Katherine S. Dreier, “International Exhibition of Modern Art 1926”, Arranged by The Societe Anonyme for the Brooklyn Museum 1926
KATHERINE S. DREIER (1877-1952)
“International Exhibition of Modern Art 1926” 1926
Arranged by The Societe Anonyme for the Brooklyn Museum
Published by Societe Anonyme, New York
Dimensions:
Book: H: 10 1/16” x W: 7 ½”
Custom leather box: H: 11 ¼” x W: 8 ¼” x D: 1 9/16”
Custom silk slipcase: H: 12” x W: 8 5/8” x D: 2 1/8”
Katherine Sophie Dreier was born on 10 September 1877 in Brooklyn, New York to Dorothea Adelheid and John Caspar Theodor Dreier, both immigrants from Bremen, Germany; she was the youngest of five children. Early on, Dreier manifested her dual interests in social issues and art. She was treasurer of the German Home for Recreation of Women and Children and helped to found the Little Italy Neighborhood Association in Brooklyn, New York. She studied art privately, then at the Brooklyn Art School and at Pratt Institute, and then with Walter Shirlaw (with whom Dreier’s sister, Dorothea, also studied). There was a strong identification in the Dreier home with German culture, and the family often traveled to Europe to visit relatives. Between 1907 and 1914, Dreier spent much of her time abroad, traveling, studying art, and exhibiting her work in one-artist shows. In New York, in 1916, through her work with the Society of Independent Artists, Dreier met Marcel Duchamp. He was to become a close friend and colleague, and an important figure in the history of the Societe Anonyme. In January 1920, Dreier, Duchamp, and Man Ray met in Dreier’s apartment in New York City to found the Societe Anonyme, a society to promote modern art among the American public. Dreier had wanted to call the society “The Modern Ark,” but Man Ray later claimed that he was the one to suggest the French phrase for “incorporated” instead. Dreier added the subtitle “Museum of Modern Art: 1920.” The Societe Anonyme sponsored many lectures, concerts, publications, and exhibitions concerning modern art, including the International Exhibition of Modern Art at the Brooklyn Museum in 1926. In spite of a major membership campaign in 1925, the Societe’s headquarters in New York City closed in 1928, and from this point on, the Societe Anonyme existed only through Dreier’s efforts. She continued to organize events that were sponsored by the Societe, and she accumulated artwork to add to the Societe Anonyme’s collection. In 1939, Dreier began developing a plan to open the Country Museum at her house in West Redding, Connecticut (the Haven), which would house the Societe Anonyme’s collection of artwork, as well as her private collection. After little success with other potential investors, Dreier approached Yale University about funding and maintaining the museum. Yale was hesitant, because of the high costs of renovating the Haven and maintaining it as a fire-proof museum, and instead offered as a compromise to take over the Societe Anonyme’s collection if it were moved to the Yale Art Gallery. Dreier agreed, and she began sending the collection to Yale in October 1941. In 1942, Dreier was still adamant about her desire to open the Country Museum and to use her private collection as its basis. She continued her attempts to convince Yale to fund her project, but when Yale gave a final negative answer in April, Dreier decided to sell the Haven. In April 1946, she moved to a new home, Laurel Manor, in Milford, Connecticut. She continued to add artwork to the Societe Anonyme collection at Yale, through purchases and through gifts from artists and friends. In 1947, she attempted to reopen membership to the Societe Anonyme and printed a brochure, but Yale blocked distribution of the brochure because of the ambiguous connection between Yale and the membership campaign. In 1948, Dreier and Duchamp decided to limit the activities of the Societe to working on a catalog of the collection and to acquiring artwork. On the thirtieth anniversary of the Societe Anonyme’s first exhibition, 30 April 1950, Dreier and Duchamp hosted a dinner at the New Haven Lawn Club, where they formally dissolved the Societe Anonyme. In June, a catalog of the Societe’s collection at Yale, Collection of the Societe Anonyme: Museum of Modern Art 1920, was published. Dreier died on 29 March 1952.
