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News and Events |
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Our November 2009 Auction Catalog is Now Online |
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New York, NY - Gene Shapiro Auctions LLC. has announced an Auction of Important Russian and American art to be held in New York on November 22nd, 2009, starting at 12:00 PM EST. The auction will be held at the Metropolitan Pavilion, located at 123 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011, on the Fifth Floor. The viewing, which takes place on November 21st from 12:00PM-9:00PM EST and on November 22nd from 9:00AM-12:00PM EST, will be held in the same location as the auction.
While Gene Shapiro Auctions has always sought to present an eclectic mix of artists from different nationalities in its auctions, this auction presented an opportunity for the auction house to increase the breadth of its American offerings. The owner of the auction house, Gene Shapiro, says about the greater variety of works in this sale, "Make no mistake, we still specialize in Russian art and are proud of our global following and reputation. But I don't think we need to be a 'one-trick pony.' My goal is to sell art of a high caliber, no matter where the artist was born."
In this respect Shapiro's November 22nd auction doesn't disappoint. There are numerous highlights of both Russian and American pieces. For example, the cover lot of the auction catalog is a contemporary work by the important Russian artist Oleg Tselkov (Russian b.1934), Four Headed with Scissors from 1980, oil on canvas, 76 3/4 x 92 1/2 in. (195 x 235cm), estimated at $125,000-175,000. Shapiro notes, "Similar size paintings by the artist were selling between $200,000-300,000 and more at auction just a year ago. I think our estimate is a conservative one that reflects economic realities. However, paintings like this are hard to find and Tselkov is, was, and will remain one of the most important contemporary artists to ever come out of Russia."
In the same auction we find a fascinating Portrait of Captain Paul Cuffee by Chester Harding (American 1792-1866), oil on canvas, 29 x 24 inches (73.7 x 61 cm), estimated at $5,000-7,000. Captain Paul Cuffee was an important figure in American history and especially African-American history. His father was a freed black slave, and mother an Aquinnah Wampanoag Native American. Growing up in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, Cuffee was eventually beckoned by the sea. Eventually he would become a wealthy and influential ship-owner and businessman. A great deal of his life and energy was spent trying to improve the plight of African-Americans in the United States, but also to supporting colonization of African countries such as Sierra Leone with Americans of African descent.
The provenance of the painting of Cuffee includes being in the noted George Arden Collection of American Art. A prolific collector, Arden specialized in collecting American Art of the 19th Century, and his collection contained many of the best examples of works by artists from this time period. Shapiro's auction is fortunate to have numerous works from this renowned collection. Another very appealing work in the auction that also was in the Arden Collection, is a work by Rembrandt Peale (American 1778-1860), The Sisters, oil on panel, 7 x 8 1/4 in. (17.8 x 21 cm), estimated at $5,000-7,000. A rare early work by Peale, this painting was in the important 1923 Peale retrospective exhibition at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, Loan Exhibition of Portraits by Charles Willson Peale, Rembrandt Peale, and James Peale. Bearing an original label from the 1923 exhibition, this painting exhibits Peale's refined palette at an early point in his career, as well as the neoclassical influences of European art of the time. An interesting side note is that the lender of the painting to the exhibition was Francis B. Gummere, who is best known for her widely read 1910 translation, and literary championing, of the medieval English poem Beowulf.
As in many of his previous auctions, Shapiro's November 22nd sale features numerous works by David Burliuk, including a powerful and quintessentially-Burliuk landscape scene with figures. From a private collection, the man and the woman in the painting represent Burliuk and his wife Marussia. Regarding the auction house's affinity for painting by Burliuk, Shapiro states, "Burliuk is that rare phenomenon of painter who is equally appreciated in America as he is in Russia. I think the reason that we have become the first choice for buying and selling Burliuk for many buyers and sellers is that we are quite selective in our choices for auction. I reject a lot more Burliuks than I take in. Since prices for Burliuk began to reach multiples of their earlier price-levels with the advent of the Russian art boom, it has been an unfortunate development that a relative flood of Burliuk fakes has appeared on the market. A search for 'Burliuk' on eBay almost any day of the year will list many incorrect works, some obvious forgeries, and some almost decent. I even see these same fakes appear at some other auction houses outside of eBay, which is bad for the market as a whole. Burliuk did indeed paint in many different styles, but once you see real Burliuks, it becomes easy to distinguish them from the fake ones."
