SUPERB WORKS AND ATTAINABLE PRICE POINTS COME TOGETHER IN HERITAGE’S ART WITHIN REACH AUCTIONS
Heritage Auctions has long been committed to offering quality material at every price point. That mission is often most obvious during its popular Art Within Reach auctions. Featuring reasonably priced works that appeal to seasoned and beginning collectors alike, the auction series is proof that one can build an art collection even on a modest budget. This month, Heritage offers two such sales: a Contemporary Art Within Reach Showcase Auction on September 20 and an American Art Within Reach Showcase Auction on September 27. Below, Heritage’s fine art specialists share some of their favorite well-priced works from both auctions.
Laurent Grasso, Studies Into the Past, 2019
Watercolor and gouache on paper
Estimate: $6,000-$8,000
“Laurent Grasso is a French contemporary artist renowned for his multidisciplinary approach, blending art, science and history to explore the boundaries between reality and fiction. His work often delves into themes of perception, memory and the unseen forces that shape our world, such as electromagnetic waves, light and radio signals. In works like this, from his Studies Into the Past series, Grasso employs masterful techniques to achieve a high level of realism and atmospheric depth. I love how he merges historical references with speculative fiction, creating works that appear to belong to the past while subtly incorporating elements that suggest a parallel or alternative history.” –Taylor Curry, Director, Modern & Contemporary Art, New York
Walter Inglis Anderson, Pelican, circa 1940
Watercolor on paper
Estimate: $8,000-$12,000
“Pelican by Walter Anderson is a rare opportunity for an original watercolor by a legendary Southern artist. Anderson was an eccentric and enthusiastic naturalist renowned for his depiction of wildlife, particularly birds and species native to Mississippi. While Anderson was an active participant in the Arts & Crafts movement, his work often appears to straddle the line between folk art and the early American modernist principles of his contemporaries such as John Marin, Arthur Dove and Milton Avery. With fluid brushwork creating movement, the repeating patterns of the bird’s feathers conveying texture, and the almost oil-slick color palette, Pelican perfectly encapsulates the artist’s skill and mastery of watercolor.” –Meagen McMillan, Senior Specialist, Illustration and American Art
John C. Kacere, Figure with Panties and Bindings, 1975
Pencil on paper
Estimate: $2,500-$3,500
“John Kacere could make a woman an entire world. Sofia Coppola has cited the artist as the inspiration for the opening shot in her iconic film Lost in Translation, which shows the torso of Scarlett Johansson posed on her side in sheer pink underwear. As seen in this image, Kacere’s work is often detailed to the point of disorientation, drawing the viewer’s attention from the whole to the parts and back again. Kacere is best remembered for his photorealist oil paintings, such as the one coming up in Heritage’s October 15 sale from the collection of Louis and Susan Meisel, who helped bring the artist to public attention. But he was equally skilled with pencil and paper, as this offering – one of my favorites – proves.” –Sarahjane Blum, Director, Illustration Art
Sanford Robinson Gifford, The Beach at Cohasset, 1864
Oil on canvas
Estimate: $10,000-$15,000
“Sanford Robinson Gifford’s The Beach at Cohasset epitomizes his mastery of Luminism, a style marked by the subtle interplay of light and atmosphere. As a key figure in the second-generation Hudson River School, Gifford excelled in creating serene landscapes with concealed brushstrokes, emphasizing tranquility. This piece beautifully captures the essence of Luminism, with its clean, horizontal composition of sea and sky, and the gentle curves of the approaching waves. Though the Hudson River School market has softened since its peak in the 1980s and 1990s, this painting, estimated at $10,000-$15,000, offers a rare opportunity to own a museum-quality example of American Luminism.” –Aviva Lehmann, Senior Vice President, American Art
Ruth Asawa, Untitled (Frog), 1968
Bronze
Estimate: $5,000-$7,000
“Ruth Asawa created an edition of bronze frogs, modeled after those in her iconic ‘Andrea’ fountain at San Francisco’s Ghirardelli Square. These frogs capture the playful spirit of the fountain, which features a central mermaid surrounded by sea creatures like turtles and fish, with water cascading over the sculptures. The design invites interaction from visitors of all ages, embodying Asawa’s belief that art is for everyone. The frog in our auction is particularly significant because it was a personal gift from Asawa to the photographer Imogen Cunningham, with whom she shared a close and enduring friendship. Cunningham often photographed Asawa and her work, documenting her sculptures and contributing to the preservation of her artistic legacy. Their mutual admiration and collaboration deepened their bond, making this frog a meaningful reminder of the unique relationship between these two influential artists.” –Holly Sherratt, Director, Modern & Contemporary Art
Esther Mahlangu, Untitled (Ndebele Abstract), 2012
Acrylic on canvas
Estimate: $4,000-$6,000
Esther Mahlangu, Untitled (Ndebele Abstract), 2011
Acrylic on canvas
Estimate: $4,000-$6,000
“I am so excited that Heritage is offering two more works by the incredible South African artist Dr. Esther Mahlangu. She is a globally acclaimed visual artist and much-loved cultural ambassador of the Ndebele nation. The Ndebele women create elaborate beadwork of all sorts and paint the walls of their homes (both interior and exterior) with strong, brightly colored geometric designs. Mahlangu was taught the design principles of the Ndebele nation by her mother and grandmother when she was only 10 years old. She reimagined these designs to more contemporary platforms. Mahlangu works in a variety of mediums and materials that speak to her heritage and express her unique style of abstraction. Both of these acrylic-on-canvas works – one from 2011 and one from 2012 – demonstrate her exploration of surface, color and line.” –Rebecca Van Norman, Consignment Director, Prints & Multiples