Soulis Auctions’ 26th Annual Spring Fine Art Auction
Thursday June 6 at 6pm • Friday June 7 at 12 noon
LiveAuctioneers.com/catalog/324083

LONE JACK, MO. — Midwest auction houses can be a little like America itself when it comes to their fine art offerings. A melting pot of sorts, they often combine material from consignors on both coasts with that of clients to the north and south and blend it all with works by Midwest regionalists. That’s certainly the case with Soulis Auctions and its 26th annual spring art auction roster.

The two-day event to be conducted on June 6 and 7 blossoms first in black and white with a collection of American art photography from a Fort Collins, Colo., living estate. The highlights include shots from out West by the master, Ansel Adams (1902-1984). Two images, “Mount Williamson, Sierra Nevada” and “Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite,” printed circa 1950 and 1960, respectively, though the images were actually shot much earlier, carry estimates of $20/30,000 and $40/60,000. They and every other piece in the collection are accompanied by outstanding provenance, including two images from the collection of the iconic American fashion and portrait photographer Richard Avedon.

The spring auction lineup goes from grayscale to the striking black and lithographs of Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975). The collection of 15 prints is headlined by the scarce triumvirate of large-format, low edition lithographs from the 1930s titled “Jesse James” (10/15,000), “Huck Finn” ($8/12,000) and “Frankie and Johnnie” ($8/12,000). Each image was inspired by Missouri lore, whether literature or oral tradition, sometimes shared in the form of folk songs, a concept Benton appreciated and drew upon frequently. He was known to play a pretty mean harmonica.

The selection extends to Europe and a rare bronze by French sculptor Aristide Maillol (1861-1944), fresh from a trip to Paris for authentication, where she spent two nerve-racking weeks stuck in customs due to a paperwork snafu. The prodigal bronze, signed and numbered one of six, returned with a certificate of authentication from the president of the Dina Vierny Foundation. It’s estimated at $15/20,000.

And like the Wizard of Oz, everything turns to technicolor with a selection of paintings that includes a 1912 oil by Kansas artist Birger Sandzen (Swedish/American, 1871-1964). This landscape with a twilight moon over water was found in a Kansas City basement after the passing of a woman who had been married to a man many years her senior. It was an heirloom from his side and a complete surprise to the family as it is expected to realize $60/80,000.

Texas crude has been called black gold. In Texas paintings, Blue Bonnets are, you guessed it, blue gold. Anything with the state flower brings a premium, and a Randy Payton (b 1958) 24-by-36-inch oil on canvas paved in bluebonnets is sure to please at $3/6,000. Other views out West include an unusual Taos area view with an adobe structure in fall landscape by Alfred Wands (1904-1998) at $3/5,000.

In the Upper Midwest, and far beyond, Aaron Bohrod (1907-1992) is well known for his unique trompe-l’oeil style and magic realism. He blends both of these in the masterwork “Still Life ’52 Anatomy of a Horse.” The 30-by-24-inch oil is a feast for the eyes, offering countless delightful experiences of visual trickery ($12/18,000).

Also hailing from the state of Illinois, and a number of other Midwest locales, was the farmer/folk artist Alfred Montgomery (1857-1922), famous for painting bountiful still life compositions of corn. In his paintings with corn, Montgomery detailed each kernel in high impasto. But here, the subject is a rare still life with apples. This deviation is sure to catch the eye of collectors at $2/4,000.

A staff pick is the dairy country genre scene by New York illustration artist Peter Helck (1893-1998). This 21-by-22-inch slice of Americana features the ubiquitous and iconic Chevrolet Advanced Design model trucks, so prevalent after the war. The trio of Chevy truck models is seen hard at work on an idyllic, sunny family farm, circa 1950. Obviously intended for advertising, no connection to a published ad has been found. Peter Helck’s renown includes an annual honor in his name awarded for accomplishments in automotive illustration ($5/7,000).