Shreve & Co., San Francisco Art Deco ring set with a trio of round cut diamonds (approx. 2 1/4 carats TW) set in platinum with caliber cut onyx surrounding the three diamonds and further set with four round cut diamonds flanking either side of the ring shank, signed: Shreve & Co., 950, Platinum, c.1930
Faberge (attr.) Oval gold (18K rose gold) box with an extremely fine and intricately carved agate cameo medallion of Zeus, c. 1895
For a related oval gold and cameo medallion box in the Russian National Museum presented in the original Iosif Marschak Kiev box see: Illustration #560 “Faberge / Cartier” by Geza von Habsburg (2003)
Marsh & Co. San Francisco, “Paisley” brooch with a blackened steel dramatic outline on an elaborate 18k gold frame and back in the shape of a paisley pave set with full cut round diamonds of (approx. 3.5-4 carats TW), c. 1950’s
G.T. Marsh was established in 1876 in San Francisco, CA as one of the first purveyors of Japanese art and antiques. In the early 30’s Marsh, with the help of his Italian bench jeweler settled on a unique style that will always be indicative of the firm. Instead of using gold or platinum, the jeweler, who was interested in gun-smithing, created a line of jewels using sandblasted steel finished with gun bluing. This resulted in a rich dark mat black finish. Chased or milegrained white gold or platinum offset pearls, jade or diamonds set against the black ground of the steel. Movement also played a part in the design. Hinged pearls or gemstones added yet another distinct element to the work or exceptionally strong contrasting graphics. The use of diamonds on a grander scale with the dramatic outline of a classic paisley form, places this brooch mid-century and at a time when Marsh’s Jewelry boutique was particularly flourishing in the Bay area.
Moshe Oved (1883-1958) “Marabou Stork” ring, hand tooled lost wax 18K gold casting in full dimension as a complete biomorphic form of the bird and set with sapphire eyes, c.1940
Burma, “Naga” dragon ring, high carat gold (22K +) enameled and set with 27 cabochons consisting of rubies, sapphires, emeralds, diamonds and other precious stones, second half 18th Century
These impressive and rare dragon rings have been a feature of all the great ring collections, including the Harari, Guilhou, Spitzer, Franks, and Koch collections. They are known as ‘Naga rings’ because they are thought to represent the naga dragon which is thought to have sheltered the Buddha during a prolonged period of meditation. Chadour suggests that these rings were made for Royalty. The extravagant design certainly re-enforces the idea that they were made for lavish ceremonial use. Another example is in the British Museum.
Van Cleef & Arpels, Paris “Elephant Hair” ring, 18k gold tied loop detail and clasp with multiple strands of elephant hair forming the ring, signed: VCA (copyright mark), 750 (gold standard mark), 72 (1972), no.125043, French Eagle’s head mark for 18k gold (2x), VCA maker’s touchmark in a diamond (2x), 1972
Van Cleef & Arpels, New York, Art Deco “Heraldic” ring in 18k gold with stylized geometric flanges on either side of the platinum rectangular plaque with an intaglio carved Coat of Arms, signed Van Cleef & Arpels, NY, 9398, c.1930
American Arts & Crafts ring (most likely Boston School) set with a large rectangular shaped pink tourmaline cabochon (approx. 54 carats) set in an elaborate 18k gold handwrought mounting with a garland surround of leaves and scrolling structural ring shank support, c. 1915
Italian Majolica Pair of “Rose” wall pockets c. 1885
ITALIAN MAJOLICA
Pair of “Rose” wall pockets c. 1885
Three dimensional realistically rendered pink roses with leaf and stems all in the Barbotine technique
Marks: Made in Italy
Barbotine is the French term for ceramic slip or a mixture of clay and water for molding or decorating pottery. This technique was used to create applied adornments on 19th century majolica items.
Benin Bronze Head of King Oba, African, Nigeria 20th Century
NIGERIA
Benin Head of King Oba, c. early to mid-20th Century
Lost wax cast bronze with a rich brown and black patina with light desert sand patina in some of the recessed areas.
