Los Angeles, CA — John Moran Auctioneers will present their bi-annual sale of Modern & Contemporary Art on Tuesday, November 12th, 2024, at noon PDT. This auction will feature works by many important artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, including paintings, prints and multiples, photography, and sculpture. Leading the sale, is a fresh-to-market painting by the American Modernist, Agnes Pelton, titled “Sleep,” 1928, part of her ‘transcendental’ period. Other highlighted artists include Olafur Eliasson, Raimonds Staprans, Georges Rouault, Paul Jenkins, Martiros Saryan, Joan Brown, Llyn Foulkes, Roger Kuntz, Robert Irwin, David William Simpson, Henrietta Berk, Frank Stella, Jenny Holzer, and Roy Lichtenstein. Sculptures by Magdalena Abakanowicz, Harry Bertoia, Pablo Picasso, Claire McCarthy Falkenstein, Peter Voulkos, Jacques Lipchitz, Jeff Koons, Howard L. Bingham, and John Baldessari round out the sale.
Georges Rouault (1871-1958) “Portrait of a woman” $30,000-50,000
Moran’s has done the unthinkable. They have unveiled not one, but TWO Agnes Pelton works—both abstractions from her influential ‘transcendental period’, and both in the same year! Agnes Pelton, an American Modernist and one of the most influential female painters of the last century, was a trailblazing artist who skillfully merged spiritual and abstract elements in her works. Pelton (1881-1961) spent much of her life exploring the higher consciousness beyond mere appearances and strove to express this relationship between observer and observed through work rich in ethereal symbolism. In August, Moran’s offered Pelton’s “Flowering,” created in 1929 at the zenith of her career, which sold for a whopping $571,500*. Executed one-year prior, in 1928, Pelton painted another abstraction from her ‘transcendental’ period, titled “Sleep.” Documents show that “Sleep” was exhibited nationally: at the artist’s first solo exhibition at New York’s Montross Gallery in 1929 and then in Pasadena at the Grace Nicholson Gallery and Jake Zeitlin’s Gallery & Bookstore, and in 1931 at the Sixth Annual Exhibition of the San Francisco Society of Women Artists at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. Prior to its recent rediscovery, “Sleep” was only known from the artist’s sketchbook archives and newspaper reviews. Significantly, “Sleep” retains its original frame, a silver-washed molding that Pelton designed specifically for her abstraction works. “Sleep” is the only known work by the artist to have an explanatory artist label attached to the reverse which reads, “It came to me many years ago after a mid-winter visit to the city, and was the expression of the sudden quiet and winter peace of the windmill (on Long Island) which was then my home: the feeling of rightness in being there, and of a conscious gentle radiation of protection, through dark and uncertain places.” Come auction day, collectors can own this piece of modern art history, offered with an estimate of $300,000-500,000.
Also included in the modern art category are works by Georges Rouault, Raimonds Staprans, Martiros Saryan, and Pablo Picasso. Originally purchased from Dalzell Hatfield Galleries in Los Angeles, CA, is Georges Rouault’s “Portrait of a woman,” 1914, estimated $30,000-50,000. Rouault (1871-1958) was a French painter, draughtsman, and printmaker, whose work is often associated with Fauvism and Expressionism. His use of stark contrasts and emotionality is credited to the influence of Vincent van Gogh, and his characterizations of overemphasized grotesque personalities inspired the expressionist painters.
Magdalena Abakanowicz (1930-2017) "Atoris" $70,000-90,000
Moran’s is pleased to once again feature the Bay Area painter, Raimonds Staprans (b. 1926). Last August, the auction house achieved the world auction record for the artist with his orange-themed painting, “A Study of Down Rolling Oranges with a Staid Neon Apple,” 1995, selling for $237,500*. Then, in June of this year, his work, “Blue Skies, Red Paint,” 1994, earned $203,200*, showing continued strength in the artist’s market. Collector’s will have another opportunity to own a Staprans in next month’s sale with, “Two Boats,” valued at $30,000-50,000.
