Photography | Modern Art + Design Auction | October 20, 2023
Fri, Oct 20, 2023 09:00AM EDT
Live Auction
Lot 196
Important Fritz Bultman Painting
Estimate: $30,000 - $50,000
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
| $100 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $200 |
| $3,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,000 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
(New York/Louisiana, 1919-1985)
The Ancestress, 1954, signed with encircled monogram lower left "FB", oil and crayon on canvas, 72-1/4 x 35-3/4 in.; original parcel gilt gallery frame, 73-1/4 x 36-3/4 x 1-1/2 in.
Provenance: Private Collection
Exhibited: Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Paintings, Sculpture, Watercolors and Drawings January 12 - February 20, 1955;
Stable Gallery, New York, New York, Solo Exhibition, March, 1958;
The Isaac Delgado Museum of Art (later New Orleans Museum of Art), New Orleans, Louisiana (artist requested inclusion) October- December, 1959 (facsimiles of loan requests and documents accompany the lot)
Reference: https://issuu.com/edelmanarts/docs/fritz_bultman_the_missing_irascible
Note: In 1950, Fritz Bultman aligned himself with the group of New York School artists, nicknamed the "Irascibles," seventeen other artists who also signed a letter to the Metropolitan Museum of Art protesting the institution's conservative policies and predjudices concerning Modern art. He was and friend of Hans Hofmann and rented his apartment in Germany where he witnessed intolerance toward modern art and the persecution of artists with exhibitions of “Degenerate Art” preceeding WWII. Abstract artists went underground and eventually migrated to New York, Chicago, Black Mountain, and other locations in the United States, in what would define the New York School and subsequently, Abstract Expressionism.
This painting is described by Jeanne Bultman as a "very important painting from the 1950s. It is the only painting of that year that is outstanding."
Condition
some crackle in heavy impasto, some areas of cupping, small points of flaking mostly near or at edge at bottom; frame with wear
Purchased items will be available for pick up or shipping from our Asheville, North Carolina auction facility within ten business days of the auction will be assessed a storage fee of $5.00 per day, per item. Purchaser agrees that packing and shipping is done at the purchaser's risk and that the purchaser will pay in advance all packing expenses, materials, carrier fees and insurance charges. At our discretion, items will either be packed by an agent such as a packaging store or Brunk Auctions. Please allow two weeks for shipping after payment is received. Shipment of large items is the responsibility of the purchaser. We are happy to provide names of carriers and shippers if a purchaser so requests. Brunk Auctions will have no liability for any loss or damage to shipped items.
Private Collection
