (1973), is estimated at $2,000-$4,000. It is signed in pencil lower right and editioned (131/150) at lower left. Produced by Editions des Musees Nationaux in Paris, the lithograph’s sheet size is 12 inches by 9¾ inches; the frame measures 27¾ inches by 25 inches.

British artist David Hockney (b. 1937-) is one of  the most highly valued of all living artists. His original creations sell well into the millions. A color offset lithograph of Hockney’s The Prisoner (For Amnesty International) from 1977, signed in pencil at lower right and editioned at lower left, should easily achieve $1,000-$2,000. The litho is edition #75 of 100 and comes in a 29¼- by-24-inch frame.

A rare artist’s proof lithograph in colors by Tsuguharu Foujita (French-Japanese, 1886-1968), titled La Rêve (The Dream) from 1947, is expected to bring $4,000-$6,000. Signed in pencil lower right and uniquely editioned “I.I” at lower left, the artwork measures 27¼ inches by 34¾ inches in the frame. It is signed H.C. (hors de commerce), indicating it was the artist’s personal choice as best of the series and therefore was not to be made available for sale. Typically, artworks signed “H.C.” are selected for use as the display example at exhibitions and/or to be presented as a gift to the publisher or retained for the artist’s personal collection.

For additional information about any item in the Jan. 24 auction, contact Quinn’s Auction Galleries at 703-532-5632, extension 575, or email waverly@quinnsauction.com.