Lot 205
**Originally Listed At $300**
Leonard Baskin (American, 1922-2000). Portrait of a Man Smoking. Lithograph, n.d. Artist signature in lower left of image and again in pencil below image. Herb Fox blind stamp and pencil inscription beneath image. A striking black and white lithograph by the legendary Leonard Baskin depicting a man - perhaps Baskin himself - smoking a cigarette, all composed in his characteristic stark manner with energetic strokes and heavy blocks of ink forming an ambiguous yet complex composition. Topped by an ivy cap, the bearded figure is in three-quarters position, causing dark shadow to enigmatically obscure part of his face. A slender cigarette protrudes downward from his closed lips, producing smokey puffs that blend into the unkempt tufts of his beard. An evocative example of Baskin's proclivity toward the dark and misunderstood side of humanity. Size of image: 7.5" W x 9.75" H (19 cm x 24.8 cm) Size of paper: 11.25" W x 14" H (28.6 cm x 35.6 cm)
Leonard Baskin was a 20th century "Renaissance Man" - a highly respected sculptor, printmaker, writer, and watercolorist. His prints included mythological, classical, and biblical scenes as well as portraits and floral studies. Baskin studied at Yale University from 1941 to 1943 and received his B.A. at the New School for Social Research in 1949. He also founded Gehenna Press which specialized in fine book production and taught printmaking and sculpture at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts as well as Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts from 1953 until 1974. Baskin's artworks are in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, the Vatican Museum, the Smithsonian Institute, the Tate Gallery in London, and other elite institutions. His noted public sculptural commissions include pieces for the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial as well as the Holocaust Memorial in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Baskin also received many prestigious honors, such as a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Gold Medal of the National Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Jewish Cultural Achievement Award. He was also honored with numerous retrospective exhibitions at institutions including the Smithsonian Museum, the Albertina Museum, and the Library of Congress.
Provenance: ex-private Bishop Family Trust collection, the Trust of the late Bill Bishop, a noted antiquarian with shops in Scottsdale, Arizona and Allenspark, Colorado, USA, acquired before 2010
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#176342
- Condition: Artist signature in lower left of image and again in pencil below right of image. Herb Fox blind stamp and pencil inscription beneath image. Paper has light stain and petite perforation in upper right corner and some minor bending in areas, but image is in overall excellent condition. Old collection number inscribed in pencil on upper right corner of verso.
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $299 | $25 |
| $300 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $19,999 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $49,999 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $99,999 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $20,000 |