Another American highlight of the Gene Shapiro November 22nd auction is a superbly executed Portrait of Dr. Oliver Wolcott Gibbs from 1857 by Daniel P. Huntington, oil on canvas, 30 x 25 in. (76.2 x 63.5 cm), estimated at $8,000-10,000. In addition to its presence and skill, the painting is a historical artifact of 19th Century American academia, especially as it existed in New York. The artist Daniel Huntington was President of the National Academy, while the subject Dr. Oliver Wolcott Gibbs was a founding member and later President of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Important November Russian Art Auction Announced |
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NEW YORK, NY – Gene Shapiro Auctions LLC has announced an important auction of Russian, European, and Latin American art, to take place on November 5, 2008 in New York. The catalog for the auction has now been posted online at www.geneshapiro.com, and the printed full color catalog is available for purchase.
Gene Shapiro, President of the company, is confident that this sale will attract many buyers, “Due to the success of our last several auctions, we have been very fortunate to get numerous inquiries about consigning with us, especially from private collectors. This has allowed us access to many high quality works, which are fresh to the market. It has also allowed us to be more selective in our offerings. The total estimate of the November auction is approximately $4,000,000 – 6,000,000, and the per-lot average is more than $20,000. Your serious Russian collector will not want to miss this sale.”
Shapiro has also introduced some new works into his sale as well by including a Latin American segment, and several important European works as well. With the art market more global than ever, and buyers branching out from their own national artists, this seems to be a sign of the times. As Shapiro notes, “Certainly the majority of buyers of Russian art are Russian speakers, but these same Russian buyers are sophisticated collectors who also buy Western European art, Asian art, Latin American Art, and so forth. Likewise, it is interesting to see the growing trend of non-Russian speakers buying Russian art, whether it be 19th Century, avant-garde or contemporary, as they become more aware of the importance of these Russian artists in the greater realm of art history.”
As in previous Gene Shapiro auctions, this auction includes both older and newer Russian artists, ranging from early 19th Century to contemporary works of the past several years. Highlights abound across the chronological spectrum. In the antique section of the auction, a rare oil on canvas painting by the 19th Century artist Pavel Svedomsky is included at an estimate of $35,000 – 50,000. Svedomsky, who studied in Germany and worked in Western Europe, was famous for his detailed genre paintings that matched the best of Western European 19th Century genre painters, but with a distinctively Russian flair. Another highlight in this section is a portrait by Leon Bakst, measuring 105 x 129 cm, with expertise from the Tretyakov Museum in Moscow ($125,000 – 175,000).
Numerous works by Twentieth Century Russian masters including Korovin, Grigoriev, Altmann, Issupoff, and Tarkhov form a large portion of the sale. These are highly regarded and collected artists, and many of the works have significant provenance and literature/exhibition histories as well. Shapiro is especially proud to have a significant grouping of avant-garde Russian works in the auction. The two major pieces of this grouping are undoubtedly two works, both consigned by a private European collector, by Ivan Kliun and Alexander Rodchenko. Estimated at $200,000 – 300,000 and $250,000 – 350,000 respectively, avant-garde works of this quality rarely appear at auction. Both works previously came out of the collection of K. Stramentov, who was the son-in-law of the famous Greek-Russian collector of the avant-garde George Costakis. A grouping of early works on paper, all to be included in upcoming catalog raisonnés, by avant-garde masters Natalia Goncharova and Mikhail Larionov follow.
For Shapiro, one of the best aspects of holding an auction of Russian art in America, is the ability to bring works to market by famous Russian artists who had emigrated at one time or another to the West, not only to America but also including the “School of Paris” artists. Shapiro’s auction house has become one of the main sources for works by artists including David Burliuk, Boris Anisfeld, and Constantin Westchiloff, and Grigory Gluckmann, all of whom emigrated to America but whose works are highly collected abroad. Indeed, as an example, this November auction has no fewer than 15 works by Burliuk. Important works by other émigré artists include a biblical scene by the revered illustrator Arthur Szyk, the largest and most important to appear at auction yet, and several works by the Kiev-born École de Paris artist Isaac Pailes.
While the highlights of the previous section continue almost lot by lot, Shapiro has also become a leader in the Russian contemporary field. Highlights here are also numerous, including a very rare conformist work by Nadezha Elskaya (1947-1978), which itself was acquired from the legendary nonconformist artist Evgeny Rukhin (1943-1976). Rukhin’s work is also represented with a painting that was acquired from the estate of the artist. Another nonconformist work of note include a large mixed media work by the influential nonconformist Pyotr Belenok ($40,000 – 60,000), whose works have recently become very in demand. This Belenok painting was acquired directly from the artist in Moscow by a diplomat in the 1970s. A group of 5 works by Vasily Sitnikov, an enormously important figure of note in the Russian nonconformist movement, follows the Belenoks, and major works by Tatiana Nazarenko and Natalia Nazarenko also enliven the sale.
