Brunk Auctions
Live Auction

American & Southern | May 30, 2025

Fri, May 30, 2025 10:00AM EDT
  2025-05-30 10:00:00 2025-05-30 10:00:00 America/New_York Brunk Auctions Brunk Auctions : American & Southern | May 30, 2025 https://live.brunkauctions.com/auctions/brunk/american-southern-may-30-2025-17404
The month of May ends with our Premier Auction of American furniture, paintings, and decorative arts. Important artists include A.T. Bricher, Worthington Whittredge, Winfred Rembert, Andrew Melrose, Gunnar Widforss, and others. Of Southern interest is a museum exhibited W. A. Walker, a double sided panel by Key West folk artist Mario Sanchez, two works by Alice Ravenel Huger Smith, Southern pottery from the Ackland Art Museum, and more. A Connecticut Queen Ann bonnet top high chest, Tiffany, Arts & Crafts and mixed metal silver, weathervanes, and many other categories round out the sale.
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Lot 1225

Mario Sanchez

Estimate: $30,000 - $50,000
Starting Bid
$15,000

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

(Cuban-American, 1908-2005)

Pee-Roo-Lee Man and Polka Dots, double sided, Pee-Roo-Lee-Man recto and completed, Polka Dots verso and unfinished, 1974, signed and titled lower right recto "The Pee-Roolee Man/Mario Sanchez", carved and polychrome painted wood-relief plaque, 27-3/4 x 11-1/4; integral plywood frame, 28-3/4 x 12-1/4 x 1-1/4 in. 

Provenance: The Gallery on Greene, Key West, Florida, 2013; Private Florida Collection

Note:Mario Sanchez was a Cuban-American folk artist from the Key West cigar-making neighborhood known as "Gato's Village". Self-taught, Sanchez began working artistically in 1930 on media like paper bags and cedar wood boards. His sketches and intaglio works project a unique vision that is playful, nostalgic and rooted to the experience of community, especially in Key West and Tampa, Florida.

Sanchez received one-man exhibitions in major museums including New York’s American Folk Art Museum, The Museum of the City of New York, Bacardi Museum, and Cuba’s National Museum of Fine Art. He has work in the collections of the Smithsonian, The Whitney, and The American Folk Art Museums as well as many private collections in Florida and across the country.

The Pee-Roo-Lee-Man is a common character found in Mario's landscapes. "Pee-Roo-Lee" stands for the Spanish term pirulí, similar to 'lollipop' in English. Pirulí is a Cuban homemade candy commonly sold by vendors on the street. The Pee-Roo-Lee-Man, or Piruliero is has widely become a nostalgic symbol for simple pleasures. 

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The Gallery on Greene, Key West, Florida, 2013; Private Florida Collection

crisp carvings with varied surface finishes and textures, drip spot in sky verso, some abrasions and surface dirt; frame separating at corners, flaking Note - Brunk Auctions makes every effort to offer accurate and thorough information, but encourages prospective bidders to inspect items in person whenever possible. Condition statements are provided as a courtesy for general guidance and should not be considered complete or definitive. They do not represent a warranty or assumption of liability by Brunk Auctions. Certain condition issues may not be specifically noted in the report but may be visible in the accompanying photographs, which are considered part of the overall condition report. Please refer to our Terms of Sale for complete information and contact us for additional photos or information as needed.