Purvis Young

Purvis Young, Big Crowd over the City, Painting on Plywood

Bold San Francisco Abstracted Still Life Composition in Oil on Board Bold still life composition by Frank Koci (Czech-American, 1904-1983). A table is set with a jug of wine and a bowl of fruit and a landscape in the background. It is composed of several layers of paint, with bold outlines. In some areas, paint has been scraped away to create additional texture. In broad terms, you can describe Koci’s paintings as a series of “people-scapes,” wherein people are shown having relationships (some fleeting, some enduring) with fellow humans. A better term is probably “preludes” — wherein each painting sets the stage for something momentous that will occur in the very next frame. In the best Kocis, the tension is palpable. Signed in the lower right corner "Koci". Presented in a wood frame. Board size: 13"H x 30"W x .5"D Born in 1904 in Pilsen Czechoslovakia to a widowed mother. Koci grew up in poverty. Leaving Pilsen at 17 he was already too sophisticated about arts and literature, drama, and polished...

At first glance, Préfète Duffaut's depiction of Bossou from 1954 might be mistaken for a Picasso or a Miro. The work is highly abstract, packed with symbolic meaning akin to Surrea...

This work is by Haiti's second-most-important artist, Philomé Obin. Hector Hyppolite stands at the top of the list and just sold a painting for almost $450,000. If art history is ...

Scott likes to think of his work as what it might look like if an overly observant 5 year old kid from New Jersey left hieroglyphics for alien life forms to discover. A mixture of ...

One of a kind painting by Noche Crist (1909- 2004). Noche Crist was an American artist born in Romania. Painting is made with casein on plaster on wood. Catalogue of a postumous ret...

One of a kind painting by Noche Crist (1909- 2004). Noche Crist was an American artist born in Romania. Acrylic painting is made with plaster on wood, which gives the painting a wonderful texture and depth. Painting is signed and titled on reverse "La Ronde...

A young man at a crowded upper-class Haitian swimming pool attracts attention. We see him only from the back in a Magritte-like pose. The transfixed expressions of some of the nubile bare-breasted bathing beauties and one man with his hands down his pants give us a clue that the mystery man is special. This is a fascinating work packed with drama and overflowing with pent-up emotion.
Bigaud's narrative is as complex as his figural composition of lookers and swimmers. Notice the sight lines of the lookers go back to front while the two swimmers go from left to right. The twenty-two figures are contained in the rectangular shape of the pool, which is pushed to the front of the picture plane. The cars of the pool partygoers are seen in the background with one witness. He is fully clothed and is most likely a chauffeur. The fully clothed female at the pool offering food is a servant. A boxy-looking radio with a pack of cigarettes and the style of the cars give glue to the date. Most Haitian art depicts average working people. The pool party departs from that tradition and shows life of the Haitian upper class. Most likely, this was painted in Petion-Ville. The higher the elevation in Port-au-Prince the more wealthy the homes. Although the artist's painting technique may be described as naive or lacking polish.
 t's one of the reasons why the work radiates charm and interest. The painting is oversized with huge dimensions of 55 x 48 and will be a statement in any room. Wilson Bigaud is considered to be a Haitian master. The condition is good. Three repaired one-inch issues on the extreme center and upper right edge. Visible only on close inspection. Otherwise presents very well and is elegantly framed, ______________________________________ Haitian master Wilson Bigaud is renowned for works portraying everyday life and rites of passage—vodou rituals, fortune-tellers, weddings, cockfights, and carnivals—with voluminous figures and lucid colors. Born in Port-au-Prince, in 1946 Bigaud was among the first to attend DeWitt Peters’s Le Centre d’Art d’Haïti, where he studied with Hector Hyppolite...

"Home from Work" by Wisconsin artist Robert Richter is an oil painting on wood, signed on the verso. The frame was created and hand-carved by the artist, making it an integral part o...

"The Shower" is an original oil painting on wood by Robert Richter. The artist signed the piece on the back, and hand-carved the frame so it becomes an integral part of the artwork. This piece depicts a nude woman from behind, taking a shower. 33" x 21" art 35 7/8" x 24" frame Artist Statement: "I was born in Milwaukee over half-a-century ago in the year of the horse...

"The Traveler (Starbucks Coffee)" by Wisconsin artist Robert Richter is an oil paint on wood with the signature on the verso. The frame was constructed and hand-carved by the artist,...