Second in command in the sculpture category, or it could make the top spot, is a model by Chicago artist Wheeler Williams, best known for his public installations. This unique 11-by-14-inch original, hand-sculpted work, or maquette, in terracotta is accompanied by a book by the artist inscribed, “To Tom McLaughlin from a fellow balloonitic of World War I.” The two had served together in the US Balloon Corps in World War I. The sculpture and books were a gift, descended through the McLaughlin family and offered here with an estimate of $2/3,000. No record of an original terracotta work by Williams could be found.

This year the spring auction will begin with an internet-only evening session, June 6, of paintings, prints and posters beginning at 6 pm central time. The following day, a live session begins on Friday, June 7, at noon with photography, paintings, prints, sculpture and modern design.

Soulis Auctions is at 529 West Lone Jack Lees Summit Road. For information, 816-697-3830 or www.soulisauctions.com.

Live Auction with Telephone, Internet and Absentee Bidding. Seamless, In-House Nationwide Shipping
Illinois Artist John Thomas Nolf (1872 -1950) Oil on Canvas Paintings
Aaron Bohrod (1907 – 1902) ‘Anatomy of A Horse’ Oil on Gesso Panel
Alan Shields (1944 – 2005) Mixed Media Multiple
Henry Moore (1898 – 1986) Pencil Signed Etching
Continental School Full Length Portrait Circa 1910
Aristide Maillol (1861-1944) Bornze Le Petite Mediterranee 1902 with marks of Alexis Rudier Fondeur Paris and Letter of Authentication
A Half Plate Gold Rush Mining Scene Daguerreotype
Alfred James Wands (1904-1998) Large Oil
Fine and Rare Moser Enameled Cranberry Glass Candelabra
Grant Wood (1891-1942) Pencil Signed Lithographs
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) Clearing Winter Storm. Signed in Pencil, Early 1960s Carmel Stamp Before Zip Code
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) Mount Williamson from Manzanar Circa 1950s. San Francisco Studio Stamp
A Large and Noteworthy Collection of Ludwig Moser Art Glass. Session I
Fifteen Thomas Hart Benton (1 889-1975) Pencil Signed Lithographs
Charles Baldwyn for Royal Worcester
Eric Sloane (1905 – 1985) Oil on Board for Abercrombie & Fitch
Brett Weston (1911 – 1993). Dunes and Clouds, Shoshone
Dael Reed (1894-1985) Oil on Canvas
Grand Tour Bronze Casting of Laocoon And His Sons
Birger Sandzen (1871 – 1954) Oil on Canvas 1917
Birger Sandzen (1871 – 1954) Oil on Canvas 1892
Erte Romain de Tirtoff (1892-1990) Costume Design for Le Orient Merveilleux 1917. One of Four
Irving Penn (1917-2009) Selenium-toned Silver Print ‘Lion Three Quarter View’
Jean Beauduin (1851-1916) Oil on Canvas
Wheeler Williams ( 1897 – 1972) Unique Original Clay Sculpture 1947
John Steuart Curry (1897 – 1946) Study on Paper
Professor Pattarino Terra Cotta Medusa
John Thomas Nolf (1872 – 1950) Oil on Canvas
Reginald Marsh (1898 – 1954) Portrait of Critic Grace St. John Brenon
Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002). Georgia O’Keefe 1956
Peter Heick (1893 – 1988) Original Illustration
Rufino Tamayo (Mexican, 1899-1991) Lithograph
Rare Alfred Montgomery (1857- 1922) One of Two
Martin Lewis (1881-1962) Etchings
Modern Design
Scandinavian and Italian Art Glass
Rene Magritte (1898 – 1967) Pencil Signed Etching
R&Y Augousti London
Randy Peyton (Born 1958) Oil on Canvas
Robert Motherwell (1915 – 1991) Pencil Signed Lithograph
Robert O. Beach (1923 – 2005) Oil on Canvas 1970
John Nathaniel Fenton (1912 -1977)
816-697-3830 • Bidding Catalog at LiveAuctioneers.com/catalog/324083