51

Hughie Lee-Smith

(1915-1999)

Untitled.

Oil on masonite board, 1953.
Signed and dated in oil, lower left.
16 3/4 x 24 in. (42.5 x 61 cm.), Frame: 20 x 27 x 1 1/4 in. (50.8 x 68.6 x 3.2 cm.)

  • Provenance:
    Private collection, Detroit.
  • Notes:
    This evocative Hughie Lee-Smith painting of urban decay epitomizes the artist's career-defining body of work from Detroit. Lee-Smith rose to national prominence in 1953 when he was awarded the Founders Prize by the Detroit Institute of Arts for his painting The Piper, 1953, which was later acquired for its permanent collection. In 1953, he also received a B.S. in art education from Wayne State University in Detroit.

    This was a year that Lee-Smith made a breakthrough as an artist, establishing his mature style. A number of significant Detroit paintings date from 1953, including Along the Tracks, the MFA Boston, Sunday Afternoon, the San Diego Museum of Art and Triangle, the Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art.
  • Condition:
    Please contact the Specialist for the auction to request a condition report.

    Condition reports and additional images are provided as a courtesy and should be used by you to aid in the formation of your own opinion regarding condition. All material is sold subject to Swann's standard Terms and Conditions of Sale as published in our catalogues and posted on our website, and include the following terms: (1) all property is sold "as-is"; and (2) works cannot be returned on the basis of condition.

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April 2, 2026 12:00 PM EDT
New York, NY, US

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