Edgar Degas

Ukrainian Dancers By Edgar Degas

Circa 1899

Pierre Carrier-Belleuse 1851-1932 | French Danseuse Signed “Pierre Carrier-Belleuse” (lower right) Pastel on canvas Strikingly elegant, this extraordinary pastel by French impress...

Marc Chagall 1887-1985 Russian Musiciens sur fond multicolore (Musicians on a multicolored background) Signed 'Chag' (on the sleeve of the right figure); stamped with the signature 'Marc Chagall' (lower right) Tempera, gouache, colored ink and India ink and pastel on paper “The fact that I made use of cows, milkmaids, roosters and provincial Russian architecture as my source forms is because they are part of the environment from which I spring and which undoubtedly left the deepest impression on my visual memory of the experiences I have." - Marc Chagall Marc Chagall’s 1981...

James Tissot was among the most successful and critically acclaimed artists of the Victorian era. Although the artist is celebrated for his elegant scenes of fashionable life in Paris and London, this work is a fascinating rarity within his oeuvre. In this monumental pastel, Tissot depicts a prehistoric woman draped in a tiger skin, presented with a striking pose and heroic air. His delicate portraiture, combined with his fascination with conveying texture, demonstrates why he was one of the most revered artists of his generation, and La femme préhistorique illustrates the remarkable technique for which he was renowned. This work was completed in preparation for a series of works exploring the Old Testament undertaken by Tissot from 1899-1902 that remained unfinished at the time of his death. A portion of this series focused on illustrations of Adam and Eve, and among these sketches were images of a nude Eve partially draped in animal furs. Towards the end of his life, following his conversion to Catholicism, biblical subjects became important to the artist. A few years before this work was completed, Tissot embarked upon a highly ambitious group of nearly 300 watercolors illustrating the New Testament, presenting the illustrated epic in its entirety at the Paris Salon of 1894. Both of these series were a critical artistic departure for the artist, stemming from a desire to create works separated from his typical images of modern society. This pastel imagines Eve as the prototype of womanhood in the guise of a prehistoric woman. Tissot rarely painted the nude, and his skill as a draftsman highlights the figure's natural beauty, contrasting it with the stark landscape surrounding her. Although a study, this monumental work is incredibly well-finished and highly engaging, with the statuesque model commanding the majority of the canvas. Her pose is strong and theatrical, and she addresses the viewer with a direct, confident gaze. The imagined historical subject of this drawing is grounded by Tissot’s exceptional attention to detail. A master of conjuring an array of textures, Tissot showcased this ability in this work by juxtaposing many types of fabrics and natural elements within one composition. The tiger skin with which the woman partially covers herself was a favorite studio prop of Tissot’s, appearing in many of his most influential works from the period, including several paintings of his partner and favorite model Kathleen Newton. It, in particular, showcases the artist’s understanding of texture, yet it also serves as an exotic element that elevates the sensuality of the scene when placed against the woman’s bare skin. Born in 1836 in the port town of Nantes, Tissot traveled to Paris at the age of 20 in order to join the studios of Hippolyte Flandrin and Louis Lamothe. During this period, he became close with James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Edgar Degas and Edouard Manet, and the impact of these friendships is reflected in his portraits of modern life. Having enjoyed considerable success in Paris during the 1860s, Tissot fought in the Siege of Paris, and after the fall of the Commune in 1871, he went to London, where he stayed for the next ten years. He was met with incredible success there, and he also met the love of his life, Kathleen Newton, a divorcée, with whom he lived from about 1876 until her death in 1882. Today he is regarded among the great masters of Belle Époque painting, and his works can be found in important collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the National Gallery of Art, the Musée d’Orsay, the Tate Gallery and many others. This pastel remained in Tissot's private collection until his death in 1902 and is referenced in the posthumous 1902-3 valuation of Tissot's home at 64 avenue du Bois...

Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer 1865-1953 French Le fondeur de bronze Signed "Levy Dhurmer" (lower right) Pastel on paper French painter Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer was one of the leading artists of...

Attributed to Frank Weston Benson American 1862-1951 Portrait of a Young Woman Watercolor on paper Signed “F.W. Benson 1912” (lower right) This watercolor painting, entitled Port...

Sir Leslie Matthew Ward (aka Spy) 1851-1922 British Caricatures of Queen Victoria and Edward VII Charcoal on paper These satirical caricatures of Queen Victoria and Edward VII of...

Accompanied by certificate no. 2772163 from the artist's archives.

A drawing by Fernando Botero. "Dibujo a la Manera de Velasquez" is a portrait, charcoal and pastel on cardboard in an earth-tone palette by Latin American artist Fernando Botero. It is signed upper right, "Sobre Velazquez Botero -1-27-60 Para Rita. el recuerdo de uno payaso". Fernando Botero, best known for his voluptuously rotund human figures, was born in Medellín, Colombia on April 19, 1932. His father died when he was young, and he was raised by his mother, along with his two brothers. He attended a Jesuit school in Medellín and from the age of 12 to 14, he attended a matador training school. The bull fight became a recurring theme in Botero’s early work and while he was in his early teens, he sold his pictures of bull fights in front of the arena. By the time he was 16 years of age, Botero was working as an illustrator for the local magazine El Colombiano. He also began writing articles about art theory, one of which, entitled Picasso and Non-Conformity in Art, led to his expulsion from the Jesuit school for its endorsement of Cubism. One of Botero’s important early works, Woman Crying...

A sweeping view of Tallinn, Estonia by an unknown artist (20th Century). This detailed charcoal landscape drawing shows a panorama of the beautiful coastal city on the Baltic Sea, complete with small figures walking on a pier, boats in the harbor, and the iconic Alexander Nevsky...

Signed verso, 'George Wilburton Colby' (American, 1859-1922) and dated 1920. George Colby was a member of the old Art League and a life member of the Chicago Art Institute. After hi...

Alice Kent Stoddard 1885-1976 Sledders (circa 1950-1960) Black chalk on card Image Dimensions: 19.75 x 16 inches (50.2 x 40.6 cm) Framed Dimensions: 26.5 x 22.3 inches Signed lower...

Portrait of a Man with White Hair and Mustache in Pastel on Cardstock Portrait of a man by Honora Berg (American, 1897-1985). The man is looking directly at the viewer, with a neutral expression. He has white hair and a mustache, and is wearing a brown suit with a red tie. Signed "Honora Berg" in the bottom right corner. Stamp from Miller Fine Art on verso Acquired with a collection of the artist's work. Initialed and numbered "HB 117" on verso Unframed. Board size: 20"H x 15"W Honora Berg (American, 1897-1985) was an Abstract Expressionist and Bay Area Figurative School artist who studied at the San Francisco Art Institute with David Park, Elmer Bischoff and James Budd Dixon. Berg's friend Edith Truesdell — David Park's aunt — suggested a move to California in 1951 to study under Park. She exhibited at the 25th Annual Drawing, Print and Sculpture Exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 1961. Provenance, Estate of Honora Berg - David Carlson Gallery, Larry Miller...