Tag: Prints

  • Prints, Photography and Multiples with Perry Tung

    Looking through the Prints, Photography and Multiples auction, we see excellent works by the masters of the 20th Century, including Picasso, Motherwell, Dali, Albers and Chagall. But there are two exceptionally rare prints that are wonderful examples of the difference between an etching and an engraving.

    River Drifters (River Drivers) by Frank Weston Benson

    The first is entitled Rivers Drifters (Drivers) by Frank Weston Benson, who was already an accomplished painter when he took up printmaking. Benson was a member of a group, who became known as The Ten American Painters. They were an exhibition group that included Impressionists, Tonalists and Figure painters, such as Childe Hassam and John Henry Twatchman. William Merritt Chase would join the group later upon the death of Twachtman.  Benson was exhibiting with the group when he took up etching recreationally in the early part of the 20th Century. He would have great success exhibiting and selling his work in this medium. His usual subject matter of choice was wildlife or sporting subjects.

    However, in River Drifters (Drivers) from 1914, no wildlife is present, instead he has focused attention on two loggers working along the Grand Lake Stream in Washington County. Especially wonderful is the small detail of the pipe in the standing figure’s mouth. This is a fantastic example of the etching technique, where the lines have been burned (etched) onto the plate using a chemical process, having been coated in a substance that is acid resistant called the etching ground. The image is then drawn through the ground to reveal the plate below, which is then bathed in acid etching the plate. When compared to etching, engraving is a much more physical process, where lines are carved into the plate using sharp tools producing a cleaner more pronounced line.

    Three Girls on a Chicken (Sasowsky 214) by Reginald Marsh

    Reginald Marsh studied under John Sloan at the Art Students League in New York. His subject matter were the people of New York, whether at play on Coney Island, dancing at a night club, riding the subway or just walking the street. Here is another American artist who took printmaking to a new level. Not only was he concerned with the finished product, but he was also obsessed with how he arrived there. Part of his process was making sure the temperature in his studio was just right for printmaking. Marsh was also aware of the age of the bath that his plates were soaked in, recording how long the paper soaked, observing the heating of the plate and the nature of the ink used in printing. Three Girls on a Chicken is from 1941, from an edition of approximately only twenty and is an extremely scarce engraving presenting Marsh at his finest.

    Perry Tung viewing the offerings of this month’s online auction

    Cowley Abbott is delighted to offer these rare works in our Prints, Photography and Multiples Auction currently open for bidding until April 19th.

  • Andy Warhol: Father of the Pop Art Movement

    Cowley Abbott’s Fall International Art Auction Features Multiple Important Works by the Twentieth Century Icon

    Andy Warhol, Howdy Doody
    Auction Estimate: $55,000-75,000

    “Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art”.

    -Andy Warhol

    The candid Press Release from Ronald Feldman Fine Arts in 1981 for the exhibition of Warhol’s Myths Series, invites the public to the opening on Saturday, September 12th.  It goes onto state which characters are included in the series and that they were derived from original photographs Warhol took of actors he hired or acquaintances portraying each character. 

    The Press Release goes onto say “They represent fantasies, dreams, hopes and fears.”

    It is interesting that Warhol choose these characters and included himself as “The Shadow”, the last print in the series. The Myth Series is now one of the most discussed and written about collection of prints by Andy Warhol.

    Perry Tung discussing Howdy Doody

    Cowley Abbot is pleased to offer two works from this iconic series, both consigned from an Important Private Collection. Howdy Doody was one of the first television shows to be shown in colour and apparently the show was used to sell color television sets in the 1950s. Like the other characters from the series the image of Howdy Doody was not appropriated from the media but was based on a photograph that Warhol took of the puppet.

    Andy Warhol, Mammy
    Auction Estimate: $35,000-50,000

    The second work we are offering from Myths is Mammy. Not a character from a specific story, but she is a character that can be seen in various forms of popular culture. Warhol photographed Sylvia Williams, who was the former director of the National Museum of African American Art at the Smithsonian, in the role of the maternal figure.

