Upcoming Highlights: African American Art—At Auction October 7, 2021


Lot 44: Hale Woodruff, Carnival, oil on canvas, circa 1958. Estimate $250,000 to $350,000.

Coming to Auction

Highlights include two important sculptures by both Richmond Barthé and Elizabeth Catlett: his iconic male figure Feral Benga, modeled in 1935, cast circa 1960, and the very scarce female figure, Black Majesty, 1969. From Catlett, we offer Head (Head of a Man), carved limestone, circa 1943, one of only two stone sculptures known to be made by the artist, and the stunning Nude Torso, 1994, in a rich black marble. Contemporary sculpture highlights are two salt-fired glazed stoneware works by Simone Leigh, a dark gray vessel circa 2004, and a cowrie shell, circa 2011-12. Significant work in assemblage by postwar artists Sam Gilliam, Howardena Pindell, Noah Purifoy and Timothy Washington, and a strong group of paintings by figurative postwar artists includes Ernie Barnes, Hughie Lee-Smith and Bob Thompson.

An excellent selection of mid-century abstraction includes Hale Woodruff’s majestic oil on canvas Carnival, circa 1958, two untitled oil paintings by Norman Lewis: a 1947 oil on board, inspired by the iron gates of Harlem, and Past Time, an atmospheric early-1950s oil on canvas, as well as a wide selection of works on paper spanning three decades. 

We will also feature a selection of twenty three modern and contemporary artworks consigned to support the Brandywine Workshop in Philadelphia and its legacy endowment campaign. Highlights include prints by Emma Amos, Belkis Ayón, Samella Lewis, Richard Mayhew and Stanley Whitney, and paintings by Floyd Newsum and Paul Keene.


Lot 2: Edward M. Bannister, Crossing the Bridge Before Sunset, oil on canvas, 1893. Estimate $40,000 to $60,000.

Nineteenth Century & Modern


Lot 28: Elizabeth Catlett, Head, carved limestone, 1943. Estimate $150,000 to $250,000.
Lot 11: Richmond Barthé, Feral Benga, bronze with dark brown patina, modeled in 1935, cast circa 1960. Estimate $75,000 to $100,000.

Post-War Art


Lot 35: Norman Lewis, Past Time, oil on canvas, circa 1950-51. Estimate $150,000 to $250,000.
Lot 50: Charles Alston, Moon Haze (Standing in the Moonlight), oil on canvas, 1960. Estimate $80,000 to $120,000.
Lot 33: Norman Lewis, Untitled (Gate Composition), oil on masonite board, 1947. Estimate $60,000 to $90,000.

Contemporary Art


Lot 220: Simone Leigh, Untitled, glazed salt-fired stoneware, circa 2011-12. Estimate $30,000 to $40,000.
Lot 109: Howardena Pindell, Untitled #57, acrylic, watercolor, punched graph papers, gold and computer tape, 1974-75. Estimate $30,000 to $40,000.
Lot 173: Elizabeth Catlett, Nude Torso, black marble on wooden base, circa 1994. Estimate $75,000 to $100,000.
Lot 196: Noah Purifoy, The Flag, cloth assemblage, 2001. Estimate $15,000 to $25,000.
Lot 204: Simone Leigh, Untitled (Vessel), glazed salt-fired stoneware, circa 2004. Estimate $75,000 to $100,000.

Works from the Brandywine Workshop


Lot 130: Belkis Ayón, Temores Infundados, collograph, 1997. Estimate $20,000 to $30,000.

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