Head Figurative Prints
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Art Subject: Head
Harlequin, Cubist Screenprint by Anatole Krasnyansky
Located in Long Island City, NY
This surreal, contemporary-cubist screenprint by the artist is reminiscent of a harlequin kneeling before an audience, one hand raised. The piece is nicely framed and is signed and n...
Category
Late 20th Century Abstract Expressionist Figurative Prints
Materials
Screen
Toulouse-Lautrec, Composition, Les Affiches De Toulouse-Lautrec (after)
Located in Fairfield, CT
Medium: Lithograph on grand vélin Filigrané a sa marque paper
Year: 1950
Paper Size: 12.5 x 9.75 inches; image size: 12.2 x 7.87 inches
Inscription: Signed in the plate and unnumbere...
Category
1950s Post-Impressionist Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$716 Sale Price
20% Off
Cocteau, Flamenco, Taureaux, Lithographies de Jean Cocteau (after)
By Jean Cocteau
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on vélin de Rives paper. Paper Size: 15 x 11 inches. Inscription: Signed in the plate and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the folio, Taureaux, Lithographies de Jean Coc...
Category
1960s Modern Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$716 Sale Price
20% Off
Nude Pair Arno Breker lithograph Etching
Located in Pasadena, CA
Arno Breker is an artist supported by the Nazi regime and a German sculptor whose neoclassical works meet the military aesthetic of the regime. Breker was born on July 29, 1900, in E...
Category
Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
"The Putting Green" - Figurative Landscape
By Douglas Adams
Located in Soquel, CA
"The Putting Green" - Figurative Landscape
20th century lithograph copy (restrike) of an original painting by British artist Douglas Adams (English, 185...
Category
1970s Realist Landscape Prints
Materials
Lithograph, Paper
$319 Sale Price
20% Off
Portrait de Cézanne par lui-meme (Self-Portrait) - Original Lithograph - 1898
By Paul Cézanne
Located in Roma, IT
Perfect and beautiful proof printed in black on laid paper vergé filigrané “MBM”, with full margins and beards. Edition of approximately 100, aside from the edition of approximately ...
Category
1890s Post-Impressionist Portrait Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$4,584 Sale Price
20% Off
The Lovers, Caricature Etching by Charles Bragg
Located in Long Island City, NY
A signed and numbered etching of a nude couple sitting outside and laughing. This black-and-white print is done in Bragg’s signature caricature style.
The Lovers
Charles Bragg, Amer...
Category
1970s Post-Modern Figurative Prints
Materials
Etching
Les Amants - Lithograph by Umberto Brunelleschi - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Les Amants is a color lithograph on ivory paper, created by the Italian artist Umberto Brunelleschi (Montemurlo 1879- Paris 1949).
Illustration for “Tales and Short Stories” by La F...
Category
1930s Art Nouveau Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Matisse, Paul Matisse, Portraits par Henri Matisse (after)
Located in Fairfield, CT
Medium: Collotype, héliogravure, recto and verso, on grand vélin Renage filigrané paper, as issued
Year: 1954
Paper Size: 12 x 9.25 inches; image size: 9.05 x 6.69 inches
Inscription...
Category
1950s Modern Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$716 Sale Price
20% Off
Yoshitomo Nara - In The Milky Lake
Located in London, GB
Yoshitomo Nara
In The Milky Lake
Offset lithograph on paper
Sheet size: 51.5 x 36.4 cm
Stamped with title, artist's name, copyright and year
published by N's Yard, Japan
Category
2010s Contemporary Portrait Prints
Materials
Offset
Ne sommes-nous pas forçats? (Are we not Slaves?)
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Ne sommes-nous pas forçats? (Are we not Slaves?)
Aquatint and heliogravure on Arches laid paper watermarked "Ambroise Vollard"
Signed and dated in the plate lower left (see photo)
P...
