American Modern Art

This is one print – printed in full color on 15" x 20" heavy cream-colored paper. It is from a limited edition series of 175, the portfolio is hand numbered and hand signed by Chris Ware. the individual prints are not. The page with the hand signature is included here as a photo for reference only it is not included in this sale. Franklin Christenson "Chris" Ware (born December 28, 1967), is an American cartoonist known for his Acme Novelty Library series (begun 1994) and the graphic novel Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth (2000) and Building Stories (2012). His works explore themes of social isolation, emotional torment and depression. He tends to use a vivid color palette and realistic, meticulous detail. His lettering and images are often elaborate and sometimes evoke the ragtime era or another early 20th-century American design style. Ware often refers to himself in the publicity for his work in self-effacing, even withering tones. He is considered by some critics and fellow notable illustrators and writers, such as Dave Eggers, to be among the best currently working in the medium; Canadian graphic-novelist Seth has said, "Chris really changed the playing field. After him, a lot of [cartoonists] really started to scramble and go, 'Holy [expletive], I think I have to try harder.'" While still a sophomore at UT, Ware came to the attention of Art Spiegelman, who invited Ware to contribute to Raw, the influential anthology magazine Spiegelman was co-editing with Françoise Mouly. Ware has acknowledged that being included in Raw gave him confidence and inspired him to explore printing techniques and self-publishing. His Fantagraphics series Acme Novelty Library defied comics publishing conventions with every issue. Ware's art reflects early 20th-century American styles of cartooning and graphic design, shifting through formats from traditional comic panels to faux advertisements and cut-out toys. Stylistic influences include advertising graphics from that same era; newspaper strip cartoonists Winsor McCay (Little Nemo in Slumberland) and Frank King (Gasoline Alley); Charles Schulz's post-WWII strip Peanuts and the cover designs of ragtime-era sheet music. Ware has spoken about finding inspiration in the work of artist Joseph Cornell and cites Richard McGuire's strip Here as a major influence on his use of non-linear narratives. He is one of the great practitioners who have elevated the graphic novel style along with, Shepard Fairey, Ben Katchor and Robert Crumb. Quimby the Mouse was an early character for Ware and something of a breakthrough. Rendered in the style of an early animation character like Felix the Cat, Quimby the Mouse is perhaps Ware's most autobiographical character. Ware's Building Stories was serialized in a host of different venues. It first appeared as a monthly strip in Nest Magazine. Installments later appeared in a number of publications, including The New Yorker, Kramer's Ergot, and most notably, the Sunday New York Times Magazine. Building Stories appeared weekly in the New York Times Magazine from September 18, 2005 until April 16, 2006. A full chapter was published in Acme Novelty Library, number 18. Another installment was published under the title "Touch Sensitive" as a digital app released through McSweeneys. The entire narrative was published as a boxed set of books by Pantheon in October 2012. Ware was commissioned by Chip Kidd to design the inner machinations of the bird on the cover of Haruki Murakami's novel The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. In 2011, Ware created the poster for the U.S. release of the 2010 Palme d'Or winning film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives by Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul. Awards and honors Over the years his work garnered several awards, including the 1999 National Cartoonists Society's Award for Best Comic Book for Acme Novelty Library and Award for Graphic Novel for Building Stories. Ware has won numerous Eisner Awards and multiple Harvey Awards. In 2002, Ware became the first comics artist to be invited to exhibit at Whitney Museum of American Art biennial exhibition. With Will Eisner, Jack Kirby, Harvey Kurtzman, Robert Crumb and Gary Panter, Ware was among the artists honored in the exhibition "Masters of American Comics" at the Jewish Museum in New York City, New York, from September 16, 2006 to January 28, 2007. His work was the subject of solo exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago in 2006 and at the University of Nebraska's Sheldon Museum of Art, in 2007. Many famous artists have done covers for the New Yorker Magazine including, Saul Steinberg, Maira Kalman, Art Spiegelman, Francoise Mouly, Charles Addams, Peter Arno, Roz Chast, Ed Koren...

A collage lithograph from her series Various Flying Creatures by Kiki Smith titled: "bat." Smith has used one of her animal/insect iconic figures fo...

Jim DINE (1935) Nancy outside in july XXIV (Brilliant Dutch Gloss), 1981 Original etching with aquatint (Crommelynck workshop) Signed in pencil Numbered 13 / 18 On BFK Rives vellum ...

Georgina Klitgaard Bearsville, New York Signed lower right Oil on canvas 26 1/4 x 32 inches Georgina Klitgaard’s art has sometimes gotten lost in the critical propensity to assign ...

