Notable sales

Cast in 1955, the year prior to his having won the International Prize at the Venice Biennale with the submission of Beast 1, this Beast is one of a series of “beasts” that Chadwick sculpted first in bronze in the mid 1950’s and later in steel all of which varied in size and were often monumental. It was the second in an edition of nine.

Intruder is an example of one of Bessie Potter Vonnoh’s table fountains that were considered “de rigueur” as centerpieces in fashionable homes at the turn of the 20^th century. These distinctive table fountains usually contained figures made of bronze as in our example that were set into a basin  made of a contrasting material such as silver, glass, or faience.

Le Printemps is a rare bust by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, and along with La Candour it is one of his finest female busts in terms of beauty of form, energy and life. Many of these marbles were carved in the 1870s before he died in 1875. It was once a part of the private collection of antiquarian François Fabius, and sold to the Owsley Museum at TEFAF New York Fall 2017.

Gertrude Whitney’s Wallflower is a tender portrait of the artist’s daughter Barbara, created when the child was ten years old. While the artist is better known for her monumental projects, this smaller-scale work showcases her versatility both in size and subject.

Russell was well familiar with the overhunting of Rocky Mountain sheep, which had reduced their range to the most mountainous territory. The Combat alludes not only to that rugged habitat but also to the vulnerability of the species.

Seated Mother and Child was an important theme in Catlett’s work. The theme for her seems to take on more than just a maternal depiction, and rather stands as well for a determined statement of persevering, dignity and hope for the future. This model was done in bronze and other mediums and can be traced in other versions that go back to 1978 for sure. 

As one of the greatest achievements of the most important American Orientalist painter of the 19^th century, Weeks’ canvas Across the Pool to the Golden Temple of Amritsar presents a striking study in light, architecture and culture, exuding both a mystery and a brilliance that qualify it as an expression of the divine. The work was undoubtedly inspired by Weeks’ second trip to India in 1886-87, during which he visited Amritsar, the holiest of all Sikh temples which was noted for its radiance and light.

These two exceptional sonambients, both featuring unique sets of cattails at their tops, were purchased as a pair by an Upper West Side Collector.

A reflection of his unique and personal experiments with color, Untitled, 1980 showcases Francis’s experimentations with color in which he chose each highly pigmented and saturated color with great care. Such vivid and intense choices have created a work that results in a composition that is anything but static.

Calder's works on paper, such as  Black and Blue Petals, are full of his familiar boldly-colored geometric shapes as well as concrete representational floral forms, all harmoniously balanced.

The large-scale version of the "Indian Hunter," located off the southwest corner of the Mall in Central Park, was purchased through subscription and presented to the City of New York in December of 1868. In February 1869, the statue was dedicated in Central Park, making it the first American sculpture to be erected there.

This lifetime casting is the rare, grand scale model, of the renowned sculpture, by Cyrus Dallin. Only nine castings were made in this size, between 1918 and 1927, at the Gorham Company Founders.

In 1889 at age 26 Frederick MacMonnies sought and won a commission from the Sons of the American Revolution of New York State for a sculpture of Nathan Hale for City Hall Park in New York City. MacMonnies often used the two French foundries of Rouard and Gruet to cast his sculptures of Nathan Hale. While the sculptures are not numbered, it might be safe to assume that there were more than 10 cast and probably not more than 40.

This superb Martin canvas depicts a wooden shoemaker's house in Labastide-du-Vert, where the artist lived and worked during this period.

Most probably Fery painted this vista from the western shore of Lake Michigan at McKinley Beach, one of the most popular weekend destinations for the citizens of Milwaukee.

In 1889, it was suggested by citizens of Concord to the Navy that a bronze reduction of the Minute Man monument be created for the new gunboat Concord. This bronze is not a reduction of the monument but a reworking of the statue. 

"Mujer Reclinada" is not about one individual, but rather about the dignity and the nobility of the universal man, woman, and child. Such works have become prized possessions of such notable museums as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, to name a few, and such prominent collectors as Oprah Winfrey and Bill Cosby.

Nature Morte is a prime example of Jean Metzinger’s mature post-Cubist work. After 1923, his style veered toward Realism but maintained its central focus on form and color. This piece sold at TEFAF New York Fall 2016.

The Bedroom Paintings series, Wesselmann’s most important along with his Great American Nude series, deftly combines the artist’s two most important interests: a sexualized female figure in the throes of ecstatic abandon and a still life of ordinary household objects.

"Where Have You Been" incorporates fragments of a destroyed 1977 print, "Gesture I (State I)," as well as a destroyed 1967 drawing, "Oval (Black Calligraphy)." The sheet music in this collage is from the manuscript of the unidentified Stabat Mater used in several other collages.

This is an important piece in Lassaw's history because it was the very first sculpture that he sold and with that money ($450) he was able to buy welding equipment. After Procyon he only made two other works using the same method, in the early spring of 1951, these were "Galaxy of Andromeda," bought by Nelson Rockefeller and currently in the museum on the Rockefeller estate, and "Alcor," 1951, bought by Laurence Rockefeller.

"Betelgeuse" makes reference to the ninth-brightest star in the night sky which was also the second-brightest star in the constellation of Orion. Here Lassaw shows an interest in both horizontal and vertical elements.