The art of Benin is the product of an urban royal court, and is meant to symbolize and to extol the power, mystique, grandeur, continuity, and endurance of the ruling dynasty and its governing institutions. From the 14th century until its fall in 1897, Benin was ruled by the Oba, a divine ruler at the head of the political system of titled chiefs. Under royal support, a number of craftsman’s guilds produced bronze, brass, and wood sculptures and embroidered cloth, all of which have become prized by museums and collectors.
These heads were typically placed on altars dedicated to each of the past Oba’s of Benin. The altars are semicircular mud platforms that have been packed hard and rubbed smooth and are located in open courtyards of the palace. The royal altars are the settings for one of the two most important rites of divine kingship in Benin, Ugie Erha Oba, when the Oba honors the spirit of his late father and performs sacrifices to the royal ancestors and to the earth in which they are buried. Acknowledging his role as his fathers’ successor, the chiefs pay homage to the king and greet him in order of seniority. The rite expresses the continuity of divine kingship, and the altar before which it takes place provides the means by which the connection between the living king and his predecessors was established and made.
Roycroft / American Arts & Crafts Pair of Candlesticks c. 1915
ROYCROFT COPPER SHOP East Aurora, N.Y.
Pair of candlesticks c. 1915.
Hand wrought and textured copper, silver-plated.
Marks: impressed R, in orb with cross, ROYCROFT
For more information see: The American Arts & Crafts Movement in Western New York 1900-1928, Bruce A. Austin (Rochester Institute of Technology, 1992); Arts & Crafts Movement in New York State 1890’s – 1920’s, Coy Ludwig (Hamilton, N.Y.: Gallery Association of New York, 1983).
Aztec AD 1325-1475 Important stone carved sculpture of a coiled serpent
AZTEC AD 1325-1475 Mexico.
Important stone carved sculpture of a coiled serpent, AD 1325-1475 Mexico.
***Two scientific authentication reports are available with this sculpture.
H: 10″ x D: 8″
The serpent played a very important role in Aztec religion and was represented in a variety of forms. The majority of the serpents represented in Aztec sculpture are rattlesnakes.
Mexican mythology indicates the snake is a symbol of veneration, worship and honor. Often a symbol of great power, resurrection and rebirth, the snake continues to be a powerful emblem of renewal and transition.
Further, the snake is recognized as a symbol of humanity as a whole. Interestingly, the Mexican perspective provides hope for mankind to aspire to great heights as it correlates the shedding of the serpent’s skin to man’s ability to change his own circumstances and overcome adversity.
The Aztecs build an impressive empire in the valley of Mexico. This thriving area, known as Tenochitlan, was the cultural, religious and trading center of Mesoamerica. Aztecs were the Native American people who dominated northern Mexico at the time of the Spanish conquest led by Hernan Cortez in the early 16th century. According to their own legends, they originated from a place called Aztlan, somewhere in north or northwest Mexico. At that time the Aztecs (who referred to themselves as the Mexica, or Tenochca) were a small, nomadic, Nahuatl-speaking aggregation of tribal peoples living on the margins of civilized Mesoamerica. Sometime in the 12th century they embarked on a period of wandering and in the 13th century settled in the central basin of México. Continually dislodged by the small city-states that fought one another in shifting alliances, the Aztecs finally found refuge on small islands in Lake Texcoco where, in 1325, they founded the town of Tenochtitlan (modern-day Mexico City). The term Aztec, originally associated with the migrant Mexica, is today a collective term, applied to all the peoples linked by trade, custom, religion, and language to these founders. Warriors and pragmatic builders, the Aztecs created an empire during the 15th century that was surpassed in size in the Americas only by that of the Incas in Peru. As early texts and modern archaeology continue to reveal, beyond their conquests and many of their religious practices, the Aztecs had many positive achievements: the formation of a highly specialized and stratified society and an imperial administration, the expansion of a trading network as well as a tribute system, the development and maintenance of a sophisticated agricultural economy (which was carefully adjusted to the land) and the cultivation of an intellectual and religious outlook that held society to be an integral part of the cosmos.
