Dear Greetings,
You may have already heard about Heritage's upcoming auction of Rockwell, Leyendecker, and other masterpieces from the collection of the Boy Scouts of America. I am writing to make you aware of several other striking highlights, exceptional works of American art spanning genres and periods in Heritage's American Art Signature Auction this Friday, November 15.
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Joseph Stella's La Crèche portrays the Virgin Mary, Joseph, and the infant Christ at the center of a congregation of Italian villagers. The figures are set within an intricately adorned grotto, rendered in rich impasto that evokes the tactile quality of a Wayne Thiebaud cake painting. This lush treatment reflects the deep religious traditions of rural Italy, where crèche displays were significant and accessible forms of folk art. Stella's treatment of nature in La Crèche
-with stylized hills, surreal purple rock formations, and delicate trees-introduces Modernist abstraction reminiscent of the spiritually charged landscapes from the Taos School, as well as the Transcendental Painting Group founded in 1938 by Raymond Jonson and Emil Bisttram. This abstraction elevates the scene beyond mere representation, creating a mystical atmosphere that reflects both the nativity's sacred mystery and the artist's personal spirituality.
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John Singer Sargent's Portrait of Henri Lefort was executed in the early 1880s, a defining period the artist's career, often referred to as his "do no wrong" phase. During these years, Sargent's portraits reached an extraordinary level of technical brilliance and creative mastery, marking his ability to not only capture physical likeness but also to reveal the inner essence of his sitters. Henri-Émile Lefort, a French etcher and fellow artist, became acquainted with Sargent while working in Paris. Lefort, an accomplished engraver who studied under Léopold Flameng, had an illustrious career, publishing works after paintings by Tintoretto and engraving pieces by Holbein and Rembrandt.
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Executed during Childe Hassam's extended honeymoon in France, On The Balcony (1888) likely portrays the artist's wife, Maude, captured in a private moment of introspection. She is seamlessly connected to the landscape, which is brought to life by the freshness of the air and the pot of geraniums resting on the window ledge-a quiet but potent symbol of life and nature. The word, 'nocturne' comes to mind in articulating the visual and emotional resonance of this brilliant pastel.
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Gaston Lachaise's Breasts (1933) was inspired by his wife and muse, Isabel, a beautiful American ten years his senior. He had first glimpsed her in Paris in about 1903; at 5 feet 4 inches in height, she was not a tall woman, but "majestic" was the term that came into Lachaise's mind in describing her appearance and its lasting effect on him. He was to remain passionately devoted to her to the end of his days.
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Again, the auction goes live tomorrow, Friday, November 15. Do not hesitate to reach us directly with any questions, or in the event you would like to be registered to bid.
Sincerely,
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