Universal Live to auction art from 3 premier Chicago estates, Nov. 17 Fine art from three Chicago estates and additional private collectors will be featured in Universal Live's Nov. 17 online-only auction. A da Vinci etching tops the 344-lot offering.
News-Antique.com - Nov 08,2011 - NORTHBROOK, Ill. – High-quality collections of fine art from three Chicago estates and other private consignors have created an unprecedented buying opportunity for those participating in Universal Live’s Nov. 17, 2011 online-only auction. Internet live bidding for the 344-lot sale will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.
Martin Shape, owner of Universal Live, described the combined trove of art to be auctioned as “the finest selection [we] have ever presented,” adding that two of the consignment sources are estates of former art dealers. “There’s a tremendous range of styles, from a 1620 da Vinci drawing to works by Modern masters like Warhol and Calder,” Shape said.
A highly priced entry is the Leonardo da Vinci, first-state etching of standing man, circa 1651, from work conceived between 1490-1513 for the Trattato della Pittura. Measuring 4¼ x 6½ in., it is expected to realize $5,000-$6,250.
An original lithograph on Japon Imperial paper by Jacques Villon (French, 1875-1963), is artist-signed and was produced in 1953. Villon’s Cubist style is evident in the sketching of the artwork, which measures 22 x 32½ in., and is estimated at $2,790-$4,290. A second Villon print depicting the Place de la Concorde in Paris also dates to 1953, and is estimated at $2,390-$3,680. Both Villon lots are nicely framed.
Dating to 1890, an 8ft. stone lithographed original Jules Cheret (French, 1836-1932) lithograph advertises a masked ball taking place every Tuesday at a dance hall in Montmarte. The full-color image depicts a free-spirited young woman high-stepping alongside a man dressed as a clown. An important work, it is estimated at $35,000-$50,000.
Several Marc Chagall prints will be auctioned, including a 1978 original lithograph hand-signed by the artist. Titled Message Biblique, its central figure is an angel against a surreal background in shades of blue and green. It is expected to make $2,500-$3,000.
Many vibrant Picasso prints are included in the sale inventory. Among them are a hand-embellished giclee on canvas, 20 x 26in., of the famed Dora Maar portrait, est. $525-$750; and The Artist, also a numbered, hand-embellished giclee on canvas. It, too, is estimated at $525-$750.
The quintessential American artist Norman Rockwell produced the Thanksgiving family scene titled Freedom from Want. An artist-signed and numbered lithograph of the famed artwork is entered in the sale with a $12,000-$15,000 estimate.
From the popular Jazz Suite comes a limited-edition 1947 print of Henri Matisse’s Sword Swallower. Intensely hued, the framed print is from an edition of 100 and measures 15¾ x 11¾ in. It carries a presale estimate of $31,050-$38,815.
Alexander Calder is in the news with the $5 million auction price realized on Nov. 7 by the American artist’s 1972 metal mobile titled Trepied. More affordable but no less colorful are Universal Live’s offerings of Calder’s Spirals, a signed and numbered lithograph, 26 x 38 in., estimated at $5,000-$6,000; and his 1973 print titled Triangles & Spirals, estimated at $300-$460.
Many other desirable artworks will be auctioned on Nov. 17, with the list of artists including Toulouse-Lautrec, Joan Miro, Jim Dine,
