Q&A With a Representational Oil Painter

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May 29, 2018

Fine art oil paintings by David Tanner - FineArtConnoisseur.com — “Morocco: The Marketplace in Marrakech,” oil on canvas, 22 x 28 in., 2018

When an upcoming exhibition of David Tanner’s work caught my eye, I reached out to him for a quick Q&A on this annual show of his recent works. Here, he takes us behind the scenes of his year-long project.

Cherie Dawn Haas: First, thank you for taking the time for this. Can you give us an overview of your show?
David Tanner: Each May I have a show of new work, all done in the previous 11 months. So all of the work in this current show started coming to fruition last June. Having a show each year keeps me accountable. It gives me enforced deadlines to plan projects and get things finished on time. I tend to work on several things at once.

Paintings that require a lot of planning and pre-design, like my narrative figure compositions, I may work on for several days, or weeks even. I then put them away for a while to see them with fresh eyes before finishing.

Each year I generally end up with about 22 paintings to display that I feel are strong and presentable. My anchor pieces are usually narrative figure paintings that take a great deal of planning, and often dozens of hours of painting time.

On the other hand, many of the pieces that are included in my shows are non-commissioned alla prima portrait sketches, simple head studies usually painted in a single session with a model.

CDH: What’s the most common question (and your answer) that you hear about your work?
DT: I’m often asked about the genesis of my narrative figure paintings. It begins with choosing a model to fit the type of character I envision for the painting. As an example, the contemplative young man I chose for “Waiting for the Light to Go On” was perfect for portraying a character in the midst of writing. An 8 x 10 sketch was painted on location, and then referred to in my studio (along with photo references) to create the 24 x 30 inch painting.

The same type for thinking was used in choosing a model to bring to life the concept of an athlete nursing an injury, an idea that evolved into the painting “After the Match.” Once I have the right model to “play” the character, we try different gestures, clothing, lighting, etc. until I begin to see something interesting.

CDH: What do you love about oil, and why is this your chosen medium?
DT: I love oil painting. It’s such a forgiving medium. I try to take advantage of the paint while it’s wet so I can push color masses into each other and find what feels like the correct borders, as opposed to creating lines and filling them in with color. The feeling of pushing those colors around and being able to manipulate them is just heaven to me.

CDH: Please tell us a little about Morocco. Did you actually visit? What was it like?
DT: My partner and I travel as much as possible, and spent ten days in Morocco in 2009. We visited Tangier and Marrakech. The narrow streets and crowded markets were beehives of activity, and of course visually compelling for a painter.

“Morocco: The Marketplace in Marrakech” [shown at top] was based upon paintings I did on location back in 2009, as well as photo references taken on the trip. The square is called Jemaa el-Fna. The smoke hanging over the square (from the grilled meat stalls) lent an enigmatic quality to the Koutoubia Mosque, looming over the scene.

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“David Tanner: Recent Oil Paintings” runs through July 7, 2018, at the Crossroads Art Center (The Caboose Gallery) in Richmond, Virginia. For more information, please visit davidtannerfineart.com.

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A Drawing Medium That Remains an Enigma

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Fine Art Today

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May 27, 2018

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Metalpoint and silverpoint drawings - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Sherry Camhy, “Eye,” detail, silverpoint on prepared wood panel, 2018, Collection of the artist

by Sherry Camhy

If you have never heard of metalpoint, you are not alone. A surprising number of art-smart people have not either. Until recently, few schools taught this technique, and fewer art supply stores sold the necessary materials. Only a handful of American museums own examples of it, and those that do rarely put them on view. Major exhibitions devoted to metalpoint are few and far between.

In a National Gallery catalogue essay for an earlier exhibition titled “Drawing in Silver and Gold: Leonardo to Jasper Johns,” paper conservator Kimberly Schenck helpfully clariﬁes the terminology: “metalpoint” refers to “drawings created by a tool made of a metal or combination of metals of any type, whereas ‘silverpoint’ designates that the tool was made primarily of silver.” Indeed, artists over the centuries have used not only silver, but also gold, copper, lead, iron, zinc, platinum, aluminum, and brass. It is often difﬁcult to be sure which metal was actually used in a drawing unless that information was passed down from trustworthy sources.