Category
1920s French School Figurative Prints
Materials
Aquatint
Matisse, Ilya Ehrenbourg, Portraits par Henri Matisse (after)
Located in Fairfield, CT
Medium: Collotype, héliogravure, recto and verso, on grand vélin Renage filigrané paper, as issued
Year: 1954
Paper Size: 12 x 9.25 inches; image size: 9.05 x 7.08 inches
Inscription...
Category
1950s Modern Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$716 Sale Price
20% Off
Portrait of Woman - Lithograph by André Dignimont - 1950s
Located in Roma, IT
Hand signed and numbered. Edition of 20 artist's proofs. Dedicated to Nesto Jacometti, saying: "à Nesto Jacometti, très amicalement".
Excellent condition.
Category
1950s Contemporary Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Leonor Fini - Heavy Cat - Original Handsigned Lithograph
By Leonor Fini
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Leonor Fini - Heavy Cat - Original Handsigned Lithograph
Les Elus de la Nuit
1986
Conditions: excellent
Handsigned and Numbered
Edition: 230
Dimensions: 38 x 28 cm
Editions: Trinckv...
Category
1980s Modern Nude Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Matisse, Esquiman IV, Portraits par Henri Matisse (after)
Located in Fairfield, CT
Medium: Collotype, héliogravure, recto and verso, on grand vélin Renage filigrané paper, as issued
Year: 1954
Paper Size: 12 x 9.25 inches; image size: 8.66 x 6.69 inches
Inscription...
Category
1950s Modern Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$716 Sale Price
20% Off
One Up, by Diane Gamboa
By Diane Gamboa
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Medium: screenprint
Year: 1994
Image Size: 11 x 8.5 inches
Edition of 75
Diane Gamboa (b. 1957) has been producing, exhibiting and curating visual art in Los Angeles since the 1980s...
Category
1990s Contemporary Figurative Prints
Materials
Screen
Original Air India, Over 50 Years of International Operations travel poster
Located in Spokane, WA
Original Aiir India, Over 50 Years of International Operation travel poster, Archival linen backed for preservation. Excellent condition, ready to frame. Grade A condition.
This rare collector’s item showcases the cheerful Air India Maharaja...
Category
1990s American Modern Figurative Prints
Materials
Offset
Rodin, Composition, Douze aquarelles de Auguste Rodin (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph and stencil on vélin paper. Paper Size: 15 x 12.2 inches. Inscription: unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the folio, Douze aquarelles de Auguste Rodin, 1920. ...
Category
1920s Modern Figurative Prints
Materials
Stencil, Lithograph
$1,756 Sale Price
20% Off
Original Vintage 1933 French Automobile Poster – Roby Ranty Marot deco poster
Located in Spokane, WA
Original Vintage 1933 French Automobile Poster – Roby Ranty Marot Art Deco Calendar Art Print Classic Car Advertisement. Archival linen backed in...
Category
1930s Art Deco Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Figura e Palme - Lithograph by Gaetano Tranchino - 1975
Located in Roma, IT
Figura e Palme is an artwork realized by Gaetano Tranchino in the 1970s.
Hand-signed and titled. Artist's proof.
Good conditions!
Category
1970s Contemporary Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Betty (C), large hand signed screen print
By POSE
Located in Aventura, FL
Screen print in colors on had torn Coventry Rag 335 gsm paper. Hand signed lower right corner by Pose. Hand numbered 10/25 lower left. Artwork size 40 x 30 inches.
Artwork is in ...
Category
2010s Street Art Figurative Prints
Materials
Screen, Paper
$1,575 Sale Price
30% Off
Yoshitomo Nara - News
Located in London, GB
Yoshitomo Nara
New
Offset lithograph on paper
Sheet size: 51.5 x 36.4 cm
Stamped with title, artist's name, copyright and year
published by N's Yard, Japan
Category
2010s Contemporary Portrait Prints
Materials
Offset
Magritte, Composition, Poèmes 1923-1958, Dix dessins de René Magritte (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on vélin du Marais paper. Paper Size: 11 x 8.25 inches. Inscription: Signed in the plate and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the volume, Poèmes 1923-1958. Dix dessins d...