    Perry Tung discussing Mammy
    Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe I Love Your Kiss Forever (1964)
    Auction Estimate: $1,000-1,500
    Perry Tung discussing Marilyn Monroe I Love Your Kiss Forever Forever 1964

    Also included in the auction are a further two works by Andy Warhol, both inspired by women he adored. Marilyn Monroe I Love Your Kiss Forever Forever 1964 is from the unsigned edition of 2000 issued in an unbound book entitled “1cent Life”. The book was compiled by Walasse Ting and Sam Francis. This work was adapted from a painting Warhol did of Marilyn Monroe’s lips in 1962 and incorporates the poem “Jade White Butterfly” by Walasse Ting.

    Cowley Abbott is pleased to have been entrusted with these renowned works for auction. The entire Fall Auction of International Art can be viewed by following this link.

    Literature: “Press Release for Andy Warhol’s ‘Myths’”, Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York, September 1st, 1981 [online publication]

  • An Exciting Selection of Prints, Photography & Multiples begins the Fall Auction Season

    The Prints, Photography and Multiples auction has been an extremely enjoyable sale to put together.  We started to curate the sale just after the close of the International Art auction in June and one of the early consignments was Brice Marden’s Ten Days Portfolio (lot 27). The eight etchings and aquatints in this portfolio were inspired by Marden’s travels in Greece.  Often described as a minimalist, these have the same characteristics of his larger works: rectangular formats and a subdued palette, only here on a more intimate level. The provenance is excellent, having been purchased in Toronto and remaining in the same private collection.

    Ten Days (Portfolio of 8) (Lewison 20) by Brice Marden
    Auction Estimate: $60,000-80,000h

    Our Senior International Art Specialist had the privilege of spending the afternoon with Christo and Jeanne-Claude in their studio in New York just after The Gates Project in Central Park had been realized in 2005. You realize the amount of work that goes into Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s projects, as some of the projects are not realized for several years.  When we got an email with images of the lithograph, Arc de Triompe Wrapped (A Project for Paris), we were very excited about having this work consigned. This is from the publisher’s edition of 20. Arc de Triompe Wrapped (A Project for Paris) was issued in an edition of 150 (lot 44). It is even more meaningful as the project is finally being realized in Paris.  From September 18 to October 3rd the Arc De Triomphe will be wrapped.  Here is the link for the live stream on their website.

    Arc De Triomphe Wrapped (Project for Paris) (Schellman 144) by Christo and Jeanne-Claude
    Auction Estimate: $12,000-16,000

    There is a fantastic selection of photography in the sale, including the iconic portrait of Winston Churchill by Yosuf Karsh (lot 64), an interesting series by Yuri Dojc titled the Last Folio (lot 7), which documents the preserved history in a school in Slovakia before World War II, as well as wonderful portraits by Arnold Newman of Pablo Picasso (lot 20), Georgia O’Keefe (lot 19) and Max Ernst (lot 18). The Max Ernst portrait is remarkable. The story behind the work, is that Ernst was drawing a lot of birds at this point in his career and when he saw the portrait, he was very excited, as just beside his face the plumes of smoke suggest the image of a bird.

    Winston Churchill by Yousuf Karsh
    Auction Estimate: $8,000-10,000
    The Last Folio Series (8) by Yuri Dojc
    Auction Estimate: $6,000-8,000
    Pablo Picasso, Vallauris, France by Arnold Newman
    Auction Estimate: $2,000-3,000
    Georgia O’Keefe, Outside of Ghost Ranch by Arnold Newman
    Auction Estimate: $2,000-3,000
    Max Ernst by Arnold Newman
    Auction Estimate: $800-1,200

    There are three very special lots that begin the auction, introducing our partnership with Casey House, a hospital in Toronto which specializes in HIV/AIDS care. American photographer Cara Barer starts the auction with a striking work entitled, Heart (lot 1). Characteristic of her manipulation of books into sculptural objects, this work attracted lots of interest as the previews commenced. Vancouver artist Damian Moppett’s playful image of pieces of Lego and a balloon constructs an interesting juxtaposition between the hard and soft qualities of these objects (lot 2). David Burdeny’s striking image, Sweepers, West Lake, Hangzhou China continues his exploration of Asia and its landscape (lot 3).

