James Ensor Art

This artwork "Untitled, Fantastic Scene" c.1975 is an original color etching with aquatint on wove paper by American surrealist artist Michael Bowen, 1937-2009. It is hand signed in pencil by the artist. The plate mark (image) size is 14.85 x 18 inches, sheet size is 21.5 x 26 inches. It is in excellent condition, has never been framed. About the subject: Nowhere is the intertwining of metaphysical, biographic and social narratives more evident than in the Café Life series painted in the 1980’s. Though the “series” was done in the 80’s, the pieces really revive the spirit of the Beat café scene, which began in the mid-1950’s and which was so instrumental to the particular spiritual and social vibe of the counter culture. And his Café Life observations continue over his artist life with scenes, such as the ones here, from Los Angles, Bolinas, Mexico and Italy. About the artist: Michael Bowen (December 8, 1937 – March 7, 2009) was an American fine artist known as one of the co-founders of the late 20th and 21st century Visionary art movements. His works include paintings on canvas and paper, 92 intaglio etchings based on Jungian psychology, assemblage, bronze sculpture, collage, and handmade art books. An icon of the American Beat Generation and the 1960s counterculture, Bowen is also known for his role in inspiring and organizing the first Human Be-In in San Francisco. Chronicled in books and periodicals reflecting on the turbulent 1960s, Bowen's historical impact on both the literary and visual art worlds is well documented. He remains influential among avant-garde art circles around the world. He started his art career at age 17, when he joined the American installation artist Ed Kienholz in his Los Angeles studio. There he met and joined with other influential Beat Generation artists including Wallace Berman, John Altoon, and Dennis Hopper. Bowen participated in the construction of the Ferus Gallery and Now Gallery created by Ed Kienholz and curated by Walter Hopps. Bowen attended the Chouinard Art Institute for several years during his formative artistic experiences in Los Angeles. In the late 50s and early 60s, Bowen continued his spiritual training and research. He investigated and practiced a variety of occult topics, Eastern philosophies, and mysticism, and his artwork reflected these themes. Bowen is often referred to as a mystic artist. As a lifelong student of the Bhagavad-Gita, Bowen's entire career has emulated the spiritual warrior archetype of Arjuna, fighting for the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution. Michael Bowen moved to San Francisco in the late 1950s, and along with fellow artist comrades Arthur Monroe...

The Kiss, no. 1 from the fifth installment of Das Werk Gustav Klimts Undoubtedly Klimt’s best known and most reproduced images, this printed version of The Kiss is the only one with which Klimt was directly involved. Unveiled at Vienna’s Kunstschau 1908, and saved for the fifth and final delivery of Das Werk, The Kiss marks a triumph in Klimt’s career and represents a culmination of many themes in his oeuvre up to that point. After all of the controversy surrounding the State’s prior rejection of the University murals commissioned from Klimt, the Ministry of Education reversed their policy toward the artist with a show of wholehearted support by purchasing for the Osterreichische Galerie BelvedereThe Kiss while it still hung in the Kunstschau exhibit. Considered in relation to the eight multicolored collotypes which preceded its print debut in the Das Werk portfolio, The Kiss literally embraces all which came before it. The golden seaweed dangling in tresses from the lovers’ feet harkens back to Water Snakes I and II. The bed of flowers evokes the settings Klimt created in both The Golden Knight and The Sunflower. In fact, this image sprung out of a particularly happy summer spent in the company of Klimt’s lover, Emilie Floge...

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) Maternal Love Engraving after a pastel Signed in the plate On vellum, 50 x 38 cm (c. 20 x 15 in) INFORMATION: Copperplate engraving published by the Galer...