Because silver was traditionally the most commonly used material, most metalpoint images have generally been lumped together as “silverpoints,” but today, investigators can use microscopes, technical imaging, and non-invasive chemical analysis to be more precise.

Silver remains the material of choice because its warm glowing color tarnishes with age to become even more radiant.

Although copper tarnishes too, its coloring varies unpredictably among green, orange, brown, or red hues. Gold does not tarnish, of course; its marks do not look shiny yellow as you might expect, but instead cool gray. Since silver becomes tawny over time, it is sometimes confused with gold, as noted in several of the catalogue entries. Made by the artist Susan Schwalb (b. 1944), the abstract image Strata #295 in this exhibition is a striking demonstration of how silver, gold, copper, aluminum, brass, and platinum can be used together to stirring effect.

Sherry Camhy, “Hair,” detail, silverpoint on prepared wood panel, 2018, Collection of the artist

In the past, artists placed a short piece of metal into a stylus, a holder made of wood or ivory. Now, artists usually place the metal into something that resembles a mechanical pencil. In fact, metalpoint was the Old Masters’ pencil, because graphite did not become widely available until the early 19th century. Metalpoints are hard, and the lines they make are consistently even; they do not smudge easily, but they are also very difﬁcult to erase, so each line must be considered carefully in advance. Darker areas must be developed patiently with repeated strokes.

Early on, metalpoint artists began to experiment with mixed media to add a greater range of darks and lights, as well as colors. They did this by toning their surfaces, highlighting with white, applying water media, chalks, and inks, and using blind drawing (cutting through the surface with a sharp tool into the primer tone below). As new materials appear, artists eagerly use them to extend the possibilities.

Today we are free to work on almost any size of two- or three-dimensional surface, prepared with ingredients that make erasing easy, the use of color, texture, and mixed media tempting, and even installation art feasible.

About the author:
Sherry Camhy is an artist, writer, and teacher. She curated a silverpoint exhibition at New York City’s National Arts Club in 2013 and at the Art Students League in 2015. Camhy will be giving a silverpoint workshop at the Art Students League, October 22-26, 2018. For more information, please visit www.sherrycamhy.com.

This article originally appeared in Fine Art Connoisseur magazine (subscribe here).

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Art Collecting 101: What Is This Painting Worth?

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Peter Trippi

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May 26, 2018

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Art Collecting 101: What Is This Painting Worth?

Many people are naturally curious to know if the artworks they own — or even ones they encounter at shops or fairs — are of historical importance, who created them, if they have any financial value, etc.

While the editors and writers of Fine Art Connoisseur are not qualified to provide feedback on these matters, we certainly share your curiosity and warmly encourage you to approach experts in the field who can be of help.

Most communities are served by an auction firm that employs individuals who can quickly assess an artwork. (These are the types of people seen on PBS’s successful television series, Antiques Roadshow.) Most often, they will find that the artwork is of sentimental value, but not of historical importance or great financial value. Sometimes, however, the item is rare, possibly unique, and thus worthy of closer study or even sale to an owner who can take better care of it.

Find an Art Auctioneer

Auctioneers are ideally placed to survey a wide array of materials. Finding a suitable auctioneer is usually as easy as searching the internet with the name of your community or region and the phrase “art auction.” Most auctioneers will gladly receive an email from you, as long as you also attach clear color photographs of the artwork from every possible angle, up close, and from a distance. Auctioneers are not mind-readers and cannot guess at what you are trying to show them . . . they require good-quality photographs to make an informed assessment.

