Lot 12
Richmond Barthé(1901-1989)Black Narcissus 18 1/2in high
22 May 2019, 16:00 EDT
New YorkSold for US$17,575 inc. premium
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Richmond Barthé (1901-1989)
Black Narcissus
inscribed 'Barthe / 29' (on the base)
bronze with dark brown patina
18 1/2in high
Modeled in 1929; Cast by circa 1941.
inscribed 'Barthe / 29' (on the base)
bronze with dark brown patina
18 1/2in high
Modeled in 1929; Cast by circa 1941.
Footnotes
Provenance
The artist.
David P. Ross, Jr., Chicago, Illinois, acquired from the above, circa 1941.
By descent to the present owner.
Literature
S. Lewis, Barthé: His Life in Art, Los Angeles, 2009, pp. 58-59, another example illustrated.
The original owner of the present work, David P. Ross, was a close friend of Richmond Barthé's beginning in 1939. The two worked together in 1941 while Ross helped to establish the South Side Community Art Center in Chicago, which became an important venue for the exhibition of artwork by African American artists. Ross, an artist himself, worked hard to promote these artists, including Barthé, and bring them to the attention of the public. According to handwritten correspondence between Ross and the artist, the model Black Narcissus was Barthé's first sculpture. This six page letter accompanies the lot.