‘Golden Tondo B’ acrylic painting may earn top lot in Feb. 18 auction

CRANSTON, R.I. – The sizable fine art collection of Tamara and Norman Jay Bolotow, Esq. of Barrington, Rhode Island, which includes acrylic painting examples, albumen prints, pastel and watercolor paintings, will headline a 152-lot fine art auction on Saturday, Feb. 18th, by Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers, online and in the firm’s gallery at 63 Fourth Avenue in Cranston.

Pre-online bidding will be provided by the bid platforms LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, eBay and Auctionzip.com, along with Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers’ app available on GooglePlay and the Apple Store, or at bidlive.bruneauandco.com. In addition to live and internet bidding, phone and absentee (or left) bids will also be accepted.

A strong candidate for top lot of the auction is an acrylic painting by the Russian-born American artist Ilya Bolotowsky (1907-1982), titled Golden Tondo B (est. $20,000-$30,000). The acrylic painting is from Bolotowsky’s later career, after he was exposed to the work of Piet Mondrian (1872-1944). After 1940, Bolotowsky became renowned for his work in Geometric Abstraction.

An original albumen print by Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-1879), the British pioneer of the fine art photography movement (along with other Victorian-era artists), titled Outdoor Portrait of Mrs. Herbert Duckworth, carries a pre-sale estimate of $15,000-$25,000. Cameron started her career as a photographer at age 48, only after being given a camera as a present by her daughter.

A pastel and watercolor painting of a standing nude by the German-born American artist George Ehrenfried Grosz (1893-1959), depicting a woman stretching with her arms bent behind her head and wearing nothing but a black lace choker, is expected to sell for $15,000-$25,000. The work has been pencil signed by Grosz in the lower right hand corner and it still bears the estate stamp.

Expanding from the acrylic painting that highlights the sale is a charcoal, chalk and crayon drawing by contemporary American artist Terry Winters (NY, b. 1949, titled Dark Plants No. 5, 50 ¾ inches by 40 ¾ inches (framed). The drawing should breeze to $10,000-$15,000. The work exemplifies Winters’ abstract style in depicting botanicals and displays his nuanced approach to the process of painting and addresses his evolving concepts of spatiality.

A watercolor beach scene by Post-Impressionist painter Alice Schille (OH, 1869-1955), titled Bathers and showing a group of children playing on a beachfront, carries an estimate of $8,000-$12,000. Schille effectively incorporates a Post-Impressionist blue-pink sky, casting a reflection on the water. The painting is signed lower right and still retains its original Vose Galleries label.

A watercolor and tempera industrial painting by German artist Heinrich Kley (1863-1945), titled Interior of a Steel Mill, signed lower left, is expected to finish at $6,000-$9,000. The work is a fine example of Kley’s industrial art and exhibits early influences of mythological creatures, seen in his later pen-and-ink drawings. The painting shows satyrs and bats amidst flames and smoke.

A double-sided watercolor painting by the American Social Realist Reginald Marsh (NY/VT, 1898-1954), with one side titled On the Boardwalk and the other side titled Three Girls on a Street Corner, should knock down for $6,000-$9,000. The recto (front side) is dated (“1946”) in the lower right corner, while the verso (reverse side) is signed (“Marsh”) and dated (“1946”). The auction will feature seven works in total by Mr. Marsh: four paintings and three engravings.

A fine Art Deco bronze and ivory sculpture by the German-Austrian artist Ferdinand “Fritz” Preiss (1882-1943), titled Torch Dancer, 14 ½ inches tall, has a pre-sale estimate of $4,000-$6,000. The sculpture shows a nude woman with an arched back, balancing on one leg and holding two torches. It is mounted on a black onyx marble base and it is signed “F. Preiss.”

An abstract ceramic sculpture by American contemporary artist Viola Frey (CA, NY, 1933-2004), signed (“VF” and dated (“86”) on verso, should change hands for $3,000-$5,000. When viewed from a distance, the work depicts a face with hands raised and mouth open in a state of astonishment. When viewed up close, the subject’s mouth and left eye are formed from fish.

A rare mechanical bronze sculpture of a nude female dancer by Viennese artist Carl Kauba (1865-1922), of a nude female with arms outstretched and head tilted, wearing a gold tassel skirt, 11 inches tall, is estimated to sell for $2,000-$4,000. When wound, the skirt spins, lifting the tassels and revealing her body. The work is powered by a Technofix winding key mechanism.

To learn more about Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers and the fine art auction scheduled for Saturday, February 18th, starting promptly at 12 o’clock noon Eastern time, visit www.bruneauandco.com. To contact Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers via e-mail, send the e-mail to info@bruneauandco.com.