Artworks by Solomon, Miro and Chihuly Perform well in Ahlers & Ogletree Auctions held June 4th & 5th

A large oil and acrylic on canvas painting by Syd Solomon (American, 1917-2004) sold for $12,100; a glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly (American, b. 1941) realized $9,075; and a color lithograph on Arches paper by Joan Miro (Spanish, 1893-1983) changed hands for $6,655 in two days of auctions held June 4th and 5th by Ahlers & Ogletree, online and live at the firm’s gallery in Atlanta.

The June 4th event was a Modern & Contemporary Art & Design auction, one in which 420 lots came up for bid and grossed $551,216. The June 5th sale was titled Translucence: Contemporary Studio Art Glass, with 153 lots of studio art glass by noted artists, including many sculptures by Chihuly. In that auction, the gross was $192,511. All prices in this report include a 21 percent buyer’s premium.

The painting by Syd Solomon, titled Naturole (1974), was the top lot of Day 1 and the overall top achiever of the two days, easily breezing past its pre-sale estimate of $5,000-$7,000. The vibrant and colorful abstract work was impressive, at 48 inches by 59 ¾ inches (canvas, minus the frame), and was signed lower left, and signed, titled and dated to verso. Solomon’s work has been exhibited at The Guggenheim, The Whitney, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, and The Wadsworth Athenaeum.

Joan Miro’s color lithograph titled Le Belier Fleuri (The Flowery Ram) from 1971 was also a Day 1 hit, topping the high estimate by more than $2,000. The 21 ¼ inch by 30 ¼ inch (sheet, minus the frame) work was from the artist’s Derriere le Miroir series (No. 193-194) and was signed lower right and numbered (3/75) lower left. The publisher was Maeght (Paris). Joan Miro was a Catalan Spanish painter, sculptor and ceramist. Two museums in Spain are dedicated entirely to his work.

The glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly, titled Sunset Macchia (2008), was the top lot of Day 2. The 8-inch-tall creation, published by Portland Press and housed in an 11 ¾-inch-tall Plexiglas case, was signed (etched) to the side and inscribed (“PP08”) to the underside. The sculpture had a modest pre-sale estimate of $2,000-$4,000, but the final price was close to $10,000. Chihuly is a glass artist and entrepreneur. He is well known for his blown glass, "moving it into the realm of large-scale sculpture".

Following are additional highlights from the auction. Internet bidding was provided by Invaluable.com, LiveAuctioneers.com and Bid.AandOauctions.com. About 40 people attended the auctions in person.

An unframed and monumental acrylic on canvas painting by Lydia Okumura (Brazilian, b. 1948), titled Phenomenon (1985-87), brought $5,748 against a $1,000 high estimate. It was signed and dated lower right and measured a stout 50 ¼ inches by 148 inches. Okumura is known for her geometric abstractions. Her work is in the collections of the Pérez Art Museum in Miami, the Akron Art Museum in Ohio, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (N.Y.) and the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art in Japan.

A cast glass floral sculpture by Evelyn Dunstan (New Zealander, b. 1961), titled Conundrum 6 Contrary (2009), more than doubled its $2,400 high estimate to finish at $5,142. The work was artist signed, dated and titled to the underside, and cipher marked to the side of the foot. Evelyn Dunstan creates custom built delicate glass art and works from her home studio in Auckland, New Zealand.

A blown glass sculpture by Nancy Callan (Wash., b. 1964), titled Coloratura Cloud (2013), found a new home for $4,840, more than doubling the $2,000 high estimate. The work, on a metal base, had an overall height of 17 inches and was signed and dated to the underside. Callan mastered the traditional Venetian glassblowing techniques that are the foundation of her innovative work with line, pattern and color. Her sculptures have been exhibited at numerous art galleries throughout North America.

A large abstract acrylic on canvas painting by Jack Bosson (American, 20th century), titled Cholly Cave (1980), entered the auction with a mere $900 high estimate, but bidders pushed that to $4,538. The 66 inch by 73 ¼ inch (canvas, less the frame) was artist pencil signed, titled and dated to verso.

A pair of blown, cast and enameled glass and pastel sculptures by Tom McGlaughlin (American, 1934-2011), titled Rain Man and Head (2006), sold as one lot for $3,630, more than doubling the $1,600 high estimate. One was 16 inches, the other 14 ½ inches. Rain Man was signed and dated, with the model number to the underside. Head was artist signed, dated and titled to the underside.

Ahlers & Ogletree has three auctions planned for June and July, online and live in the Atlanta gallery. They are as follows:

- June 26th – The Collection of Alton Arnall Thomasson

- July 30th – Fine European Glass & Crystal

- July 31st – Summer Estates & Collections 

To learn more about Ahlers & Ogletree and the firm’s calendar of upcoming auctions, please visit www.aandoauctions.com. Updates are posted frequently. You can also follow Ahlers & Ogletree on social media, at Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.

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