"Drama Teacher" 1938 WPA Mid 20th Century American Theatre Surrealism Modernism. 30 x 24 inches. Oil on Canvas. Signed land dated ’38 lower left. The photograph in the listing depicts the artist's friend who taught drama and about whom the painting is based Painter, printmaker and sculptor, Leon Bibel was born in San Francisco in 1913. He trained at the California School of Fine Arts and received a scholarship to study under the German Impressionist Maria Riedelstein. He worked in collaboration with Bernard Zackheim, a student of Diego Rivera, to create frescoes for the San Francisco Jewish Community Center and the University of California Medical School. In 1936 Bibel moved from California to join the Federal Art Project at Harlem Art...

A vibrant and yet romantic sailing scene which was a favorite series by Della-Volpe. His compelling colorist approach has made his works desirable as he was one of the few artists post-war to be representative in style like Milton Avery and Wolf Kahn. Head to Sea has the hallmark intense and lovely coloration for which Della-Volpe is known. He came out of Abstract Expressionism in the New York school but then pivoted, like Milton Avery to representational, colorist work. The frame is a silvered gold leaf float frame of quality and has a rubbed, antiqued surface...

August Frederick Biehle (1885-1979) The Struggle, c. 1936 Pastel and graphite on illustration board Unsigned 17 x 26 inches 20 x 28.5 inches, framed Provenance: from the estate of Au...

Walt Kuhn (1877-1949), Advice, etching and drypoint, 1915, signed in pencil lower right and titled lower left. In generally good condition but obviously a proof impression, with marg...

This striking original 1949 gouache and wax painting, titled "Fetishes", is a powerful work by acclaimed New Mexico modernist Howard Schleeter (1903–1976). Rich with symbolic abstrac...

Oil on cradled board. Signed and dated on back. Part of an ongoing series of man vs beast by the artist

Running Horse William Henry Dethlef Koerner (German, American, 1878-1938) Pencil on Paper Signed Lower Right 5 x 8 inches 12 x 15 inches with frame William Henry Dethlef Koerner is ...

Sea Cliffs (54) John F. Leonard American (1921–1987) Date: circa 1965 Oil on Board, unsigned Size: 16 in. x 20 in. (40.64 cm x 50.8 cm)

Original U. S. Marines enlistment antique poster. World War I recruitment poster by *Sidney H. Riesenberg* ranks among the most potent visual achievements of U.S. wartime art. Arch...

Saint Tropez Beach - Topless Sunbathing Nude Portrait French Riviera Beaches by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. E...

Japan Issue Fortune Magazine Cover Proposal Japanese Mid-Century Illustration Antonio Petruccelli (1907 - 1994) JAPAN ISSUE Fortune cover proposal, c. 1936 14 1/4 x 12 inches (sight) Framed 19 3/4 X 17 3/4 Inches Gouache on board Signed lower left BIOGRAPHY: Antonio Petruccelli (1907-1994) began his career as a textile designer. He became a freelance illustrator in 1932 after winning several House Beautiful cover illustration contests. In addition to 24 Fortune magazine covers, four New Yorker covers, several for House Beautiful, Collier’s, and other magazines he did numerous illustrations for Life magazine from the 1930s – 60s. ‘Tony was Mr. Versatility for Fortune. He could do anything, from charts and diagrams to maps, illustrations, covers, and caricatures,’ said Francis Brennan, the former art director for Fortune. Over the course of his career, Antonio won several important design awards, designing a U.S. Postage Stamp Commemorating the Steel Industry and designing the Bicentennial Medal...

Fortune Magazine Cover Published 1941 Illustration Precisionist American Scene Antonio Petruccelli (1907 - 1994) Military Tent City Fortune Cover published, May 1941 17 1/2 X 15 in...

A vibrant celebration of Taos life and culture, Saturday Morning (Market, Taos Plaza, New Mexico) is a striking 1950s modernist linocut print by acclaimed New Mexico artist Barbara L...

Cars parked on a tree-lined street in Palm Beach, Florida, circa 1953. C print 12 x 10 inches Framed Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticit...

Artist: Leo Meiersdorff – German/American (1934-1994) Title: Bass and Trumpet Year: ca 1965-70 Medium: Watercolor and ink Sight size: 14.25 x 17.5 inches. Matted size: 22 x 24 inch...

2 Sculptures: "The Power" & "The Glory" WPA Depression WWII era mid 20th century by Agnes Yarnall circa 1940s. Sculptor, painter, poet and artistic historian, Agnes Yarnall has, since the age of six been breathing life into her art. Renowned as a sculptor, whose commissioned portrayals of contemporary celebrities are prized. She has sculpted Judith Anderson, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Carl Sandburg...

