Artfact Live! will offer live online bidding at Swann Auction Galleries’ African-American Art Auction on October 6, 2011. Featured in this exciting auction are rare works of fine art by renowned artists such as Charles White, Norman Lewis, Hale Woodruff and many others. A wide selection of additional paintings, fine prints and sculpture, all by African-American artists, is also included in the sale. For additional information, or to bid live online from anywhere in the world on Artfact Live! please visit www.Artfact.com.
Highlighting the sale is a 1953 illustration by Chicago-born African-American artist Charles White (1918-1979). Work, composed in crayon and charcoal on illustration board, is an exceptional drawing and an example of how, in the early 1950’s, White gave a new beauty and dignity to his Social Realist subjects. Previously, White had used a more angular and stylized approach that reflected his experience in the WPA and the influence of Mexican muralists. By the 1950’s, White depicted working men and women on a grand scale, with an attention to natural gestures that made his subjects into heroic figures. Work is the first large scale drawing from White’s important 1950’s period to come to auction, and is estimated to sell for $200,000 - $250,000.
Also offered is Promenade, a 1961 oil painting by Norman Wilfred Lewis (1909-1979). Promenade is the largest oil painting by the artist to come to auction since his untitled painting sold at Swann Galleries to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston on October 7, 2008. This important canvas has never been exhibited publicly, and was acquired shortly after being painted in 1961. The painting is part of an experimental series of Promenade paintings, and is notable for the use of unpainted linen canvas as a background. It is expected to bring $120,000 - $180,000 at its auction debut.
A painting by Hale Woodruff (1900-1980), The Rape of Europa, is also expected to garner attention from collectors. The painting is one of Woodruff’s largest known Abstract Expressionist pieces, as well as an important milestone in the artist’s transition from figural to abstract work in the 1950’s. The painting is part of a Mythic series by Woodruff, of which there are only four known oil paintings. Hailing from a private collection in Detroit, the painting is estimated at $90,000 - $120,000.
Additional works include paintings by Barkley L. Hendricks (b. 1945), Robert S. Duncanson (1821-1872) and Charles Alston (1907-1977). Fine prints by Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000), Romare Bearden (1911-1988) and Elizabeth Catlett (b. 1915) are also offered.
In recent years, African-American art has surged at auction. Once considered of little or no interest for a serious collector, today is it becoming more valuable both monetarily and culturally, and Swann Galleries has led the way. A full-color catalog for the sale is available on www.Artfact.com.
In addition to this important African-American art auction, Artfact Live! also offers live online bidding at premier auctions around the world. Artfact Live! bidders benefit from an enhanced, easy-to-use bidding console; a comprehensive auction database; and a powerful search engine that allows bidders to search consignments by keyword, auction house, artist name and more. To register to bid at this or any other Artfact Live! auction, please visit www.Artfact.com.
Artfact.com is the largest global marketplace of fine and decorative arts, antiques, collectibles, and estate auctions. In 2009, Artfact launched two live online bidding platforms, Artfact Live! and Invaluable Live! In the UK, allowing users to bid in real-time on auctions held around the world reaching a community of more than 10 million knowledgeable collectors and dealers worldwide. In 2010, Artfact merged with AuctionZip.com, increasing the reach of their platforms to include thousands of auction houses around the country. Artfact's industry leading database includes more than 57 million complete auction results totaling more than $204 billion in value, including information on more than 500,000 international artists.
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