Tiffany & Co. “Prince of Wales’ Feathers” made during the reign of Edward VII (he held his title of the Prince of Wales longer than anyone before him and was King of England from 1901 to 1910) brooch pave set with 123 round-cut diamonds (approx. 2.50 carats TW) and all set in a three dimensional brooch of platinum topped gold, signed: Tiffany & Co., c.1900
Enrico Serafini, (1913-1968) Italy “Cupid Orchestra” charm bracelet, 18k gold finely detailed cupid figures playing a variety of musical instruments in platinum all on a solid 18k gold link bracelet, touchmark,c.1950
Emma Luna has become increasingly known for her work in ceramic sculpture and mixed media on paper. A native of the Dominican Republic, she has lived from age 14 in the United States. She has a B.S. degree in Art Education from the University of Minnesota. Before moving to California, she lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where, while working as an art teacher, she obtained a B.F.A. in painting at Massachusetts College of Art and was associated with the Radcliffe College Ceramics Studio at Harvard University. There she learned the technique of raku ceramic firing. Her ceramic sculptures have been shown at SOFA New York, SOFA Chicago, and in Los Angeles.
EMMA LUNA Statement
My sculpture reproduces everyday fabric objects such as washcloths, socks, and just about anything I can get my hands on to reproduce, utilizing the illusionist possibilities inherent in clay as a medium. However, I render this illusion so that the ordinary object simultaneously produces an impression on the extraordinary. Rows of rolled hands towels, piles of terry cloths whose positions defy gravity, a chaotic pile of laundry frozen in shapes that the fabric itself could never hold, and so forth.
Mine is a voyage of intimate exploration into a subliminal form shared by both clay and fabric: the fold. At the same time, my work de-familiarizes an anonymous and routine form of ‘women’s work’ whose aesthetic possibilities no one but a woman would be likely to apprehend.
EMMA LUNA Resumé
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2006 Mixed-media on paper, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
2006 “Art Journey’s Back to the Long, Long Ago and Far Away,” Mixed-media on paper, The International House, Davis, CA
2004 “Corazones,” Gallery Casa de Chavón, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2003 Sam Houston State University Art Gallery
2003 John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
2003 UC Davis Alumni Center Gallery, Davis, CA
1999 “Impressions,” Memorial Union Art Gallery, University of California, Davis, CA
1986 “Latin American Images,” Austin Arts Center, Trinity College, Hartford, CT
1985 Gallery 57, Cambridge Art Council, Cambridge, MA
Selected Group Exhibitions and Galleries
2013 “Black, White, Red – A Sculpture Show,” A New Leaf Gallery | Sculpturesite, Sonoma, CA
2013 “Clay & Glass National Juried Exhibition,” Association of Clay and Glass Artists of California (ACGA), City of Brea Art Gallery, Brea, CA
2013 National Art Competition, Pence Gallery, Davis, CA
2012 Christopher Hill Gallery, St. Helena, CA
2011-2012 Crocker Museum Shop, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA
2010-2012 Erin Martin Design, St. Helena, CA
2009-2012 Davis Artists’ Cooperative Gallery, Davis, CA
2007-2012 A New Leaf Gallery | Sculpturesite, Sonoma, CA
2009-2011 F Dorian, San Francisco, CA
2010 “Sculptural Objects & Functional Art (SOFA),” Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
2010 “3rd Annual Trompe L’oeil,” John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
2009 “Small Works,” John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
2009 Amoca, Pomona, CA
2009 “The Uncommon Object,” Pence Gallery, Davis, CA
2008 “Women Painting Women,” Pence Gallery, Davis, CA
2007 “Biannual Juried Art Show,” Sonoma Museum of Art, Sonoma, CA
2003-2007 Annual Auction Art Show, special invitation, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA
