Results of Swann's African-American Fine Art Sale 2353

Swann Auction Galleries' African-American Fine Art Sale 2353 held on June 10th brought in $1,242,626 with buyer’s premium, almost reaching its pre-sale low estimates ($1,251,700) for the sale as a whole. Of the 157 lots that were offered at auction, 118 sold (75% sell-through rate by lot). According to Nigel Freeman, Director of African-American Fine Art at Swann Galleries, “This was an exciting auction with enthusiastic bidding on scarce works. We are very happy to continue setting benchmarks for artists long overdue, including significant records for Noah Purifoy and Walter Williams. The sale also built on previous prices with strong results for William T. Williams, Sam Gilliam, Hughie Lee-Smith and Norman Lewis.”

Select highlights from The Shape of Things to Come: African-American Fine Art (Sale 2353) are featured in this post, focusing to a large extent on the lots featured in a May 25th post introducing this Sale.  All price quotes for art sold include buyer's premium.

Lot 22 Hughie Lee-Smith, Rooftops
 

Hughie Lee-Smith, Rooftops, Oil on linen canvas, 1961, 24"x 18". Image: Swann Auction Galleries

Rooftops had a high estimate of $35,000, and it sold to a collector for $37,500, including buyer's premium.  


Lot 45 Noah Purifoy, Untitled: Standing Figure  

Noah Purifoy, Untitled: Standing Figure, Assemblage construction, circa 1968-70, 51½"x 15"x 12". Image: Swann Auction Galleries

The figurative sculpture, Standing Figure, which was acquired directly from Purifoy by sculptor Artis Lane, had a low estimate of $60,000; it sold to a collector for $62,500. This was an artist record for Noah Purifoy.


Lot 61 William T. Williams, Truckin  
 

William T. Williams, Truckin, Acrylic 0n cotton canvas, 1969, 84"x 60". Image: Swann Auction Galleries

Truckin, a significant early painting by William T. Williams, is his earliest painting to date to come to auction. Truckin had the highest selling price for piece of art in this sale, capturing an artist record for William T. Williams. Lot 61 had a high estimate of $100,000, and it sold to an institution for $137,000.



Lot 80 Barkley L. Hendricks, Sergio 

Barkley L. Hendricks, Sergio, Oil and acrylic on linen canvas, 1972, 60"x 44". Image: Swann Auction Galleries

Sergio has an extensive museum exhibition history, extending from early 1970s through 2010. Sergio was the second highest piece of art sold in this sale; it had an estimate of $80,000 - $120,000.  Lot 80, surpassing its low estimate, sold to a dealer for $106,250.


Lot 119 Elizabeth Catlett, Standing Figure and Lot 144 Reclined Figure

Elizabeth Catlett, Standing Figure, Carved tropical wood and black enamel, 1986, 18"x 7"x 4¼". Image: Swann Auction Galleries

Elizabeth Catlett, Reclining Figure, Black marble, 2005, 32"x 15"x 11½". Image: Swann Auction Galleries

Lot 119, Standing Figure, one of the two important late-career sculptures by Elizabeth Catlett in Sale 2353 was unsold. The second, Reclined Figure, in black marble, surpassed its high estimate of $90,000, and sold to a collector for $93,750. 

Lot 27 Walter Williams, Southern Landscape

Walter Williams, Southern Landscape, Oil and collage on masonite board, 1963-64, 33"x 29". Image: Swann Auction Galleries

Southern Landscape could be described as Walter Williams' most important painting, as it is one of his best known artworks and a seminal one in his career. Lot 27, Southern Landscape, had an estimate of $20,000 - $30,000; it sold for $81,250 to a collector. Doubling its high estimate, this work set an artist record for Walter Williams. Southern Landscape was one of the three works that set an artist record; the other two were Standing Figure (Purifoy) and Truckin (William T. Williams). 

SEE Final Results for all lots in Sale 2353. 

Swann Galleries African-American Fine Art Auction: Sale 2323

The upcoming African-American Fine Art Sale 2323 at Swann Auction Galleries is scheduled for Thursday, October 3, 2013. For Swann Galleries, this auction (POINT of DEPARTURE: POSTWAR AFRICAN-AMERICAN FINE ART) marks the fifteenth sale, over the past several years, that has an African-American art focus. "This point of departure was inspired by the growing internationalism of the art world, and the spread of Abstract Expressionism—the first uniquely American art movement. As a result, many African-American artists were no longer wary of going Modern".

Sale 2323 features a wide range of visual art from the post-war period that reflects how African American art evolved in the mid-20th century, and includes  works by Charles Alston, Beauford Delaney, Norman Lewis, Hale Woodruff, Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Sargent Johnson, among others. Nigel Freeman, Director of the African American Fine Art Department at Swann Auction Galleries, states that "Most of the top lots sold in our February auction were works from the 1970s and onward. Not only are we seeing an increased interest at Swann in quality works from this time period, but we're seeing an overall renewed focus on the buying and selling of this material in the marketplace."  