Category
1950s Surrealist Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$716 Sale Price
20% Off
Composition (Reinz 208-222), Voyages Fantastiques, Bernard Buffet
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Drypoint etching on papier de Rives B.F.K. pur fil paper. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the folio, Voyages fantastiques aux États et empires de la l...
Category
1950s Modern Landscape Prints
Materials
Drypoint, Etching
$3,036 Sale Price
20% Off
April
Located in Greenwich, CT
April is an expertly crafted, embossed serigraph on paper with foil stamping and an image size of 27 x 22 inches. From the edition of 650, the art is numbered 296/300 and estate-stam...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Prints and Multiples
Materials
Paper, Screen
THE PARTISAN (SF Dock strike)
Located in Santa Monica, CA
HERMAN VOLZ (Swiss/American 1904 - 1990)
THE PARTISAN, 1937
Lithograph, signed and no. in pencil. Edition 30. 10 1/2 x 14. Sheet 11 1/4 x 17 1/2" Generally good condition aside fro...
Category
1930s American Realist Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
J is for James Dean
By Peter Blake
Located in London, GB
Screenprint in colours, on wove paper, signed, titled and numbered from the edition of 95 in pencil, published by Waddington Graphics and Corianda Studios, 102.5 x 77cm.
Category
1990s Pop Art Portrait Prints
Materials
Screen
Les Quais a Venise
By Jean Jansem
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: Jean Jansem (French/Armenian, 1920-2013)
Title: Les Quais a Venise
Year: 1966
Medium: Color lithograph
Edition: Numbered 127/160 in pencil
Paper: Arches paper
Image size: 18....
Category
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Salvador Dali - The Crown - Original Etching on Silk
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Salvador Dali - The Crown- from "Les Amours de Cassandre"
Original Etching
From the suite on Silk made for editions 9 to 34
Dimensions: 38,5 x ...
Category
1960s Surrealist Nude Prints
Materials
Etching
Chagall, Tribe of Reuben, Vitraux pour Jérusalem (after)
By Marc Chagall
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on vélin paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition, . Notes: From the album, Chagall, Vitraux pour Jérusalem. Published by Musée des Arts Déco...
Category
1960s Expressionist Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$1,996 Sale Price
20% Off
Matisse, Madame Suzanne Bistesi, Portraits par Henri Matisse (after)
Located in Fairfield, CT
Medium: Collotype, héliogravure, recto and verso, on grand vélin Renage filigrané paper, as issued
Year: 1954
Paper Size: 12 x 9.25 inches; image size: 9.45 x 6.69 inches
Inscription...
Category
1950s Modern Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$716 Sale Price
20% Off
At Prime (Igba Ara) - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Africa, Linocut
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure
Unmounted artwork
Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria
Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.
About Artist
Tosin Oyeniyi is an intrinsically talente...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Old Masters Figurative Prints
Materials
Canvas, Linocut
Settembre, una Donna - Etching by Orfeo Tamburi - 1971
Located in Roma, IT
Etching and drypoint realized by Orfeo Tamburi in 1971.
Edition of I/X.
Imaged dimension cm. 9x12
Hand signed and numbered in pencil.
Belongs to the series "Quello Era il Tempo"....
Category
1970s Contemporary Figurative Prints
Materials
Etching
François-Xavier Lalanne (1927-2008) The Mermaids (les Néréides), 2005
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
François-Xavier Lalanne (1927-2008) The Mermaids (les Néréides), 2005
Techniques : aquatint and soft varnish on paper, hand signed in pencil by François ...
Category
Early 2000s Surrealist Figurative Prints
Materials
Paper
André Derain - Ovid's Heroides - Original Etching
By André Derain
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
André Derain - Ovid's Heroides
Original Etching
Edition of 134
Dimensions: 32 x 25 cm
Ovide [Marcel Prevost], Héroïdes, Paris, Société des Cent-une, 1938...