2000-2007 Mostly Glass, Englewood, NJ
2004-2006 “Sculptural Objects & Functional Art (SOFA),” New York City, NY
2001-2006 “Sculptural Objects & Functional Art (SOFA),” special invitation, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
2005 “One Hundred Socks,” Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, Sonoma, CA
2006 “The Flatlanders,” special invitation regional show, University of California, Davis, CA
2006 Ceramics, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
2006 Art Foundry Gallery Group Show, Sacramento, CA
2005 “Realism in Art Juried Art Show,” Mostly Glass, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
2005 “Sonoma County Juried Group Show,”The DiRosa Preserve, Napa, CA
2004 Amdur Gallery, Glenview, IL
2004 “Primavera ’04,” Artists-in-Residence show, Fundación Centro Cultural Altos de Chavón, La Romana, Dominican Republic
2004 “Corazones Perros,” Museo de la Cerámica Contemporánea, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2003 Gallery Arte Tamburini, La Romana, Dominican Republic
2003 “Otoño 2003,” Artists-in-Residence show, Fundación Centro Cultural Altos de Chavón, La Romana, Dominican Republic
2002 “Crocker-Kingsley 73rd Invitational Group Exhibition,” Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA
2001 “Reality Check,” juried art show, Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, OH
2001 Craft Museum, City of Davis First Juried Exhibition, Davis, CA
2001 “Small Ceramics Art Show,” Academy of Design, New York City, NY
2001 “Palm Springs International,” Palms Springs, CA
2001 “Ceramics 30,” John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
2001 “Sculptural Objects & Functional Art (SOFA),” The Armory, New York City, NY
2001 “All Creatures Great and Small,” John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
2001 “Los Angeles Art Show,” UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
2001 “Two Decades,” John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
2001 California Conference on Clay Arts, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
2001 Invitational show, Sutter Club, Sacramento, CA
1999 “Celebrate Ceramics,” Handworks Gallery, Acton, MA
1999 Blooming Art Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1999 California Association of Ceramic Artists show, Jeff’s Objets d’Art, Davis, CA
1998 Artists-in-residence show, Altos de Chavón Gallery, La Romana, Dominican Republic
1998 Oannes Gallery, Tiverton, RI
1996 Craigin-Fife Gallery, Brookline, MA
1995 Invitational show, Concord Art Association, Concord, MA
1995 “Within Gender,” invitational show at A Conference on Latin American Literature, Montclair State University, Upper Montclair, NJ
1991 “Voces Prevalecientes,” group show of Hispanic Artists, Firehouse Multicultural Arts Center, Jamaica Plain, MA
1990 “The Space,” organized by the Hispanic Office of Planning and Evaluation (HOPE) as a benefit for AIDS education, Boston, MA
1986 “Taming the Beast,” three-person show, Cambridge Multi-Cultural Arts Center, Cambridge, MA
1986 Dominican artist’s exhibit, Essex County College, Newark, NJ
1985 Group show of women’s paintings, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA
Selected Collections
Museo de la Cerámica Contemporánea, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, OH
Hawaii State Art Museum, Honolulu, HI
Arizona State University Ceramic Museum, Tempe, AZ
The White House Christmas Tree Ornament Collection, Washington, DC
Sandy Bessen, Sante Fe, NM
Edinhurt Gallery, Don Merrill, Beverly Hills, CA
Barbara Fromm, Palm Desert, CA
Bea Larsen, Cincinnati, OH
Selected Honors & Awards
2013 Third Place Winner, ACGA’s “Clay & Glass National Juried Exhibition,” La Brea, CA
2009 Honorable Mention, Sonoma Valley Museum of Art Biennial, Sonoma, CA
2007 Second Place Winner, Sonoma Valley Museum of Art Biennial, Sonoma, CA
2003-2004 Fulbright Fellowship, Parsons School of Design, Los Altos de Chavón, La Romana, Dominican Republic