An important segment of the contemporary works in the auction is devoted to works by “Sots Art” painters, and similar minded artists. These include numerous works by Komar & Melamid, Leonid Sokov, and Alexander Kosolapov. Lot 162 in the auction is a striking image, painted by Komar & Melamid, of their rendition of the ancient sculpture “Discobolus.” ($120,000 – 150,000). Indisputably one of the most important Komar & Melamid works to appear at auction, this work is a vibrant indicator of the extent to which Komar & Melamid combined classical training and conceptualism, and is a contemporary masterpiece.
European and Latin American works follow the Russian contemporary section, and they are not just minor additions to an already impressive Russian auction. Instead, they include significant works by highly collected artists. Of the European works, a large oil on canvas still life by the Bauhaus artist, and contemporary of Klee, Max Peiffer Watenphul ($20,000 – 30,000), is an important addition. A haunting portrait by the legendary Mexican artist Emilio Baz Viaud, from the 1950s ($15,000 – 20,000) is one of the Latin American highlights, as are two works by the million-dollar selling Mexican artist Alfredo Ramos Martinez, one of which is an early self-portrait with provenance from the family of the artist.
This auction, which takes place after Election Day in the United States, promises to offer a wide array of important artworks to an international clientele. When asked about the current state of the economy, and how he feels that it will affect the global art market, Shapiro responds, “I think that now, more than ever, is when collectors are looking for unique objects that will hold their value over time. The Russian economy is still thriving, and the buying back of an enormously sophisticated and prodigious artistic heritage will continue.” |
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A Blockbuster Auction of Russian Art |
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NEW YORK, NY – Gene Shapiro Auctions LLC has announced an important auction of Russian artwork to be held on April 17, 2008 in New York City. The auction will take place on the fourth floor of the Metropolitan Pavilion, located at 123 West 18th Street in Manhattan. The auction itself will begin at 10 AM on the 17th, and there will be a full day of exhibition and preview for interested bidders at the same location from 12 PM to 9PM on the 16th of April.
Gene Shapiro, President of the company, is elated about holding this auction in New York, and says, “Our first auction, which took place in Stamford, Connecticut, was extremely successful. We established numerous records for many artists, and bidders participated from all around the world, including from Russia, Europe, and all parts of the U.S. For my next auction, I decided that New York was really the venue where we needed to hold our auction, not only because of its position as a nexus for the worldwide art market, but also in order to make it more convenient for those bidders, who are visiting New York to attend other auctions of Russian art.”
Indeed, the third week of April will present a cornucopia of offerings to interested buyers of Russian art. In addition to Gene Shapiro’s auction, Sotheby’s will be holding an auction on April 15th and 16th, and Christie’s will be holding an auction on April 18th. As Shapiro’s auction will be presenting many works by the most noted and historical Russian artists, his auction has become an event not to be missed by any serious collector of Russian paintings. The total pre-sale estimate of Gene Shapiro’s April 17th auction is $3,000,000-4,000,000.
Regarding the establishment of a smaller but specialized auction house on the New York auction scene, Shapiro says, “The market for Russian paintings in the United States is too large for only two houses to hold a duopoly on the sale of important works. There is not enough room for either house to include every major piece available in the market. The U.S. is still a treasure-chest for those buyers seeking to buy Russian paintings, because of the long history of Russian paintings being bought by American collectors, as well as the enormous Russian émigré community here. In addition, the current financial realities, that is to say the exchange rate of the US Dollar to the Euro, Pound, and Ruble, make it an even more attractive time to buy Russian art in America, because collectors are getting more for the money they spend. We have become an attractive source to buy Russian art in America because in a short time our auction house has already established a reputation for selling high quality works with good provenance.”
Gene Shapiro Auctions is especially strong in the field of Russian contemporary art and Russian non-conformist art, that has gained much attention and appreciation as of recently. Shapiro notes that, “There is no other auction house in the United States with the quality and breadth of the Russian non-conformist art that we offer. While that is by no means our only specialization, we have committed to making it a core part of our business as artwork by these modern masters is rightly in demand and should remain so, and many smart collectors are investing in contemporary works.”