A few highlights from Sale 2323 follow. The entire auction (Sale 2323) consists of 149 lots which may be viewed in the online catalogue.
 

Sargent Claude Johnson, Dancer, varnished terracotta, circa 1938-40, approximately 10"x 6"x 7" (including base).       Image: Swann Auction Galleries 

Lot 1 
Sargent Claude Johnson,  Dancer

Upon first viewing the catalogue, I immediately took a strong liking to this piece. This was my first time seeing a piece, in this style, by Sargent Claude Johnson. Dancer, a striking terracotta, is an extremely scarce modernist figure by the artist. Approaching the 1940s, this experimental work demonstrates Johnson's increased interest in European modernism and abstraction. It is a radical departure from the naturalist heads the artist produced in the 1930s. Dancer (Lot 1) has an estimate of $30,000 - 50,000.

  

Charles White, Hope Imprisoned, 1946, tempera on cream woven paper, 26" x 20".

Lot 10
Charles White, Hope Imprisoned

Hope Imprisoned by Charles White, tempera on cream woven paper, was completed in 1946. This striking work on paper is a significant painting by

Charles White, and is closely related in composition to Woman of Sorrows, colored inks, 1947, Howard University in Washington, DC. These and other

similar works portray an isolated and sorrowful woman. During this time period,  Charles White popularized the plight of the downtrodden depicted with graphic social realism. His anonymous subjects are imbued with an intense level of emotion. Hope Imprisoned (Lot 10) has an estimate of $100,000 - 150,000.

 

Norman Lewis, Untitled, oil on linen canvas, circa 1957, 49"x 63". Image: Swann Auction Galleries

Lot 22
Norman Lewis, Untitled

This untitled piece by Norman Lewis is the cover art for the catalogue and it represents the highest estimate of the 149 lots in Sale 2323. Quoting the entry in the catalogue, "This important mid-century painting is not only a truly exceptional example of Norman Lewis's painting, but an exciting discovery. This previously unrecorded painting is one of the most significant 1950s calligraphic figure paintings by Norman Lewis that we have seen, and yet it has never been publicly exhibited. The original owner, now deceased, took private art lessons from Norman Lewis in Harlem as a young woman. They remained life-long friends after she moved to Chicago. According to the family, she visited him in New York in the late 1950s with the desire to acquire an oil painting for herself. She bought this large painting out of his studio."

Lot 22 (Untitled) has an estimate of $250,000 - 350,000.

Elizabeth Catlett, Head, terracotta, painted dark brown, 1947, 11"x 6"x 8½". Image: Swann Auction Galleries

Lot 31
Elizabeth Catlett, Head

This exquisite sculpture by Elizabeth Catlett is an important and iconic work of art made at the beginning of a great period of creativity in Mexico, reflecting an attention to form and exploration of materials characterizing the rest of Catlett's career.

Lot 31 (Head) has an estimate of $80,000 - 120,000.

William T. Williams, Chuckerbootstar Last, 1972-73, acrylic on cotton canvas, 84"x 60". 
Image: Swann Auction Galleries

Lot 85
William T. Williams, Chuckerbootstar Last

Chuckerbootstar Last, a large painting, represents the evolution of the artist's important geometric abstraction in the early 1970s. This work depicts a departure from the artist's usual primary color palette; Williams has harmonized a geometric composition in deep secondary colors--purples, greens and browns-- with a carefully textured surface. This is the first significant work by William T. Williams made after 1971 to come to auction.

Chuckerbootstar Last (Lot 85) has an estimate of $75,000 - 100,000.

An illustrated auction catalogue, with information on bidding by mail or fax, is available for $35 from Swann Galleries, Inc., 104 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010. View online catalogue.

For further information, and to make advance arrangements to bid by telephone during the auction, please contact Nigel Freeman at 212-254-4710, extension 33, or via email at nfreeman@swanngalleries.com.

Live online bidding is also available via artfact.com.

All images were provided by Swann Auction Galleries.

Results of Swann's African-American Fine Art Sale 2303

Swann Auction Galleries' African-American Fine Art Sale 2303 on February 14, 2013 brought in $1,628,165 with buyer’s premium, exceeding its pre-sale low estimate of $1,548,000. Of the 147 lots that were offered at auction, 124 sold (84% sell-through rate by lot). According to Nigel Freeman, Director of African-American Fine Art at Swann Galleries, “We are very pleased with the results of yesterday’s sale, which saw strong prices across all genres and eras, with active bidding for 19th century paintings, 20th century modern art and post-war contemporary works.”