2002 Invited to create an ornament for the White House Christmas tree, now part of the White House collection
2002 Woodland Art Council Teaching Award
1999 Pollock-Krasner Foundation Artist’s Grant ($10,000)
1999 Three mixed media on paper works acquired by Canadian artistic design firm D-Zign I.P.P., Inc.
1997-1998 “Two Collection,” juried selection of arts and crafts selected for WGBH/Channel 2 Auction
1994 Three monotype prints acquired by the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, as part of the museum’s print lending-library
Selected Publications and Media
2013 “Clay, glass elevated in Brea,” review of ACGA show by Richard Chang, photo of sculpture “Las Toallitas de mi Abuela,” The Orange County Register, February 2. 2006 “Emerging,” book cover and article by Rita de Maeseneer, Encuentro con la Narrativa Dominicana Contemporanea, p. 230-233, Iberoamericana, Vervuert, Belgium.
2006 “Memory’s Allure,” review by Suzanne Munich, Davis Enterprise Newspaper.
2006 Wheel-throwing demonstrations for KCRA TV news, April and June.
2005 “Working Gender,” Cultural Representation of Women and Labor, Brujula University of California, Davis, Volume 4 Number 1, December.
2004 “Emma Luna’s Hearts,” article by Stephen Kaplan, Ceramics Monthly Upfront, December.
2004 “‘Corazones’ de Emma Luna,” El Caribe, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
2004 “Dominican Sojourn,” article and interview by Aldrich Tan, The Davis Enterprise.
2003 “Taking Artistic Wing,” article by Marilyn Moyle, The Davis Enterprise January 30.
2002 “Illusionism without Illusions,” article by Neil Larsen and Susan Kaiser, Ceramics Art and Perception, Issue 50.
2002 Article and interview by Janine Tully, guest lecture and presentation to the Hawaii Craftsman Raku Ho’laule’a conference , Honolulu Star Bulletin, May 26.
2001 Featured on “Modern Masters” television show, Home and Garden Cable Network, May 20
2001 “Celebrating Clay,” front page photo and article by Paul Dorn, The Davis Enterprise Weekend, May 3.
1999 “‘Celebrate Ceramics’ Draws a Crowd,” photo and article by Libbie Payne, The Boston Globe, October 10.
1999 Preview of “Impressions,” Memorial Union Art Gallery, article by Steven Jenkins, Artweek, Issue 7/8.
1999 “Multi-talented Artist Displays Work at MU,” feature article by Beth Rose Middleton, The California Aggie, UC Davis, August 2.
1999 Faculty Show, Davis Art Center, reviewed by Kimi Julian, Sacramento News and Review, January 14; By Melissa Leavitt, The California Aggie, January 14; By Marilyn Moyle, The Davis Enterprise, January 28.
1998 Group Sculpture show, Oannes Gallery, Tiverton, RI, reviewed in Art New England Magazine.
1998 “Notas Culturales,” taped interview with Luz Vicioso, Channel 19, La Romana, Dominican Republic, August 24.
1998 “Caña TV,” live interview for the Luisa María Ortiz Show, La Romana, Dominican Republic, Aug. 15.
1998 “Las Huellas del Caribe en Altos de Chavón,” article by José Bautista, El Siglo, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, July 23.
1996 Artist’s Profile in Ceramics Monthly Magazine, June-August.
1995 “The Arts and Craft of Emma Luna,” feature article by art critic Christine Temin, The Boston Globe, March 1.
1990 “Centro,” interview by the Boston NBC affiliate’s Spanish language public affairs program.
