1940s Sculptures

This statue was carved by an unknown Pende artist from Zaire. It depicts a walking man with a disc-shape on his head and large eyes. 25 3/4" x 7" sculpture The Pende people are an...

This mask was created by an unknown artist from New Guinea. It depicts an elongated face with carved wood and cowry shells for eyes. Mask: 29 x 8 in, incl...

Oriental sculpture from the mid-20th century. Finely carved and crafted exotic wooden object depicting a warrior on horseback and a character (behind him), of good quality. Sculpture...

Maqueta las Toninas, 1944 BMY-022, 1970 Edition 1/25 Bronze 22 x 22 x 10 cm 8.6 x 8.6 x 3.9 in ABOUT THE ARTIST Narvaez was born in Porlamar, Venezuela, in 1905; he was the fifth son of eleven siblings; his parents were Jose Lorenzo Narvaez and Vicenta Rivera. Don José Lorenzo, a multifaceted and creative man, sowed the seed of creativity in his son. “My father did not fit in with his fantasies of cabinetmaker, bricklayer, master builder, and self-taught architect.”1 From an early age, Francis was led to the artistic activity, he traced, carved, made replicas of the furniture and the saints restored by his father. In 1920 he obtained his first professional assignment, a San Rafael for the Church of Carupano, and, in 1922, his father authorized him to travel to Caracas to pursue his studies as an artist. He studied at the atelier of Marcos Castillo, at of the Angel Cabre y Magriña and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Caracas, where he was introduced to the painters and intellectuals of the time. In 1928 he presented his first solo exhibition at the Club Venezuela. With the money raised from the sale of the works and the support of Monsignor Sosa, and the Ministers Centeno Grau and Arcaya, he studied in Paris on a scholarship. Once there, he enrolled at the Académie Julian, where Tito Salas, Cristóbal Rojas and Arturo Michelena had also studied. It was in Paris where, unable to work in wood, he turned to stone carving. “In Paris, I didn’t have wood, so I carved a lot in stone (…), when there were demolitions I purchased chunks of stone, I would take them to the workshop and carve them.”2 His first attempts at volumetric sculptures and painting in plain colours, linked to the thematic of American miscegenation and Creole reality, can be traced back to that first trip to Paris. During his stay in the French city, Arturo Uslar Pietri, Alfredo Boulton, and Finita Vallenilla supported the artist both financially and logistically, and in February of 1930, the trio of friends arranged another exhibition for him at the Club Venezuela. Narvaez describes his exhibition as follows: “(…) in it I feel that the sculptural work is more my own, done with more assurance, a response to my pursuit of large planes, stylisation and synthesis.”3 By then, as Boulton himself noted in his book about the artist, Narvaez departed from most of the artistic traditions that prevailed by that time in Venezuela. In 1931 he returned to Caracas and established his atelier at the Barrio Obrero in Catia. The atelier became the hub of the intellectual life of the time. “In those years, the atelier of Francisco Narvaez was the hub of the greatest Venezuelan hope. Nothing comparable to it can be found either before or since.”4 From that year onwards, exhibitions, projects, trips, and awards we multiplied. He was awarded the President of the Republic of Venezuela Prize, the National Sculpture Prize of the 1st Official Venezuelan Art Salon, and the John Boulton Prize of the 3rd Annual Venezuelan Art Salon; for the Military Academy, he produced a spectacular relief entitled La Patria. In 1945, commissioned by the architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva, he produced two groups of sculptures known as Las Toninas, both located in the O’Leary Square. There, as he himself states, he incorporates some baroque patterns into the figures to the source itself: “It is a work of balance between the decorative requirements and the sculpture of planes and angles.”5 In 1948 he was awarded the National Painting Prize. In the same year, he was called upon by the architect Carlos Raul Villanueva to participate in the project for the arts integration in the Universidad Central de Venezuela. Francisco Narvaez’s public output continued with works such as the statue of Fermín Toro, La Educacion, La Ciencia, three murals (produced by María Luisa Tovar) for the Instituto de Medicina Experimental, El Cristo; el Atleta, the equestrian statue of General Rafael Urdaneta. In 1953 he was appointed Director of the School of Plastic and Applied Arts, and in July of the same year, he exhibited “Francisco Narvaez, Maderas, Piedras y Bronces” (Francisco Narvaez, Woods, Stones and Bronzes) at the Museum of Fine Arts. Narvaez is, unquestionably, one of the great Venezuelan sculptors, his work goes through various stages and interests; as the art world evolves, the artist does not remain in his initial scopes of work. His creations are not imposed by the prevailing trends or fashion but do evolve by experimenting with new materials and interests. When one peruses the artist’s lengthy list of exhibitions, commissions, and awards, it is worth remembering the Narvaez who embark on his career as a child and who, overcoming obstacles, knew how to make the most of his curiosity. He did not settle for living off his successes. He did not remain stagnant as many creators of his environment did. Narvaez managed to understand the changes in the history of art around him. We must not overlook the fact that Francisco Narvaez is an artist amid all the changes occurring in the art world. He moves from the classics to the great transformations in the art world. It is the Europe of Picasso, Braque, Arp. He observes, he is aware of what is happening in the centres of the world of art, but between his craft and his sensitivity, the result is NARVAEZ, his stamp, and his identity. Francisco Narvaez comes from tradition, and his first stage is linked to the classics, to the exploration of his heritage, but always with his very own language. Throughout his prolific career, he knew how to remain true to himself, without disregarding the influences of his surroundings or his artistic interests: his ability as a sculptor, his selection of materials, whether they were wood, stone or bronze; his choice of the subject of his work…His mastery and great craftsmanship are a constant that over time have made him a leading player in the history of contemporary Venezuelan and world art. From his beginnings, no subject was foreign to him. His paintings, drawings, aquarelles, and sketches are testimony to his prolific output. Among his themes are portraits, our traditions, still lifes, and landscapes. Narvaez is an artist who represents his time. Later, he evolved towards purer and simpler forms, abandoning figurative art for short periods. In 1956 he declared to the newspaper El Nacional: “Every day I am freeing myself, it is a soul that frees itself from the ephemeral wrappings of the circumstantial always, as well as from the inevitable weight of the anecdote. This second stage of my work is remarkably close to abstractionism, even if there are still certain figures or figurations in the sculptures that I will shortly be showing. However, pure, and absolute abstractionism, it will treat the form itself as the sole reason for its existence on the plane of artistic excellence.”6 The artistic development was his professional life. Each period of his life as an artist, he went one step further, searching, solving, seeing plenty of things and understanding how diverse expressions were transforming themselves. His hands followed his gaze and his mind, always inquisitive. He added movement to the volumes. Arturo Uslar Pietri, “Formas Nuevas”, Cromotip editions, 1956 “Francisco Narvaez is a path: the path that Venezuelan sculpture...

