Skinner Auction of Paintings, Prints & Photographs to Feature Works by Robinson, Utrillo, Calder, W Skinner, Inc. will auction prints, photographs and paintings on Friday, September 9th in two sessions at their Boston gallery. The prints portion of the sale will kick-off at 12 p.m.; paintings at 4 p
to $40,000, a classic example of Puthuff's "en plein air" Impressionist approach, purchased from the artist in Pasadena, California and descended to the present owner through the family. Lot 413, a 1908 Maxfield Parrish piece, entitled Summer is accompanied by the original sales receipt and a handwritten letter from the artist that provides background on the origin of the work. The painting has an estimated auction value of $40,000 to $60,000.
European Paintings
Features from European artists include a David Davidovich Burliuk work, probably a Connecticut view, Lake Scene with Boat, lot 446, estimated at $20,000 to $30,000; two works by the French artist Jean Dufy Chasse ŕ courre ŕ Preuilly-sur-Claise, lot 591, and Place de l'Opéra et rue de la Paix, lot 593, both gouache on paper and estimated to be worth $15,000 to $25,000 each; and Thomas Buttersworth, Sr.’s The Battle of Trafalgar, lot 345, coming to Skinner from a private New Hampshire collection and expected to sell for $50,000 to $70,000. Also available at the sale, French artist Eugčne Louis Boudin’s Les Bords de la Touques ŕ Trouville Pendant les Grandes Marées, lot 341, was part of the collection of J. Eastman Chase, the Boston art dealer. Its auction value is estimated to be $70,000 to $90,000.
An interesting piece, lot 515, titled Figures in a Field by the Hungarian artist József Rippl-Rónai came to Skinner out of a house in a large consignment of items. The oil on cardboard was purchased by Miklos Sperling of Indianapolis, Indiana, probably while traveling in Hungary, and handed down within his family. Skinner was able to obtain definitive authentication only by sending the work to experts in Budapest, as they had originally dismissed it based on images and color transparencies. József Rippl-Rónai was one of the leading artists of his generation in Hungary. After studying abroad, Rippl-Rónai returned to Budapest in 1901 and developed a personal approach that brought the avant-garde styles of Paris to bear on subjects of Hungarian domestic life. The piece is estimated to be worth $50,000 to $70,000.
Another work fresh to the market is by the French artist Maurice Utrillo. Impasse Trainee sous la Neige ŕ Montmartre, lot 518, which came to Skinner from a private Massachusetts estate. Utrillo first began creating art at the age of nineteen, while hospitalized at Sainte Anne Asylum, a municipal hospital for mental and nervous disorders. He was persuaded by his mother, artist-muse Suzanne Valadon, to take up painting and drawing as a diversion from heavy drinking. Utrillo painted intensely, producing 150 works between the autumn of 1903 and winter of 1904. Despite his personal struggles, he continued to work prolifically throughout his career, painting street scenes of Paris, particularly the bohemian Montmartre district. Utrillo's work is characterized by a noticeable degree of impasto and vibrant colors, and at its best, displays a naďve vision with exacting detail. This piece is expected to sell for $100,000 to $150,000.
Sculptures:
Another notable item to be auctioned on September 9th is
