Simon Bussy

The Elephant

1927

Shoko Uemura, 'Inside the Flowers (Java Sparrow and Peach Blossoms)', color woodcut, c. 1950s, edition 300. Signed in ink with the artist’s red seal beneath. A fine impression, with fresh, delicate colors, on cream wove Japan paper; the full sheet with margins (9/16 to 1 3/8 inches), in excellent condition. Archivally sleeved, unmatted. Image size 12 3/4 x 18 1/2 inches (324 x 470 mm); sheet size 14 3/4 x 20 3/16 inches (375 x 513 mm). Published by The Momose Print Company of Tokyo. ABOUT THE ARTIST Uemura Shoko (1902-2001) was the son of the famous shin-hanga artist Uemura Shoen...

Ohara Koson (1877-1945), 'Carp and Water Chestnut', color woodblock print, 1926. A fine impression, with fresh colors, on cream Japan paper; the full sheet, in excellent condition. Signed 'Koson' with the artist’s red seal 'Koson'. Published by Watanabe Shozaburo. With the Watanabe 'C' seal in the lower right margin, indicating a lifetime impression printed between 1929-1942. Image size 13 1/2 x 7 1/4 inches (343 x 184 mm); sheet size 14 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches (368 x 191 mm). Archivally sleeved, unmatted. Literature: 'Crows, Cranes, and Camellias: The Natural World of Ohara Koson', Newland, Amy R.: Jan Perree & Robert Schaap, Leiden: Hotei Publishing, 2001. S39.1, pl 169. Collections: National Museum of Asian Art (Smithsonian), Smart Museum of Chicago (University of Chicago). In Japanese art, the carp represents good luck and good fortune. ABOUT THE ARTIST Koson Ohara...

Joseph Hecht, 'Asie (Asia) from the series Atlas', engraving, 1928, edition c. 50, Tonneau-Ryckelynck & Plumart 162. Signed and annotated 'epreuve definitive' (final proof) in pencil...

Joseph Hecht, 'Lion Défendant sa Proie (Lion Defending Its Prey)', engraving, 1931, edition 50, Tonneau-Ryckelynck & Plumart 215. Signed and numbered '18/50' in pencil. A fine impres...

William Robinson Leigh, 'Foul Rope (Left)', etching, c. 1920, edition unknown but small. Signed in pencil. Signed in the plate, lower left. A superb, richly-inked impression, in dark brown ink, on buff wove Umbria paper, the full sheet with margins (1 1/2 to 2 3/4 inches); slight toning at the sheet edges, otherwise in excellent condition. Very scarce. Image size 14 7/8 x 11 15/16 inches (378 x 303 mm); sheet size 20 3/8 x 15 3/8 inches (518 x 391 mm). Archivally matted to museum standards, unframed. ABOUT THE ARTIST Born near Falling Waters, West Virginia on a plantation a year after the Civil War, and raised in Baltimore, William Robinson Leigh (1866 - 1955) became one of the foremost painters of the American West. His career spanning some seventy-five years, Leigh created some of the most iconic depictions of the western landscape, admirers referring to him as ‘The Sagebrush Rembrandt’. The son of impoverished Southern aristocrats, Leigh took his first art training at age 14 from Hugh Newell at the Maryland Institute where he was regarded as the best student in his class. From 1883 to 1895, he studied in Europe, mainly at the Royal Academy in Munich with Ludwig Loefftz. From 1891 to 1896, he painted six cycloramas or murals in the round, a giant German panorama. In 1896, Leigh began working as a magazine illustrator in New York City for Scribner's and Collier's Weekly Magazine, and he also painted portraits, landscapes, and genre scenes. Leigh's trips to the Southwest began in 1906 when he made an agreement with William Simpson, Santa Fe Railway advertising manager, to paint the Grand Canyon in exchange for free transportation West. In 1907, he completed his Grand Canyon painting, which led to more commissions and an extensive painting trip through Arizona and New Mexico. These travels inspired him to paint western subjects for the next 50 years, his primary interest being the Hopi and Navajo Indians. In 1910, he traveled to Wyoming, where he painted in Yellowstone Park and created sketches, many of which he later converted into large canvases such as ‘Lower Falls of the Yellowstone’ (1915) and ‘Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone’ (1911). In 1926 he traveled to Africa at the invitation of Carl Akeley for the American Museum of Natural History, and from this experience wrote and illustrated 'Frontiers of Enchantment: An Artist's Adventures in Africa'. In 1933, he wrote and illustrated 'The Western Pony'. His adventures were chronicled in a number of popular magazines including Life, the Saturday Evening Post, and Colliers. For many years, his work was handled exclusively in New York by Grand Central Art Galleries at the Biltmore Hotel. In 1953 Leigh was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate member, becoming a full Academician in 1955. In March 1999, the Historical Center of Cody, Wyoming, held an exhibition of his field sketches and finished works depicting his experiences near Cody in the early part of the century. These years, between 1910 and 1921, when he often painted in the Carter Mountain vicinity, were considered pivotal to his artistic development and his devotion to the western landscape. Leigh's work is held in many museum collections of American western art...

