FRANKLIN, Mass. – Artworks attributed to American painters Helen Frankenthaler and John Singer Sargent are expected star lots in an online sale of rare and market-fresh paintings and drawings from Europe and the Americas set to go live on Thursday, June 7, by Woodshed Art Auctions. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.
Live bidding will start at 5:30 p.m. Eastern time.
The auction consists of paintings, drawings and prints from estates and private collections in the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom and South America. Artists represented include Picasso, Kline, de Koning, Monet, Warhol, Basquiat, Toulouse-Lautrec, Wifredo Lam and others. There are also four contemporary works by British graffiti artist Banksy.
“This month’s lively selection arrived from collectors and estates all across the Western world,” said Bruce Wood of Woodshed Art Auctions. “However, one of the more interesting ones, the watercolor attributed to John Singer Sargent, emerged from a collection very close to our gallery. I’m constantly amazed by the depth of artworks that are scurried away in New England estates.”
The watercolor attributed to Sargent (American, 1856-1925) is titled Classical Interior with Reflecting Pool (above) and carries an estimate of $30,000-$60,000. It came out of a private collection in Connecticut but was reported as purchased around 1930 in London, then descended in the family to its current owners. The work is artist signed and is housed in a 15¾-inch by 15½-inch frame.
The painting attributed to Helen Frankenthaler (American, 1928-2011) carries a far greater estimate, however. The signed, untitled, unstretched oil on canvas attributed to Frankenthaler, an influential character within the Color Field movement, is impressive at 60 inches by 89 inches and boasts a hefty estimate of $80,000-$120,000. The work was in a private California collection and had previously been obtained from the Kootz Gallery in New York City, sometime around 1970.
A signed rendering of the iconic LOVE painting, attributed to the recently deceased artist Robert Indiana (American, 1928-2018), in a 15¾-inch by 15½-inch frame, should hit $5,000-$8,000. Also, a pastel on paper attributed to Cuban artist Wifredo Lam (1902-1982), titled Sans Titre, signed and dated 1959, lower right, 22½ inches by 18 inches (sight), should hammer for $20,000-$30,000.
Two works have estimates of $30,000-$50,000. One is a mixed media on paper (graphite, ink, acrylic and silkscreen) attributed to Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987), titled Double Elvis. It’s signed front and reverse and is verso marked with the stamp of Coopers International Auctions, with a reference number. It comes with a COA from Bonnier Art Services in Toulouse, France.
The other is an oil on canvas painting attributed to Thomas Sidney Moran (American, 1837-1926), titled Venice Canal. The work, signed and 17½ inches by 27½ inches, framed, came out of a private South Carolina collection.
An oil on canvas attributed to Charles Henry Alston (American, 1907-1977), signed lower right and 21½ inches by 39 inches, has an estimate of $15,000-$20,000. Alston was an African-American painter, sculptor, illustrator, muralist and teacher who lived and worked in Harlem, in New York City. He was active in the Harlem Renaissance and substantially enriched Harlem’s cultural life.
Also, a painting attributed to Beatrix Potter (British, 1886-1943), titled Happy Pair, depicting two attired rabbits under an umbrella, should hit $30,000-$40,000.
The auction also features a collection of photographs by American artists who studied with the photographer Harry Callahan (American, 1912-1999), an innovator known as much for his work in color as his work in black and white. In 1955, his photos were included in The Family of Man, MoMA’s international touring exhibition. In 1996, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts.
Callahan’s technical photographic method was to go out almost every morning, walk through the city and take numerous pictures. He then spent his afternoons making proof prints of that day’s best negatives. He moved to Rhode Island in 1961 to establish a photography program at the Rhode Island School of Design. The photographs in the auction are from his time at the school.
For more information about Woodshed Art Auctions call 508-533-6277 or e-mail bruce@woodshedartauctions.com.
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