Category
1930s Modern Nude Prints
Materials
Etching
Pas de Deux II
By Alex Katz
Located in Greenwich, CT
Pas de Deux II (Danny Moynihan and Laura Faber) is a serigraph on paper with an image size of 36 x 20 inches, signed ‘Alex Katz’ lower left and numbered 107/150. From the edition of ...
Category
20th Century Pop Art Prints and Multiples
Materials
Paper, Screen
"The Lips" Figurative Photography 24" x 24" Edition of 15 by Larsen Sotelo
Located in Culver City, CA
"The Lips" Figurative Photography 24" x 24" Edition of 15 by Larsen Sotelo
Not framed. Ships in tube
Giclee (Archival Ink) print on 310G Platine Fibre Cotton Rag w/satin finish
S...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Color Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée
Death and Life / - United in Laughter -
By Hans Frank
Located in Berlin, DE
Hans Frank (1884 Vienna - 1948 Salzburg), Death and Life, 1911. Lithograph, 18 cm x 31 cm (depiction), 25.5 cm x 38.7 cm (sheet size), signed “H.[ans] Frank” in pencil lower right and inscribed “Tod und Leben” lower left.
- darkened, remains of an old mounting on the verso
- United in Laughter -
Here, Hans Frank refers to the skull as a vanitas motif. In Renaissance and Baroque portraits, this motif symbolizes the transience of the sitter, whose head has become a skull over time. Penitents, such as St. Jerome, often hold skulls in melancholy contemplation. Here, however, the boy stands up for life itself. He boldly grabs the skull and laughs at the absurdity of life and death. The laughter of death joins the laughter of life, and vice versa. The child's thumb penetrates the skull's cheekbone to illustrate the inseparable connection between death and life.
About the artist
Hans Frank studied at the Vienna School of Applied Arts from 1902 to 1906 and then studied painting under Franz Rumpler at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts from 1907 to 1911. In 1911, he received a substantial travel grant from the emperor, which he used to travel to Switzerland, Paris, London, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. After serving in World War I, Frank moved to St. Marein im Mürztal, returning to Vienna in 1925. He took further study trips to Italy, southern France, and the Austrian countryside. In 1927, Frank became a member of the London Society of Color Printers. An exhibition of his work at the Medici Gallery in London brought him international recognition. He joined the Pasadena Printmakers Society of California and established contacts in Canada. In addition to his highly regarded paintings, Frank primarily worked as a graphic artist. He created over 300 prints and developed a new gradient technique for the fern woodcut with his twin brother, Leo Frank...
Category
1910s Jugendstil Figurative Prints
Materials
Paper
Architectura Curiosa Nova, Sunburst Garden Fountain
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
George Andreas Böckler, 'SunBurst Garden Fountain', antique copperplate engraving, 1664, from the book 'Architectura Curiosa Nova'. A fine, richly inked...
Category
1660s Realist Figurative Prints
Materials
Engraving
Composition, Poems of Léopold Sédar Senghor, Lois Mailou Jones
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Silkscreen on vélin paper. Paper Size: 22 x 17 inches. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the album, Poems of Léopold Sédar Senghor, 1996. Published by The Limited Editions Club, New York; printed by Studio Heinrici, Ltd., New York, under the direction of Alexander Heinrici, New York, 1996. Excerpted from the album, CC examples of this album have been printed by Daniel Keleher at Wild Carrot Letterpress. This edition was designed and set in Bodoni types by Dan Cart and Julia Ferrari at Golgonooza Letter Foundry. The silkscreen prints were made by Alexander Heinrici at Studio Heinrici.
LOIS MAILOU JONES (1905-1998) was an African American artist and educator, often associated with the Harlem Renaissance. Jones was raised in Boston by working-class parents who emphasized the importance of education and hard work. After graduating from Boston’s School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Jones began designing textiles for several New York firms. She left in 1928 to take a teaching position at Palmer Memorial Institute in North Carolina. At Palmer, Jones founded the art department, coached basketball, taught folk dancing, and played the piano for Sunday services. Two years later, she was recruited by Howard University in Washington, D.C., to join its art department. From 1930–77, Jones trained several generations of African American artists, including David Driskell, Elizabeth Catlett, and Sylvia Snowden...
