Modernist Buildings
CLINTON ADAMS
American, (1918-2002)
Watercolor, 1948, 9 1/2 x 15 1/8 in. (image size); 11 7/8 x 18 3/4 in. (Sheet size) Signed and dated in pencil, lower right. This exemplary, early work is in fine, fresh condition. "Born in Glendale, California, Clinton Adams studied at UCLA and taught there from 1946 to 1954. He became associate director of the Tamarind Lithography Workshop, established in Los Angeles in 1960 to encourage American printmakers and to foster the art of lithography. Tamarind was one of the first workshops in the United States to offer the kind of printing equipment and gathering of artists that was common in Europe; in 1970 the workshop became the Tamarind Institute at the University of New Mexico. Adams was the director of the Tamarind Institute from 1970 until his retirement in 1985. In 1974 he established a series of technical papers on lithography which evolved into the Tamarind Papers, an annual journal of the fine print. As an artist, writer, and teacher, Adams has promoted the art of lithography in America. He is the author of numerous books and articles on lithography. Many of Adams' prints are composed of geometric forms emerging from ambiguous backgrounds." (From the biography about Adams from the National Gallery website.)
$3,500

Geometric Composition (Geometrische Compositie)
WOBBE ALKEMA
Dutch, (1900-1984)
Linocut, 1924, Bool/Petersen G24, from a small edition. 7 3/4 x 4 1/2 in. Signed and dated in pencil. This is a fine impression printed in black and yellow ochre. The margins are full apart from a loss in the upper left corner. The condition is very good. There are signs of old wrinkles, small repairs at the edges of the sheet, top and bottom edges, and traces of paint loss of the black showing here and there in the image. This print is exceedingly rare being both signed and printed in more than one color. An impression similar to this one is in the Stedelik Museum ("een aafdruk op okergeel papier").This work is illustrated in the black and white version in the following, Wobbe Alkema, The Absolute, The Bright, published by the Groninger Museum in 2009. Authors include Doeke Sijens and Sjoerd van Faassen. (See page 80.) This impression is dedicated to Jan van der Zee in pencil along the bottom left. They were both prominent members of the Ploeg movement.
SOLD

In Full Cry
SYBIL ANDREWS
British/Canadian, (1898-1992)
Linocut printed in colors, 1931, Coppel SA 13, White 13; edition 50. 11 1/4 x 16 1/2 in. (image); 12 7/8 x 171/2 in. (sheet) Signed, numbered "40/50," and titled in pencil. This is a superb impression printed on thin gampi paper (Japanese). The margins are full and the condition is fine. (There are a few subtle reinforced breaks and thin spots in the extreme edges of the sheet, not affecting the image.) This large and dynamic work depicts a fox hunting scene and is a masterpiece of Grosvenor School linocut printmaking. Provenance: Osborne Samuel, London; private collection, Massachusetts. (The print is beautifully framed and this is included in the price.)
SOLD

The Hypochondriacs
PEGGY BACON
American, (1895-1987)
Drypoint, 1952, Flint 176, edition unknown. 6 x 8 in. Signed, titled and dated in pencil. Also, inscribed," Doctor's Office, Wellfleet." This is a fine impression of this uncommon print. The margins are full and the condition is fine. Bacon did about thirty prints with Wellfleet, MA as subject.
$950

Amiens Cathedral
MARIUS BAUER
Dutch, (1867-1932)
Etching, 1890, van Wisselingh 211, edition 100. 17 1/4 x 14 1/2 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Here we have a superb, delicate impression of this exceptional print. The paper is a cream wove with full margins. The condition is excellent. Bauer was a prolific artist and he's best known for his somewhat exotic subject matter. He spent time in India, Indonesia, Turkey and Morocco, among other locations. Van Wisselingh was a print publisher/dealer in Amsterdam and worked with Bauer throughout his career. In a 1912 catalogue, the firm describes themselves as "dealers in high class pictures." (A few years ago, we sold an impression of this print to the National Gallery in Washington, DC.)
$1,500

Guitar Player
FRED G. BECKER
American, (1913-2004)
Etching, circa 1935-39, from a small edition, about 25. 9 7/8 x 7 7/8 in. Initialed in the plate. Signed and titled in pencil. This is a fine impression printed on sturdy wove paper. The margins appear to be full and untrimmed. This print bears the stamp, "FEDERAL ART PROJECT, NYC, WPA." The condition is generally fine apart from a soft wrinkle in the right margin and very small traces of adhesive at the four corners of the sheet.
$1,400

