Wright Auctions: Post War + Contemporary Art

Wright Auctions just released the catalog for their Post War + Contemporary Art auction scheduled for February 24, 2011. Below are some of my favorite pieces that are up for bidding.

George Morrison (1919-2000), untitled, 1953, gouache and ink paper, 17" x 22.25". Estimate: $2000-3000

Armando Villegas (1928-), untitled, 1959, oil on canvas, 42.5" x 29.25". Estimate: $5000-7000

José Maria de Servin (1917-1983), untitled, c. 1950, oil on canvas, 46" x 34.5". Estimate: $3000-5000

Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991), Torso in Pink, 1980, mixografia 99/99, 29.75" x 21.5". Estimate: $2000-3000

Alexander Calder (1898-1976), American Revolution Bicentennial, 1975, wool tapestry, 39.5" x 55.5". Includes 2 tapestries (only 1 shown) Estimate: $5000-7000

Check the rest of Wright's Post War + Contemporary Art auction offering here.

Paintings: Dixon Lane Antiques

John Miley Foster, Green Abstraction, 1960's, oil on board, 31.25" x 39.75". Sold

Lillian manney (1914-?), untitled, 1970's, oil on canvas, 40.5" x 51". $875 at post

Joseph Wolins (1915-1999), untitled, 1960's, oil on canvas, 27.5" x 33". $1,950 at post.
See my previous post on Joseph Wolins here.

Ray Ridabock (1904-1970), Analogy, 1960's, oil on canvas, 36" x 44.5". $1,950 at post

Ray Ridabock (1904-1970), Portent, 1960's, oil on canvas, 23.5" x 35". Sold

Ray Ridabock (1904-1970), Routine, 1960's, oil on canvas, 24.5" x 45". Sold

Ray Ridabock (1904-1970), untitled, 1950's, oil on paperboard, 20" x 30". Sold

Robert Franquinet (1915-1979), Eclosion Partagee, 1954, oil on canvas, 46.5" x 32.75". Sold

Si Lewen (1918-), A Royal Secret, 1950's, oil on board, 29" x 22". $1,950 at post

Si Lewen (1918-), Subway: Evening Rush Hour, 1950's, oil on board, 37.5" x 23.5". $1,950 at post

Guiseppe de Gregorio (1920-2007), Natura Morta, 1962, oil on canvas, 39" x 39". $4,600 at post 

Joseph Theodore Domareki (1914-1988), untitled, 1960, gouache, 30.25" x 43". Sold

Jules Maidoff (1933-), Spain, ca. 1958, oil on masonite, 49.5" x 64". $2,250 at post

Dixon Lane Antiques, located in Tarrytown, NY, has some great paintings in their online store. Above are some of my favorite pieces.

Practical Encyclopedia of Good Decorating 1970

If you haven't already seen the Flickr set of the 1970 book "Practical Encyclopedia of Good Decorating and Home Improvement" uploaded by Sandi Vincent, have a look here. Whenever I look at old publications I try to spot familiar artwork and decor; while clicking through this set I found a few pieces that I recognized.

The above image shows an Ackerman carved wood panel that I came across at ModCats, see the piece below.

For more of Ackerman's woodcarvings see my post here.

Evelyn Ackerman, 1954, carved wood wall panel, 9.5 x 39 in. via ModCats (sold)

Another Ackerman piece; this time, a hooked wall hanging titled Garden created in 1963. Below is the same design in the "cool" colorway spotted at LA Modern Auctions; Evelyn would create her designs using either a "warm" or "cool" color palette so home owners could better match their decor.

Evelyn Ackerman, Garden, 1963, hooked wall tapestry, 36 x 24 in., LA Modern Auctions, 2003

A woodcut print titled Fighting Cock #3 by Walter Henry Williams (1920-1998) hangs on the wood panel wall in this photo. The same print sold for $2000 at a Treadway Gallery auction in September of 2008.

Walter Henry Williams, Fighting Cock #3, 1963, woodcut edition of 200, 20" x 25", Treadway Gallery

I just posted about the set of Finn Juhl colored drawers seen in this photo. See it here.

There are also some great illustrations in the set. I always wonder if the artist was working from a photo or just created the settings from his/her imagination. Below are a few of my favorites.

Finn Juhl Cabinet & Credenza

I just spotted these Finn Juhl (1912-1989) pieces.  The small cabinet is similar to those seen in photos from Juhl's house, just add the casters and your golden!  Both pieces were available at the time of this post.

 Finn Juhl Cabinet/Drawers for Baker Furniture. Walnut with colored drawers, 32"w x 21"h x 15"d in. 

