Joseph Zirker Abstract Prints

Untitled Double Page Illustration for DLM Color lithograph, 1968 Unsigned as issued in DLM Published in Derriere le Miroir (Behind the Mirror), calle...

"Abstract in Gold and Black" is a well-balanced calm piece. The placement of the gold and white can be read as a distant landscape giving much imagined space to the heavier black area which contains a linear element and the color blue. Semivan is a Master Printmaker and sculptor. He often breaks his surfaces and extends beyond the perimeters in his sculptures. The particular placement of the black area in this piece suggests such a breakage beyond the edge where one imagines a continuation of the strokes or linear elements. This is an altogether extraordinary print. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Douglas Semivan...

From the estate of Jerry Opper and Ruth Opper Abstract Line Print c.1950's Stone Lithograph on Paper 25" x 19.5" Unframed Estate stamp lower left Came from ...

Little is known about the artist, Edward (Ed) Sacks, although this print may have been made at the Art Students League in NYC. it is a cross between, as the title suggests, a Seated ...

Untitled (Plate 2) DLM Color lithograph, 1963 Unsigned and unnumbered (as issued) From: Derriere le Miroir, No. 141 Published by A. Maeght, Paris Printer: Mourlot Freres, Paris Note...

Harry Bertoia, Untitled (Abstraction), monotype, c. 1960, a unique impression. Signed 'HB' in pencil, lower right sheet corner, verso. Inscribed '1852' (the artist’s inventory number) in pencil, lower right sheet corner, recto. A superb, painterly impression, on cream wove Japan paper, the full sheet, in excellent condition. Unmatted, unframed. Sheet size 12 x 39 inches (30 x 99 cm). Provenance: Val Bertoia; Private Collection; Rago Auctions, Lambertville, NJ. Literature: 'Harry Bertoia: Monoprints,' Nancy N. Schiffer, Schiffer Publishing LTD, 2011; pg. 253. This work is included in the Harry Bertoia Foundation digital resource, Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné, number TD.MO.1584. ABOUT THE ARTIST Harry Bertoia (1915-1978) was a visionary Italian-American artist, sculptor, and designer. Born in San Lorenzo, Italy, Bertoia immigrated to the United States with his family at age fifteen, settling in Detroit, Michigan. From an early age, Bertoia demonstrated a keen interest in art and design, studying painting and drawing at the Cass Technical High School in Detroit. Later, he attended the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he studied under renowned designers Eliel Saarinen and Charles Eames. At Cranbrook, Bertoia first began to explore the possibilities of working with metal, a medium that would come to define his artistic career. In the 1940s, Bertoia moved to California to work for Charles and Ray Eames, contributing to the development of innovative molded plywood furniture. However, his experimentation with metal wire sculpture would ultimately catapult him to international acclaim. Bertoia's iconic "Sonambient" sculptures, consisting of delicate metal rods arranged in various configurations, created ethereal sounds when touched or moved, transforming the act of sculpture into a multisensory experience. Bertoia's talent and innovation caught the attention of Florence Knoll, the founder of Knoll Associates, a leading furniture design company. In 1950, Bertoia began collaborating with Knoll, producing a series of iconic wire chairs that became emblematic of mid-century modern design. His "Diamond Chair," with its geometric form and airy construction, remains a classic of modern furniture design. Bertoia continued to explore sculpture as a means of artistic expression, experimenting with new forms and materials. His work was characterized by organicism and fluidity, with forms that evoked natural phenomena such as waves, leaves, and clouds. A decade before Harry Bertoia began creating three-dimensional sculpture, he dedicated his creative efforts to producing experimental prints at the Cranbrook Academy in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, pursuing a passion that would continue for the rest of his life. With these spontaneous works, he worked intuitively, testing different tools and techniques to achieve his desired effects. Rather than using a traditional mechanical pressing process, he would apply ink to a glass or smooth Masonite plate with a sheet of paper laid directly on top. Then, tools such as brayers, dog hair brushes, styluses, and different parts of his hands were employed to draw or “press” the images on the back of the sheet. Rice paper was typically used due to its semi-translucent nature, offering Bertoia limited visibility of the effects of his experimentation, but ultimately, the unpredictable nature of the process was an integral aspect of the results, which never ceased to delight him. Each work was a singular composition with abstract imagery ranging from linear, structural compositions to fantastic surrealistic forms to poetic tonal landscapes. He received little input from other artists, developing his unique vision with rare purity and a deep personal resonance. From his first year of printmaking in 1940, Bertoia quickly amassed an extensive collection of unique works. The compositions were strongly tied to the non-objective movement, which, while popular in Europe, was still in its nascent stages in the US. There were few proponents of this new art form to be found in the 1940s, and it was Hilla Rebay, then Director of the Guggenheim Museum of Non-Objective Art, who gave Bertoia the encouragement and promotion he needed. In 1943, Bertoia sent approximately 100 monotypes to Rebay for review. After receiving the prints, she responded with a surprising offer to buy them all. Rebay then began including them in the museum’s exhibitions. The Guggenheim shows succeeded in putting Bertoia’s name out into the world. He began exhibiting his works regularly at the Neierndorf Gallery in New York and was provided a stipend to ensure a steady supply of prints until Karl Neierndorf died in 1947. By the 1950s...

Anthony Velonis (1911-1997) was an extremely innovative artist. He learned the technique of screen printing, also known as silkscreen, (for which he also coined the term serigraphy) while working with a wall paper manufacturer. Unusual for fine prints, the image is made by the artist in the same direction as it will print, as the colored inks are forced through fabric (silk) directly onto a paper surface. (He also invented a machine that could print onto column-shaped items such as cocktail glasses or make-up bottles and a rack system for drying sheets of paper with wet ink in which the sheets are just inches apart.) The technique allows extreme versatility on the part of the artist and the ink tends to sit on top of the paper rather than soak into the fibers. In 1934 Velonis used this new technique on Mayor LaGuardia's NYC Poster...

Edition: 5 or less. One of possibly 3 variants

Untitled Color woodcut, 1939 Unsigned as issued Signed and dedicated by the artist on the justification page (see photo) From: Abstractions By Charles Smith Forward by Carl O. Schnie...

Glowing Tree Etching, engraving & lift ground, 1958 Signed, titled and annotated in pencil (see photos) Edition: Artist Proof (there was a published addition of 30 with five stencil ...

Tommy's Pond Etching, aquatint and intaglio, 1966 Signed, dated and numbered in pencil Image/Plate size: 13 7/8 x 10 7/8 inches Sheet size: : 20 1/16 x 14 7/16 inches From: The Portf...

The Fan Silkscreen printed in colors, 1950's Signed and numbered in pencil by the artist (see photos) Edition: 40 (24/40) Condition: very good Image size: 25 1/8 x 19 5/8 inches Cou...