By Carter B. Horsley
The afternoon auction of Impressionist and Modern Art at Sotheby's May 8, 2008 has a few gems, most notably a sensational work by Marino Marini that is probably the best painting at either Sotheby's or Christie's in the Impressionist and Modern Art auctions this season, and a fine early drawing by Pablo Picasso and a superb and vibrant Raoul Dufy.
Lot 3676 is an oil and pastel on paper laid down on canvas by Marino Marini (1901-1980). Entitled "Cavallo Cavaliere," it measures 34 1/2 by 25 inches and was executed in 1957. From across a large room, it looks like the greatest Cubist painting ever done by Juan Gris. Up close, it has the bold coloration of the greatest Matisses and Derains and its composition has the dynamics of the Futurists. It pulsates with energy. It has a modest estimate of $180,000 to $250,000. This magnificent work is Marini's masterpiece. It sold for $325,000 including the buyer's premium as do all results mentioned in this article.
Lot 310 is a wonderful charcoal on paper by Pablo Picasso (1881-1975) of a group of artists standing in the countryside. It was executed circa 1900-1901 and measures 9 3/4 by 12 1/2 inches. It was once in the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Irving Mitchell Felt of New York. It has a modest estimate of $250,000 to $350,000. It sold for $361,000.
Lot 343 is a good watercolor on paper of a boy with a donkey by Emil Nolde (1867-1956). It measures 13 1/2 by 17 7/8 inches and was executed in 1921. It has an estimate of $70,000 to $90,000. It sold for $73,000.
Raoul Dufy (1877-1955) is an uneven artist whose oeuvre is dominated by facile illustrative sketches, usually of the rich at play. Early in his career, however, he dabbled successfully and very well in the Fauvist playpen and some of his later works are surprisingly strong in composition and palette. Lot 381, "Le Bal Chez L'Amiral," is a very fine oil on canvas that he executed in 1923. It measures 23 7/8 by 28 3/4 inches and has an estimate of $200,000 to $300,000. It sold for $265,000. Apart from its abundant use of dark black and asymmetrical composition, it is dazzling for its upper right corner where, according to the catalogue entry "bright green lights refract through the glasss patio doors and spill into the room, constrasting with the deep purple drapery."
Lot 355 is a nicely decorative collage by Max Ernst (1891-1976). A gouache, playing cards and paper collage on card, it measures 11 1/2 by 21 1/4 inches and was executed in 1959. It has an estimate of $70,000 to $80,000. It sold for $79,000.
Lot 332 is a beautiful painting of Elisabeth van Rysselberghe on the beach by Théo van Rysselberghe (1862-1926). An oil on board, it measures 27 5/8 by 12 5/8 inches. It has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It sold for $34,000.
Lot 358 is a delightful encaustic and collage on panel by Victor Brauner (1903-1966). Entitled "La Clef Blanche," it measures 22 1/4 by 30 inches and was executed in 1958. It has an estimate of $80,000 to $120,000. It sold for $253,000.
Lot 359 is another good work by Victor Brauner. It is entitled "Le Lien Secret" and is an oil on canvas. It measures 39 1/4 by 32 inches and was painted in 1964. It has an estimate of $80,000 to $120,000. It sold for $277,000.
Lot 420 is a strong and very pleasant nude by Jean Metzinger (1883-1956) entitled "Nu couché sur les coussins violets." An oil on canvas, it measures 21 1/4 by 28 3/4 inches and was painted in 1946. It has an estimate of $80,000 to $120,000. It sold for $145,000.
Lot 385 is a very good landscape by André Lhote (1885-1962) that is entitled "Gordes." An oil on canvas, it measurees 18 by 21 3/4 inches. It has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It sold for $91,000.
Lot 419 is a strong landscape with a muted palette by André Lhote. An oil on canvas, it measures 15 by 18 1/8 inches and was executed circa 1959. It has an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000. It sold for $34,000.
Lot 396 is an untitled work by Salvador Dali that is gouache on a lithographic reproduction of a painting by Vermeer. It measures 24 5/8 by 19 5/8 inches and was executed in 1974. It has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It sold for $49,000.
Lot 39 is a fine abstraction by Ben Nicholson (1894-1982). Entitled "Still Life (Feb 14-49) Siena," it is an oil on board that measures 16 1/2 by 16 inches and it was executed in 1949. It has an estimate of $350,000 to $450,000. It sold for $541,000.