"Epsilon" (the fifth letter in the Greek alphabet) succeeds in enveloping the viewer with its feeling of expansiveness, simultaneously lyrical and frenzied. During the 1950s and 1960s, Resnick earned respect for his Abstract Expressionist paintings and also was unique for being one of the few New York artists to have a large working space for large-scale canvases.

This is a painting that lays bear the stark reality of rural life, one of Ring’s village landscape scenes that are simultaneously filled with overt symbolic references to death. Taylor|Graham partnered with another Manhattan gallery in the disposition of this work.

At the Museum's December 2015 Masterpiece Purchase gala, the top choice by society members was this Charles Schreyvogel sculpture, nominated by the Brock Curator of American Art, Crawford Alexander Mann III.

This example of "Humoresque" is one of nine castings executed by the artist during her lifetime, and her most significant work. The model Frishmuth used most frequently for her sculptures and who was the model for the majority of her most beautiful and well known works completed in the 1920’s was one particular popular concert dancer named Desha Delteil, who was reputedly able to hold difficult poses for significant periods of time.

La Charrette au Bord du chemin depicts a cart alongside a road near du Puigaudeau's home in Kervadu. Du Puigaudeau would often construct a series of paintings of a particular theme throughout various times in the day to catch all the variations of light and shadow.

Cupid and Gazelle, modeled after Jennewein's own son, was extremely well received after its exhibition at the Academy in Rome in 1920. It received an honorable mention at the Art institute of Chicago in 1921 and a replica was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1922. Ultimately, Jennwein cast thirteen examples produced for sale.

This is an early and exceptional example of Bertoia's taller Sonambients which was purchased directly from the artist by a collector in Omaha, Nebraska, where Bertoia was known to have worked from 1965-1975. Most of his tall works are all Beryllium Copper, as is the case here, and the base is a “classic Bertoia base” of brass—superlative in his work.

The influence of Carrière can be seen in this painting in the darker rendition of the ocean, as the Symbolists tended to focus on the darker side of painting, whereas the effects of Philippe Roll are evident in the subject matter chosen. 

The critic Lorado Taft remarked of this piece, "in the tiny Burial on the Plains there is a mysterious emotional note which has been touched by few indeed of our sculptors, a sentiment that might easily have been dissipated by a more insistent technic." Borglum was particularly struck the year he modeled this work by epidemics such as smallpox that would sweep through the Sioux Indian encampments and daily claim lives.

Falguière's Bust of Diana was so popular at the end of the 19^th century that numerous versions were made in at least three sizes and several media. A work of great presence, the bust would have appealed to its audiences for its portraitlike realism and its unusual and arresting pose. The bust as a separate art object was taken from a life-size full-figure Diana which Falguière had first exhibited in plaster to great acclaim at the Paris Salon of 1882.

The Lambs Theatre Club, founded in 1874, was America’s first professional organization committed to the arts. During World War One, after four American lambs were tragically killed, the club commissioned Aitken, a lifelong member, to design a memorial sculpture. The shepherd, the symbol of the club, transcends and crosses time.

The Piper is a classic theme that was a favorite among American and European marble carvers as it incorporated the element of music and the gentleness of youth in a harmonious and appealing metaphor. The work achieved success as it was ordered seven times in the Ives records by various patrons.

This early work on paper evidences MacDonald-Wright's early exploration of what would later develop into the  Syncromism movement.

This piece depicting a harvest in the valley of Mont-Saint-Père was first exhibited at the 1904 Paris Salon and passed through numerous reputable French Private Collections prior to its museum sale.

This canvas was purchased by way of LACMA's European Art Acquisition Fund, and is currently on view on the third floor of the museum's Ahmanson Building.

This important and pivotal Millet canvas marked the artist's move toward realism. It was exhibited in Kyoto, Tokyo, and Nagoya, and passed through the private collection of former Third Republic French President Paul Casimir-Périer, before selling to a Manhattan collector.

Using his Italian drawings, studies of casts, and notes from paintings he saw, Gérôme constructed this group without the use of live models. The monumental size and placement of the figural group is unusual in the artist's oeuvre. This work is of great importance in his body of work.

By the time Inokuma painted Broadway (Longest Street) in the 1960s, he had moved to New York and his painting became more abstract, taking on the feeling of this great city. Broadway was painted while the artist was living at 115 E. 95^th Street, and the composition's complex grid patterns were inspired by a “bird’s eye view” of New York streets.

Greenough chose to capture the famous explorer at a young age, prior to his coming to America. The figure speaks of vision and greatness yet to come. The work acts as a metaphor for the birth of a young nation not yet realized.

In March of 1871, Auguste Rodin, not being eligible for service in the war, followed fellow Parisian artists, such as Carrier-Belleuse, northward to the relative safety of Brussels. During the four years which followed, Rodin sculpted a small number of busts. One of which was a portrait of Belgian pharmacist and early patron, Dr. Alexandre Van Berckelaer, who had offered Rodin his friendship and support during struggling times. Rodin repaid this kindness through the creation of this bust, which he described as "one of the best I ever executed."

Formerly a part of the collection of Harvey Dow Gibson, President & CEO of Manufacturers Bank, this piece  was  gifted to a New Hampshire Church prior to its sale by the gallery to the Lillehammer Museum in Norway.