Ask an Appropriate Art Dealer or Art Gallery

Art dealers and gallery owners are also talented at assessing artworks, but they are more often focused on a single kind of art — for example, contemporary paintings, antique furniture, or silver. Therefore finding the right dealer to assess your artwork requires more research on your part. The easiest way to proceed is to visit that dealer or gallery’s website to see what kinds of art are illustrated there; if they resemble your object, then an approach via email or letter may be worthwhile. We recommend against showing up at a gallery with an artwork for the owner to assess; you will probably be interrupting a negotiation underway, and that will not endear you to the gallery staff. Another warning: Some dealers may not have time to reply at all if they are not interested in reselling what you own. In contrast, most auctioneers do reply, even if it is to say “no thank you” or “we don’t know what this object is.”

Contact the Appraisers Association of America

Finally, you can approach an accredited appraiser who is a member of the Appraisers Association of America. This group’s members live nationwide and are trained to assess artworks of many kinds. However, they are independent businesspeople who may automatically charge a service fee if you want them to research or tell you more about the item. Clarity about your expectations, and about any charges to be incurred, is essential during all of your communications with an appraiser. Quite rightly, their “meter” usually begins running the moment you begin to correspond with them.

Good luck with your search!

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34 Paintings that Embody Classical Fundamentals

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Fine Art Today

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May 26, 2018

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Fine art oil paintings — Kevin McEvoy, “The Fiddle and the Violin,” 2010, oil on linen, 36 x 30 in.

The Atelier at Flowerfield proudly presents Atelier Masterworks 2018, an annual group show held at Atelier Hall, the school’s exhibition space designed to complement their traditional fine-art training. This exhibition features work from nine local and visiting instructors, with a focus on introducing upcoming Atelier at Flowerfield workshop teachers and nationally recognized painters Leo Mancini-Hresko, David Shevlino, and John C. Traynor to the greater St. James and Stony Brook communities. The exhibition also features the work of Atelier at Flowerfield’s year-round professional instructors Kevin McEvoy (director), Lana Ballot, Leeanna Chipana, Bill Graf, Tyler Hughes, and Wendy Jensen.

Atelier Masterworks 2018 comprises 34 works: still lifes, landscapes, interiors, figures, and portraits painted predominantly in oil (works in graphite and pastel are also included) and ranging in size from 9 x 11 inches to 48 x 60 inches. The paintings as a whole embody the educational focus of the atelier and McEvoy’s mission to teach classical fundamentals of drawing and painting from life as a foundation for individual expression in a contemporary context.

Leo Mancini-Hresko — a graduate and former principal instructor of the Florence Academy of Art — has ten works in this exhibition. Known for his knowledge of Old Master methods and materials, Mancini-Hresko applies those principles to impressionistic and expressionistic portrayals of his surrounding world: predominantly on-site landscapes from New England and his travels abroad (a large-scale view of the Ponte Vecchio in Florence is featured in this exhibition, as are the artist’s paintings from Greece and Maine), but also sensitively observed interiors, light-filled still lifes, and the occasional figure or portrait.

Fine art still life paintings — Leo Mancini-Hresko, “Pear and Pomegranate,” 2016, oil on board, 25 x 35 in.

Mancini-Hresko has been included in group exhibitions throughout the world, including in Italy, Greece, Ireland, England, and Russia. He has taught his approach to hand-crafting his own oils, canvases, and mediums at various schools and institutions, including at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and he continues to be a part of an ongoing cultural exchange between Russian and American painters.

David Shevlino received his training at the historic Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and also studied at the University of Pennsylvania and the Art Students League of New York. A firm believer in a traditional fine-art foundation, Shevlino has also developed an appreciation for more expressive styles and experimentation. His artwork lives in that energetic tension between representation and abstraction, a place where the artist feels most comfortable and confident.

Shevlino has six works in this exhibition, showcasing the various sides of his stylistic personality. These include a large-scale American Impressionist-esque outdoor portrait of a young boy; a semi-nude figure demonstrating his signature hybrid style; and a simple still life, painted with a limited palette a la the Hawthorne/Hensche school of color. Shevlino has been exhibiting his paintings nationally and internationally for more than two decades, and his work has been featured in several national and online publications.

John C. Traynor has been painting and traveling the world in search of beauty for more than 40 years and is known for his landscapes and still lifes that combine traditional realism with atmospheric impressionism. Having trained with such teachers as Deanne Keller and Frank Mason in his youth, Traynor is part of several lineages, including those associated with the Copley Society of Boston, of which he is a honorary member.

