$4,920
Josef Presser (American, 1907-1967) Orpheus or Oracle Unsigned. Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm), framed. Condition: Lined, minor cracks to paint surface. Exhibitions: Presser, Associated American Artists, Galleries, October 13-November 1, 1952, #13. Provenance: A New York collection, acquired from the artist. N.B. A letter from Agnes Hart Presser dated Jan. 6, 1975, describing the work as "an important Presser oil/ has an unusual history." According to the letter, it was painted in the 1940s from drawings made in Union Square and was first exhibited as Orpheus . In 1951 and 1952 it was greatly repainted in a more graphic and expressionistic manner and was exhibted at the Associated American Artist's Galleries in 1952 as Oracle , listed as #13 in the exhibition catalog (accompanying this lot). Various correspondence, including a letter from the artist appealing for financial patronage, also accompanies the lot.
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2015-05-29