Thirty (30) lots, many of which were in the lower to mid-range, sold above their pre-sale high estimates. However, a few lots in the 5 figure range exceeded their high estimates and are worth noting. Examples of those lots follow: Lot 8 (Albert Alexander Smith, Spinning a Yarn) had a high estimate of $12,000 and sold for $24,000 with buyer’s premium; Lot 12 (Richmond Barthé, Feral Benga) with a high estimate of $30,000 sold for $43,200; Lot 90 (Sam Gilliam, Butterfly, Feeling) sold for $72,000, doubling its high estimate of $35,000; and Lot 140 (Elizabeth Catlett, Sharecropper) had a high  estimate of $25,000 and sold for $43,200. Albert Alexander Smith (Spinning a Yarn) and Sam Gilliam (Butterfly, Feeling) received artist records, and Catlett's Sharecropper was a record price of her work in this medium. All prices are with buyer's premium.  

The top selling lots in Sale 2303, emphasizing those that sold above $100,000,  follow:

Lot 85: Barkley L. Hendricks, The Hawk, Blah, Blah, Blah (oil and DayGlo on canvas, 1970) sold to a collector for $132,000. This was the highest selling piece in the auction.  

Barkley L. Hendricks, The Hawk, Blah, Blah, Blah

Lot 63: Hughie Lee-Smith, Poet #4 (oil on Masonite, 1954) sold for $120,000 to an institution. This piece was exhibited at Howard University Gallery of Art, Howard University, Washington, DC, 1955.

Hughie Lee-Smith, Poet #4

Lot 91: William T. Williams, Up Balls (acrylic on canvas, 1971) sold for $120,000 and goes to an institution. The artist tied his auction record with this sale.

William T. Williams, Up Balls

Lot 141: Elizabeth Catlett, Sister (green marble sculpture, 1971) sold for $114,000 to a collector.

Elizabeth Catlett, Sister

Charles White hit a record for his etchings in this auction, selling Lot 100 (Missouri C) for $26,400 to a collector; however, I was surprised that his Lot 62 (Trumpet Player) did not sell. It was one of my personal favorites. 

Swann Galleries African-American Fine Art Auction: Sale 2303

The upcoming African-American Fine Art Sale 2203 at Swann Auction Galleries is scheduled for Thursday, February 14, 2013. For Swann Galleries, this auction marks the fourteenth sale, over the past several years, that has had an African-American art focus. Sale 2303 includes many works by artists who rose to prominence in the 1960s and 70s, including Barkley Hendricks and William T. Williams, among others. Nigel Freeman, Director of African American Fine Art at Swann Auction Galleries, noted that Swann, "in addition to being the only auction house to feature regular sales of African American Fine Art, stands out as a leader in the sale of material by this 'Second Generation' of artists, who followed the Harlem Renaissance."

As in the past, the sale will include paintings, sculptures, and prints. Highlights include Barkley Hendricks’ The Hawk, Blah, Blah, Blah, a painting from the artist’s first solo show in 1971. It has an estimate of $75,000 – $100,000.

Barkley L. Hendricks, The Hawk, Blah, Blah, Blah, Oil and Dayglo on canvas, 1970.
Image: Swann Auction Galleries

William T. Williams' Up Balls, an acrylic on canvas, a bold composition from 1971 has an estimate of $75,000 –  $100,000. It is only the second painting by the artist to come to auction; see Eastern Star, the artist's first painting in auction, that appeared in Sale 2268 (Lot 141, February 16, 2012, sold for $120,000). 

William T. Williams, Up Balls, Acrylic on canvas, 1971. Image: Swann Auction Galleries

 

This African-American Fine Art sale also features a significant group of works sold by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston for the benefit of the collection, including works by Charles Alston, Richmond Barthé, Beauford Delaney, Norman Lewis, Laura Wheeler Waring, and Charles White. A sample from this collection includes Meeting Place by Norman Lewis and Trumpet Player by Charles White. Meeting Place which is the first Norman Lewis WPA-era oil painting to come to auction has an estimate of $150,000 – $200,000. Charles White’s Trumpet Player, a 1959-1960 charcoal and gouache drawing, has an auction estimate of $100,000 – $150,000. Images of Meeting Place and Trumpet Player follow.
 

Norman Lewis, Meeting Place, Oil on canvas, 1941. Image: Swann Auction Galleries

  

Charles White, Trumpet Player, 

Charcoal and gouache on board, 1959-60

Image: Swann Auction Galleries 

Sale 2303 will close with an exceptional group of prints by the late Elizabeth Catlett that includes a scarce, complete set of the 14 linoleum cuts that are a part of the I am the Black Woman series. This is the first time that the complete group has appeared in auction, and they have an auction estimate of $75,000 - $100,000. 

Here is the link to the online version of the catalogue for the upcoming African-American Fine Art Sale 2303.  


As a reminder regarding bidding information, you do not have to be present at the auction to bid. Bids may be placed in advance via telephone, fax, mail, or email, and Swann's staff will bid on your behalf if you can not attend the sale in-person. Also, you may make advance arrangements to bid live by telephone during the auction. To make bidding arrangements, contact Swann Galleries at 212-254-4710.