    Heart by Cara Barer
    Auction Estimate: $800-1,200
    Untitled (B&W Lego Pcs-Rubber Band) by Damian Moppett
    Auction Estimate: $1,000-1,500
    Sweepers, West Lake, Hangzhou, China by David Burdeny
    Auction Estimate: $1,500-2,000

    We are extremely pleased to partner with Casey House in offering these lots. All proceeds from their sale will benefit Casey House Ontario’s HIV/Aids Hospital. We hope there will be many more donations of fine art that we will be able to offer through our sales. As well, we very much look forward to hosting the Art with Heart Preview for Casey House this year and broadcasting the auction live from the Cowley Abbott gallery on Tuesday, October 19th.

  • The February Online Auction of Works on Paper, Prints & Books: A Guide for Emerging Collectors

    Consignor’s Online Auction of Works on Paper, Prints & Books is a fantastic place to begin for someone new to the world of collecting art. The February sale offers a selection of prints, drawings, oil and watercolour paintings, photography and books to choose from in a broad range of prices, for both the emerging and seasoned collector. Purchasing a work on paper is often a more affordable opportunity to own an original work of art, or a print by a prominent artist whose original works are less accessible.

    Presented below are some great examples of quality artworks offered in the February auction, all of which have estimates below $1000. Browse by your preferred subject matter, from calming landscapes, still lifes and street scenes to bold abstracts and expressive figural works. Keep in mind there is a total of 237 lots in the auction, so please visit our online catalogue for the entire selection.

    LANDSCAPES

    Robert McInnis, Farm in Sunshine

    Lot #219: RFM McInnis
    Farm in Sunshine
    watercolour, 9 x 12 ins
    Estimated: $150.00 – $200.00

    Tom Forrestall, Lumber DealerLot #85: Thomas de Vany Forrestall
    Lumber Dealer
    watercolour, 9 x 12 ins
    Estimated: $700.00 – $900.00

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  • Collectable Prints Featured in Consignor’s September Auction

    Within the broad practice of printmaking are several distinct techniques, many of which are included in the Consignor September Auction.

    Consignor’s current Online Auction of Canadian and International art, consisting of 239 lots, offers a vast range of artwork for sale in various media – oil paintings, photography, sculpture and prints.

    Collecting prints is an excellent way to start or build a comprehensive art collection, as well as a way to familiarize oneself with styles and artists at a more accessible price point than other mediums.

    Rita Letendre, SharasMany artists of the Post-War period embraced printmaking, creating images of their modern compositions in multiple copies. Leader of the abstract colourist movement, Rita Letendre produced many silkscreen prints, such as Sharas, lot 56. Also known as serigraphy or screen printing, the silkscreen process consists of a stencilled image placed in a frame, which has a layer of mesh stretched across it, forming a ‘screen’. Ink is then pushed through the stencil onto a sheet of paper. Dating to 1973, Letendre’s Sharas serves as a prime example of her signature style of hard-edge abstraction.

    Jean Paul Riopelle, Les Oies IILithography has also been a popular printmaking method among 20th century Canadian artists. Jean Paul Riopelle frequently worked in this medium, creating abstract and quasi-abstract images such as Les Oies II, lot 58 in the September auction. In this process the artist draws an image onto stone with a grease-based medium, then applies ink to the stone, which adheres only to the image. The stone is then run through a press onto a sheet of paper. The online auction features two lots of rare black and white lithographs by Henri Masson of Quebec village scenes. These charming prints, lots 91 and 92, are examples of the artist’s very limited body of work in printmaking.

    Ed Bartram, CycleA very old form of printmaking that is still used today is etching. Using a needle, the artist scratches a composition onto a metal plate covered with wax. The plate is then submerged in acid, which eats into the metal exposed by the scratched lines. Etching has often been used to achieve very delicate black and white images, such as lot 155 by Caroline Armington, a pair of etchings depicting two of Paris’ famous bridges. A more contemporary rendering of the etching technique is lot 54, Cycle by contemporary Canadian artist Ed Bartram.

    Harold Town, UntitledPurchasing prints at auction are also an excellent and accessible way to collect the work Canada’s most renowned artists. Lots 64, 81 and 90 by William Kurelek, Harold Town and Ted Harrison respectively, provide the opportunity to own a composition in these painters’ distinct styles, as their prints are more readily-available and affordable when compared to original works.

    Consignor’s September Auction of Canadian and International art includes many excellent examples of traditional printmaking methods used by Canadian artists. Buying prints at auction is also a fantastic platform for the emerging collector. Visit our website and view our full online catalogue for more details on the available works and upcoming sales.