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.   

Supporting African American Art and Artists: Select African American Museums

This is the second of a four part series, focusing on ways to support African American art and artists. Part one in this series appeared on August 13, 2010 with an Addendum featured on July 8, 2012 . This current post focuses on a select group of museums and cultural centers whose missions strongly focus on African American visual arts. This is not a comprehensive list; only eight institutions, from across the country, are featured. However, it does begin a discussion to identify those institutions vying for financial support, gifts, and volunteer services. An effective starting point to identify an even larger number of these institutions begins with the Association of African American Museums (AAAM). Information on AAAM members is accessible by state from their web site. It is important to remember that all museums with a defined focus on African or African American art, history, and/or culture may not be members of the Association of African American Museums.

In order to remain viable and relevant during these critical economic times, these institutions need the collective support of all of us with an interest in African American art. As 2012 comes to a close, this is a great time to renew annual memberships or even consider an upgrade to the next level, perhaps giving a membership as a gift to a friend or relative, or even giving an outright gift to an institution.

Charlotte, North Carolina
The Harvey B. Gantt Center
for African-American Arts + Culture

The Harvey B. Gantt Center has a number of ways to become actively involved  with the Center through its various programs and services. Attending exhibitions and programs, making purchases in the museum shop, and hosting events in its space are a few of the more visible ways of supporting a museum. In addition, consider becoming a member or volunteering time.

The Harvey B. Gantt Center has five different membership levels that include unlimited free admission, private exhibition previews, discounts in the museum store, and the like. Also, there is a Gantt Center newsletter.

Membership is just one way to become involved as an active supporter of the Center. Membership levels begin with Senior Citizen/Student ($35.00) through Benefactor ($500.00). Other opportunities of becoming involved with the Gantt Center is through its Center Society, as a Collectors Circle ($1,000) or Founders Circle ($2,000) member; and becoming a Volunteer Ambassador.

As is the case for any of the museums in this post, one can simply make an outright contribution to support the museum's endeavors.   

Christopher Carter: Artist Talk

Christopher Carter, an artist from ricardogenzon on Vimeo.
This piece was produced for the California African American Museum's The Art of Christopher Carter exhibition (March 17 - May 15, 2011).

Sculptor           Artist           Wall Hangings          Rope

Found Objects         Poetic Images          Recycled Lumber

          Totemic Columns          Essence of Materials               

Select Upcoming African American Art Exhibitions: Highlights for 2013

This highlight features a few exhibitions that will be on view this coming year, 2013. Presenting the exhibitions as they approach their opening dates assures a freshness and currency of information for the visual art enthusiasts. A number of important traveling exhibitions from 2012 or earlier will still be on tour in 2013, and they are accessible from the sidebar of this Blog, Highlights of African American Exhibitions....  This sidebar is updated on a weekly basis by either adding newly discovered exhibitions or removing those that are approaching their expiration date. Its intent is to provide comprehensive coverage of current ongoing exhibitions on view for the current quarter of the year.


Black Art Project (BAP) welcomes any information or leads that you might have relating to Black art exhibitions, particularly regional exhibitions that are not traditionally marketed on a national scale. BAP will verify the accuracy of any information submitted. Thank you for any assistance that you provide.

 Belmont, California
Wiegand Gallery
Notre Dame de Namur University 

Mr. Imagination, Ghost Dress - 2000
Wire mesh, mother of pearl buttons - 48 x 36 x 36 inches
Created in 2011 for "The Roots of the Spirit" exhibition at L'Espace Re-Evolution, Venice, Italy.

The Roots of the Spirit: Lonnie Holley, Mr. Imagination, Charlie Lucas, Kevin Sampson will be on view at the Wiegand Gallery from September 15 to November 15, 2013. This exhibition was originally on view at L'Éspace Re-Evolution (Venice, Italy) where these four artists were invited by the American Folk Art Museum to exhibit during the 54th Venice Biennale in 2011.

