FRANKLIN, MASS.- A pair of sanguine drawings on white paper by the renowned Russian-born French artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985), two signed lithographs by the equally famous Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali (1904-1989), and other original drawings by notables like Keith Haring, Man Ray, Andy Warhol, Jean Cocteau and Fernand Leger, will be sold in an online-only auction.
They’re just a few of the nearly 200 highly collectible prints and drawings, by Old and Modern Masters representing four centuries of artworks on paper, that will be offered by The Woodshed Gallery on Wednesday, February 22nd, at 12 o’clock noon Eastern time. Internet bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and the website www.woodshedgallery.com.
Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted. “This started out as a nice little discovery auction, but then some very old prints from the 1500s and 1600s came in, as did some newer drawings, so the merchandise mix was suddenly a survey of printmaking and drawing spanning hundreds of years,” said Bruce Wood of The Woodshed Gallery. “There are many fine pieces in this sale.”
The Chagall drawings are the expected headliners, each carrying estimates of $30,000-$40,000. Both are artist-signed and unframed. One, a drawing on white Arches paper, is titled Village Berger Descending (or Dream of the Dance). It’s in excellent condition. The other is titled Violinist and Family and is in good condition. Both were previously owned by The Ashkenazy Gallery in Los Angeles, which was flooded in the late 1990s, but neither work was damaged.
The Dali works are both signed and framed lithographs. One is titled Land Come to Life, from his book The Aliyah, numbered (116/250) and measuring 30 ½ inches by 22 ½ inches framed. The other is titled Land of Milk and Honey, also from The Aliyah. It’s also numbered (116/2650) and is 30 ½ inches by 22 ½ inches framed. Both lithos are expected to sell for $1,000-$2,000.
An ink drawing on toned paper by Man Ray (Am., 1890-1976, born Emmanuel Radnitzky), titled Female Nude on a Bridge and signed and dated 1917, has a pre-sale estimate of $8,000-$12,000; while a much later Man Ray work, this one an ink drawing on tan paper with abstract watercolor underpainting titled Female Figure, signed and dated 1951, also has an $8,000-$12,000 estimate.
A drawing in color-markers on manila folder-weight paper, attributed to the pop art icon Andy Warhol (Am., 1928-1987) and titled Two Campbell’s Soup Cans, should reach $4,000-$8,000. From the same consignor, a personal note of thanks written in blue ink on buff paper by former President John F. Kennedy, unframed and 3 ¼ inches by 2 ¾ inches, should sell for $600-$1,000.
A blue ink drawing with water wash on heavy art paper, signed by Jean Cocteau (Fr., 1889-1963), titled Mermaids and having just light handling marks, has an estimate of $3,000-$5,000. Also, an ink drawing on heavy-weight tan art paper by Fernand Leger (Fr., 1881-1955), titled Group of Women, signed (“F.L.”) and dated (1951), has a pre-sale estimate of $6,000-$12,000.
An original ink drawing on white art paper attributed to the American artist and social activist Keith Haring (1958-1990), titled Crucifixion and Barking Dogs, signed and dated 1982, should fetch $6,000-$12,000; while an unframed, unsigned and untitled charcoal drawing on Arches laid paper, attributed to Hans Hofmann (Germ./Am., 1880-1966), should command $2,000-$4,000.
An untitled serigraph on paper by Victor Vasarely (Hung./Fr., 1908-1997), signed (“F.V.”) and numbered (27/65), printed with metallic gold and pigmented inks, framed with acrylic glazing, is expected to garner $2,500-$3,500. Also, an untitled, signed and numbered (38/99) lithograph in colors on paper by Pierre Alechinsky (Belg., b. 1927), framed, is expected to hit $1,000-$2,000.
The Woodshed Gallery has been selling works from the estate of American artist Howard John Besnia (1921-2104), over the course of the past two years. This sale will feature more from his vast collection, to include a Leonard Baskin proof sheet with wood engravings; and six double-fold proof pages from the book The Matchmaker’s Lament (1967), with poems by Leonard Nathan and gravures of drawings by Leonard Baskin. Both lots are estimated at $100-$200.
An ink on white bond paper drawing by the one and only Dr.Seuss (Am., born Theodor Seuss Geisel, 1904-1991), depicting a scene from his classic children’s book Green Eggs and Ham, signed by the artist, is expected to make $1,000-$2,000, as is a signed and numbered (7/30) lithograph by Odilon Redon (Fr., 1840-1916), titled Faces and signed with Redon’s initial.
A signed drawing by Hans Erni (Swiss, 1909-2015), titled Minotaur, newly matted and framed, has a pre-sale estimate of $1,000-$2,000. Also, a folio of eight prints in varying media by five artists, in a compilation titled Los Jardins De Lorca (published by Casa-Museo Federico Garcia Lorca, Granada, Spain), with each print signed and numbered (25/50), should bring $400-$800.
Other artists in the sale will include Winslow Homer, Pablo Picasso, Norman Rockwell, Oren Cooper, Ed Demers, Wang Hui-Ming, Gugliemo Martin, Ay-O, Tex Avery, Mort Walker, Russ Gant, Richard Earlom, Harold Altman, Jan Luyken, Jamie Wyeth, Itzchak Tarkay, Elmer Boyd Smith, William Gropper, Gilbert William Gaul, Edwin Austin Abbey and many others.
This being an online-only auction, there will be no live previews. However, all lots may be viewed now, online, at the two internet bidding platforms already mentioned, as well as The Woodshed Gallery website,
www.woodshedgallery.com. The Woodshed Gallery is a family-owned art gallery specializing in oil painting restoration, art auctions and custom picture framing. The firm presents online and live auctions and is celebrating its 49th anniversary.
