This circa 1960s “Self Portrait,” a mixed media collage with photobooth strip by Joe Brainard (American, 1942-1994), 13¾ by 10¾ inches, hung for $3,750 ($3/5,000).
Review by Carly Timpson
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Marking its first sale of 2025, Vallot Auctioneers conducted a 185-lot Estate Fine Art + Design auction on February 20. The sale, which featured “200 years of art, design and craft from around the world,” was predominantly sourced from a New York City estate and other established collections, and it had an 86 percent sell-through rate by lot. Gwen Morris, assistant auctioneer, shared “We were fairly happy with the results, pretty encouraged with how things went and pleased to see some unexpected lots do well too.”
A Brooklyn, N.Y., estate consigned several lots of books, including a few rare first editions. The top lot of the auction, a copy of Lord of the Flies, was from this selection. William Golding’s 1954 novel about survival and civility, published by Faber and Faber Limited in London, posted a $4,128 result, besting its modest estimate of just $500/800. From the same collection came three editions of The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. One of these was a first edition, first printing, published by Little, Brown and Company, Boston, in 1951. Another was an early book club edition by the same publisher, and the third was published by Grosset & Dunlap, New York City. These editions sold together for $3,575.
While there was hot competition for good books, the majority of the top lots were art. Achieving $3,900, the sale’s second-highest price, was a cast bronze sculpture of a “Seated Woman” by Chana Orloff. Depicted in a chair with her legs crossed at the ankles, the figure was signed and dated “1960” at the base, beside the chair.
Made around the same time, though very different in style, a circa 1960s “Self Portrait” by Joe Brainard closed for $3,750. Brainard’s mixed media collage featured a photobooth strip with two images of the artist surrounded by colorful designs.
Earning the top price overall was this copy of William Golding’s (British, 1911-1993) Lord of the Flies, published in 1954 by Faber and Faber, Ltd., London. It rose far beyond its $500/800 estimate to achieve $4,128.
With a high estimate of just $800, an archive of 33 issues of The Thing Quarterly shipped off for $3,125. According to the Getty Museum website, “The Thing was a quarterly periodical in the form of an object that ran from 2007 to 2017. Each year, four artists, writers, musicians or filmmakers were invited by the editors (Jonn Herschend and Will Rogan) to create an everyday object that somehow incorporated text.” This collection included issues 2 through 34, all opened but in their original boxes, and several non-issue publications from The Thing.
Morris reported, “We were surprised to see it run like that, but it really was pretty amazing. They were all just in the closet of the consignor and it was a really remarkable find.” One of the notable inclusions was issue 20, a 24-hour wall clock by Tauba Auerbach.
A 2008 serigraph print of former First Lady Michelle Obama by Mickalene Thomas topped off at $2,952. “Michelle O.,” was number eight in an edition of 40 and was signed and dated at the bottom. Another print, this one an untitled inkjet image of two forearms and hands by Shirin Neshat, Izhar Patkin and Rafael Fuchs, grabbed $2,875. The two limbs, photographed in black and white, were detailed with a different black pattern. The print was numbered “28/100” on the bottom left and signed by all three artists in the margins.
“Michele O.,” by Mickalene Thomas (American, b 1971), 2008, serigraph, 28 by 23 inches framed, generated $2,952 ($3/5,000).
Three artworks by Trevor Winkfield sold together for $2,706. Morris said, “We sold two pieces by him in a previous auction, from the same collection, so we lotted these together, not expecting the results, but were really encouraged. The mushroom was such a unique medium. We found out it’s called an ‘artist’s bracket,’ which is actually commonly used, and artists would sgraffito onto it.” The mushroom, which depicted a man in acrylic, measured 4 by 5¼ inches and was signed and dated “Jan 1981” on the reverse where it was fixed with a hook for hanging. The other works in the lot included the 1978 “Study For ‘Flag,’” an acrylic and cut paper collage measuring 15½ by 19½ inches framed. The work was titled, signed, dated and inscribed on the reverse. Lastly was the acrylic on canvas “Harlequin Skull.” Measuring 12 by 12 inches, the painting was signed and dated “June 2006” on the reverse.
One work that particularly impressed Morris and the folks at Vallots was “African American Women in Historical Dress” by father-and-daughter duo Leon and Molly Bee Collins. According to Morris, “there are not many results for the Texas-based duo. It was fun to learn about them, and interesting to see how well it did.” Estimated just $300/500, the painting did much better, achieving $2,375.
Of the consignors, Morris told us, “With the exception of the top four lots [the books, Orloff sculpture and Brainard work], all of the top lots came from a New York City estate. He was an eclectic collector of contemporary art and was aesthetically driven. Everything was hung on the walls or displayed out on the coffee table — they definitely lived among the art.”
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For additional information, www.vallots.com or 401-273-1618.