Each of these artists "has acknowledged that divine intervention played an essential role in showing them their path. With the conviction of their African legacy, they began making art that honored their ancestors as an antidote to death and private grief. To witness Kevin Sampson’s shrines to deceased friends and relatives; the ancestor thrones of Lonnie Holley and Mr. Imagination; and Charlie Lucas’ metal sculptures that honor his grandparents by their material and method, is seeing through the eyes of the artists’ ancestors. Art is their testament to memory, healing and ultimately spiritual renewal."

Read more about these artists and view their works at The Roots of the Spirit.

Results of Swann's African-American Fine Art Sale 2290

Swann Auction Galleries' African-American Fine Art Sale 2290 on October 18, 2012 brought in $1,268,502 with buyer’s premium, falling short of its pre-sale low estimate of $2,098,200. Of the 154 lots that were offered at auction, 107 sold (69% sell-through rate by lot). According to Nigel Freeman, Director of African-American Fine Art at Swann Galleries, “Collectors sought out top-quality paintings by the masters. Norman Lewis and Henry Ossawa Tanner works brought high prices, in particular.”

The top 5 lots based on selling price with buyer's premium are as follows:

Lot 53, Charles White's Songs of Life, pen and ink on board, 1953-54 sold for $144,000 to a collector. Although this work passed the $100,000 mark, it did not reach its low estimate of $150,000.

Lot 34, Norman Lewis' Magenta Haze, oil on canvas, 1947 sold for $96,000 to a dealer.

Lot 41, Norman Lewis, Untitled (Circular Procession of Figures), oil on canvas, 1953 sold for $90,000 to a collector.  Of the top 5 lots, this is the only work that reached its high estimate ($75,000).

Lot 9, Henry Ossawa Tanner's Christ and Nicodemus (Early Study), oil on cardstock, circa 1923 sold for $90,000 to a collector.

Lot 8, Henry Ossawa Tanner's Flight Into Egypt, oil on wood panel, circa 1916-22 sold for $84,000 to a dealer.

Allan Rohan Crite, Douglass Square

In addition to the previously mentioned five lots, it is worth noting those artists who achieved an artist record in Sale 2290. Those four artists and their works follow: Allan Rohan Crite, Douglass Square ($36,000), Rex Goreleigh ($31,200), Richard Mayhew ($28,800), and Louis Delsarte ($24,000).

Rex Goreleigh, Spring Pruning

Richard Mayhew, Sacred Path    

Louis Delsarte, Reunion

Black Art Project (BAP) Booklist 4

This fourth list, in a continuing series, highlights recently published books that have an African American art focus. As stated in earlier releases,  identifying titles as they are recently published or in pre-publication status is crucial for those building a library that has some focus on African American art. Because of small print runs of these titles, it is advisable to purchase them shortly after they have been published to assure yourself that the titles that you are interested in have not gone out of print. When a title does go out of print, the secondary market becomes a viable option; however, you must then weigh cost and condition differences among the few dealers that may have a copy for sale.


The following post and the addendum of recent publications are simply a few new titles that have been released since the last Booklist:      

Image reproduced from Anthology.

Clifford Owens: Anthology is a forthcoming MoMA PS1 imprint that is scheduled for release on 11/30/12. Clifford Owens "has long been aware that the history of African-American art remains largely unwritten. Rather than rectifying the oversight in scholarly terms, Owens has created an unprecedented artistic project, a compendium of African-American performance art that is both highly personal and thoroughly historical."  

Anthology brings together final artworks (solicited from fellow African-American artists) that resulted from the performances at MoMA PS1. It will feature essays by art historians Huey Copeland, John Bowles, and MoMA PS1 assistant curator Christopher Y. Lew. Also included will be a round-table discussion with selected Anthology artists moderated by art historian Kellie Jones. 

(Image from Anthology: Senga Knight, 2011 (detail), 2 C-prints.)