Fine art landscape paintings — John C. Traynor, “Passing Shower, County Clare, Ireland,” oil on linen, 18 x 14 in.

The artist has five works in this exhibition, including his highly collected outdoor landscape scenes, as well as a rare multi-figure interior titled “Sunday Evening Stories.” Traynor is the official fine artist of the upcoming 2018 U.S. Open Men’s Golf Championship, held this June at the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, in Eastern Long Island. Traynor has been making several trips to the area over the last several months to paint on-site and has been particularly inspired by the legacy of William Merritt Chase, who summered and painted in Shinnecock and ran the Shinnecock Hills Summer School of Art from 1891 to 1902.

“Atelier Masterworks” runs through August 30, 2018. For more information, please visit www.atelierflowerfield.org.

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An Intimate Sense of Place

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Fine Art Today

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May 25, 2018

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An overview of the fine art exhibition “Suchitra Bhosle: Sacred Spaces”
by Kelly Skeen, Arts Writer for Meyer Gallery

Suchitra Bhosle’s representational painting style embraces impressionist techniques through loose brushwork and accurate depictions of ever-changing light. The defining factor of Bhosle’s work, however, is the mood she invokes through oil paintings that are inspired by personal moments or lingering experiences. While much of Bhosle’s painting career has focused on the figure, her latest work emphasizes architectural subjects that stem from an intimate sense of place.

“Apart from lighting and mood, what draws me to paint these spaces is the dynamic dialogue between shape and color,” says Bhosle of her architectural imagery. While the dominating subjects for Bhosle’s exhibition are church naves or facades, the sacred feel of her paintings is not necessarily reliant on spiritual subject matter. The distinct mood of each piece is conjured instead through intimate lighting, soft brushwork, and subtle color harmonies. These techniques are also evident in Bhosle’s figurative style, which will have a presence within the exhibition. “A sacred space could be a mosque, temple, or any place of worship,” she says. “But it’s not limited to that. It could also be a personal moment that was close to me.”

Bhosle was born in India, where she lived for 25 years before moving to the United States. She and her husband lived in California and took regular trips to New Mexico before recently moving to the East Coast. Her latest architectural paintings reflect blended imagery of Indian temples, California Spanish missions, and Southwest adobe churches. Bhosle often juxtaposes various elements from each culture into a single image, imagining a place that encompasses the beauty she has experienced in various sacred spaces.

Suchitra Bhosle, “Candle Lit Prayer,” oil, 16 x 12 in., $4,000

“Suchitra Bhosle: Sacred Spaces” will be on view through June 14, 2018. For more information, please visit www.meyergalleries.com.

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From Barrel Racing Cowgirls to Ranches in the Landscape

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Fine Art Today

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May 24, 2018

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Western art - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Jim Rey, “Sage Runners,” oil on canvas, 24 x 48 in.

See the West through the eyes of Maura Allen and Jim Rey, two distinct artists featured in the fine art exhibition, “This is the West.” Allen portrays the American West with a contemporary, cinematic quality, while Rey captures a bygone era, preserving a way of life. Read more about the artists below.

Jim Rey has spent a lifetime living the ranching experience, and close to five decades depicting those experiences with his paintbrush. Turning to his own memories and continually exploring new ranches and landscape locations infuses Rey’s work with a tangible authenticity. He strives to visually demonstrate what he cares about, sharing a thought and his own way of looking at things in the final image.

“I’ve seen what hard work and diligence does,” Rey says, “both in art and on the range.”

The pieces presented at this show will focus on the “haptic” approach in his work, as he uses his fingers to create a natural line of movement, energy, and flow, all coming from the touch. “Using the touch of my fingers in addition to brush strokes allows me to be empathetic to the subject and results in a painting that is created based on feeling.”