Category
1990s Expressionist Figurative Prints
Materials
Screen
$1,996 Sale Price
20% Off
'Girl and Cat' — 1930s Modernism
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
'Girl and Cat', lithograph, 1935, edition 33, Fine and Looney 121. Signed, titled, dated, and numbered '5/33' in pencil. A superb, richly-inked impression...
Category
1930s American Modern Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Toulouse-Lautrec, Composition, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Dessinateur (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on vélin paper. Paper size: 12.25 x 9.25 inches. Inscription: Signed in the plate and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the album, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Dessinateur,...
Category
1940s Post-Impressionist Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$716 Sale Price
20% Off
Braque, Composition, Braque Espaces, 13 Dessins, Lavis, Aquarelles (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph and stencil on vélin papier a la cuve du moulin richard de bas specialement filigrané pour cette édition paper. Inscription: signed in the plate and unnumbered, as issued....
Category
1950s Modern Landscape Prints
Materials
Lithograph, Stencil
$3,996 Sale Price
20% Off
Ballerina Playing the Piano - Original etching, Signed
Located in Paris, IDF
Paul RENOUARD
Ballerina Playing the Piano - "Danseuse au Piano", 1893
Original etching
Printed signature in the plate
On Japan paper 32 x 48 cm (c. 12.5 x 19 inch)
INFORMATION : Li...
Category
1890s Art Nouveau Figurative Prints
Materials
Etching
Matisse, Mademoiselle M.B., Portraits par Henri Matisse (after)
Located in Fairfield, CT
Medium: Collotype, héliogravure, recto and verso, on grand vélin Renage filigrané paper, as issued
Year: 1954
Paper Size: 12 x 9.25 inches; image size: 9.45 x 6.69 inches
Inscription...
Category
1950s Modern Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$716 Sale Price
20% Off
Pleasure - Linocut on Paper by Jean Barbe / Mino Maccari - 1945
By Mino Maccari
Located in Roma, IT
Pleasure is a beautiful black and white linocut on ivory-colored paper, realized in 1945 by Mino Maccari.
Hand-signed "Jean Barbe" and numbered in pencil on lower margin. Edition of...
Category
1940s Figurative Prints
Materials
Linocut
$269 Sale Price
25% Off
Catitipede with Blue Faces - Original Handsigned Screen Print
Located in Paris, IDF
Yvon TAILLANDIER
Catitipede with Blue Faces
Original screen print
Handsigned in pencil
Numbered / 50 copies
On Versailles paper 31 x 45 cm (c. 12.2 x 17.7 in)
Excellent condition
Category
Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Prints
Materials
Screen
GOLDEN GIRL
By LeRoy Neiman
Located in Aventura, FL
Hand signed numbered by the artist in pencil. Artwork size: 24.25 x 30 in. Frame size: approx. 37 x 43 in. Artwork appears to be in excellent condition. Artwork has not been examine...
Category
1980s Impressionist Portrait Prints
Materials
Paper, Screen
$1,500 Sale Price
25% Off
"Girl in the Garden" Copper Plate Heliogravure
Located in Chicago, IL
2018 marks the centenary anniversary of Ferdinand Hodler’s death. In that 100 years time, the art world’s esteem of this important artist has proved fickle. It has shifted from extolling his artistic merits during his lifetime to showing something of a feigned disdain- more reflective of the world political order than a true change of heart for Hodler’s work. After years of Hodler being all but a footnote in the annals of art history and generally ignored, finally, the pendulum has righted itself once again. Recent retrospective exhibitions in Europe and the United States have indicated not only a joyful rediscovery of Hodler’s art but a firm conviction that his work and world view hold particular relevance today. DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS is not only a collection of printed work reflecting the best of all of his painted work created up to 1914 just before the outbreak of World War I, the portfolio itself is an encapsulation of Hodler’s ethos, Parallelisme.