The Kiss (Der Kuss)
PETER BEHRENS
German, (1868-1940)
Woodcut printed in colors, 1898-1900, edition unknown. 7 1/2 x 6 in. Initialed in the block, lower center. Signed with the printed text, lower left, below the image. This is a fine impression with full margins. The condition is very good apart from light toning to the sheet. This memorable image first appeared in PAN (Volume IV/1898, issue two.) The present, slightly reduced version, appeared in Die Kunst, Volume 2, Munich, in 1900. Behrens was a leading German architect, graphic and industrial designer. He had a long career designing objects, typefaces and important buildings in a range of styles from around 1900 to the 1930s. This is his best known print.
$1,300

Ducks at Play
FRANK BENSON
American, (1862-1951)
Drypoint, 1923, Ordeman/Paff 152; edition 150. 10 3/4 x 13 3/4 in. Initialed and dated in the plate. Signed in pencil. This is a fine impression printed on light cream laid paper. The margins are full and the condition is fine. This lovely work shows Benson's great ability to create atmospheric effects with simple lines, rich drypoint burr, and masterful inking of the plate.
$1,850

Here They Come
FRANK BENSON
American, (1862-1951)
Drypoint, 1928, Ordeman/Paff 278, edition 150. 13 3/4 x 11 5/8 in. Signed in pencil. Here we have a superb impression printed on a light cream laid paper. The margins are full and the condition is fine. This is one of Benson's largest and best prints.
$2,200

The Corral
THOMAS HART BENTON
American, (1889-1975)
Lithograph, 1948, Fath 71, edition 250. 9 3/4 x 13 7/8 in. Initialed on the stone, lower right. Signed in pencil. This is a fine impression with wide margins. The condition is fine apart from the two original AAA hinges at the top corners of the sheet, recto. There's an oil (whereabouts unknown) and Benton also produced a few drawings relating to this outstanding subject in 1939. The scene is western Nebraska.
$4,200

Metamorphosis II
JOHN BIGGERS
African American, (1924-2001)
Lithograph, 1992, edition 50. 30 x 21 1/2 in. Signed, dated, titled and numbered in pencil. The print bears the blindstamp of the Lynton Kistler workshop, the pioneering California lithograper who printed for many of the finest artists working during the mid 20th century. (Kistler, himself, was active from the 1920s to about 1976.) Biggers studied at the Hampton Institute with Elizabeth Catlett and Charles White. He also got to know Hale Woodruff around this time. After serving in the Navy during WWII, he studied at Penn State and with a masters and PhD in hand, he moved to Houston where he served as founder and chairman of Texas State (now Texas Southern) University's art department. He was there until 1983. Biggers was one of the first African American artists to visit Africa and he did so with a UNESCO fellowship to study West African cultural traditions. His worked was heavily influenced by his visits to Africa as he returned several times. In addition to his prints and drawings, Biggers was a gifted painter and his murals are found primarily in the Houston area. In fact, the Houston Museum of Fine Arts hosted a major retrospective of the artist's work in 1995 which traveled to several cities. This large, dynamic lithograph is beautifully drawn and is a compelling and symbolic statement.
$5,500

Boating
PIERRE BONNARD
French, (1867-1947)
Lithograph printed in colors, 1897, Bouvet 42, edition 100. 10 1/2 x 18 3/4 in. Signed in pencil, lower left. This is a fine impression with rich colors. These are probably the full margins. The condition is fine apart from a tiny pinhole at the top of the image which is not noticeable. There are a couple of few very soft ripples in the image from the printing process. This wonderful print was done for the second "Album d'estampes originales," published by the Galerie Bonnard, Paris.
$6,000

Barge Beasts (Shoebills) (Kahnschnäbel)
NORBERTINE BRESSLERN-ROTH
Austrian, (1891-1978)
Linocut printed in colors, circa 1928, edition unknown. 9 1/8 x 8 1/8 in. Signed in pencil and inscribed, "Handdruck." This is a fine impression with fresh colors. The margins are narrow. The condition is fine apart from a speck of ink on the left margin, center, and slight toning on the verso largely from the dark colors showing through. With a tremendous sense of ornamentation, the artist uses two circles and a curved line to evoke the impression of a murky pool from which these birds fish for their prey. It turns out that Bresslern-Roth made a trip to Africa in 1928 and shoebills are native to that continent.
$1,600