Maura Allen devotes time each year to travel, visiting various locations, reestablishing her personal connection with the American West. Recently, she spent time in Wyoming and at a private ranch in northern Denver, discovering and collecting visual lessons for future contemplation. Upon returning to her studio, she transforms these journeys into stunning paintings that embody her beloved West. “For centuries, the West has represented beginnings, not endings,” she says. It’s a “place where experimentation and the pioneering spirit — no matter your passion — has enough sky to thrive.”

At this show, Allen introduces several new works of varying sizes and shapes, including a pinwheel circle series with a bold, recurring Western element. Other imagery includes barrel racing cowgirls and Native American themes. “The West we live — and the West of our imagination — is what I paint. Like the great tales of the West, my work is part rugged, part romanticized.”

Shanan Campbell Wells, owner of Sorrel Sky Gallery, looks forward to this show with much anticipation. “Maura and Jim are both so devoted to expressing what they see individually as ‘the West.’ Each approaches their creative processes so differently, with a distinctive style and method. Yet each conveys their deep love and appreciation for their surroundings, what its future and history mean to them, with imagery that clearly states ‘This is the West.’”

“This is the West” runs through June 30, 2018. For more information, please visit sorrelsky.com.

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Featured Artwork: Lisa Gleim

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Fine Art Today

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May 21, 2018

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Storm Clouds in Blue
16 x 20 in., pastel
$2,000
Available from the artist

Atlanta artist Lisa Gleim is a branch of a family tree of artists with deeply rooted Southern connections. A graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Lisa is strongly influenced by the great American Impressionists. A love of pastels took off when a family friend gave her a set of French pastels; Lisa was immediately hooked.

“The medium,” she says, “allows me the ability to capture the effect of light with extreme vividness. Pastels have the unmatched richness of painting with pure pigment. The beauty of light and how it affects subjects, whether it be an animal or a coastal landscape is what one will see in my paintings.”

Lisa is always looking at her daily encounters as possible paintings. She never leaves home without her camera or phone so she always has the option to capture a perfect moment. Although her work is primarily created in studio, she does paint in plein air whenever possible. Each year she takes a week-long painting trip, usually near water.

Both her portraits and landscapes can be found in many private collections across the United States including the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical, the Court of Chancery in Wilmington, DE, and has been included in numerous publications, including several issues of the book Strokes of Genius: The Best of Drawing series by Northlight Books. She is a signature member of the American Society of Marine Artists, a Master Circle Member of the International Association of Pastel Societies, and a juried associate member of the Society of Animal Artists, to name a few.

After living and working in Philadelphia for eight years, Lisa returned to her native home of Atlanta in 2000 where she maintains her studio and residence with her husband and 12 year old daughter.

Select honors:
2012 & 2016 Audubon Artists Gold Medal of Honor for Pastel recipient
2013 Audubon Artists Art Spirit Foundation’s Gold Medal Award for Pastel
2016 Atlanta Branch of the National League of Pen Women’s Artist of the Year

The Envy of the Art World

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Fine Art Today

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May 21, 2018

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Streamline Art Events — Admiring Rembrandt’s Danaë at the Hermitage. All images are from a previous Streamline Publishing art trips, and are courtesy of Peter Trippi.

Each year Fine Art Connoisseur magazine Editor-in-Chief Peter Trippi and Publisher B. Eric Rhoads lead a select group of art lovers and collectors on a memorable trip to a major art destination. This October 18–26 (plus optional pre- and post-trips), you can join them for a behind-the-scenes tour and guided trip to Italy.

It’s truly “behind the scenes,” because Rhoads and Trippi’s deep art contacts allow them access to the true movers and shakers in the art world, many of whom you’ll meet, and allow you entry to some unseen collections of art — often in private homes or palaces — and even access to special places in museums not open to the public.

“As terrific as our destinations are, there is always extra pleasure to be enjoyed from traveling with other readers of Fine Art Connoisseur,” Trippi says. “Everyone on the trip cares about great art and architecture, and we are completely immersed in the experience of discovering them together — asking questions, sharing ideas, agreeing to read more when we get home, etc. It’s a really friendly circle of friends, old and new — and it’s never about showing off, just genuine enthusiasm for the intriguing sites we bring our travelers to see.

