FRANKLIN, Mass. – An original oil on board abstract floral painting by artist Cy Twombly and works attributed to Claude Monet, Fernando Botero and Massimo Campigli are just a few of the highlights in Woodshed Art Auctions’ internet-only Private Collection Discoveries auction. Live bidding begins on Thursday, December 28th, at 5 pm Eastern, at www.woodshedartauctions.com.

Other artists in the auction read like a who’s-who in fine art: Edward Moran, Hans Hofmann, Andy Warhol, Lee Krasner, William Merritt Chase, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Sam Francis, Henri-Theodote Fantin-Latour, Guy Carleton Wiggins, Pablo Picasso, Antoni Tapies, Leonard T. Foujita, Adolph Gottlieb, Robert Motherwell, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Philip Guston and others.

The 133 lots include Impressionist and Modern Master drawings and paintings from European, South American and North American private collections and estates. The abstract work by Cy Twombly (Am., 1928-2011) is the expected top lot, with an estimate of $150,000-$250,000. The signed oil painting is sumptuous and lush, showing off Twombly’s fascination with floral motifs.

The oil and gouache painting attributed to Claude Monet (Fr., 1840-1926), titled Les Nymphaes (Water Lilies) carries a pre-sale estimate of $40,000-$60,000. The unframed work, measuring 8 ¼ inches by 11 inches, is signed lower left. It is stamped verso Collection Forestal, Nice (France) and also comes with a certificate of inspection from the Art Collectors Group in Luxembourg.

The oil on paper attributed to the Colombian figurative artist and sculptor Fernando Botero (b. 1932) is titled En El Parque (In the Park) and is artist-signed lower left and dated (“94”). The 11 ¾ inch by 16 ½ inch painting depicts a couple enjoying an outdoor picnic in the countryside. It is painted in Botero’s signature style, which he calls Boterismo. It’s estimated at $20,000-$30,000.

The oil on laid paper (adhered to illustration board) attributed to Massimo Campigli (It., 1895-1971), titled Three Women Descending the Stairs, is expected to realize $40,000-$60,000. The work is signed lower left and measures 28 inches by 15 inches framed. Campigli was a member of the Paris Italians artist group. He’s best known for his pale, fresco-like paintings of women.     

An oil on canvas work attributed to Cuban-born artist Wilfredo Lam (1902-1982), titled Femme, signed upper right and inscribed verso, has an estimate of $80,000-$120,000. The painting is housed in a lovely three-inch gold frame with a black liner. Lam was born in Havana, fought for the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War and became friends with Pablo Picasso in Paris.

Some of the artworks in the sale are attributions, but others are originals. Examples include an oil on canvas marine rendering by Edward Moran (Br./Am., 1829-1901), titled A Shipwreck, signed and dated 1860 (est. $20,000-$30,000); and an oil on canvas snowy streetscape by Guy Carleton Wiggins (Am., 1883-1962) titled The Cotton Club, signed front and back (est. $60,000-$80,000).

An oil on linen signed by William Merritt Chase (Am., 1849-1916), also an original, a plein air seacoast landscape of Shinnecock Hills, N.Y., where he taught outdoor classes, has an estimate of $80,000-$120,000. An unframed cabaret portrait attributed to Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (Fr., 1864-1901), showing a woman with rouged lips and festive attire, should bring $30,000-$50,000.

An untitled abstract black and white oil painting attributed to Sam Francis (Am., 1923-1994), signed lower left and measuring 22 ½ inches by 21 inches in the frame, is expected to gavel for $20,000-$30,000; while a still life oil on canvas attributed to Henri-Theodore Fantin-Latour (Fr., 1805-1872), titled Bouquet de fleurs, in an ornate gold leaf frame, should hit $35,000-$50,000.

A Pablo Picasso lithograph on paper titled Young Spanish Peasant, signed and dated in the stone (23/970), number 850 from an edition of 2,500, 33 ¾ inches by 28 inches framed, is expected to fetch $3,000-$5,000; and a mixed media abstract collage painting on canvas attributed to another Spaniard, Antoni Tapies (1923-2012), signed and framed, is estimated to bring $30,000-$50,000.

A watercolor and India ink on paper attributed to Leonard Tsuguharu Foujita (Jap./Fr., 1886-1968), titled Cat, signed and dated with a Japanese inscription, should sell for $12,000-$16,000. An untitled abstract oil on canvas composition attributed to Robert Burns Motherwell (1915-1991), possibly a study for a Spanish Civil War series painting, should garner $40,000-$60,000.

An oil on canvas attributed to Adolph Gottlieb (Am., 1903-1974), untitled (Blast Painting), signed lower left and with evidence of an underpainting on the reverse, carries an estimate of $25,000-$35,000. Also, an untitled (Skeleton Head) oil on canvas attributed to Jean-Michel Basquiat (Am., 1960-1988), unframed and signed upper right, should make $60,000-$80,000.

An untitled (Hooded Figures Driving) oil on canvas attributed to Philip Guston (Can., 1913-1980), depicting hooded figures driving through an industrial or otherworldly landscape, has an estimate of $40,000-$60,000. Also, an abstract oil painting attributed to Hans Hofmann (Germ./Am., 1880-1966), signed lower margin and in a frame, should finish at $20,000-$30,000.

An unframed mixed media drawing on paper, done in the manner of Andy Warhol (Am., 1928-1984), titled Cow, signed in pencil front and back and with a COA from Bonnier Art Services in France, is estimated at $40,000-$60,000. Also, an untitled abstract expressionist oil on canvas painting by Lee Krasner (Am., 1908-1984), signed and framed, should reach $40,000-$60,000.

Woodshed Art Auctions is a family-owned art gallery specializing in oil painting restoration and live and online art auctions, celebrating its 50th anniversary. The firm is always accepting quality artworks for future auctions. To inquire about consigning a single piece or an entire collection, you may call Bruce Wood at 508-533-6277; or, e-mail him at bruce@woodshedartauctions.com.

For more information about Woodshed Art Auctions and the December 28th online-only Private Collections Discoveries auction, please visit www.woodshedartauctions.com.

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