Oil on paper About Tom Bennett: With quick brushstrokes, Tom Bennett creates representational images of human figures and animals, emphasizing movement in a manner reminiscent of Lucien Freud, Edgar Degas and the photographer Eadweard Muybridge. Elongated and blurry, the horse racing up a hill (Canter Fritz, 2002) and the sinister cat landing a leap (Chien Blanc, 1998) elicit a sense of foreboding enhanced by Bennett’s somber palette; his female figures too reflect a grim sense of humor with their distorted nude bodies. The face of Untitled Figure (1997), for example, is obscured by layers of dark paint. Classically trained as a painter, he initially worked in oil on canvas but discovered that monotype printing enabled him to “literally push the image around,” creating an essential element of motion. To overcome the limited scale of monotypes, however, he switched to painting on slick-surfaced plastic. Tom Bennett’s practice is rooted in the classical tradition where painting and drawing from life is highly regarded. Bennett’s work is heavily influenced by Francis Bacon, Frank Auberbauch and foremost his father, Harry Bennett, who was also an artist. Tom’s time living abroad in Spain and traveling through Eastern Europe and Africa provided the artistic freedom to explore many of the techniques and subject matter that continue to define his practice. Bennett was born and raised in Connecticut. His mediums include monotypes, oil on paper, canvas or styrene board. In a technique that Tom started over 4 years ago, several of his monotypes have been painted over with oil paint using a palette knife, brush, or his fingers to re-purpose the underlying image. These works are a testament to Bennett’s ability to quickly and concisely compose an image with expressive brush strokes, foreshortened figures and expertly rendered light. Tom’s work has been featured in group and solo exhibitions worldwide. Bennett lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. He is currently represented by Tabla Rasa...

Joseph Stella(1877-1946) A Corner of Barbados, 1937 Oil on canvas, 11 x 15 inches (27.9 x 38.1 cm) Inscribed on verso: A corner of / Barbados / O:P by / Joseph Stella Provenance The artist; By bequest to his nephew, Sergio Stella, 1946; By descent in the family, until the present Joseph Stella’s artistic career defies easy categorization. He was simultaneously a modernist and traditionalist, a dual citizen of the Old and New World, a bold experimenter and masterful practitioner of time-honored artistic techniques. His iconic paintings of New York City, such as the Brooklyn Bridge and Coney Island, celebrate modernity and the Machine Age, while his exuberant paintings of the natural world speak to the spiritual revelation that guided and grounded him throughout his life. Until recently, the divergent aspects of Stella’s career “confounded his legacy.” But in Joseph Stella: Visionary Nature, the multi-venue museum exhibition that focuses on the artist’s lifelong engagement with nature, a more complete and nuanced understanding of his career has emerged. Stella’s work of flora and fauna demonstrate his deep connection to and close observational study of nature to invigorate his creativity and sustain his human spirit. Indeed, nature was a salve to his woes about life and the modern age. He made countless drawings and paintings of flowers, many of which were done at the New York Botanical Garden – a favorite place for the artist. In these works, Stella explored new styles and pressed the limits of his imagination. Like nature itself, he was always changing, always growing. Stella found himself in Barbados in 1937, when then health of his wife had declined and she asked him to bring her home. He loved the island paradise, as it reawakened his creativity and love the natural world, much as his returns to Italy did. Although he remained in Barbados for only five months, the landscape he absorbed and the motifs he developed fueled his art for the next three years. The Barbados paintings...

Waterfall Bearsville NY Landscape Social Realism Mid 20th Century Modern Cubism Georgina Klitgaard (1893 - 1976) Waterfall, Bearsville NY 40 1/2 30 inches Oil on canvas Signed lower...

This is a wonderful drawing by one of America's most treasured artists, Chaim Gross. Throughout his lifetime Gross has gone through tragedy and a real test of faith however, he has t...

Rare Original Photo of JFK Speaking on the Front Lawn 16.5 x 12.5” framed Circa 1960's Photographer Unknown This photograph comes framed in a white frame with a white matte under...

This exquisite silkscreen by Stuart Davis (1892–1964), titled Untitled, originates from the landmark 1964 folio X + X (Ten Works by Ten Painters). Published by the Wadsworth Atheneum...