This year, during the Italian Art Trip, the group will spend four nights in Florence, then travel by a luxury train to spend another four nights in Rome. There are even options of adding three nights in Milan (pre-trip) and/or three nights in Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast (post-trip).

“We’re a fun group,” Rhoads says. “You’ll make a lot of friends, you’ll see a lot of art, and you’ll create a lifetime memory and gain access to places most others would never be able to provide.”

This annual trip has become the envy of the art world and sells out each year, so you must register quickly if you would like to join Fine Art Connoisseur for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As of this writing, the Italian Art Trip is 92% sold out, so click here to learn more and save your spot on a guided trip to Italy today.

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Two Painters, One Art Exhibition

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Fine Art Today

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May 21, 2018

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Fine art exhibitions - Carl Bretzke — “Wet Drive on Lake Avenue,” Carl Bretzke, oil on panel, 9 x 12 in., 2018, $1,800

“Bauman Bretzke”
Grenning Gallery, Sag Harbor, New York
Through June 18, 2018

From Grenning Gallery:
Stephen Bauman (b. 1980) offers a series of drawings and paintings that are both stylistically realistic and technically expressive. Bauman’s work excites the technical enthusiast and fulfills the contemporary need for impact with his two viewpoints: On one level his work makes a big impression across the room, and on another level, up close, reveals abstract markings that convey an intense observation of the details found in nature.

Bauman is returning to the Grenning Gallery after a decade of developing his career overseas. Bauman, a New York resident for two years now, spent the prior ten years honing his very original visual voice while working in ateliers in Italy and Sweden. With his eternally original and introspective expression, Bauman is well poised to make his mark on the art scene, especially now that he is living and working in the New York area. We have always been drawn to his original and deeply felt paintings and drawings, having first shown him back in 2006 when he was only 25 years old.

The emotional intensity found in Bauman’s figurative work is astounding. A hallmark of Bauman’s character portraits is that, somehow, the subject’s gaze mysteriously extends beyond the plane of the canvas to connect directly with the viewer.

Fine art oil paintings - Stephen Bauman — “New Town,” Stephen Bauman, oil on linen, 35 x 35 in., 2018, $11,000

In “New Town” we see a young woman heroically posed against the backdrop of a minuscule New York. Here Bauman uses his highly refined figurative painting technique to convey a 21st century twenty-something thoughtfully facing the challenges of the big city — a classical realism “Me Too” painting, subtle yet direct, using his considerable technique to convey a contemporary subject.

Fine art drawings - Stephen Bauman — “Ghost on the Highway” Stephen Bauman, graphite, 19 x 23 in., 2018, $4,000

Bauman claims that “people are not familiar with drawing as a fine-art form,” so he began exploring painting techniques through drawing. The same way painters use impasto or a palette knife, Bauman uses drawing materials like charcoal and graphite to an expressive end; for instance, he modulates the heaviness of markings, creates depth through layers, and accentuates highlights using an eraser. The medium’s capabilities are infinite. Bauman’s drawings are deeply crafted, and time consuming.

Growing up in Miami as a street artist, although seemingly miles away from his current aesthetic, explains the graphic sensibility that distinguishes Bauman from many of his compeers in the classically trained artist world. He is currently living in New York City and teaching at the Florence Academy of Art’s New York branch and painting in his studio at Mana Contemporary.

“Shasta at Night,” Carl Bretzke, oil on panel, 11 x 14 in., 2018, Sold

Carl Bretzke (b. 1954) has been showing and painting at the Grenning Gallery for several years. He is drawn to scenes that evoke a sense of familiarity, not unlike Hopper and Norman Rockwell. His work instills an emotional connection to the feeling of a place rather than to the place itself. A quiet city scene at night is more about the quietness than about the city.

Most of Bretzke’s paintings include unpretentious contemporary vehicles. “I find that vehicles,, like figures, add a sense of realism and scale to my paintings.” And it is true. Automobiles in paintings are an immediate indicator of the era.

