Diego Rivera work commissioned by Irving Berlin could exceed $400K at Doyle March 13

Diego Rivera watercolor, commissioned by Irving Berlin as cover art for sheet music for his song ‘In Acapulco’ but never used, estimated at $200,000-$400,000 at Doyle.

NEW YORK – It’s not every day that a Diego Rivera work unseen for decades comes to auction, but that is exactly what will happen on Wednesday, March 13 at Doyle. Its 20th Century Abstraction / Latin American Art sale contains four works once owned by Irving Berlin, and the Diego Rivera among them was commissioned from the Mexican artist by the American songwriter and composer of Broadway hits. The sale catalog is now open for bidding on LiveAuctioneers.

The two legends met during a Christmas trip to Mexico that Berlin took in 1947. Berlin refused Rivera’s offer of a portrait sitting and countered with a request for cover artwork for sheet music for his song In Acapulco. Rivera agreed, and delivered a watercolor on paper of people frolicking on the beach as musicians play in the background, along with a color chart and detailed handwritten notes. After Berlin’s label rejected the image, he squirreled it away in his house, where it slumbered, seen only by himself and his family members. The Rivera work is estimated at $200,000-$400,000.

On the same trip, Berlin also visited the renowned muralist José Clemente Orozco at his studio and acquired two works directly from him. A vibrant oil-on-Masonite Day of the Dead scene now carries an estimate of $150,000-$250,000, and a gouache on paper dubbed Untitled (Three Figures) is estimated at $20,000-$40,000. A fourth work Berlin acquired on a trip to Haiti, the oil-on-Masonite Fete du Morts by the Haitian artist Hector Hyppolite, is also on offer with an estimate of $80,000-$120,000.

The foursome was consigned from the estate of Mary Ellin Barrett, Irving Berlin’s eldest daughter, who often accompanied him on his trips and discussed them in her 1994 book Irving Berlin: A Daughter’s Memoir.

Diego Rivera watercolor, commissioned by Irving Berlin as cover art for sheet music for his song ‘In Acapulco’ but never used, estimated at $200,000-$400,000 at Doyle.

Diego Rivera watercolor, commissioned by Irving Berlin as cover art for sheet music for his song ‘In Acapulco’ but never used, estimated at $200,000-$400,000 at Doyle.

José Clemente Orozco Day of the Dead scene, acquired directly from the artist by Irving Berlin, estimated at $150,000-$250,000 at Doyle.

José Clemente Orozco Day of the Dead scene, acquired directly from the artist by Irving Berlin, estimated at $150,000-$250,000 at Doyle.

Sheila Gibson Stoodley

Sheila Gibson Stoodley

Sheila Gibson Stoodley is the associate editor for Auction Central News. She has written and edited for Robb Report, Art & Antiques magazine, and Andrew Harper online. She also authored The Hot Bid, a blog devoted to intriguing and delightful lots coming up at auction.

Diego Rivera and Henry Moore works on paper draw bidders to Leland Little Sept. 9

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HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. — True to form, Leland Little‘s Signature Fall Auction holds great promise, with a Diego Rivera original and other top-flight artworks leading the way on Saturday, September 9. LiveAuctioneers now has the catalog available for review and bidding.

Most fascinating and certain to draw bidders is Mujer cargando ayate, a 1941 Diego Rivera (1886-1957) India ink and watercolor on paper measuring 15.375 by 10.75in. Its provenance includes documentation on its descent from Rivera, having been purchased by Gimbel Brothers department store from Alberto Misrachi in January 1944 for 450 pesos. It carries an estimate of $10,000-$20,000.

Famed North Carolina artist Maud Gatewood (1934-2004) so makes a leading appearance in the sale. Her 1985 acrylic on canvas Breakers (Red Ball) measures 60 by 72in and is estimated at $30,000-$40,000.

England’s Henry Spencer Moore (1898–1986) is best remembered for his monumental bronze public art sculptures and his illustrations that feature abstractions on the human form. In this lot, called Standing Female Nude, we see classic Moore in action. The framed black chalk and India ink on paper dating to 1928-30 and featuring Moore’s signature is estimated at $15,000-$25,000.

Another prominent North Carolinian is also featured in the Leland Little sale. Claude Howell (1915-1997) produced a wide range of marine and maritime-related landscape artwork in a Realist style. Heading Shrimp from 1981 measures 50 by 40in and is estimated at $20,000-$30,000.