Academic History and Professional Experience
Private Art Instruction, home studio (present)
1998-2013 Research Specialist, Printmaking Lab, University of California, Davis, CA
2009 Guest speaker and presenter at ceramics workshop at the Crocker Museum of Fine Art
2005-2006 Freelance Art Teacher, Merryhill School, Davis, CA
2006 Guest speaker and presenter on KVIE Television Guest Artist Series, Sacramento< CA
2006 Guest speaker and presenter at the California Association of Ceramic Art Conference, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
1999-2003 Freelance Art Teacher, Davis Art Center, Davis< CA
2003 Invited to lecture and conduct a three-day ceramic sculpture workshop at Sam Houston State University Art Gallery, Houston, TX
2002 Presentation and lecture at the Honolulu Academy of Art
2002 Clay demonstration at the University of Hawaii Windward
2001 Guest speaker and presenter at the California Association of Ceramic Art Conference, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
1985-1998 Art Teacher (Full-time), Boston Unified School Department, Boston, MA
1998 Visiting Artist, University of California Davis Craft Center, Davis, CA
1998 Artist-in-Residence (ceramics and sculpture), Parson’s School of Design, Los Altos de Chavón, La Romana, Dominican Republic, June-August
1997 Workshop on saggar-firing and terra sigillata techniques, Radcliffe College ceramics studio
Education
1986 Massachusetts College of Art, BFA, Painting
1983 University of Minnesota, BS, Art Education
Archibald Knox / Liberty & Co. Pair of tri-footed vases c. 1902-05
ARCHIBALD KNOX (1864-1933) UK
LIBERTY & CO. London
Pair of tri-footed vases c. 1902-05
Pewter with abstract Celtic floral design in bas-relief on tri-footed base
Marks: 6, MADE BY LIBERTY & CO.., ENGLISH PEWTER 0227
Illustrated: Archibald Knox, ed. by Stephen A. Martin (London: Academy Editions, 1995) ; Liberty Design 1874-1914, Barbara Morris (London: Pyramid Books, 1989) p. ; The Designs of Archibald Knox for Liberty & Co., A.J. Tilbrook (London: Ornament Press Ltd., 1976)
Michael Powolny / Lötz Witwe Glaswerks Jugendstil Set of Three “Tango” Glass Vases c. 1920
PROF. MICHAEL POWOLNY (1871-1954) Austria
LÖTZ WITWE GLASWERKS Klostermuhle
Set of three “Tango” glass vases c. 1920
Blown tall yellow glass with applied black handles, blown orange glass with applied cobalt blue handles, blown red glass with applied black handle-form feet
Marks: Cecho. Slovakia (acid etched in an oval) (red vase)
Yellow and black vase H: 6 1/2” x Dia: 6″
Orange and cobalt blue vase H: 5 1/2” x Dia: 6″
Red and black vase H: 3 1/2” x Dia: 6″
For more information see: Lötz: Böhmisches Glas 1880-1940, Band 1, Helmut Ricke and Ernst Ploil, (Munich: Prestel-Verlag, 1989) ; Glass of the Avant-Garde, From Vienna Secession to Bauhaus, The Torsten Bröhan Collection from the Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas, Madrid, Torsten Bröhan, Martin Eidelberg (Munich, London, New York: Prestel Verlag, 2001).
Other Powolny works: Jugendstil Art Nouveau: floral und functional forms, Siegfried Wichmann (New York / Boston: Graphic Society, Little, Brown and Co., 1984), p. 226; Vienna 1900-1930: Art in the Home, Historical Design exhibition catalogue (New York: Historical Design, Inc., 1996), p. 45; Modernism:Modernist Design 1880-1940, The Norwest Collection, Norwest Corporation, Minneapolis, Alastair Duncan (Woodbridge, Suffolk, England: The Antique Collector’s Club, 1998).
Rudolf Rieger / WMF Ikora Germany Art Deco Dinanderie Pair of Vases c. 1930
RUDOLF RIEGER Germany
WMF [WÜRTTEMBERGISCHE METALLWARENFABRIK] Geislingen, Germany
Dinanderie pair of vases c. 1930
Brass with a black patina and stylized silver inlay in a geometric motif
Marks: WMF castle mark
Illustrated: WMF Ikora Metall / Metalwork, Carlo Burschel and Heinz Scheiffele (Stuttgart, Germany: ARNOLDSCHE, 2006), p. 58, 156 and 185.
H: 3 1/4″ x Dia: 4″
Price: $1,950
Rudolf Rieger was in Paul Haustein’s master class and worked as self-employed goldsmith in Stuttgart. Between 1920 and 1930 he submitted designs for metal objects to WMF AG and from 1940 until 1941 he was the master instructor at the WMF art-metal division.
