02-03-201202-04-2012
Skinner Auctions
Skinner AuctionsBoston MA
2581BBoston
February 3, 2012 12:00 PMCalender
607

Marsden Hartley (American, 1878-1943) Two Gulls

Sell one like this
$47,400$40,000
Auction: American & European Works of Art - 2581BLocation: BostonDate / Time: February 03, 2012 12:00PM

Description:

Marsden Hartley (American, 1878-1943)

Two Gulls
Unsigned, identified on a label from Paul Rosenberg & Co., New York, affixed to the
reverse.
Oil on Masonite, 8 3/4 x 20 1/2 in. (22.2 x 52.1 cm),framed.
Condition: Retouch u.c. with repair to the reverse.

Provenance: Purchased from Paul Rosenberg & Company, New York, by Adele Rosenwald Levy and Dr. David M. Levy, then by family descent to the current owner.

N.B. The painting Two Gulls has been examined in person and authenticated by Dr. Gail Levin and will be included in the Marsden Hartley catalogue raisonné. A photo certificate from Dr. Levin accompanies the lot.

One of America's foremost Modernists, Marsden Hartley used nature as a jumping-off point, creating landscapes, portraits, and still lifes that pushed beyond physical description to a spiritual dimension. His mature works are characterized by bold, flattened shapes, often employing symbols or emblems. Hartley exhibited at the 291 gallery, where Alfred Stieglitz gave him his first solo show in 1909 and where he was exposed to other American Modernists and to the works of Cezanne, Matisse, and Picasso. From 1912 to 1931 Hartley spent much of his time in Europe, primarily in Germany and France. He returned to the United States permanently in 1934, settling back in his home state of Maine. There he drew upon the rugged seacoast and Mount Katahdin for inspiration for his late works.

The painting at hand, a later work by Hartley, was purchased from Paul Rosenberg Gallery in New York by Adele Rosenwald Levy and her husband Dr. David M. Levy. Adele Rosenwald Levy (1892-1960) was a respected philanthropist and art collector, daughter of merchant and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald of Chicago. She championed significant philanthropic causes of her day, most especially spearheading fund raising for the United Jewish Appeal for survivors of the Holocaust. She and her husband are also remembered as benefactors of the Museum of Modern Art, where she was a member of the Executive Committee and where the couple donated a major collection of 31 paintings. (1)

1. http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/levy-adele-rosenwald, accessed 12/27/11.
Estimate $10,000-15,000

Retouch including an area resembling an inverted T, with the stem measuring 2 inches and the cross bar measuring 4 in, located in the upper center of the work, 3 inches down from the top edge and 8 inches in from the left side. The area is visible under raking light. A thin line of retouch, measuring 1/2 in. long, located at the left hand bird's head, 1 in. down from the top and 2 in. in from the left. Other very minor dots of retouch scattered in the background. Minor wear to edges of Masonite panel, mild surface grime/accretions. Repair/patch to the reverse mirroring the inverted T described above, measuring 5 in. across the bar of the T and 2 3/4 inches high for the stem, and 1 1/2 in. wide overall.

Keywords

Marsden Hartley, Paul Rosenberg & Co., David M. Levy, Julius Rosenwald, Gail Levin, Alfred Stieglitz, France, Germany, United States, Maine, Mount Katahdin, Paul Rosenberg Gallery, Chicago, philanthropist and art collector, Executive Committee, http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/levy-adele-rosenwald, head