Visit the Leland Little catalog now at LiveAuctioneers to register to bid in the September 9 auction. Be sure to check out the extensive offering of diamonds, gold, necklaces, pendants, rings, and watches.
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Diego Rivera, ‘Mujer cargando ayate,’ estimated at $10,000-$20,000 at Leland Little.
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Maud Gatewood, ‘Breakers (Red Ball),’ estimated at $30,000-$40,000 at Leland Little.
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Henry Moore, ‘Standing Female Nude,’ estimated at $15,000-$25,000 at Leland Little.
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Claude Howell ‘Heading Shrimp,’ estimated at $20,000-$30,000 at Leland Little.
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Joseph Christian Leyendecker, ‘Hurdy-Gurdy Man,’ estimated at $10,000-$20,000 at Leland Little.
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Rene Lalique, Suzanne glass statuette, estimated at $4,000-$8,000 at Leland Little.
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First major Diego Rivera show in 20+ years opens at Crystal Bridges

Diego Rivera, ‘The Flower Carrier,’ 1935, oil and tempera on Masonite, 48 by 47 3/4in. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Albert M. Bender Collection, gift of Albert M. Bender in memory of Caroline Walter. © 2022 Banco de Mexico Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Diego Rivera, ‘The Flower Carrier,’ 1935, oil and tempera on Masonite, 48 by 47 3/4in. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Albert M. Bender Collection, gift of Albert M. Bender in memory of Caroline Walter. © 2022 Banco de Mexico Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Diego Rivera, ‘The Flower Carrier,’ 1935, oil and tempera on Masonite, 48 by 47 3/4in. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Albert M. Bender Collection, gift of Albert M. Bender in memory of Caroline Walter. © 2022 Banco de Mexico Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art presents Diego Rivera’s America, the first major exhibition focused solely on the Mexican artist in more than 20 years, on view March 11 – July 31. One of the most significant artists of the 20th century, Rivera told the story of everyday experience in epic murals and individual paintings. The exhibition provides a critical and contemporary interpretation of Diego Rivera’s work, whether done on the wall or the easel.

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Norton Museum of Art explores Kahlo, Rivera & Mexican Modernism

Frida Kahlo (Mexican, 1907-1954) ‘Self-Portrait with Monkeys,’ 1943. Oil on canvas, 32 1/8in by 24 ¾in (81.5cm by 63cm). The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art and the Vergel Foundation. © 2021 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Frida Kahlo (Mexican, 1907-1954) ‘Self-Portrait with Monkeys,’ 1943. Oil on canvas, 32 1/8in by 24 ¾in (81.5cm by 63cm). The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art and the Vergel Foundation. © 2021 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Frida Kahlo (Mexican, 1907-1954), ‘Self-Portrait with Monkeys,’ 1943. Oil on canvas, 32 1/8 in by 24 ¾ in (81.5 cm by 63 cm). From the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art and the Vergel Foundation. © 2021 Banco de Mexico Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F./ Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Norton Museum of Art is pleased to present Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Mexican Modernism from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection, on view from October 23, 2021 through February 6, 2022. Featuring more than 150 works, including paintings and works on paper collected by Jacques and Natasha Gelman alongside photographs and period clothing, the exhibition includes the largest group of works by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera ever on view at the institution.

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Cassatt, Homer art among pieces donated to Boston College

Winslow Homer, 1836–1910, ‘Grace Hoops,’ 1872 oil on canvas, 22in by 15in. Image courtesy of the McMullen Museum of Art
Winslow Homer, 1836–1910, ‘Grace Hoops,’ 1872 oil on canvas, 22in by 15in. Image courtesy of the McMullen Museum of Art
Winslow Homer, 1836–1910, ‘Grace Hoops,’ 1872 oil on canvas, 22in by 15in. Image courtesy of the McMullen Museum of Art

BOSTON (AP) – Works by Pablo Picasso, Mary Cassatt and Winslow Homer are among 30 pieces of art worth more than $20 million that alumnus and legendary investment manager Peter Lynch is donating to Boston College’s art museum, the university announced December 7. The works – 27 paintings and three drawings – were collected by Lynch and his late wife Carolyn.

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Frida Kahlo painting poised to set auction record in November

Frida Kahlo, ‘Diego y yo (Diego and I),’ 1949, estimated in excess of $30 million. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s
Frida Kahlo, ‘Diego y yo (Diego and I),’ 1949, estimated in excess of $30 million. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s

NEW YORK – This November, Sotheby’s will present Frida Kahlo’s 1949 self-portrait, Diego y yo (Diego and I), the final, fully realized ‘bust’ self-portrait completed before her death in 1954. Offered as a star lot in the Modern Evening Sale in New York, this historic work carries an estimate in excess of $30 million.Continue reading