Gene Shapiro’s April 17th auction will comprise approximately 260 lots. Of these lots, approximately 90% are by Russian artists. The remaining 10% are works by European old masters as well as 19th century European paintings and genre scenes. Shapiro describes his reasoning for structuring the auction in this way as follows, “Of course this is a predominantly Russian auction. However, I want to provide my Russian collectors with an opportunity to buy beautiful Italian, Flemish, and French old master paintings as well. I believe that the best collections are those that comprise a mixture of art from different time periods, as well as different nationalities. Russian collectors are educated collectors whose knowledge of art history transcends ethnic and national lines. One need only visit the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg once to know of Russians’ centuries-old appreciation and patronage of the old masters. My auction will always sell Russian paintings, but we also continue to sell important works by European, American, and other talented artists from around the globe.”
Shapiro’s auction is run roughly chronologically. For the April 17th sale, the auction will begin with a group of about 25-30 European old masters and 19th Century paintings. Afterwards, the auction will feature several 19th century Russian bronzes with some French bronzes as well, including works by Vasily Grachev, Evgeny Lanceray, and Antoine-Louise Barye. The Russian paintings begin then, and one of the most interesting lots is a portrait painting of Czar Alexander I wearing the orders of St. George and St. Andrew, painted from before 1805, estimated at $40,000-60,000. The painting was formerly in the collection of the Great Duke Nicholas Romanov before being nationalized into the collection of the Hermitage Museum. It appeared later on the Western art market and was owned at one point by ‘A la Vielle Russe’ in New York, during which time the painting was widely reproduced in numerous American textbooks about Russia. The auction continues with works by some of the most influential Russian artists, such as Nikolai Sverchkov, Nikolai Dubovskoi, Konstantin Gorbatov, Vasili Vereschagin, Abram Arkhipov, and others.
A large group of early 20th century Russian paintings forms a section of the auction, including an early landscape by Nicolai Fechin with expertise from the Tretyakov Museum ($12,000-15,000) and a large oil on canvas by Boris Anisfeld of three gypsies dancing with provenance from the family of the artist and expertise from the Grabar Institute ($50,000-70,000). Works abound in the auction by Stepan Kolesnikoff, Konstantin Yuon, Boris Grigoriev, Sergei Vinogradov, Yuri Annenkov, Natalia Goncharova, Alexander Golovin, and Mikhail Vrubel. Avant-garde works are represented by early works by Gustav Klucis and Ivan Kudryashev. In addition to Russian artists, Ukrainian artists such as Nicolai Glushenko are featured.
The auction includes a formidable group of works by the Russian émigré artists to America who have become widely collected in both Russia and Ukraine, including more than 8 works by the seminal futurist David Burliuk, including oil paintings and watercolors, in addition to works by Constantin Wesctchiloff, Nicolai Cikovsky, Grigory Gluckmann, and Alexis Podchernikoff. Fine art photography is represented in the auction with the inclusion of three photographs by Evgeny Khaldei that were acquired from the artist’s estate, including his haunting ‘Sevastopol, Life Again,’ where young and healthy bathers are photographed on an outing in front of a recently devastated Sevastopol, demonstrating the resilience of the human spirit. Similarly, photography by Samari Gurari and a contemporary photograph by Boris Mikhailov are offered for auction as well.
For collectors of Russian contemporary art, and collectors of those artists whose works were considered un-official or “non-conformist,” during the Soviet period, Shapiro’s auction abounds in opportunities for the knowledgeable collector to acquire chef d’ouevres by the most prominent artists in this sphere. For a prime example, the cover lot of the auction is an acrylic on canvas by Semyon Faibisovich from 1989, originally designed for the cover of the widely-read American magazine ‘TIME.’ ($120,000-150,000). Not only is it a historical work, but it is a intriguing composition by an artist whose works are widely sought.
A widely illustrated Vladimir Nemukhin sculpture dedicated to fellow artist Dmitry Krasnopevtsev, acquired from the artist and in a private American collection, is offered at $60,000-80,000. With regards to Krasnopevtsev, two works are represented in the auction: one a drawing from 1961 given to the collector and author Alexander Glezer for his help in publishing “Tretia Volna,” ($15,000-20,000) and another, quite unique Krasnopevtsev view of Sudak in Uyutnaya, Crimea, which is an oil on board, the authenticity of which affirmed by M. Krasnopevtseva ($35,000-50,000) and other experts on the artist. This early work by Krasnopevtsev demonstrates the artist’s solid lines and geometric sensibilities of his future paintings, while remaining a rare example of the artist’s more representational works.
