On Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009, John Moran Auctioneers will host the second of their tri-annual California and American paintings sales scheduled for 2009. Market leaders in pre-1940 works in oil and watercolor, Moran’s is once again delighted to offer a strong selection of over 160 paintings. In addition to California and American Impressionist paintings and California Style watercolors, this sale will feature important and historic Western American art.
A rare Laguna Beach coastal view by William Wendt leads the California Plein Air selections. Estimated at $100,000 / 150,000, this 25″ x 30″ canvas dated 1915 showcases the artist’s robust brushwork and an intense palette that contrasts deep blues in the water with a brown and green coastal hillside.
John Marshall Gamble’s “Bush Lupine Near Del Monte” is a classic example of Gamble’s highly sought after landscapes of flower-filled California hillsides. The oil measuring 25’’ x 40’’ is offered at $90,000 / 120,000.
‘Docking’ by Maurice Braun, estimated at $20,000 / 30,000, is a particularly fine example of the artist’s fascination with both European and Southern California harbor scenes. Painted with the pastel palette that Braun typically used for this subject, the oil depicts a group of boats beside a harbor village.
Fresh to the market and a highlight of the East Coast selections is a lovely, sun-drenched pastoral scene of cows grazing by Edward Volkert, known as ‘America’s Cattle Painter.’ The oil showcases the artist’s rich brushwork, masterful depiction of light and sensitivity to the subject, and is estimated at $10,000 / 15,000
An atmospheric coastal by William Trost Richards depicting a dramatic view of soaring birds and distant ships is estimated at $20,000 / 25,000. The watercolor and gouache on paper is signed and dated 1885.
Three works by Swedish-American artist Birger Sandzen, an oil and two lithographs, will be offered. The oil, a nocturne titled ‘Moonlit Poplars,’ is a prime example of Sandzen’s beautifully harmonized, vivid palette, bold composition and his trademark pointillist technique. It is estimated at $40,000 / 60,000.
Featured Western artists include Charles Marion Russell, LaVerne Nelson Black, Katherine Steele, Gustave Baumann, Ernest Martin Hennings, Eanger Irving Couse and others. Russell’s beautifully executed ink drawing “The Whisperin’ Disturbs Mr. Bear” reveals the artist’s legendary sense of humor. Estimated at $15,000 / 20,000, it was widely exhibited and has been in private hands for many years.
Watercolors by artists from both coasts will feature prominently in the sale. Henry Gasser, known for his carefully composed, dynamic scenes of everyday life in his home state of New Jersey, is represented by a casein on paperboard titled “From Hamilton Hill”. This particularly charming example of Gasser’s work, which was featured in a 1950 promotional brochure for Grumbacher artist supplies, is a detailed, bird’s-eye view of a coastal village blanketed in snow.
It is offered at $7,000/10,000.
Among the other important artists represented are Granville Redmond, Edgar Payne, Charles Rollo Peters, Joseph Raphael, Hovsep Pushman, Alson Clark, Joe Duncan Gleason, and watercolorists Emil Kosa, Jr., Millard Sheets, Phil Dike, and Percy Gray.
John Moran Auctioneers’ California and American Fine Art Auction will begin promptly at 6:30pm on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, CA. Previewing will begin at 12 noon. Bidding for this sale is available from the floor, by phone and absentee as well as online via www.artfact.com. A fully illustrated catalog of this sale will be available on their website prior to the auction. For more information on this important sale, please call the offices of John Moran Auctioneers at (626) 793-1833 or visit their website at www.johnmoran.com
