Lot 185A
Leonard Baskin (American, 1922-2000). Portrait of a Man. Ed. 3/20 woodcut on blue paper, ca. 1973 to 1974. Artist's signature in lower right corner of lithograph and again handwritten with edition and Herb Fox blind stamp on lower periphery beneath image. A striking woodcut portrait of a man by legendary Leonard Baskin, created during his collaboration with Herb Fox (American, 20th century) in Boston between 1973 and 1974 - as indicated by the embossed fox below the blue paper. Shown in three-quarters position, the mysterious figure turns to his right, his visage displaying deep-set eyes, a broad moustache, and a fleshy lower lip. His disheveled coiffure combined with his stiff collar and tie create an air of devil-may-care nonchalance, suggesting high social status yet the etiquette of an outsider. The dark blue paper further obscures the image, granting an enigmatic aesthetic characteristic of Baskin. Size of lithograph: 8.5" W x 11" H (21.6 cm x 27.9 cm) Size of frame: 17.9" W x 20.4" H (45.5 cm x 51.8 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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#173142
- Condition: Artist's signature in lower right corner of image and again handwritten with edition and Herb Fox blind stamp on lower periphery beneath image. Set on Herb Fox paper with matte and wood frame. Suspension wire on verso for display. Some tearing and losses to gallery paper on verso and nicks and abrasions to frame, but none affecting the lithograph or Fox paper. Has not been examined outside of frame, but appears to be in overall excellent condition.
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