Hodler developed his philosophy of Parallelisme as a unifying approach to art which strips away detail in search of harmony. By means of abstraction, symmetry and repetition, Hodler sought ways to depict Nature’s essence and her fundamental, universal order. He believed these universal laws governing the natural, observable world extend to the spiritual realm. Symbolist in nature with Romantic undertones, his works are equally portraits of these universal concepts and feelings governing all life as they are a visual portrait in the formal sense. Whether his subject is a solitary tree, a moment in battle, mortal fear, despair, the awe inspired by a vast mountain range, a tender moment or even the collective conviction in a belief, Hodler unveils this guiding principle of Parallelisme.
Several aspects of Hodler’s portfolio reinforce his tenets of Parallelisme. The Table of Contents clearly preferences a harmonious design over detail. The two columns, consisting of twenty lines each, list the images by order of appearance using their German titles. The abbreviated titles are somewhat cryptic in that they obscure the identities of the sitters. Like the image Hodler presents, they are distillations of the sitter without any extraneous details. This shortening was also done in an effort to maintain a harmonious symmetry of the Table of Contents, themselves, and keep titles to a one-line limit. The twenty-fourth title: “Bildnis des Schweizerischen Gesandten C.” was so long, even with abbreviation, that it required two lines; so, for the sake of maintaining symmetry, the fortieth title: “Bauernmadchen” was omitted from the list. This explains why the images are not numbered. Hodler’s reasoning is not purely esoteric. Symmetry and pattern reach beyond mere formal design principles. Finding sameness and imposing it over disorder goes to the root of Hodler’s identity and his art. A Swiss native, Hodler was bi-lingual and spoke German and French. Each printed image, even number forty, have titles in both of Hodler’s languages. Certainly, there was a market for Hodler’s work among francophones and this inclusion may have been a polite gesture to that end; however, this is the only place in the portfolio which includes French. With German titles at the lower left of each image, Hodler’s name at bottom center and corresponding French titles at the lower right of each image, there is a harmony and symmetry woven into all aspects of the portfolio. This holds true for the page design, as it applies to each printed image and as it describes the Swiss artist himself. Seen in this light, Hodler’s portfolio of printed work is the epitome of Hodler’s Parallelisme. DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS is also one of the most significant documents to best tell the story of how Hodler, from Switzerland, became caught between political cross-hairs and how the changing tides of nations directly impacted the artist during his lifetime as well as the accessibility of his art for generations to come.
The Munich-based publisher of the portfolio, R. Piper & Co., Verlag, plays a crucial role in this story. Publishing on a wide range of subjects from philosophy and world religion to music, literature and the visual arts; the publisher’s breadth of inquiry within any one genre was equal in scope. Their marketing strategy to publish multiple works on Hodler offers great insight as to what a hot commodity Hodler was at that time. R.Piper & Co.’s Almanach, which they published in 1914 in commemoration of their first ten years in business, clearly illustrates the rapid succession- strategically calculated for achieving the deepest and broadest impact - in which they released three works on Hodler to hit the market by the close of 1914. DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS was their premier publication. It preceded C.A. Loosli’s Die Zeichnungen Ferdinand Hodlers, a print portfolio after 50 drawings by Hodler which was released in Autumn of 1914 at the mid-level price-point of 75-150 Marks; and a third less expensive collection of prints after original works by Hodler, which had not been included in either of the first two portfolios, was released at the end of that year entitled Ferdinand Hodler by Dr. Ewald Bender.
