Private Collection: 20th Century Master Prints
David Hockney lithograph
Project: Curated and Managed Art Collection of 20th Century Master Prints
About the collection
The collection emphasized blue chip artists of the 1970’s and 1980’s including a set of Andy Warhol’s boldly colored Flowers from the 1970s, an iconic period for the artist, and Martha Graham: Letter to the World (The Kick), 1986, a dynamic screenprint in a unique color combination. Other pop works include Roy Lichtenstein’s Imperfect Print for B.A.M., 1987 and two late 80’s/early 90’s pieces by John Baldessari. The earliest work in the collection are three of Henri Matisse’s most important thick line images of model Nadia Sednaoui - Grand Masque (Claude Duthuit 800), Nadia aux cheveux lisses (D. 805) and Nadia au profil aigu (D. 801) — large scale aquatints from a series of 1947-48 showing the flowering, free-form line brush drawing technique Matisse favored towards the end of his life and were pulled in small editions of 25. “My line drawing is the purest and most direct translation of my emotion” – Henri Matisse.
The collection boasted a lyrical and powerful group of the 20th century’s most recognized artists such as Jasper Johns work Cicada, 1981 and Usuyuki, 1981, executed with the artist’s idiosyncratic cross hatch motif; Richard Diebenkorn Ochre, 1983 with its jewel-like meditative tones, and David Hockney The Wave, A Lithograph, 1990 and Picture of Two Chairs, from Moving Focus Series, 1986 both composed with deliberate lines and texture rendered with immediacy and fluidity. Also included is Vija Celmins’ intensely yet delicately drawn Untitled (Ocean), lithography from 1972.
There are prime examples of minimal works beginning with the seminal Josef Albers Soft Edge/Hard Edge portfolio of screenprints (the complete set of ten) to examples of giants Ellsworth Kelly and Frank Stella. The grand lithograph Purple Red Gray Orange, 1970 by Ellsworth Kelly in its audacious scale (52 x 230 inches) for the medium, also by the artist is the screenprint Four Panels, 1972 and the lithograph Blue Curve, 1976, with their forceful yet subtle simplicity. Three Frank Stella prints including Port Aux Basques, 1971 and River of Ponds II, 1971. Rounding out the selection are stylistically similar works by Gerhard Richter 1260 Farben, 1974, and 9 von 180 Farben, 1971 and Damien Hirst, Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, 2000.
Also in the collection are paintings by Lorser Feitelson and Peter Alexander and photographs by Ed Ruscha, Julius Schulman and Robert Flick. All art was attractively and archivally framed and in generally excellent condition.
Project Description:
HLAA consulted with client on the acquisition of over forty 20th century master prints. We inspected condition and authentication as well as researched the origins and attributions of each work’s provenance. In addition, we prepared a computerized inventory-keeping system with digital photo documentation. This included on-site measurements, review of documentation, data entry of all information surrounding each work (ie. evaluations, location history, exhibition history, provenance, artist biographies, images). All art sourcing, administration and curating was handled by HLAA.
“The collection was professionally curated and shows a striking array of some of the best examples of American printmaking anchored by three of Matisse’s most elegant aquatints.” -Kelly Troester and Cary Leibowitz, co-directors Phillips Editions Department.
