Over 1,000 pieces of folk art to be sold by Slotin Auction, Apr. 30-May 1 A weekend sale featuring over 1,000 lots of folk art in a wide array of genres will be held April 30-May 1 by Slotin Auction at the Historic Buford Hall in Buford, Ga., located just north of Atlanta.
Figures on Geometric Object, framed, 8 inches by 12 inches (est. $20,000-$25,000); and another signed ink on cardboard work, 9 ½ inches by 8 inches, titled simply Dog (est. $20,000-$25,000).
Two other folk art giants – Howard Finster and Clementine Hunter – will also be featured in the sale. Finster’s tractor enamel on cutout board with mixed media titled Henry Ford #3,772, signed and dated Sept. 23, 1984, should bring $3,000-$5,000, while Hunter’s circa 1940s paint on paper work titled Boy With Horse, 13 inches by 10 inches, framed, should hit $5,000-$8,000.
S. L. Jones – another folk art superstar – will be represented in the sale, with works such as Dark Head Bust With Blue Eyes, a stained and painted wood carving, signed by the artist (est. $5,000-$8,000). Also, paintings by a new discovery -- author and psychiatrist D. Samuel A. Greenberg -- will include a 1960 oil on canvas titled Average Normal Born (est. $1,500-$2,000). Dr. Greenberg authored two autobiographical novels in the early 1960’s and developed his own discipline of therapy he coined theopsychosophy. He created a series of original paintings to illustrate and explain his theory and used them as teaching tools in practice and when he lectured. This is the first time his original works will be offered to the buying public.
The Meaders family – prolific potters and Slotin Auction favorites – will be featured, with works such as Grape Cannister Set (4 Pieces), by Arie Meaders, signed and dated, 1969 (est. $12,000-$15,000); Arie and Cheever Meaders’ turned and signed Four-Color Swirl Vase (est. $2,000-$3,000); and Lanier Meaders’ 1967 Rock Eyed Face Jug (est. $8,000-$12,000).
A pair of 19th century American School portraits are certain to generate bidder interest. An unsigned 40 inch by 50 inch rendering of Margaret and John Loper of Philadelphia, still in the original frame, should realize $5,000-$10,000, while an oval oil on canvas portrait of a woman from the mid-1800s, 24 inches by 30 inches, also unsigned, should make $3,000-$5,000.
Vintage erotic photos are another genre that often flies below the radar but consistently does well. Two examples of note, both by Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, and both from the 1940s, depict his most famous subject, Marie, his wife, in nude repose. One is a montage photo, 5 inches by 7 inches; the other is a gelatin silver print, 3.5 inches by 4.5 inches. Both should command $1,000-$2,000. Von Bruenchenhein is currently the subject of an important show at the American Folk Art Museum in New York.
Beautifully carved eagles are a unique slice of Americana, and this sale boasts several. These include an anonymous carved and varnished wood figure, highly stylized with incredible details, from the mid-1800s, 45 inches tall (est. $3,000-$5,000); and a late 1800s American eagle with outstretched wings, carved wood with gesso, 37 inches tall, unsigned (est. $1,500-$2,000).
Haitian art from the 1950s, rare and in high demand, will be sprinkled throughout the sale. Pieces will include Adam Leontus’ circa 1950s signed oil on board titled
