Charles Turzak

Merchandise Mart — American Modernism

1931

Charles Turzak, 'Dancers', 1939, wood engraving, edition 100. Signed, titled, and numbered 72/100 in pencil. A fine, richly-inked impression, on off-white Japan paper, with full marg...

Raoul Dufy, 'La Pêche' (Fishing), woodcut, 1910, from the second edition of 220 printed in 1953. With the estate stamp 'ATELIER RAOUL DUFY' in the lower left margin. Numbered '106/220' in pencil, lower right. Titled in the block, lower right. A superb, richly-inked impression, on heavy, cream wove paper, the full sheet with wide margins (3 to 5 inches), slight toning at the sheet edges, well away from the image; otherwise in excellent condition. Archivally sleeved, unmatted. Image size 12 1/2 x 15 13/16 inches (318 x 402 mm); sheet size 19 9/16 x 25 3/4 inches (497 x 654 mm). From the suite of four woodcuts entitled 'Les Plaisirs de la Paix' (The Pleasures of Peace), originally published by Éditions de La Sirène, Paris in 1926. The other three works in the series are 'La Danse' (The Dance), 'La Chase' (The Hunt), and 'L'amore' (Love). See our other listings for 'La Danse' and 'L'amore'. Collections: Cleveland Museum of Art, Minneapolis Art...

Raoul Dufy, 'La Danse' (Dance), woodcut, 1910. A proof impression before the second edition of 220 in 1953; with the estate stamp 'ATELIER RAOUL DUFY' in the lower right margin; the blind stamp 'GG' in the lower left sheet corner. Annotated 'E/Z' in pencil, beneath the estate stamp; and 'bois original' in the margin, lower left. Titled in the block, lower right. A superb, richly-inked impression, on heavy, cream wove paper; the full sheet with wide margins (3 1/2 to 6 3/4 inches); slight toning at the bottom and right sheet edges, well away from the image, otherwise in excellent condition. Archivally sleeved, unmatted. Image size 12 5/16 x 12 1/2 inches (313 x 318 mm); sheet size 19 3/4 x 25 3/4 inches (502 x 654 mm). Collections: Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia), Brooklyn Museum, Cleveland Art Museum, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Nasher Museum of Art (Duke University), Toledo Art Museum. From the suite of four woodcuts entitled 'Les Plaisirs de la Paix' (The Pleasures of Peace), published by Éditions de La Sirène, Paris in 1926. The other three works in the series are 'La Peche' (Fishing), 'La Chase' (The Hunt), and 'L'amore' (Love). See our other listings for 'La Peche' and 'L'amore'. Collections: Brooklyn Museum, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Cleveland Museum of Art, Dallas Museum of Art, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Minneapolis Art...

Fritz Eichenberg, 'The Pimp', wood engraving, 1980, artist's proof before the edition. Signed in pencil. Signed in the block, lower right. A fine, richly-inked impression, on cream wove paper, with full margins (2 3/16 to 3 1/2 inches), in excellent condition. Archivally sleeved, unmatted. Image size 12 x 9 3/4 inches (305 x 248 mm); sheet size 18 x 14 inches (457 x 356 mm). ABOUT THE ARTIST Fritz Eichenberg (1901–1990) was a German-American illustrator and arts educator who worked primarily in wood engraving. His best-known works were concerned with religion, social justice, and nonviolence. Eichenberg was born to a Jewish family in Cologne, Germany, where the destruction of World War I helped to shape his anti-war sentiments. He worked as a printer's apprentice and studied at the Municipal School of Applied Arts in Cologne and the Academy of Graphic Arts in Leipzig, where he studied under Hugo Steiner-Prag. In 1923 he moved to Berlin to begin his career as an artist, producing illustrations for books and newspapers. In his newspaper and magazine work, Eichenberg was politically outspoken and sometimes wrote and illustrated his reporting. In 1933, the rise of Adolf Hitler drove Eichenberg, who was a public critic of the Nazis, to emigrate with his wife and children to the United States. He settled in New York City, where he lived most of his life. He worked in the WPA Federal Arts Project and was a member of the Society of American Graphic Artists. In his prolific career as a book illustrator, Eichenberg portrayed many forms of literature but specialized in works with elements of extreme spiritual and emotional conflict, fantasy, or social satire. Over his long career, Eichenberg was commissioned to illustrate more than 100 classics by publishers in the United States and abroad, including works by renowned authors Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Charlotte and Emily Brontë, Poe, Swift, and Grimmelshausen. He also wrote and illustrated books of folklore and children's stories. Eichenberg was a long-time contributor to the progressive magazine The Nation, his illustrations appearing between 1930 and 1980. Eichenberg’s work has been featured by such esteemed publishers as The Heritage Club, Random House, Book of the Month Club, The Limited Editions Club, Kingsport Press, Aquarius Press, and Doubleday. Raised in a non-religious family, Eichenberg had been attracted to Taoism as a child. Following his wife's unexpected death in 1937, he turned briefly to Zen Buddhist meditation, then joined the Religious Society of Friends in 1940. Though he remained a Quaker until his death, Eichenberg was also associated with Catholic charity work through his friendship with Dorothy Day...