Otto Eckmann (attr.) Pair Of Hand Wrought Iron Floral Candlesticks c. 1900
OTTO ECKMANN attr. (1865-1902) Germany
Pair of candlesticks c. 1900
Hand-wrought iron with floral and foliage design
H: 12 ¼” x W: 8 ¼”
Price: $7,475
Otto Eckmann (19 November 1865 – 11 June 1902) was a German painter and graphic artist. He was a prominent member of the “floral” branch of Jugendstil. Otto Eckmann was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1865. He studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Hamburg and Nuernberg and at the academy in Munich. In 1894, Eckmann gave up painting (and auctioned off his works) in order to concentrate on applied design. He began producing graphic work for the magazines Pan in 1895 and Jugend in 1896. He also designed book covers for the publishers Cotta, Diederichs, Scherl and Seemann, as well as the logo for the publishing house S. Fischer Verlag. In 1897 he taught ornamental painting at the Unterrichtsanstalt des Königlichen Kunstgewerbemuseums in Berlin. In 1899, he designed the logo for the magazine Die Woche. From 1900 to 1902, Eckmann did graphic work for the Allgemeine Elektrizitätsgesellschaft (AEG). During this time, he designed the fonts Eckmann (in 1900) and Fette Eckmann (in 1902), probably the most common Jugendstil fonts still in use today.
Marcel Bouraine, Pair of French Art Deco “Dove” Bookends c. 1930
Marcel Bouraine (active 1925-1930) France.
Pair of Art Deco “Dove” sculptural bookends, circa 1930.
Silvered bronze (sand cast technique) in the form of doves with openly displayed and fan shaped tail feathers perched on roof pan tiles.
Marks: Bouraine (2x), #’s 52 and 53.
For more information and other works by Bouraine see: Les Echoes D’Art (May 1927), p. 21; Art Deco Sculpture, Bryan Catley; The Art Deco Style, Selected by Theodore Menten (New York: Dover Publications, 1972), p. 172; Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs, E. Bénézit, vol. 2 (Paris: Librarie Grund, 1976), p. 231, An Encylopedia of Art Deco, Edited by Alastair Duncan (New York: E.P. Dutton, 1988) pp. 26,28-29,31,104; Art Deco, Victor Arwas (New York, Harry Abrams,1980) pp. 163, 269.
Norman Bel Geddes Art Deco Streamline Medal 25th anniversary of GM 1933
NORMAN BEL GEDDES (1893 – 1958) USA
Medal 1933 (Commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of General Motors)
Silvered bronze
Signed: Norman Bel Geddes [copyright mark ] 1933
Exhibited: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, May 16-Jan. 7, 2001, Mint Museum of Craft & Design, North Carolina, May 3-July 28, 2002
Illustrated: Johnson, J. Stewart, American Modern 1925-1940: Design for a New Age, Harry N. Abrams & The American Federation of the Arts, 2000, p. 127
Diameter: 3″
This medallion, commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of General Motors, is an example of the Streamlined style that dominated architecture and design in America from the late 1920s to the end of the 1930s. With its abstracted, teardrop-shaped vehicle form depicted in motion, with the tall winglike element rising from its center, the overall effect is one of speed and movement—characteristic of the Streamlined style and appropriate to the automobile and airplane age. Norman Bel Geddes was trained as a theatrical set designer but best known for another project for General Motors, the Futurama exhibition at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. This exhibit, through which visitors were propelled on a giant conveyor belt, depicted a utopian vision of America in the near future, a world dependent on the speed and efficiency of the automobile for work and recreation.
In the style of Jean-Michel Frank / Hermès Pair of French Art Deco “Rodo” chairs 20th Century
In the Style of JEAN-MICHEL FRANK (1895 – 1941) France
Pair of “Rodo” chairs 20th Century
Light ceruse oak with red Hermès sueded leather
For more information see: Jean-Michel Frank: The Strange and Subtle Luxury of the Parisian Haute-Monde in the Art Deco period, P.E. Martin-Vivier (Paris, 2006)
@hd_jewels