Metro Retro Furniture, Houston, TX ($4900 at post)

Photo from Juhl's house showing a set of rolling cabinets similar to the one shown above. via FinnJuhl.com

Credenza attributed to Finn Juhl. Maple with colored drawers and metal handles,  98.5"w x 31.5"h x 19.75"d. 

Domus Nova Design, Parma, Italy (€3,000 at post)

Colored drawer with metal handle detail.

Mel Fowler Paintings

Mel Fowler (1921-1987) was a listed Italian-American painter known for his cubist inspired abstracts, still lifes and scenics. His paintings were exhibited and sold at the Far Gallery in New York City for many years. 

Left: Still Life, Cello, oil on canvas, 41 x 22 in., Clark Auction Gallery (2010)

Right: Bull with red horn, oil on canvas, 34 x 21 in., Rose Hill Auction Gallery (sold 2009)

Mediterranean II (Arches), oil on canvas, Clark Auction Gallery (2010)

The Red Painting, oil on canvas, 39 x 29 in., Ebay ($3,000 at time of post) 

untitled abstract, oil on canvas, 21 x 34 in., Rose Hill Auction Gallery (sold 2009)

untitled abstract, oil on canvas, 24 x 30 in., Rose Hill Auction Gallery (2009)

Seven Ages, 1960's, oil on canvas, 48 x 36 in., Clark Auction Gallery (sold $763 in 2010)

Fractured Sun, oil on canvas, 30 x 24 in., Rose Hill Auction Gallery (sold 2009)

Coutriveuces #145,oil on canvas, 30 x 24 in., Rose Hill Auction Gallery (sold 2008)

 untitled abstract, oil on canvas, 48 x 36 in., Ebay (sold $635 in 2010)

The Birds Merchant, oil on canvas, 34 x 21 in., Ebay (sold $550 in 2011) 

still life, oil on canvas, 24 x 30 in., Ebay (sold $643 in 2010)

Still Life with Blue Table, oil on canvas, 21 x 34 in., Rose Hill Auction Gallery (sold 2008)

Still Life, oil on canvas, 30 x 24 in., Ebay (2010) 

Table Still Life, oil on canvas, 30.25 x 24 in., Michaan's Auctions (sold 2010) 

Still life with fish, 1960's, oil on canvas, 22 x 35 in., Ebay (sold)

Fishing pier composition, c. 1960's. via eBay

Evelyn Ackerman Carved Wood Panels

Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman began producing carved wood bas-relief wall panels in 1959. The first group of designs that Evelyn created included the St. George and the Dragon piece shown below. In order to keep up with the demand and speed the production process, they used a spindle carving machine to rough out the designs, then each piece was hand-finished by a carver to produce an authentic handcrafted look. One of the clients they designed woodcarvings for was Panelcarve, which later became known as Forms+Surfaces and still exists today. You can read more about the Ackerman's work on their site here.

Left: Bird redwood door panel for Panelcarve, ca. 1960's, 5' 3" x 21" x 1.75", Design One ($4,800 at post)

Center: Floral redwood door panel for Panelcarve, ca. 1960's, 5' 3" x 21" x 1.75", Design One ($4,800 at post)

Right: Flower girl wall panel, ca. 1962, 24.5" x 9", ModCats (sold)

Riders wall panel, 1964, 9" x 29", Bonham's, Los Angeles (sold for $976 in 2009)

Bird carved wall panel, ca. 1960's, 4.5" x 12" x 1", Ebay (sold for $130 in 2010)

Bull carved wall panel, ca. 1960's, 9.5" x 19" x 2"

Bird deep carved wall panel, ca. 1960's, Just in Modern, San Francisco (sold 2010)

Signs of the Zodiac, wood panel for Panelcarve, 1967, via Ackerman Modern

Set of 3 carved redwood panels, ca. 1960's, 6' 11.75"h x 27"w x 1.75"d, Porter & Plunk ($9,600 at post)

Left: St. George and the Dragon wall panel, 1959. photo: Steve Oliver via American Craft Magazine

Center: Adam (part of a triptych of Adam & Eve),1959, 36" x 7", LA Modern (sold $700 in 2009)

Right: Daniel and the Lion's Den, 1965, American Ash w/ walnut stain, 42.5" x 9" x 1", LA Modern (sold)

Forms + Surfaces carved redwood wall tiles, ca. 1960's, 27.5" x 27.5" x 1.38", Thomas Hayes Gallery.  I am not sure if Evelyn created this design for F+S, but I know she did work with them around the time it was created. Whether she did or didn't, I still like the design a lot. If you know who created this design please let us know. Thanks!

Be sure to check out my post on Evelyn Ackerman's mosaic panels here.