One of the major highlights of the auction is a painting by Oscar Rabin, “Landscape with Cow,” an oil on canvas from 1974, which Rabin exhibited at the infamous Bulldozer Exhibition at Belyayevo in Moscow on September 15, 1974 ($60,000-80,000). The painting will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonne on the artist, and was acquired directly from the artist by a diplomat who attended the Bulldozer Exhibition and acquired it immediately thereafter. Shapiro notes, “I am certainly delighted that we are able to offer a work by an acknowledged contemporary Russian master, that is of such historical importance. In fact, we have two works in the auction that were exhibited at this historical event: the Rabin, and a great painting by Evgeny Rukhin as well, showing a tattered leather briefcase glued onto an elaborately painted canvas. I think that these could even be museum pieces in another context.” In addition to this Rabin, Shapiro’s auction offers two other paintings by Rabin in the auction as well, estimated at $40,000-60,000 and $20,000-30,000 respectively.
Regarding the works of Evgeny Rukhin, the seminal figure of the Leningrad underground and Russian equivalent to American pop-artists Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg, Gene Shapiro has on offer seven paintings by the artist, ranging in estimates from $50,000-70,000 to $70,000-90,000. All seven paintings were either acquired directly from the artist from diplomats who were stationed in Russia during the seventies, or from the estate of the artist. Shapiro states, “I strongly believe that the paintings by Evgeny Rukhin in my auction are of higher quality and sophistication than some of the others that have been on the market recently, and I think that knowledgeable collectors will agree.”
With respect to historical works, several works are offered in the auction by the underground legend Vasily Sitnikov, including an early work from 1951, illustrated in the Sjeklocha and Mead book of 1967, “Unofficial Art in the Soviet Union,” which introduced many Americans to the works of the nonconformist artists ($60,000-80,000). The painting is a touching portrait of Sitnikov’s sister, and was executed not much longer after Sitnikov’s release from a psychiatric hospital. The portrait bears a sentimentality that is uniquely Sitnikov’s. Later works by Sitnikov in the auction include a large nude from his American period in the 1980s bearing his signature hazy blue background, and a figural drawing.
Vladimir Yakovlev is well represented in the auction with several large paintings ($18,000-25,000 and $12,000-15,000), along with several of his smaller signature works. A relative newcomer to the international auction market, but an important artist, Tanya Levitskaya, is included in the auction with a large and striking work from 1975 ($7,000-9,000). Other artists like Timur Novikov, Igor Snegur, Lev Tabenkin, Anatoly Zverev, Tatiana Nazarenko, Edward Gorokhovski, Vladimir Titov, Sergei Sherstiouk, and Leonid Purygin abound in the auction as well.
The auction has a very strong selection of Russian “sots-art” works, including Alexander Kosolapov’s controversial “Mickie and Minnie,” in which the heads of the American pop cartoon icons replace those of Vera Mukhina’s own iconic “Worker and Kolkhoz Woman,” creating a stark contrast of capitalism and communism’s ‘sacred’ images ($35,000-50,000). Another of Kosolapov’s signature works, ‘Molotov Cocktail,’ makes its appearance in the auction ($25,000-35,000), as well as several works by Leonid Sokov ($20,000-30,000) and Boris Orlov ($30,000-40,000) A highly anticipated lot in the auction is a large diptych by Komar & Melamid, which was exhibited at the B’nai B’rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. in 1996-7, ‘Here and There; Then and Now: Contemporary Artists from the former Soviet Union,’ ($100,000-140,000).
Other highlights of the auction include a well-illustrated and important work by Natalia Nesterova, ‘Reflections,’ measuring 1.8 x 1.8 meters ($70,000-90,000), a tri-partite work from Ilya Kabakov’s ‘Shower Series,’ ($13,500-17,500), and several seductively painted and drawn large-scale surrealist works by Igor Tulpanov ($25,000-30,000 and $15,000-20,000). A series of works by cutting-edge artists round out the sale, including a sensational erotic drawing by Kirill Chelushkin ($17,000-25,000), and an emotionally powerful large-print photograph of Russian icon Renata Letvinova by Vladimir Clavijo-Telepnev ($10,000-15,000), amongst many others.
Overall, Shapiro is optimistic about the auction, and about the Russian art market in general, saying, “I believe that so many Russian artists have been undervalued for so long, that what we are seeing now is not a bubble, but more an appreciation of the strength, influence, depth, and beauty of an entire culture’s visual heritage.”
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