Fine Art Auction including Art Glass, Ceramics and Decorative Arts

Fuller's Fine Art Auctions will POP onto the art market this Spring with paintings, prints and sculpture by American icons Andy Warhol, Alex Katz, Tom Wesselmann, Alexander Calder and Robert Indiana. Among Fuller's top lots are a numbered and signed Warhol screenprint, Northwest Coast Mask from "Cowboys and Indians"($8,000-10,000), a 2006 Alex Katz oil on board titled Study for Corinne ($10,000-$15,000), Katz's color screenprint on aluminum, Anne ($12,000-18,000), and a Wesselmann Maquette for Dropped Bra ($12,000-18,000).

On May 8, 2010 collectors will have the opportunity to acquire an original Norman Rockwell painting, Portrait of Chief Petty Officer LeRoy Evans($30,000-40,000). During WWI, LeRoy Evans served in the Navy with Rockwell in Charleston, South Carolina. When Evans first met Rockwell, the artist was reputed to be a house painter, and was digging postholes. Evans mentioned to Rockwell that it must be rough work on the hands of a painter. Rockwell corrected Evans, explaining that he was an illustrator, and agreed it was indeed rough on his hands. A compassionate superior, Evans reassigned the young artist to a job in the camouflage department in the last days of 1917. In gratitude, Rockwell painted Evans' portrait. Evans never saw Rockwell again, but his family eventually contacted the artist. This painting will be sold with Rockwell's letter to Evans' descendants dated March 16, 1971 on his stationery in which he recollects painting the portrait. In addition to being reproduced in Moffatt's catalogue raisonné (P33, page 977), the Portrait of Chief Petty Officer LeRoy Evans is mentioned in Rockwell's autobiography, My Adventures as an Illustrator.

Fuller's Spring sale features an oil painting by one of the most successful British artists of the late Nineteenth century, Walter Dendy Sadler. Sadler's work was immensely popular during his lifetime, and often reproduced.  The Old, Old Song ($10,000-$15,000) is a variation of subject-matter favored by the artist in which he satirically depicted Regency dining room scenes illustrative of the follies of men. This particular dining room scene was reproduced as an etching in 1920 by L.H. Lefevre of London.

Also appearing on Fuller's auction block is a platinum-palladium print, Sculptor's Model, Paris, 1950, ($20,000-30,000) by renowned Vogue photographer, the late Irving Penn. This print was created during the period in which Penn produced a series of female nudes focused exclusively on the figure's torso. In pristine condition, the print is pencil signed, initialed, titled, dated, and numbered "29/35".

Fuller's spotlights two works by American-born sculptor, Sir Jacob Epstein. A bronze (circa 1908 ) by the artist entitled First Portrait of Euphemia Lamb($6,000-10,000) and a recently rediscovered 1932 alabaster sculpture, Chimera ($5,000- 7,000) are anticipated to draw bidders internationally. This sculpture in alabaster is one of three created that year at his studio at "Deerhurst", Loughton, in Epping Forest, around the time that his carving style converged with that of his friend and colleague, Henry Moore.

A reclining nude sculpture, Tranquility, by Modernist, William Zorach is expected to bring $15,000-20,000. Created in 1954 of German silver, this work comes from the estate of the artist.

A rare selection of ceramics from the late 1950s is available by artist Kenneth Price ($3000-5000). Bennett Bean is likewise well represented with an assortment of six pit fired and painted earthenware vessels estimated from $800-1200 to $1800-2400. In addition, Fuller's presents four lots of art glass by Richard Marquis & Ro Purser from the 1980s (from $500-700 to $700-900), when they collaborated to form Noble Effort Studio. Therman Statom's painted glass house is a solid cast glass sculpture with his trademark colorful drawings. Unusual early glass by local artists, Roland Jahn ($250-350) and Steven Tobin ($150-250), are also included in this auction. Decorative arts include porcelain by Sherle Wagner, a laminate tulip table by Eero Saarinen for Knoll, and a selection of sterling and silver plate flatware and tableware.

Preview:  Saturday, May 1, 12 Noon - 6 pm and
Monday, May 3 through Friday, May 7, Noon - 6 pm

Preview Reception: Thursday, May 6, 5-8 pm

Day of Sale: Doors open May 8, at 9 am, Auction begins at 12 Noon

Fuller's will accept telephone line requests and absentee bids until Noon on Friday, May 7.  Real-time online bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.com beginning at Noon on Saturday, May 8, 2010.  Advance registration is required. Principal Auctioneer is Jeffrey P. Fuller, President of Jeffrey Fuller Fine Art, Ltd. since 1979 and an Accredited Senior Appraiser of the American Society of Appraisers since 1984.

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