MODERNIST DRAWING New Hope Mid-Century WPA Abstract Non-Objective Jazz Modern. Signed with a "Ramstonev" stamp lower right. RAMSTONEV Cooperative Art Project (1937-1939). In the late 1930s, Charles Ramsey became close friends with Charles Evans and Louis Stone. He persuaded them to join him teaching his New Hope summer classes in non-objective painting. Soon, a history-making collaboration began. In 1937, meeting in Evans' studio at the rear of Cryer's Hardware store on Main Street in New Hope, a decision was made to establish the Co-Operative Painting Project. They were intrigued by the cooperative ad-lib process by which jazz musicians created their music. Believing this to be the quintessential American contribution to music, they theorized that a similar result might be obtainable with art, a "visual jam session." This particlarly fascinated Ramsey, who was a jazz buff and had a large collection of jazz records. The objective was to jointly collaborate in the creation of a painting as well as applying collective criticism during its creation. By creating forward movement by general consent, they believed they could produce a higher level of beauty. By consensus it was decided that subject matter would be non-objective. Up to eight people would participate and stop when the painting "felt" finished by common agreement. These co-operative works were done in several different mediums- the majority in pastel, but some in watercolor, gouache, graphite or cut paper collage. On occasion, the group would create a series, as opposed to a single work, created in steps by three or four artists. One of the occasional participants was famed New Hope poet, Stanley Kunitz. These series could range in number from four to sixteen paintings in each. The first of a series would be very basic and the last a fully finished work. In the scope of importance among the New Hope Modernist...

Winold Reiss (1886-1953), who scholars increasingly recognize as a pivotal figure in early 20th-century American art, is known for his evocative portraits that capture the spirit and...

Original Painting Published Fortune Mag Cover 1935 Jewels Jewelry Illustration Antonio Petruccelli (1907 – 1994) Fortune cover published, Decembe...

Yiddish Theatre Cubist Costume Design 1924 Deco Color Field Modernism Broadway. Boris Aronson (1898 – 1980) "Day and Night" Gouache and watercolor on ...

"Shattered" WPA Mid 20th Century Modernism American Scene Surrealism Figurative Estate stamp on the stretcher, verso. Provenance: Estate of the artist. 20 x 24 inches. Look at the last two photos in the listing. A new book about Leon Bibel was just published and there's a photo of the artist taken in front of the painting. Amazingness. BIO Leon Bibel continued painting through 1941 and resumed work in both painting and especially wood sculpture by 1960. He worked until his very last day in 1995. His last series of large wood sculptures were modeled on spice boxes, which were miniature buildings...

Donald K. Sultan (b. 1951) Untitled, from Wallflowers Screenprint in colors on wove paper, 2008 24-1/4 x 21-5/8 inches (61.6 x 54.9 cm) (sheet) Ed. 53/190 Initialed, numbered, date...

Choosing a Top, 1977 Chromogenic lambda print Estate stamped and numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity Boutique owner Paul Pallardy ...

This captivating mid-20th-century abstract bronze sculpture by Edward (Eduardo) Arcenio Chavez (1917–1995) beautifully exemplifies his dynamic sculptural style. Cast in bronze and mo...

Andy Warhol is arguably the most important American artist of the 20th century. In the 1950s, he was an in-demand and celebrated illustrator working for New York's toniest publicatio...

Cartoon art is the original Conceptual Art. Renowned British Illustrator Smilby (Francis Wilford Smith) conceptualizes a Playboy cartoon so good that no caption is needed. The exist...

Oil on thick card stock, 1960. Signed by the artist in oil, lower right recto. Provenance: the artist, Montclair, NJ; Margaret Kelly, Bloomsburg, PA; private collection; Illinois, ...

Melanie Sherman Bowl with Vintage Chair Earthenware, 24K German Gold Luster, Glaze, Underglaze, China Paints, Vintage Transfers, Multiple Cone 6 Firings, Hand-built 2024 Size: 1.75 ...

Original Painting New Yorker Cover Proposal American Scene Modern Santa's Feet Antonio Petruccelli (1907 - 1994) Santas Feet At Midnight New Yorker c...

The Lonely Road (1940) Tempera on panel 12" x 16" 19 1/2" x 23 1/2" x 1 1/2" framed Hand-signed "Palmer '40" lower center. Provenance: Midtown Galleries, New York, NY (labels verso...

Alfred Maurer was born in 1868 in New York City, the son of Louis Maurer, a commercial artist for Currier and Ives. He worked in the family lithographic business as a young man and a...

Archival pigment print on 300 GSM cotton rag fine art matte paper. Dimensions of 27x22 in. Released in 2021 from an edition of 673.

Etching on antique cream laid paper with a deckle edge and an unidentified round watermark with an arm holding a torch, 3 1/2 x 5 5/8 inches (89 x 144 mm); sheet 5 3/4 x 8 3/8 inches...

