Boston – Bonhams Skinner will present a trio of Fine Art sales this May. Kicking off the month is the Prints & Photographs sale lead by a large-scale print from 1973 by David Hockney titled Rain, from The Weather Series. Modern & Contemporary Art will then present a striking oil painting titled Maiden with Fruit, 1926 by Fernando Cueto Amorsolo. Closing out the month is European Art highlighted by Les Débuts d'Un Confesseur, 1869 by Jehan Georges Vibert.
Prints & Photographs
May 5 – 15
A print from David Hockney's (British, b. 1937) The Weather Series, 1973 entitled Rain will highlight the Prints & Photographs sale from May 5 – 15. One of the most influential British artists of the 20th century, Hockney was inspired by the representation of weather in Japanese art especially in the Ukiyo-e style to create a series of large-scale lithographs exploring the topic. Rain, estimated at $70,000 – 90,000, showcases delicate variations of water from calm pooling to the watery dribbles that 'overflow' from the image. Additional print highlights from the sale include Françoise, Claude, Paloma: La Lecture et les jeux. III by Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973), estimated at $12,000 – 18,000, and Lament for Lorca (Belknap 254; Tyler Graphics 413:RM32), 1982 by Robert Motherwell (American, 1915-1991), estimated at $8,000 – 12,000.
The selection of photographs in the sale is led by Nastassja Kinski and the Serpent, Los Angeles, California, 1981 by Richard Avedon (1923-2004), an influential American fashion photographer, estimated at $60,000 – 80,000. The iconic image of Nastassja Kinski, a German actress and model at the height of her career, with a Burmese python draped across her body was commissioned for Vogue before it became one of the most reproduced posters in history. Also of note is Lee Miller and Agneta Fischer, Paris, 1932 by George Hoyningen-Huene (1900-1968), a pioneer of fashion photography, estimated at $6,000 – 8,000.
Modern & Contemporary Art
May 11 – 21
From May 11 – 21, the Modern & Contemporary Art sale will feature a striking oil painting titled Maiden with Fruit, 1926 by Fernando Cueto Amorsolo (Filipino, 1892-1972), known for his portraits as well as vivid depictions of Filipino landscapes and rural life, estimated at $100,000 – 150,000. Also presented in the sale is Sanctuary, 1990 by Joan Snyder (b. 1940), an American painter known for her narrative abstractions, estimated at $12,000 – 18,000, as well as Opening and Cypress Form by Stephen Edlich (1944-1989), an artist who worked in the post-cubist and constructivist traditions, estimated $18,000 – 22,000.
The sale will also offer several sculptural works highlighted by Sorel Etrog's (Canadian, 1933-2014) Two Dancers, 1964, a bronze which is estimated at $15,000 – 25,000. Two Dancers was crafted during an eight-year period in which Etrog's Links motif dominated his work in which he created abstract sculptures whose different parts are balanced through a central link. Lost Wax - Found Bronze by Elaine de Kooning (American, 1918-1989), estimated at $18,000 – 24,000, is an additional sculptural highlight of the sale. The bronze was gifted to her friends – the artist Herbert Aach and his wife Doris – in July of 1967 and includes a handwritten note from de Kooning.
European Art
May 12 – 22
The American & European Art department will also present a strong selection of 17th, 18th, and 19th century works in its first European Art sale of the year from May 12 – 22. A highlight of the sale is Les Débuts d'Un Confesseur, 1869 by Jehan Georges Vibert (1840-1902), one of France's most renowned Academic painters, estimated at $15,000 – 25,000. Also known for working in the Academic style, Frederik Hendrik Kaemmerer's (Dutch, 1839-1902) The Lady's Opinion Considered, estimated at $10,000 – 15,000, will be offered in the sale. Additional highlights include Figures and Camels Before a City Gate, 1886 by German painter Rudolph Gustav Müller (1858-1888), estimated at $25,000 – 35,000, and Wolf Pack and Stag by British artist Louis Henry Weston Klingender (1861-1950), estimated at $10,000 – 15,000.