Carl Bretzke, best known for his recent series of a well-known movie theatre façade, being the last artist to paint it from life in November 2016, a month before it burned down. We have prints available of this painting “The Last Show.” Bretzke’s work is growing in quality and depth, which is evidenced by this interesting collection of familiar local and not so local scenes from American life.

Bretzke explains his work clearly: “Mark Jenkins, of The Washington Post (Feb 20, 2015), once described my work as simultaneously intimate and detached … with a style that recalls Edward Hopper and the Ashcan School. This was an appropriate assessment, in that Hopper and Bellows are two of my personal favorites from history. I am attracted to work like theirs that depicts familiar images of everyday life with a somewhat undefined narrative that involves the viewer on a slightly different level. Although I most recently have been known as a plein air painter*, I don’t think of myself as a single-category artist. I spend equal time in the studio developing larger and somewhat more complex work. Many friends and teachers in the contemporary art world have been influential to my work, including St. Paul artist Joe Paquet and Florence artist Ben Fenske.”

*Listen to Carl Bretzke in this PleinAir Art Podcast with Eric Rhoads

Bretzke has garnered countless awards in plein air contests around the country (including the PleinAir Salon), is represented by Grenning Gallery and three others across the country, and has been covered extensively in the art press.

For more information, please visit www.grenninggallery.com.

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A Seven-Figure Art Sale

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Fine Art Today

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May 21, 2018

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Fine art auctions - Bonhams — James Ensor (1860–1949), “Nos deux portraits,” oil on panel, painted circa 1905. Estimate: $300,000–$500,000, Price realized: $396,500

From Bonhams New York:
The May 15 sale of Impressionist and Modern Art achieved $4,042,000 (US) with outstanding sell-through rates. The top lot of the sale was “Nos deux portraits” by James Ensor (1860–1949), painted circa 1905, which realized $396,500.

Caitlyn Pickens, Head of Sale, Impressionist and Modern Art, commented: “We are thrilled with the exceptional sell-through rates of 92 percent by lot and 97 percent by value, the highest ever achieved for an Impressionist and Modern Art sale at Bonhams New York. The strong results indicate continued demand for impressionist and modern works with important provenance and reaffirm the market is present and more international than ever. There was high energy throughout the auction, with many works that drew intense competition and sold well over their estimates, which included Pierre Eugène Montézin’s ‘Sur les bords du ruisseau,’ Marc Chagall’s ‘Le bouquet au pot vert,’ and Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita’s ‘Nu aux bras levés (La petite Cariatide à la pâquerette)’”.

About “Nos deux portraits”

Distinguished by its important early provenance and extensive exhibition history, “Nos deux portraits” is a rare double portrait of the artist and his close companion Augusta Boogaerts. This work was exhibited in Ensor’s first retrospective exhibition in 1929 at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels and has since been exhibited throughout Europe and North America. The first owner of “Nos deux portraits” was Augusta Boogaerts herself.

“Nos deux portraits” is one of four portraits Ensor painted of Augusta. She met Ensor in 1888 while working for his family’s business and remained his close companion for over sixty years. Ensor’s family never approved of the relationship and the two never married or lived together. Instead, Augusta took on the role of an unofficial business and studio manager. She supervised Ensor’s production and arranged many of his still-lifes composed of trinkets, shells, and skulls. Ensor wrote Augusta’s initials, A.B., in his sketchbook, where he reproduced all his paintings, further indicating that she had enormous influence over his still-life compositions.

Further highlights in the sale were:

Marc Chagall (1887–1985), “Le bouquet au pot vert,” achieved $360,500 after an estimate of $150,000–$250,000.

Bernard Buffet (1928–1999), “Branches de cerisiers en fleurs,” achieved $225,000 after an estimate of $100,000–$150,000.

Marino Marini (1901–1980), “Acrobati e cavallo” achieved $150,000 after an estimate of $100,000–$150,000.

Pierre Eugène Montézin (1874–1946), “Sur les bords du ruisseau,” achieved $93,750 after an estimate of $15,000–$20,000.

For more information about fine art auctions at Bonhams, please visit bonhams.com.

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