An initialed, vigorously modeled, patinated resin sculpture of two stallions at play signed (see image 5) by listed, Italian artist, Marino Mazzacurati (1900-1969). Mazzacurati was ...

Portrait of Suzanne Vérité by Marcel GIMOND (1894-1961) Bronze sculpture with a nuanced green patina signed on the neck "M. Gimond" cast by "Bisceglia, cire perdue" (with the foundr...

This Sculpture "Hen" by William Zorach in polished bronze is numbered 3/6 although according to the artist son, only 4 were ever cast. Executed in 1946, signed on the reverse and nu...

Portrait of Pierre Vérité by Marcel GIMOND (1894-1961) Bronze sculpture with a dark brown patina signed on the neck "M. Gimond" cast by "Bisceglia, cire perdue" (with the foundry st...

Edward Bohlin silver mounted parade saddle. Black Leather. Great Bohlin Stamp. Cowboy Saddle, Western Saddle. 1940s 50s one of his most desirable periods. Bohlin of Hollywood California. He made all of the saddles and other related western gear for the movies but mostly to ride in the "Tournament of Roses Parade" Rosebowl in California. The Corona was custom made using the original Corona as the sample to copy. Here is a little provenance on this saddle: This is a rare saddle. We think there were only five made. They were marketed to Texas Buyers when in reality there wasn't a big market in Texas. The majority of these works of art were mostly purchased by California buyers. This saddle was formerly owned by L.D. Brinkman. After his death it was acquired by a friend of mine. I purchased it from him Jan. 1, 2024, and sold it to one of my good friends and customer Jan. 3, 2024. Sadly, he recently passed away and the saddle is on the market again. This Saddle is depicted in the Bohlin Catalog "The Lone Star Saddle" Lloyd Donald Brinkman (1929 – July 4, 2015) was an American businessman, cattle breeder, civic leader and art collector. He was the owner of "the largest floor covering distributor in the US," and 350 pizza parlors with Gatti's Pizza. He bred Brangus cattle, and he was a significant collector of Western art. Brinkman was born in 1929 in near Dagmar in Sheridan County, Montana. His grandparents were Danish immigrants who became homesteaders in the county. Brinkman graduated from Pascagoula High School in Pascagoula, Mississippi. He attended Pearl River Community College, and he graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi, where he earned a bachelor's degree in marketing in 1952. Brinkman initially worked in the flooring industry, even starting his own business in Dallas, Texas in 1960. It eventually became "the largest floor covering distributor in the US." Brinkman was also the owner of Gatti's Pizza, which operated 350 restaurants by the time he sold the business for $24 million in 2004. Brinkman was also a breeder of Brangus cattle. Brinkman was a co-founder of the Museum of Western Art in Kerrville. He served on the board of directors of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. He also served as the chairman of the public utility board of Kerrville, Texas. He was honored as the "Citizen of the Year" by the Kerrville Area Chamber of Commerce in 1984. Brinkman was a collector of Western art. He owned paintings by American artists like Joe Beeler, E. Irving Couse, Frank Tenney Johnson, Gerald Harvey Jones, Robert Lougheed, Howard Terpning, and Olaf Wieghorst. Brinkman was married seven times. He had a son, L.D. "Don" Brinkman Jr., and a daughter, Pamela Brinkman Stone. Brinkman died on July 4, 2015. Biography of Edward Bohlin Edward Bohlin (1895-1980) Edward H Bohlin Company (Established 1920) Saddlery-Saddle Maker 1895-1980 Born in Sweden Hollywood, CA. Born in Sweden in 1895, Edward Bohlin ran away from home at age 15, working his way to America on a huge four-mast schooner with dreams of Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West in his head. Ed worked cattle drives around Montana before opening his first saddle shop in Cody, Wyoming where he did rope tricks in front of his shop to draw business. He met Tom Mix while performing at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood and Mix convinced Ed to stay and produce silver and leather items in the Los Angeles area. From his humble beginnings to his fame in Hollywood for high-end pieces, Ed crafted more than 12,000 Bohlin saddles...