This exquisite aquatint by Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Trois têtes. A l'amitié (Three Heads. To Friendship), from the album Apollinaire, Henri Matisse (Apollinaire, Henri Matisse), originates from the 1952 edition published by Editions Raisons d'etre, Paris, and printed by Mourlot Freres, Paris, April 24, 1952. The work captures Matisses lyrical line and expressive minimalism, paying tribute to the French poet Guillaume Apollinaire through a synthesis of portraiture and calligraphic grace. Executed as an aquatint on velin a la forme des papeteries d'Arches paper, this work measures 12.99 x 9.84 inches (33 x 25 cm). Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. The edition exemplifies the superior craftsmanship of Mourlot Freres, Paris. Artwork Details: Artist: Henri Matisse (1869–1954) Title: Trois têtes. A l'amitié (Three Heads. To Friendship), from the album Apollinaire, Henri Matisse (Apollinaire, Henri Matisse) Medium: Aquatint on velin a la forme des papeteries d'Arches paper Dimensions: 12.99 x 9.84 inches (33 x 25 cm) Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued Date: 1952 Publisher: Editions Raisons d'etre, Paris Printer: Mourlot Freres, Paris Catalogue Raisonne Reference: Duthuit, Claude. Henri Matisse: Catalogue raisonne des ouvrages illustres. Editions Claude Duthuit, Paris, 1988, illustration 31. Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium Provenance: From the album Apollinaire, Henri Matisse (Apollinaire, Henri Matisse), published by Editions Raisons d'etre, Paris; printed by Mourlot Freres, Paris, 1952 Notes: Excerpted from the album (translated from French), Printing of this album was finished on April, Twenty-Four, M.CM.LII for the Editions Raisons d'etre, 2 rue des Beaux-Arts in Paris, was produced by Fernand Mourlot, based on the models of Henri Matisse. The eight original lithographs were shot on the presses of Mourlot Freres who also printed the cover and case composed by the artist. The stones were erased after drawing. The text and letrins engraved by Henri Matisse were drawn by Coulouma S.A., printer in Paris. Justification of the draw— XXX examples on large velin d'Arches a la forme, signed by the author and the artist, accompanied by a series of original lithographs numbered from I to XXX; CCC examples on velin d'Arches a la forme numbered from XXXI to CCCXXX; XX examples of non-commerce collaborators numbered from I to XX and in addition a few nominative examples on Grand Velin. About the Publication: Apollinaire, Henri Matisse (Apollinaire, Henri Matisse), published by Editions Raisons d'etre, Paris, in 1952, stands among Matisses most intimate artist’s albums, conceived as a visual homage to the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, whose friendship and creative influence had profoundly shaped the avant-garde in the early 20th century. The album unites Matisses mastery of line with his reverence for literature, pairing portraits, decorative initials, and typographic designs engraved in his own hand. Printed by the esteemed atelier Mourlot Freres, the volume exemplifies the peak of French postwar printmaking, merging literary refinement with visual purity. Each print reveals Matisses poetic sensibility—his ability to render emotion through the economy of contour and rhythm. About the Artist: Henri Matisse (1869–1954) was a French painter, sculptor, draughtsman, and printmaker whose revolutionary vision redefined modern art through his daring use of color, line, and form. Celebrated as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, Matisse led the Fauvist movement and devoted his life to the pursuit of balance, beauty, and emotional expression in visual art. His early works burst with vibrant hues and liberated brushwork, while his later “cut-out” compositions achieved a poetic simplicity that transformed the relationship between color and space. Deeply influenced by the work of Paul Cezanne, Vincent van Gogh, and Georges Seurat, as well as by the rhythmic patterns of Islamic art, Byzantine mosaics, and Japanese prints, Matisse forged a new visual language that celebrated joy, movement, and serenity. He was part of an extraordinary generation of artists who shaped the evolution of modernism, maintaining lifelong dialogue and friendly rivalry with contemporaries such as Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Marc Chagall, Andre Derain, Albert Marquet, and Raoul Dufy—peers who, like him, sought to expand the expressive potential of color and composition. Matisses influence extended across generations, inspiring modern and contemporary masters including Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray, each of whom drew upon his fearless experimentation and refined visual harmony. His paintings, sculptures, and works on paper are held in the most prestigious museums in the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Centre Pompidou, the Tate, and the Hermitage Museum, where his art continues to symbolize the essence of creativity and human emotion. The highest price ever paid for a Henri Matisse artwork is approximately 80.8 million USD, achieved in 2018 at Christies New York for Odalisque couchee aux magnolias (1923). Henri Matisse Trois têtes. A l'amitié (Three Heads. To Friendship) Apollinaire, Henri Matisse (Apollinaire, Henri Matisse) 1952, Matisse Editions Raisons d'etre, Matisse Mourlot Freres, Matisse aquatint...

Aquatint and etching on Japon paper from Historia de Don Quixote de la Mancha. Hand signed lower right by Salvador Dali. Hand numbered 4/150 lower left. Sheet size: 29.875 x 22.12...

A superb impression of this color aquatint. From an unnumbered edition of 280. Printed by Lacouriere, Paris. Published by Vollard, Paris. From "Cirque de l'Étoile Filante." Catalogu...

Max Klinger, 'Erinnerung' (Remembrance), original etching with aquatint, 1896. A fine, richly inked impression on off-white, wove paper, with full margins (1 3/4 to 3 1/8 inches), in...

London: J. Taylor, 1820. Etching with aquatint and engraving with hand coloring in watercolor on watermarked J Whatman Turkey Mill 1843 paper with a gilded edge, 11 1/2 x 14 3/4 inc...

KURT SELIGMANN (1900–1962 American, born in Switzerland,) LA SORCIERE - (The Witch) 1934 Etching and aquatint, unsigned ? possibly a proof aside from The ...

Artist: Louis LeGrand (French, 1863-1951) Title: "La Loge (The Lodge)" Portfolio: Gazette des Beaux-Arts *Issued unsigned, though signed by LeGrand in the plate (printed signature) l...

Aquatint and etching on Japon paper from Historia de Don Quixote de la Mancha. Hand signed lower right by Salvador Dali. Hand numbered 63/150 lower left. Sheet size: 29.875 x 22.1...

Created by Henri Matisse in 1929 and printed in 1983, Nu allongé is an etching on Chine collé. Stamped with the artist's initials, the artwork measures 9 5/8 x 12 1/8 in. (24.4 x 30....