Salvador Dalí­

Two of Swords by Salvador Dalí

Circa 1971

Emprunt 6% Souscrivez (War Loan 6% Subscribe) Signed "Raoul Dufy" (lower right) Gouache on paper This vibrant gouache on paper by the renowned Raoul Dufy is not only a work of exceptional artistry, but also represents an important period in world history. The piece was a special commission ordered by the French government, who sought to encourage the French people to join in the post-war reconstruction efforts. Following World War I, the French government was destitute. The cost of the Great War had been tremendous not only in lives lost, but also in terms of infrastructure and finances. In order to reclaim its place as a great power on the world stage, France needed funds to reconstruct its key industries, and quickly. Thus, the government turned to one of the most famous French artists of the day - Raoul Dufy - to create this gouache on paper as an advertisement for the country's war bonds. The extraordinary work represents Dufy's own sense of patriotic duty. Entirely unique in his oeuvre, it is clear that Dufy wished to create something truly special to help his war-torn country. The artist deftly captures the industry of France in the colorful composition, showcasing bridges, buildings, ships and other key elements of the country's infrastructure in order to evoke the viewers' pride, patriotism and willingness to help. The words Emprunt 6% Souscrivez (War Loan 6% Subscribe) are boldly written across the top, seeking subscribers to a 6% interest loan to help rebuild the country - a very healthy return for the age. The powerful painting represents one of the most effective and extensive patriotic campaigns of all time. France relied heavily on the willingness of its citizens to lend money...

Pablo Picasso 1881-1973 Spanish Guitare sur un guéridon (Guitar on a pedestal) Gouache on Western wove paper laid on board Signed “Picasso” (upper left) Picasso’s prolific career has been marked by many grand love affairs, both romantic, intellectual and creative. Beyond his lovers like Olga Khoklova and Dora Maar and his intellectual muses like Georges Braques and Gertrude Stein, Picasso’s greatest love and inspiration was perhaps a humble instrument: the guitar. Whether it be the Old Guitarist from his early blue period, his groundbreaking series of three-dimensional guitar sculptures from his nascent explorations in Cubism, or his Mandolin and Guitar composition’s grander explorations with color and biomorphic shapes, the guitar is an elusive calling card for modern art’s greatest genius. In Guitare sur un guéridon, Picasso intertwines his signature guitar and a bowl of fruit. These two elements are playfully brought together and skillfully anchored on the tabletop by a square positioned at the center of the composition. The result is a captivating and harmonious arrangement that showcases Picasso's artistic ingenuity in blending these everyday objects into a visually striking and cohesive composition. This rare gouache was created during the pivotal summer of 1920. During this time, Picasso lived in Juan-les-Pins, a small coastal resort town in the South of France away from the confines of the city and the fallout of World War I. With this newfound freedom, Picasso entered an exciting and innovative creative period and began to interrogate the connections between Neoclassicism and Cubism. Picasso created a series of gouache paintings characterized by their flat, geometric nature, sinuous contours and strikingly vivid colors. Though not a complete departure from his previous Cubist works, this series showcased the influence of the Surrealists, especially the biomorphic subconscious explorations of Joan Miró, upon Picasso’s oeuvre. While the breadth of his creativity grew, he returned back to a familiar motif — the guitar — with a renewed sense of vigor and excitement. Guitare sur un guéridon’s undulating lines and biomorphic appeal bring Picasso's preoccupation with the guitar into deeper focus. The sinuous lines of guitar mirror...

These new small-scale paintings were created using gouache on handmade paper. Alexandra Rutsch Brock then “drew” with a sewing machine using various colored threads. Using the thread as a painted line, playing with the marks and motifs the machine allows that creates contrast in both surface and color. They are sewn directly with no preliminary sketches, just instinctive gesture, sometimes in a similar color to enhance a texture, other times contrasting as a new element. The entangled threads that dangle down emphasize the materiality. Working so closely to the surface, she is aware of the senses of seeing, breathing, touching and feeling……………escaping into these new surfaces. Alexandra Rutsch Brock has exhibited in solo and group shows most recently at The Keck School at USC, CA, The Painting Center, NY, Village West Gallery, NJ and Misericordia University, PA. Her work has been featured in Studio Visit Magazine SV Vol44. Her recent co-curations include “HyperAccumulators” with Elizabeth Saperstein at Pelham Art Center, NY and “Among Friends” project with artists Patricia Fabricant and Beth Dary...

