James Cox Gallery – Collectors Fine Art Exchange Auction
Sunday, May 22, 2022
4666 State Route 212, Willow, NY 12495
www.jamescoxgallery.com
info@jamescoxgallery.com
845-679-7608

WILLOW, N.Y. — James Cox Gallery at Woodstock has slated another of its popular online only auctions for Sunday, May 22, beginning at 1 pm.

An eclectic group of more than 200 paintings, works on paper, sculpture and photographs will be offered at the sale, which gallerist James Cox described as “a remarkably diverse array of high-quality artwork.” Paintings and works on paper by many renowned Woodstock artists will be featured in the sale, as well as examples of midcentury lithographs and a group of woodblock prints by Nineteenth Century Japanese artists.

The spring sale will also include more than 50 pieces from the estate of esteemed collector Marcuse “Cusie” Pfeifer, whose Manhattan gallery featured some of the world’s finest photographers. Included in this group are such well-known names as Sasha Stone, Lilo Raymond, Heinz Hajek-Halke, Erwin Blumenfeld, Edward Curtis and Peter Hujar. Several important books from Pfeifer’s personal library will also be on the auction block. A limited edition of Steichen – the Photographer by Carl Sandburg is of particular note since it is autographed by both the subject and the author, while a rare volume featuring the work of Eugene Atget includes an autographed portrait of Atget by a colleague of the photographer Berenice Abbott.

In addition to the rich selection of photographs from the Pfeifer estate, prints and paintings from a prominent Woodstock collection will also be offered. Works on paper by Woodstock artists Doris Lee, Lucile Blanch, James Turnbull, Emil Ganso, Julio de Diego, Marion Greenwood and Margaret Lowengrund will be included. Two paintings from this collection are of particular note. A palette knife painting by Ethel Magafan featuring white bed sheets drying in the breeze is “an example of Magafan’s interest in simple, domestic subject matter,” Cox observed.

“January Thaw” by Harvey Emrich, a late winter landscape, depicts a small herd of cattle huddled next to a barn set against a background of towering mountains. A bird in flight silhouetted as a bright note against the grey barn, and reflections in the melting snow combine to make this image what Cox described as the sale’s “showstopper.”

Japanese woodblock prints are another prominent feature of the upcoming sale and include works by Hiroshige, Kunisada and Yoshiiku. “We are proud to present such an elegant group of images by these master printmakers,” Cox remarked.

A lithograph of one of Salvador Dali’s famous melting clock series is among a group of midcentury art in the sale, including works on paper by Esteban Vicente, Yaacov Agam, Victor Vasarely and Rolph Scarlett.

Cox cited a painting by John Pike as another notable piece in the sale. “The Old Swimming Hole” depicts children playing at a favorite swimming spot in Woodstock, now known as Big Deep. As small children frolic in a beautiful sylvan setting, their mother relaxes in the shade, reading a book. “This is a charming and unusual subject for Pike,” Cox noted.

Works by Anton Otto Fischer and John Bentley are among a selection of oil paintings offered in the upcoming sale. The subject of the Fisher is an historic house once owned by artist Peggy Bacon and later by Woodstock historian Alf Evers. The subject is distinguished by a cascade of white wisteria that frames the entryway to the home. The John Bentley is a unique example of this artist’s work, according to Cox. Composed with a low horizon and a limited palette, the stark simplicity of the subject matter, a barn with a towering smokestack set against a mountain background, is a departure from Bentley’s typical landscapes.

Work from artist estates represented by the James Cox Gallery includes a historical painting by James Chapin. It depicts the infamous Scottsboro trial, which took place in 1931 Jim Crow Alabama and involved nine black teens who were falsely accused of raping two white women. “These images are especially arresting during these turbulent times,” Cox observed.

Other gallery estate artists include Margery Ryerson and Elaine Wesley. In addition, artists familiar to James Cox Gallery auction buyers will once again be featured, including Ronald Searle, W.R. Locke, Albert Pels and popular childrens’ book illustrators Alice and Martin Provensen. Self-taught artist and Russian émigré Joseph Garlock always attracts enthusiastic bidders at the Cox auctions. Three of his pieces will be offered, including an arrangement of pet parakeets, “a particularly fine example of Garlock’s unique style,” according to Cox.

The public is invited to preview the auction at the James Cox Gallery, at 4666 State Route 212. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Friday 10 am to 5 pm and weekends noon to 5 pm. For information, www.jamescoxgallery.com or 845-679-7608.

Including pieces from the Estate of Marcuse “Cusie” Pfeifer. First call for consignments.

Lot 165 : Louis Lozowick
$1,500 – $2,000
Lot 76: Salvador Dali
$600 – $800
Lot 119 : Erwin Blumenfeld
$4,000 – $6,000
Lot 101 : Ethel Magafan
$800 – $1,200
Lot 167 : John Pike
$2,000 – $2,500
Lot 184: Hiroshige
$400 – $600
Lot 160: Peter Hujar
$2,000 – $3,000
Lot 186: Rolph Scarlett
$1,000 – $2,000
Lot 100 : Robert Henri
$15,000 – $20,000
Lot 140: James Chapin
$5,000 – $7,000
Lot 128: Vanessa Bell
$1,500 – $2,000
Lot 172: Joseph Garlock
$1,000 – $1,500
Lot 146: Harvey Emrich
$3,000 – $4,000
Lot 161: Elaine Wesley
$3,000 – $5,000
Lot 175: Meissen Pottery
$300 – $500
Margery Ryerson
Konrad Cramer
Mary Anna Goetz
Doris Lee
Lilo Raymond
Ronald Searle
Charles Rosen
Sasha Stone
Philippe Lejeune
Lucille Blanch
Peter Max
Julio De Diego
Adelphoi Zangaki
Gabriele Basilica
W.R. Locke
Olivia Parker
John W. Bentley
Lois Conner
Andrew Dasburg
Gisele Freund
Colette Hosmer
Ernest Frazier
Norma Morgan
Edward S. Curtis
Albert Pels
Carl Sandburg
James Turnbull
Richard Segalman
Jehudith Sobel
Anita M. Smith
Esteban Viscente
Reginald Wilson
Joan Myers
Thomas Zipp
Peter Peryer
Eugene Atget
Helen Hoffman
Petros Moraites
Max Yavno
Emory Landanyi
Heniz Hajek-Halke
Paul Arndt
Bolton Brown
Gwen Davies
Gio Ponti
Kiyoshi Saito
Victor Vasarely
Carl Walters
Harriet Tannin
George J. Stengel
Alexander Calder
Bruce North