Don Quixote in the landscape of La Mancha
KUNO BRINKS
Dutch, (1908-1972)
Copper engraving, 1937-43, Kersten 73 (ii/II), edition unknown. 8 1/2 x 11 in. Initialed and dated in the plate, lower left. Signed and titled in pencil. This is a fine impression with full margins. The condition is very good other than for very slight toning to the outer edges of the front of the sheet. This print relates to the Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. It was published in two parts, one in 1605 and the other in 1615. In the distance to the left is his compatriot, Sancho Panza. Brinks was an exceptional engraver and was a lecturer in graphic arts at Rijksacademie van Beeldende Kunsten from 1936. From 1944, he was professor of graphic arts there.
$650

The Small Cottages (Les Petities Chaumières)
FELIX BUHOT
French, (1847-1898)
Etching, drypoint aquatint and roulette, 1878, Bourcard/Goodfriend 149 (iv/IV), edition unknown. 4 x 5 1/2 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed with the small red owl stamp (Lugt 978). This is a very fine impression printed on a light cream laid paper. The margins are full and the condition is excellent. The location of this print is Quinéville, Normandy.
$1,500

Westminster Bridge or Westminster Clock Tower
FELIX BUHOT
French, (1847-1898)
Etching, drypoint, roulette and aquatint printed in two colors, 1884, Bourcard / Goodfriend 156 (a new final state after Goodfriends's 7th state) 11 1/4 x 15 3/4 in. Signed with the artist's large red owl stamp (Lugt 977) and inscribed, " épreuve d'artiste de la planche non ébarbée) (artist's proof of the plate without the burr removed). This is a superb impression of the finished state before cancellation. The margins are most likely full and untrimmed. This is one of Buhot's best works.
$5,000

Dream (Droom)
JOZEF CANTRE
Belgium, (1890-1957)
Woodcut, 1926, edition unknown. 12 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. Initialed and dated in pencil, lower right. Signed and titled in pencil. Also inscribed "handdruk." Cantré was a Belgian sculptor and printmaker. He was a member of "De Vijf" (The Five) together with his brother Jan Frans Cantré, Joris Minne, Frans Masereel and Henri van Straten. He was a pioneer of the Flemish expressionist movement.
$1,200

Mrs. Gardner Cassatt and her Baby Seated near a Window
MARY CASSATT
American, (1844-1926)
Drypoint, circa 1887, Breeskin 112; from a very small edition. 8 3/8 x 5 1/2 in. Signed in pencil lower right. This is a superb, early impression with full margins. The paper is a light cream laid without a watermark. The condition is fine. This finely detailed work is exceptionally rare. The subject of this portrait was Eugenia Carter Cassatt who married the artist's younger brother, Joseph Gardner Cassatt, in 1882. Here she is depicted with her young son, Gardner, born in 1886. The young family visited Mary in Paris where this portrait was done. We've located two impressions in museum collections; the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Library of Congress. Provenance: Kennedy Galleries, NY, and a private Washington, DC collection.
PRICE ON REQUEST

Drizzly Morning in Chicago
SAMUEL CHAMBERLAIN
American, (1895-1975)
Drypoint, 1929, Chamberlain/Kingsland 84, edition 100. 3 7/8 x 7 3/8 in. Signed, numbered and titled below in pencil. There's a pencil inscription as follows, "a la petite Bertie avec mille lendresses." This is a fine impression with plate tone. The margins are full and the paper bears a BFK RIVES watermark. Fine condition apart from a very faint suggestion of toning from a previous mat opening.
$800

The Abbey Farm
SAMUEL CHAMBERLAIN
American, (1895-1975)
Drypoint, 1931, Chamberlain/Kingsland 109, edition 100 plus 3 working proofs. 7 1/2 x 10 1/8 in. Signed and numbered in pencil. This is a fine impression with full margins. The condition is very good. There are remains of olde hinges at the top corners, verso, and a soft dent in the lower margin away from the image. The setting of the subject is Breuil-le-Vert, Ile -de-France.
$500