Original Painting Fortune Cover Published 1937 American Modern - Met Museum NEWS: A printed copy of this magazine is included in The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s recent exhibition, “Art for the Millions: American Culture and Politics in the 1930s” Antonio Petruccelli...

"The Flight (Duck Flying) is an original color silkscreen by Schomer Lichtner. The artist initialed the piece lower right. This piece features a duck in flight through red hatched lines. 4 3/4" x 6 3/4" art 13" x 15" frame Milwaukee artist, Schomer Lichtner passed away on May 9, 2006 at the age of 101. He continued to amaze and create with his whimsical paintings of ballerinas and cows. He and his late wife Ruth Grotenrath, both well-known Wisconsin artists, began their prolific careers as muralists for WPA projects, primarily post offices. Schomer Lichtner was well known for his whimsical cows and ballerinas, such as his "Ballerina Dancing on Cow" sculpture below. The late James Auer, art critic for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel referred to Lichtner as the artist laureate of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was the official artist of the Milwaukee Ballet. Lichtner also painted murals for industry and private clients. Schomer was a printmaker and produced block prints, lithographs, and serigraph prints. His casein (paint made from dairy products) and acrylic paintings are of the rural Wisconsin landscape and farm animals. He became interested in cows when he and Ruth spent summers near Holy Hill in Washington County. According to David Gordon, director of the Milwaukee Art Museum, Schomer Lichtner had a tremendous joie de vivre, " joy of life," and expressed it in his art. Schomer Lichtner was nationally known for his whimsical paintings and sculptures of black- and white-patterned Holstein cows...

Original, Linen backed New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival poster from 1983. A fun image with a crawfish holding an umbrella with streamers. 1983 JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL PRO-MO ...

"Ali" is a photomosaic artwork by Destro. The first release in a series mosaic works called "Icons". Destro has created large prints which are made up of many hundreds of smaller im...

Exhibited: 2003 Oakland Museum of California "Fred Martin Retrospective" A native Californian, Fred Martin was born in San Francisco in 1927, and received both his BA (1949) and MA (1954) from University of California, Berkley. At the San Francisco Art Institute Martin studied with Clyfford Still, Mark Rothko and David Park...

"Bourrée Fantasque #10 Blue", Pastel on Paper by Artist Francisco Moncion, is a Mid-20th Century fantasy image inspired by George Balanchine's 1949 ballet of the same name for the Ne...

"Swimmers" is an original linoleum print by Clarice George Logan. It features five figures enjoying a swim, jumping off from a small boat. Image: 4.94" x 6" Framed: 13.87" x 14.87" Clarice George Logan was born in Mayville, New York in 1909 but moved to Wisconsin in 1921. She attended the Milwaukee State Teachers College from 1927 to 1931 where she studied with Robert von Neumann...

Did Bendiner ever miss a performance, show, concert, play? Was there anyone he didn't know? This double-side drawing in blue crayon shows Johnny Hodges (jazz saxophonist extraordina...

Exhibited: 1973 San Francisco Museum of Art 2003 Oakland Museum of California "Fred Martin Retrospective" A native Californian, Fred Martin was born...

A superb impression of Martin Lewis's consummate image of Japan. Etching with drypoint on fine cream laid paper, 13 7/8 x 10 3/8 inches (352 x 265 mm); sheet 17 3/4 x 14 1/4 inches ...

Inspired by amateur archaeologists such as Heinrich Schliemann who discovered Troy and by past elaborate hoaxes like that of the Piltdown Man, Joshua travels the world performing sta...

A contemporary photograph of 2Pacs iconic "Miami Vice" soundtrack cassette tape. This is s the first release in the much anticipated series "The Music" by pop Artists Destro These ic...

Italian mountains, sky, blues, greys, by American painter and illustrator Peter Geregely

This captivating 1930s modernist gouache painting by Boardman Robinson (1876–1952), titled The Vendor of Masks, depicts a striking mask vendor’s display with male and female figures,...

"Newman" is an acrylic photomosaic artwork by Destro. The first release in a series mosaic works called "Icons". Destro has created large prints which are made up of many hundreds o...

Evocative abstract acrylic painting on canvas that explores the relationship between yellow and grey. Painted with acrylic on canvas in 1973 by Bonnie Lewton, titled on the back yell...

A Delightful, 1950s Mid-Century Modern Portrait, "Boy in Blue Scarf" by Notable Chicago Artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Artwork Size: 11 3/4 x 9 1/4 inches (Framed size: 1...