“A Chair is a very difficult object. A skyscraper is almost easier. That is why Chippendale is famous.”
From Kraushaar Galleries (New York):
These words by the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe form a theme for Kraushaar Galleries’ first spring exhibition. We will present a selection of paintings and works on paper that include a chair as a primary or supporting element.
During the first decades of the 20th century, studio scenes frequently included a chair as a subject in a room, like Gifford Beal’s formal portrait “Harrison Cady’s Studio,” or as a support for a subject, as in John Sloan’s “Kathleen Resting” or William Glackens’s “The Breakfast Porch.”
As Modernist theories influenced American art, the chair took on architectural qualities, as apparent in the two portraits of Bea Ault, a painting by Marguerite Zorach, and a drawing by George Ault. Ruth Asawa and Elmer Bischoff straddle a line between
painterly representation and elements of abstraction, while Jack Tworkov pushes the chair to complete abstraction.
The exhibition can be viewed from the antique copies of Chippendale chairs that have been a part of the Galleries’ exhibition space for about 100 years.
“A Chair is a Very Difficult Object” is on view through May 24, 2019, at Kraushaar Galleries (New York, New York).
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Viewed as an important event each year for both buyers and sellers, pieces are submitted to The Russell auctions by artists and third-party consignors. The museum’s temporary public exhibition of the complete auction catalogue offers visitors a rare opportunity to view each piece before many head to private collections.
Earlier, the successful First Strike auction featured 79 lots by living artists and grossed $420,556 including buyer’s premiums — an after-auction sale brought the sale rate to 100 percent. The highest selling piece was the thrilling sale of Lot 36, “All Legs” by Adeline Halvorson for $40,000. Nearly 700 guests and artists attended the event sponsored by Black Jack Ranch Museum.
More from the Desert Caballeros Western Museum:
Art that went unpurchased during opening weekend is still available through May 12; patrons may purchase online at 
The 2019 Artists Award Dinner and Live Auction held Friday, March 29, drew art sales of more than $600,000. The following evening, Saturday, March 30, the Luck of the Draw Sale and Reception took place and commanded nearly $1.3 million in art sales. Notable sales included artist Martin Grelle’s “Shoshone Searchers,” which sold for $118,750 and artist Z. S. Liang’s “Horse Medicine Man,” which sold for $62,500.