Coming from important Armenian painter, Martiros Saryan is “Masis, Ararat,” 1958, estimated $15,000-20,000. Saryan (1880-1972) was the founder of a modern Armenian national school of painting and was one of the members of the art association ‘The Four Arts’, which existed in Moscow and Leningrad between 1924 and 1931. Also making its way to the block is a partial glazed ceramic and engobe bird-form titled, “Chouette,” 1969, by Pablo Picasso, valued at $12,000-18,000. Picasso (1881-1973) loved creating ceramic works because they were quick and inexpensive to produce. In an era when only the wealthy could afford his paintings and sculptures, he welcomed the notion that his pottery and ceramics could potentially be owned by everyday people in the postwar world.
Leading the selection of contemporary art are works by Magdalena Abakanowicz and Olafur Eliasson. “Atoris,” 2005, is a bronze sculpture by Magdalena Abakanowicz with an estimate of $70,000-90,000. A Polish sculptor and fiber artist, Abakanowicz (1930-1917) is known for her use of textiles as a sculptural medium for outdoor installations. She has been considered among the most influential Polish artists of the postwar era. Olafur Eliasson’s tripod lamp with color-effect filter glass titled, “Eye Ceiling,” 2005 will be offered with a $70,000-90,000 estimate. Eliasson (b. 1967) is an Icelandic-Danish artist whose collection of diverse artworks invite the viewers to embark on their own visual journey. He describes it as, “…experiences that welcome everyone and their varied perspectives.”
Collectors are sure to take notice of the two works by Joan Brown, “Seated Nude,” 1975, estimated $12,000-18,000, and “The Seduction #2, David & Stephanie,” 1971, valued at $7,000-9,000. Brown (1938-1990) was an American/British figurative painter who lived and worked in Northern California. She was a member of the “second generation” of the Bay Area Figurative Movement who worked with multiple other artists to make popular the concepts of figurative painting, Beat Generation culture, and Funk art.
Other noted artists in the sale are Henri Matisse, Harry Bertoia, Jon Rafman, Claire McCarthy Falkenstein, Peter Voulkos, Jacques Lipchitz, Alexander Calder, Peter Max, Slim Aarons, Yaacov Agam, John Baldessari, and Alec Monopoly.
*- Includes buyers premium.
— Brenda Smith, John Moran Auctioneers
“Prior to its recent rediscovery, “Sleep” was only known from the artist’s sketchbook archives and newspaper reviews. Significantly, “Sleep” retains its original frame, a silver-washed molding that Pelton designed specifically for her abstraction works. “”
Agnes Pelton (1881-1961) “Sleep” $300,000-500,000
Upcoming Auctions
John Moran Auctioneers is continuing their 2024 lineup with the California and American Fine Art auction, Tuesday, November 12th, 2024, followed by the Art of the American West sale, Wednesday, November 13th, 2024. Be sure to mark your calendars for these upcoming auctions so you don’t miss out on the action, and the treasures!
California and American Fine Art: Tuesday, November 12th | 12:00 pm PDT
Art of the American West: Wednesday, November 13th | 10:00 am PDT
Modern & Contemporary Fine Art: Tuesday, November 19th | 12:00 pm PDT
Latin American Art + Design: Wednesday, November 20th | 10:00 am PDT
Jewelry, Watches & Luxury: Tuesday, December 10th | 12:00 pm PDT
The Traditional Collector: Wednesday, December 11th | 12:00 pm PDT
For upcoming highlights, online catalogues, and more information on these sales, visit Moran’s website: www.johnmoran.com and follow us on social media: @johnmoran_auctioneers. Along with our website, bidding is now available online via Moran’s new mobile app, Moran Mobile, available on both iOS and Android operating systems. You may also choose to bid by phone or absentee.
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