Michail Grobman (Russian: Михаил Гробман, Hebrew: מיכאיל גרובמן‎‎, born 1939) is an artist and a poet working in Israel and Russia. He is father to Hollywood producer Lati Grobman and Israeli architect Yasha Jacob Grobman. Biography 1939 – Born in Moscow. 1960s – Active member of The Second Russian Avant-Garde movement in the Soviet Union. 1967 – Member of Moscow Artists Union. 1971 – Emigrates to Israel and settles in Jerusalem. 1975 – Founded the Leviathan group and art periodical (in Russian). Since 1983, he lives and works mainly in Tel Aviv. Awards In 2001, Grobman was a co-recipient of the Dizengoff Prize for Painting. Solo exhibitions 2007 – Last Skies, Loushy & Peter Art & Projects, Tel Aviv (cat. text: Marc Scheps) 2006 – Creation From Chaos to Cosmos, Bar-David Museum of Fine Art and Judaica, Kibbutz Baram (cat. text: Sorin Heller) 2002 – The Last Sky, installation, Tsveta Zuzoritch pavilion, Belgrad (cat. text: Irina Subotitch) 1999 – Mikhail Grobman: Works 1960–1998, The State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg (cat. texts: Evgenija Petrova, Marc Scheps, Lola Kantor-Kazovsky, Michail German) Michail Grobman was born in Moscow. He grew up writing poetry, essays and literary prose. In the 1960s, he was active in the Second Russian Avant-garde movement in the Soviet Union. In 1971, he immigrated to Israel. In 1975, he established the Leviathan school together with Avraham Ofek and Shmuel Ackerman, seeking to combine symbolism, metaphysics and Judaism in an all-inclusive “national style.” Grobman’s lithograph work employs images and symbols from Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah. His paintings incorporate texts in Russian and Hebrew. In addition to his artistic endeavors, he writes about art and aesthetics. The group combined conceptual art and "land art" with Jewish symbolism. Of the three of them Avraham Ofek had the deepest interest in sculpture and its relationship to religious symbolism and images. In one series of his works Ofek used mirrors to project Hebrew letters, words with religious or cabbalistic significance, and other images onto soil or man-made structures. In his work "Letters of Light" (1979), for example, the letters were projected onto people and fabrics and the soil of the Judean Desert. In another work Ofek screened the words "America", "Africa", and "Green card" on the walls of the Tel Hai courtyard during a symposium on sculpture Part of the generation of emigre Russian artists, many Jewish, that included Yuri Kuper, Komar and Melamid, Eduard Steinberg, Erik Bulatov, Viktor Pivovarov, Vladimir Yankilevsky, Ilya Kabakov and Grisha Bruskin. Date of Birth: 1939, Moscow 1960s Active member of The Second Russian Avant Garde 1967 Member of the Moscow Painters Association 1971 Immigrated to Israel and settled in Jerusalem 1975 Founded the Leviathan group and art periodical (in Russian) Since 1983 Lives and works in Tel Aviv . Selected Solo Exhibitions: 2002 Pavilion Zveta Zuzovich, "The Last Sky", Belgrad (cat: Irena Subotitch) 1999 The State Russian Museum, ST. Petersburg 1998 "Picture = Symbol + Concept", Herzliya Museum of Art, Herzliya 1995 "Password and Image", University Gallery, Haifa University 1990 Tova Osman Gallery, Tel Aviv 1989 "The Beautiful Sixties in Moscow", The Genia Schreiber University Art Gallery, Tel Aviv University (with llya Kabakov; cat. text: Mordechai Omer] Spertus Museum, Chicago Beit Rami and Uri Nechushtan, Ashdot Yaacov (leaflet) 1972 Nora Gallery, Jerusalem 1973 - Negev Museum, Beer Sheva 1971 Tel Aviv Museum of Art (cat. text: Haim Gamzu) 1966 Mos-lng-Projekt, Moscow 1965 Artist's House, Moscow Energy Institute, Moscow History Institute, Moscow Usti-nad-Orlicy Theatre,Czechoslovakia (leaflet text: Dushan Konetchni) 1959 Mukhina Art Institute, Leningrad . Selected Group Exhibitions: 2003 "Yes do yourself...", Regeneration of Judaism in Israeli art, Zman Omanut Tel Aviv (cat: Gideon Ofrat) 1999 "Russian post-war avantgarde", The Trajsman Collection in the State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg Tretjakov National Gallery, Moscow (cat. text: Yevgenij Barabanov, John...