The title and timing of DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS' debut leaves little doubt as to the connection it has with another avant-garde portfolio of art prints, Das Werk Gustav Klimts, released in 5 installments from 1908 -1914 by Galerie Miethke in Vienna. Hodler, himself, was involved in Klimt’s ground-breaking project. As the owner of Klimt’s 1901 painting, “Judith with the Head of Holifernes” which appears as the ninth collotype print in the second installment of Das Werk Gustav Klimts, Hodler was obliged to grant access of the painting to the art printers in Vienna for them to create the collotype sometime before 1908. Hodler had been previously invited in 1904 to take part in what would be the last exhibition of the Vienna Secession before Klimt and others associated with Galerie Miethke broke away. In an interview that same year, Hodler indicated that he respected and was impressed by Klimt. Hodler’s esteem for Klimt went beyond the art itself; he emulated Klimt’s method aimed at increasing his market reach and appeal to a wider audience by creating a print portfolio of his painted work. By 1914, Hodler and his publisher had the benefit of hindsight to learn from Klimt’s Das Werk publication.
Responding to the sluggish sales of Klimt’s expensive endeavor, Hodler’s publisher devised the same diversified 1-2-3 strategy for selling Hodler’s Das Werk portfolio as they did with regards to all three works on Hodler they published that year. For their premium tier of DAS WERKS FERDINAND HODLERS, R. Piper & Co. issued an exclusive Museum quality edition of 15 examples on which Hodler signed each page. At a cost of 600 Marks, this was generally on par with Klimt’s asking price of 600 Kronen for his Das Werk portfolio. A middle-tiered Preferred edition of 30, costing somewhat less and with Hodler’s signature only on the Title Page, was also available. The General edition, targeting the largest audience with its much more affordable price of 150 Marks, is distinguishable by its smaller size.
Rather than use the subscription format Miethke had chosen for Klimt’s portfolios which proved to have had its challenges, R. Piper & Co. employed a different strategy. In addition to instantly gratifying the buyer with all 40 of the prints comprising DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS and the choice among three price points, they advertised in German journals a fourth possibility of ordering single prints from them directly. These printed images are easily discernible from the three complete folio editions. The paper size of the single purchased images is of the larger format like the Museum and Preferred editions, measuring 65 h x 50 w cm; however, the paper itself is the same copper print paper used in the General edition and then mounted on poster board. The publishing house positioned itself to be a direct retailer of Hodler’s art. They astutely recognized the potential for profitability and the importance, therefore, of having proprietary control over his graphic works.
R. Piper & Co. owned the exclusive printing rights to Hodler’s best work found in their three publications dating from 1914. That same year, a competing publication out of Weimar entitled Ferdinand Hodler: Ein Deutungsversuch von Hans Muhlestein appeared. Its author, a young scholar, expressed his frustration with the limited availability of printable work by Hodler. In his Author’s Note on page 19, dated Easter, 1914, Muhlestein confirms that the publisher of Hodler’s three works from that same year owned the exclusive reproductive rights to Hodler’s printed original work. He goes further to explain that even after offering to pay to use certain of those images in his book, the publisher refused. Clearly, a lot of jockeying for position in what was perceived as a hot market was occurring in 1914.
Instead, their timing couldn’t have been more ill-fated, and what began with such high hopes suddenly found a much different market amid a hostile climate. The onset of WWI directly impacted sales. Many, including Ferdinand Hodler, publicly protested the September invasion by Germany of France in which the Reims Cathedral, re-built in the 13th century, was shelled, destroying priceless stained glass and statuary and burning off the iron roof and badly damaging its wooden interior. Thomas Gaehtgens, Director of the Getty Research Institute describes how the bombing of Reims Cathedral triggered blindingly powerful and deeply-felt ultra-nationalistic responses: “The event profoundly shocked French intellectuals, who for the most part had an intense admiration for German literature, music and art. By relying on press accounts and abstracting from the visual propagandistic content, they were unable to interpret the siege of Reims without turning away from German culture in disgust. Similarly, the German intelligentsia and bourgeoisie were also shocked to find themselves described as vandals and barbarians. Ninety-three writers, scientists, university professors, and artists signed a protest, directed against the French insults, that defended the actions of the German army.”