John Gould, 'Leucippus Fallax' (Buffy Hummingbird), original lithograph with hand-coloring (not a reproduction), c. 1850. Signed in typeset 'J. Gould and H. C. Richter, del et lith.'...

Sold framed Banksy created this Rat stencil as an magazine insert very early in his art career in 2002. Rats are central characters in Banksy's oeuvre and here he give this rat plen...

Max Ernst (after) - Blue Bird - Stencil Published in the deluxe art review, XXe Siecle, 1958 Dimensions: 32 x 25 cm Publisher: G. di San Lazzaro. Max Ernst was born in Bruhl, a place near Cologne, in Germany. He was raised in a strict Catholic family, and both of his parents were disciplinarians who were dedicated to training their children into God-fearing and talented individuals. Although his father was deaf, Ernst learned so much from him, particularly when it comes to painting. In fact, much of his early years were lived under the inspiration of his father who was also a teacher. He was the one who introduced painting to Ernst at an early age. In 1914, Ernst attended the University of Bonn where he studied philosophy. However, he eventually dropped out of school because he was more interested in the arts. He claimed that his primary sources of interest included anything that had something to do with painting. Moreover, he became fascinated with psychology, among other subjects in school. Primarily, Ernst's love for painting was the main reason why he became deeply interested with this craft and decided to pursue it later on in his life. During his early years, he became familiar with the works of some of the greatest artists of all time including Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne and Vincent van Gogh. He was also drawn to themes such as fantasy and dream imagery, which were among the common subjects of the works of Giorgio de Chirico. During World War I, Ernst was forced to join the German Army, and he became a part of the artillery division that exposed him greatly to the drama of warfare. A soldier in the War, Ernst emerged deeply traumatized and highly critical of western culture. These charged sentiments directly fed into his vision of the modern world as irrational, an idea that became the basis of his artwork. Ernst's artistic vision, along with his humor and verve come through strongly in his Dada and Surrealists works; Ernst was a pioneer of both movements. It was Ernst's memories of the war and his childhood that helps him create absurd, yet interesting scenes in his artworks. Soon, he took his passion for the arts seriously when he returned to Germany after the war. With Jean Arp, a poet and artist, Ernst formed a group for artists in Cologne. He also developed a close relationship with fellow artists in Paris who propagated Avant-Garde artworks. In 1919, Ernst started creating some of his first collages, where he made use of various materials including illustrated catalogs and some manuals that produced a somewhat futuristic image. His unique masterpieces allowed Ernst to create his very own world of dreams and fantasy, which eventually helped heal his personal issues and trauma. In addition to painting and creating collages, Ernst also edited some journals. He also made a few sculptures that were rather queer in appearance. In 1920s, influenced by the writings of psychologist Sigmund Freud, the literary, intellectual, and artistic movement called Surrealism sought a revolution against the constraints of the rational mind; and by extension, they saw the rules of a society as oppressive. Surrealism also embraces a Marxist ideology that demands an orthodox approach to history as a product of the material interaction of collective interests, and many renown Surrealism artists later on became 20th century Counterculture symbols such as Marxist Che Guevara. In 1922 Ernst moved to Paris, where the surrealists were gathering around Andre Breton. In 1923 Ernst finished Men Shall Know Nothing of This, known as the first Surrealist painting. Ernst was one of the first artists who apply The Interpretation of Dreams by Freud to investigate his deep psyche in order to explore the source of his own creativity. While turning inwards unto himself, Ernst was also tapping into the universal unconscious with its common dream imagery. Despite his strange styles, Ernst gained quite a reputation that earned him some followers throughout his life. He even helped shape the trend of American art during the mid-century, thanks to his brilliant and extraordinary ideas that were unlike those of other artists during his time. Ernst also became friends with Peggy Guggenheim, which inspired him to develop close ties with the abstract expressionists. When Ernst lived in Sedona, he became deeply fascinated with the Southwest Native American navajo art. In fact, the technique used in this artwork inspired him and paved the way for him to create paintings that depicted this style. Thus, Ernst became a main figure of this art technique, including the rituals and spiritual traditions included in this form of art. Pollock, aside from the other younger generations of abstract expressionists, was also inspired by sand painting of the Southwest...

after Georges Braque Oiseaux Color Pochoir on Paper Published in the deluxe art review, XXe Siecle (issue number 11 "Les nouveaux rapports de l'art et de la nature") 1958 Dimensions:...

Peacocks by Georges Manzana Pissarro (1871-1961) Pochoir 31.3 x 49.5 cm (12 ³/₈ x 19 ¹/₂ inches) Signed with Estate stamp Manzana Pissarro and numbered 45/100 lower right Provenance...

Les poules by Georges Manzana Pissarro (1871-19610 Pochoir 30 x 46 cm (11 ³/₄ x 18 ¹/₈ inches) Signed with Estate stamp Manzana Pissarro and numbered 7/100 lower left Artist biograp...

Giorgio de CHIRICO Horses in a Mythological Landscape, c. 1955 Lithograph and stencil (Jacomet workshop) Printed signature in the plate On light vellum 48 x 38 cm (c. 19 x 15 in) V...