Gary Simmons: Paradise is the first publication to offer a comprehensive overview of Simmons' multifarious career. A career that includes photographs, installations, sculpture, paintings, drawings, and public projects "exploring the visual language of our social and cultural landscape as they touch on symbols and themes that range from poetic longing to the vernacular of the inner city."

Paradise includes 150 reproductions with an introduction by Okwui Enwezor, and text by Gwen Allen, Nancy Princenthal, and Charles Wylie. To many of the readers, Simmons is identified with his wall drawings, or erasure drawings; this book shares the fuller scope of his body of works. On a personal level, Simmons' Duck, Duck, Noose was a visceral introduction to the 30 Americans exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery (Washington, DC); an installation that vividly brought to mind the theme of lynching and the abuse and murder that is associated with this crime. The image of the stools crowned with white hoods, encircling a hanging rope (noose) is still embedded in my memory... a powerful piece. 

Laylah Ali: The Greenhead Series is the first complete documentation of the Greenheads series by Ali, consisting of over 80 works. This is a catalogue accompanying The Greenhead Series exhibition presented by the Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) on view through November 25, 2012. "Over forty of these exquisitely rendered gouache paintings—from a total of more than eighty—have been gathered from collections here and abroad to chronicle the series’ development."

"The WCMA exhibition will allow viewers to examine the evolution of Ali’s series. While the early paintings frequently focus on physically aggressive exchanges between groups of figures, these interactions are later replaced by individuals—alone or in small groups—who witness the prelude to, or aftermath of, a charged encounter. As the series continues, more and more of the figures’ anatomy is pruned away, as if the artist is examining how much can be taken out—such as arms, feet, skin color—while still communicating thought, emotion, and social status."

Laylah Ali: The Greenhead Series includes texts by art historian and critic Julia Bryan-Wilson, and poet Kevin Young, as well as an interview with the artist by curator Deborah Rothschild.

Radical Presence: Black Performance in Contemporary Art is a catalogue which will accompany a forthcoming exhibition of the same title at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. The exhibition, which is organized by Senior Curator Valerie Cassel Oliver, will be on view November 17, 2012 through February 15, 2013.

 "This  publication provides a critical framework for discussing the history of black performance within the visual arts over the last 50 years." The exhibition will feature work by three generations of artists, including Benjamin Patterson, David Hammons, Lorraine O'Grady, Adrian Piper, Ulysses Jenkins, Carrie Mae Weems, William Pope.L, Terry Adkins, Lyle Ashton Harris, Clifford Owens, Sherman Fleming, Danny Tisdale, Kalup Linzy, Adam Pendleton, Derrick Adams, Dread Scott, Xaviera Simmons, among others. In addition, "the publication includes a DVD compilation of performance excerpts and is an essential tool for any understanding of the field."

Radical Presence includes an introduction and text by Valerie Cassel Oliver, foreword by Bill Arning, and text by Yona Backer and Naomi Beckwith.

Swann's African-American Fine Art (Sale 2290) catalogue documents the October 18, 2012 auction. The catalogue is arranged by lot number and features an image for each of the lots, including other pertinent information: artist, date of work, size, medium, provenance, where the work is signed and or dated, exhibition history, auction estimate, and etc.

Sale 2290 includes 154 lots in various media from many sought-after African-American artists, ranging from rare early 20th Century works through desirable contemporary pieces, including fine photographs. A short role call of artists included are as follows:  Beauford Delaney, Alvin Loving, Norman Lewis, Hale Woodruff, Dox Thrash, Robert Colescott, Allan Rohan Crite, Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, Elizabeth Catlett, Lois Mailou Jones, Rashid Johnson, Carrie Mae Weems, Lorna Simpson, Richard Mayhew, Richard Hunt, Jacob Lawrence, Robert S. Duncanson, Edward Bannister, Henry O. Tanner,  Eldzier Cortor, Sam Gilliam, Kara Walker, Hughie Lee-Smith, Benny Andrews, Charles White, Claude Clark, and others.