Victor Di Gesu

'Mother and Child', Paris, Louvre, Salon d'Automne, Ac. Chaumière, LACMA, SFAA

Circa 1955

Bearing Victor Di Gesu estate stamp verso and painted circa 1955. Watercolor figurative showing an abstracted view of a woman standing in an interior holding a pitcher, with a table...

Signed lower left, 'Jais' for Johannes Knud Ove Jais-Nielsen (Danish, 1885-1961) and dated 1938. A powerful figural work showing a view of Jesus kneeling in the Garden of Gethsemane on the evening before his trial and execution. Born in Denmark, Jais Nielsen initially studied at Kunstnernes Frie Studieskoler under Kristian Zahrtmann and exhibited for the first time at the 1907 Autumn Salon at the Charlottenborg Palace. Nielsen participated in the early and groundbreaking, “Group of Thirteen" Modernist show, where his focus on dynamic figural painting and his bold use of color set him dramatically apart from his contemporaries. From 1907-11, Nielsen's use of 'primitive' Fauve colors would continue to reinforce his break with traditional Danish painting. During this period, he made study excursions to important art centres, including, in 1909, to Berlin. In 1911, he moved to Paris where he settled in the Latin Quarter near the Musée Cluny. His first formal Paris exhibition was at the Salon d’Automne of 1912. During this first Paris period, Nielsen attended meetings of the Section d’Or at the studio of Jacques Villon and, as a result, began to incorporate subtle, yet distinct, Cubist elements into his work.   With the outbreak of World War One, Nielsen returned to Copenhagen, taking with him both his increasing compositional sophistication and a thorough understanding of the principles of Modernism. During this period, ports, dance and circus life became subjects of interest and he painted many canvases in the style of Analytic Cubism, of which he became the earliest and, arguably, the finest Danish exponent. From 1915 onwards, Nielsen also created Cubist sculptures and, from 1922-28, was employed as a sculptor by the Royal Copenhagen porcelain factory. Here, he produced a series of ceramic sculptures on Biblical themes which included the Good Samaritan and several versions of Jacob Wrestling with the Angel...

Certification of Authenticity stamped verso for Jerry Opper (American, 1914-2014). A lyrical, American modernist view of a young woman shown seated in an interior, gazing towards the viewer with her chin resting pensively on her hand. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, this California painter and printmaker moved to Los Angeles in 1933. Jerry Opper graduated from Hollywood High School and worked as a set painter in the movie industry while studying art at the Chouinard Institute. During the war, he was stationed in Colorado where he enrolled in the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. After the war, he returned to Los Angeles where he worked again in the film industry. In 1947, he moved to San Francisco where he studied full-time at the California School of Fine Arts and was awarded his diploma in June of 1950. Opper exhibited widely and with success including at the Drawing and Print Exhibition of the San Francisco Art Association in 1950 and again in 1951 when he was awarded the Artists' Council Prize. His work was included in the International Biennial of Contemporary Color Lithography at the Cincinnati Art...

Signed lower center, 'Shepherd' for Sydney Horne Shepherd (British, 1909-1993) and painted circa 1960; accompanied by old exhibition label. A lyrical watercolor of a woman reclining and gazing towards the viewer. Born in Dundee and educated at Harris Academy, Sidney D’Horne Shepherd attended Dundee School of Art from 1924-1926 and then Glasgow School of Art...

Stamped, verso, with estate stamp for Victor Di Gesu (American, 1914-1988) and created circa 1955. Winner of the Prix Othon Friesz, Victor di Gesu first attended the Los Angeles Art...

Painted by Victor Di Gesu (American, 1914-1988) circa 1955 and accompanied by certificate of authenticity. Winner of the Prix Othon Friesz, Victor di Gesu first attended the Los An...

Excellent watercolor by Italian orientalist artist Paul Neri. Selling chickens in the market. Circa 1950. Watercolor on heavy cardboard. Signed low...

Original watercolor on archival paper of a ballet rehearsal by the American artist Grace Haverty signed lower left with Transparent Watercolor Society of American to the right of sig...

Marc Chagall 1887-1985 Russian Musiciens sur fond multicolore (Musicians on a multicolored background) Signed 'Chag' (on the sleeve of the right figure); stamped with the signature 'Marc Chagall' (lower right) Tempera, gouache, colored ink and India ink and pastel on paper “The fact that I made use of cows, milkmaids, roosters and provincial Russian architecture as my source forms is because they are part of the environment from which I spring and which undoubtedly left the deepest impression on my visual memory of the experiences I have." - Marc Chagall Marc Chagall’s 1981...

Tsuguharu Foujita 1886-1968 | Japanese-French Portrait of a Mother and Child Signed “Foujita / Paris” (lower left) Ink and watercolor on paper An artistic luminary well ahead of his time, Tsuguharu Foujita burst onto the international art scene in the early 20th century as one of the most important artists in early Japanese modernism...

Otto Eerelman 1839-1926 Dutch Concours de Chiens au Promenade Watercolor on paper Signed “O. Eerelman 1904” (lower left) A tour de force watercolor by celebrated Dutch artist Otto Eerelman, one of 19th-century Europe's most popular and important animal portraitists, this charming composition captures a bustling cross-section of fashionable elites walking their equally fashionable canine companions. Eerleman takes care to render the detailed attire of his subjects, complete with plumed hats and layers of lace trim. The artist paints the plethora of pets in equally painstaking detail, capturing the nuances of each different breed represented. Eerelman mastered the art of depicting not only the dogs’ physical characteristics but also their unique expressions and personalities. His wealthy clientele would bring their pets to his home in The Hague where they would live for a period of time while having their portraits done, allowing for a remarkably true-to-life portrayal. This energetic watercolor, with its profusion of color and texture, harnesses the affluence of its subjects and the leisurely whimsy of their luxurious lives. Hailing from Groningen, Netherlands, Eerelman was dubbed the “Northern Rembrandt” during his lifetime. He received his artistic training at the Academy Minerva in Groningen, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and then private lessons in the studio of the great Lawrence Alma Tadema. He successfully captured the attention of the Dutch court, particularly Princess Wilhelmina...

Uxbridge Road, London by Ludovic-Rodo Pissarro (1878-1952) Watercolour on paper 23.5 x 31 cm (9 ¹/₄ x 12 ¹/₄ inches) Titled and dated lower left; initialled and inscribed lower right...