Victor Di Gesu

'Man Stretching', Paris, Louvre, Académie Chaumière et Etrangères, LACMA, SFAA

Circa 1955

Created circa 1955 by Victor Di Gesu (American, 1914-1988) and stamped, verso, with certification of authenticity. Winner of the Prix Othon Friesz, Victor di Gesu first attended th...

Signed lower left, 'Marguerite Bordet' (French, 1909-2014) and painted circa 1965. Titled, on old label, 'Le Modele'. Previously with: Crocker Galleries, CA From an early age, Marguerite Bordet avidly pursued both drawing and painting. In the late 1930's and early '40s, she attended the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris where she studied with the sculptor, Antoniucci Volti (Italian, 1915-1989). After several years, and feeling increasingly disconnected with the academic atmosphere of the Salon, she left to develop her independent artistic style. Bordet's first public exhibition took place at the Galerie Claude (1947) and, for the next forty years, she continued to exhibit widely with success, both throughout France and internationally, including in Cairo (1955), Geneva (1960) and the United States (1966). A 1962 exhibition of her work showed a thematic rejection of the Academy's influence and the artist's shift to a more personal and spiritually driven style. Bordet continued to take frequent study trips to Italy, especially to Florence, where she was inspired by the Renaissance Masters. She also visited England (1975-76) where the works of J.M.W.Turner and John Martin at the Tate Museum had a pronounced impact on her development. In an interview with Hervé Serane, Marguerite Bordet described her artistic process in these words: "I start my painting with spots. Sometimes I cover it completely and everything is dark. But then it's stronger than me, I can't bear that there isn't an opening. Immediately, I place a Light. I need the shadow to bring out the Light. So I start with the shadow to create this Light. I cannot define why I need this Light so much. It's stronger than me. It's something that dominates me without my being able to explain it intellectually. It is for me an absolute necessity to seek the Light in the darkness.. You have to open like you open a window. You have to reveal. I remove the stains that obscure my painting to find the luminous background of the canvas.... I only paint with transparent colors and I apply several layers of glaze to preserve this light." Partial Exhibition Record: 1947 Paris, Galerie Claude 1951 Paris, Galerie Breteau - Cairo, Galerie Adam - Alexandria, l'Atelier 1954 Paris, Galerie Simone Bdinier 1955 Cairo, l'Atelier 1959 Paris, Galerie A. Weil 1960 Geneva, Galerie Motte 1962 Paris, Marignan Gallery 1964 Paris, Ror Volmar Gallery 1966 San Rafael (U.SA) International Museum 1966 Cagnes-sur-Mer, Castle Gallery...

Stamped, verso, with certification of authenticity for Jane Ament De La Roche (American, 1916-2000) and created circa 1950. Winner of the Prix Othon Friesz, Ament first studied at the Chouinard Art Institute and, subsequently, in Paris with André L’Hote...

Estate stamped, verso, for VIctor Di Gesu (American, 1914-1988) and created circa 1955. Winner of the Prix Othon Friesz, Victor di Gesu first attended the Los Angeles Art Center and...

Moroccan Dancer by Georges Manzana Pissarro (1871-1961) Watercolour, coloured crayon and pencil 26.3 x 20.2 cm ( 10 ⅜ x 8 inches) Signed lower right, Manzana - Pissarro. Executed c...

Green Nude Woman's Torso in Watercolor on Paper Vibrant nude torso watercolor by artist David Stephens (American, 20th century). A nude woman with arms raised is shown against a viv...

This work clearly has homosexual overtones which in the mid-'40s was as daring as showing nudity. I am not sure if this was the artist's intention but the salesgirl and the model look identical and she signs it twice Shermond. Added to this is a strobe light effect where the model's image is partly replicated giving the impression of 2 figures. She's lost in thought pondering the notion of removing the bows and seeing the consequences. Meanwhile, the sales girls ( perhaps her alta ego - perhaps an admirer ) eggs her on. Caption: "You can always remove the bows if you think they're too fussy." Cover cartoon for unknown publication - Signed "Shermund" twice in the lower right image, dated on verso, and captioned in graphite in the lower margin. Original Matte and not framed - Barbara Shermund...

This work was intentionally torn and mended. It predates the artist's full immersion, years later into torn and re-pasted collages, using ripped previous drawings and paper-based materials from media. These recently discovered 1984 oversize drawings on archival papers were created working quickly, from a live model. The series shows the last existing observational drawings prior to the artist's switch to working with her non- dominant left hand. As a feminist, Anastasi's main focus is presenting other women. Unlike the often objectified male gaze...