Walt Kuhn Sculptures

Dancing Figure Wood carving with pigment, c. 1913 Unsigned Provenance: Kuhn Heirs, Maine Kennedy Galleries, New York, until 1983 ...

Illustrated: "Walt Kuhn, Painter, His Life and Work, by Phillip Rhys Adams, page 67, plate 27, Courtesy of Kennedy Galleries-Kuhn Estate Kuhn’s sculptures were collected by the noted early modernist collector John Quinn (1870-1924). Among the works in Quinn’s collection was the icon Brancusi Portait of Mlle Pogany, the work that inspired Kuhn to create the wood carving “Mask” (FA10815). Mlle Pogany was chosen by Kuhn for exhibition at the Armory Show, 1913. Other sculptures by Kuhn are in the collections of the Smithsonian Museum and the Heckscher Museum. The group of 15 wood carvings came from the estate of the artist to his daughter Brenda Kuhn. The Kuhn Estate (Brenda) originally worked with Kennedy Galleries of New York who published a detailed illustrated catalog of offerings from the estate in 1967. The estate left Kennedy Galleries some time prior to 1983. They established estate representation with Barridof Galleries of Portland, Maine in partnership with Salander O’Reilly Galleries Inc. of New York. This partnership published a monograph catalog on the artist in 1984. Of our group of 15 works, three of the early c. 1913 examples have Salander O’Reilly labels affixed to them. The group of works were involved in the Salander O’Reilly bankruptcy liquidation where they were bought from. There have been several related examples that have come to auction since the year 2000. In 1912, Kuhn was one of the founders of the organization Association of American Painters and Sculptors, the organizing body for what became known as The Armory Show, 1913. The Heckscher Museum exhibition, European Modernism, as Told by Americans, gives insight in to Kuhn’s travels, artistic associations and the influences on his artwork. “In 1912 Kuhn traveled through Europe securing loans from artists and dealers to represent Impressionism, Post Impressionism and the newer strains of art like Fauvism and Cubism. Inspired by these developments, Kuhn tried out Fauvism and Cubism for himself.” “Kuhn would later become an adviser to collectors like John Quinn and Lillie Bliss, a supporter of the Armory Show and later one of the founders of the Museum of Modern Art.” Quinn acquired seven Kuhn sculptures in wood, bronze and gilt bronze which are listed in his estate inventory. This work is directly inspired by an Archipenko sculpture, Negress (La Negresse...