In similar fashion, a flurry of open letters published in German newspapers and journals as well as telegrams and postcards sent directly to Hodler following his outcry in support of Reims reflected the collectively critical reaction to Hodler’s position. Loosli documents that among the list of telegrams Hodler received was one from none other than his publisher in Germany, R.Piper & Co. Allegiances were questioned. The market for Hodler in Germany immediately softened. Matters worsened for the publisher beyond the German backlash to Hodler and his loss of appeal in the home market; with the war in full swing until 1918, there was little chance a German publisher would have much interest coming from outside of Germany and Austria. Following the war and Hodler’s death in 1918, the economy in Germany continued to spiral out and just 5 years later, hyper-inflation had rendered its currency worthless vis-a-vis its value in the pre-war years. Like the economy, Hodler’s reputation was slow to find currency in these difficult times. Even many French art fans had turned sour on Hodler as they considered his long-standing relationship in German and Austrian art circles. Thus, the portfolio’s rarity in Hodler’s lifetime and, consequently, the availability of these printed images from DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS since his death has been scarce.
In many ways, Hodler and his portfolios were casualties of war. Thwarted from their intended purpose of reaching a wide audience and show-casing Parallelisme, Hodler’s unique approach to art, this important, undated work has been both elusive and shrouded in mystery. Perhaps DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS was left undated as a means of affirming the timelessness of Hodler’s art. Digging back into the past, Hodler’s contemporaries, like R. Piper, C.A. Loosli and Hans Muhlestein, indeed provide the keys to unequivocally clarify what has largely been mired in obscurity. Just after Hodler’s death, the May, 1918 issue of the Burlington Review ran a small column which opined hope for better access to R.Piper & Co.’s DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS; 100 years later, it is finally possible. Hodler’s voice rings out through these printed works. Once more, his modern approach to depicting portraits, landscapes and grand scale scenes of Swiss history speak to us of what is universal. Engaging with any one of these images is the chance to connect to Hodler’s vision and his world view- weltanschauung in German, vision du monde in French- however one expresses these concepts through language, its message embedded in his work is the same: “We differ from one another, but we are like each other even more. What unifies us is greater and more powerful than what divides us.” Today, Hodler’s art couldn’t be more timely.
FERDINAND HODLER (SWISS, 1853-1918) explored Parallelisme through figurative poses evocative of music, dance and ritual. His images of sex, night, desertion and death as well as his many landscapes exploring the universal longing for harmony with Nature are unique and important works embodying a Symbolist paradigm. Truly a Modern Master, Hodler’s influence can be felt in the work of Gustav Klimt and Kolomon Moser and subsequent Expressionist artists such as Egon Schiele. He was born into an impoverished family in Bern, Switzerland in 1853. His entire family succumbed to tuberculosis, and he was orphaned by the age of 13, the only surviving child among his 13 siblings. In the absence of family, the influence and guidance which his art instructors provided Hodler was foundational and profound. Hodler began formal studies in 1872 at the Geneva School of Design. Under Barthelemy Menn, Hodler was drawn to the ordered beauty of Euclidian geometry and Durer’s fundamentals of human proportion that proved to be guiding principles informing his art throughout his life.
By the 1880s, Hodler began to enjoy some recognition for his work which put him on a new path towards stability. Remaining in Geneva, he became assistant to the well-known muralist, Edouard Castres. Following his first solo show in 1885, Hodler’s work took on a Symbolist quality. He frequently associated with a group of Swiss Symbolist...
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LOIS MAILOU JONES (1905-1998) was an African American artist and educator, often associated with the Harlem Renaissance. Jones was raised in Boston by working-class parents who emphasized the importance of education and hard work. After graduating from Boston’s School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Jones began designing textiles for several New York firms. She left in 1928 to take a teaching position at Palmer Memorial Institute in North Carolina. At Palmer, Jones founded the art department, coached basketball, taught folk dancing, and played the piano for Sunday services. Two years later, she was recruited by Howard University in Washington, D.C., to join its art department. From 1930–77, Jones trained several generations of African American artists, including David Driskell, Elizabeth Catlett, and Sylvia Snowden...
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Located in London, GB
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hand-signed and numbered by the artist
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Located in Fairfield, CT
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