FRANKLIN, Mass. – An oil on Masonite painting attributed to the French painter Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985) and a pen and brown ink drawing on laid paper done by the renowned Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) are just two examples in a star-studded lineup of fine art pieces to be sold in Woodshed Art Auctions’ 113-lot Prestige Collection sale ending September 20th.

The framed work attributed to Dubuffet, titled Le Voyageur, is signed and dated 1952, with the inscription “to Samuel Koontz”  written on the front and a Koontz Gallery (N.Y.) sticker on the back. It’s expected to sell for $80,000-$120,000. Dubuffet was a successful painter and sculptor who enjoyed a prolific art career in France and America. He founded the Art Brut movement.

Van Gogh, of course, needs no introduction. The drawing attributed to him, titled Landscape with Haystacks, is signed “Vincent” and bears the stamps of three collectors on the back. It may have been an early sketch for Van Gogh’s 1889 oil painting, Evening Landscape with Rising Moon. The 10 ½ inch by 14 14 ½ inch sketch, unframed, has an estimate of $80,000-$100,000.

The internet-only sale is already up and online, with all lots available for viewing and bidding, at www.woodshedartauctions.com, with online bidding available via Invaluable.com. Offered are artworks by some of the top names in impressionist, modern and post-war art – names such as Basquiat, Monet, Picasso, Chagall, Gauguin, Munch, Warhol, Lichtenstein, Rothko and Matisse.

Additional artists include Monet, Sam Francis, Joan Mitchell, Helen Frankenthaler, Antoni Tapies, Wilfredo Lam, Franz Kline, Egon Shiele, Gustav Klimt, Edgar Degas, Robert Crum and even Dr. Seuss. Also in the auction is a fine selection of autographs by political figures such as Adolf Hitler, Richard Nixon, Dwight D. Eisenhower, George Patton and Douglas MacArthur.

“Consignors to our September sale have amazed me,” said Bruce Wood, owner of Woodshed Art Auctions. “The list of what they’ve sent reads like a museum collection. So many pieces have been hidden away for decades – masterworks by the artists who shaped the Western world’s visual culture in the 20th century. And their influence continues today. It’s quite an assemblage.”

An untitled (Jesus) oil and acrylic on canvas painting attributed to Jean-Michel Basquiat (Am., 1960-1988), signed and dated 1981, measuring 41 ½ inches by 53 ¼ inches (framed), formerly in collections in Spain and Peru, could fetch a robust $200,000-$300,000; while an untitled acrylic on primed cotton canvas attributed to Russian-American artist Mark Rothko (1903-1970), also sizable at 54 ¼ inches by 30 ½ inches (framed), signed verso, should realize $80,000-$120,000.

A pair of gouache on paper paintings signed by Marc Chagall (Am./Fr./Russ., 1887-1985) each has a pre-sale estimate of $50,000-$70,000. One is titled Circus Acrobats and relates to The Blue Circus, an oil on canvas painted by Chagall in 1950 and owned by the Tate Museum in London. The other is titled Lovers (a common theme for Chagall). The Betrothed and the Eiffel Tower (circa 1913), in the Chagall Museum in Nice, France, is an excellent reference for this painting.

Two pen and ink drawings of the same model attributed to Henri Matisse (Fr., 1869-1954) also have identical estimates ($15,000-$20,000). One, titled Seated Woman Wearing a Hat, signed and dated 1936, is most likely a sketch for Matisse’s series of paintings similar to Draped Nude, painted the same year. The other drawing, titled Reclining Nude with Hat, is also presumed to be a sketch for Draped Nude; it is also signed and dated 1936. Both are 9 ½ inches by 7 ½ inches.

Andy Warhol (Am., 1928-1987) will make multiple appearances in the auction. A mixed media painting of the late Beatle George Harrison attributed to the pop art icon, signed front and back by Warhol and with a stamp on verso, should make $60,000-$80,000; while a silkscreen ink on synthetic silver polymer paint on canvas attributed to Warhol, titled Marilyn Monroe (Black on Silver), signed on the back in ball point pen, dated 1964, is expected to garner $40,000-$60,000.

A mixed media painting on paper attributed to Roy Lichtenstein (Am., 1923-1997), titled Still Life with Goldfish (circa 1972), signed front and back, is based on Henri Matisse’s Goldfish (1912), but also quotes Lichtenstein’s own Golf Ball (est. $40,000-$60,000). Also, a marker on paper drawing attributed to counterculture artist Robert Crumb (Am./Fr., b. 1943), titled Man in Orange Pants, artist signed and 6 ¾ inches by 8 ½ inches, has an estimate of $20,000-$25,000.

A study for the painting The Sick Child, signed by Edvard Munch (Norw., 1863-1944), depicts Johanne Sophie Munch, the artist’s older sister. The unframed tempera and gouache on medium weight bond paper should knock down for $40,000-$60,000. An oil and tempera on a sized linen canvas attributed to Paul Gauguin (Fr., 1848-1903), titled Tahitian Woman, installed in a new 13 ½ inch by 15 ½ inch frame under museum glass, carries a pre-sale estimate of  $50,000-$70,000.

A watercolor and ink drawing attributed to the legendary Pablo Picasso (Sp./Fr., 1881-1973), titled Bullfight, signed by Picasso and dated (3/3/1967), measuring 6 ¼ inches by 7 ¾ inches, unframed, carries a pre-sale estimate of $40,000-$60,000. Also, a watercolor, chalk and charcoal on bond paper signed by Edgar Degas (Fr., 1834-1917), titled Dancer, and accompanied by a certificate from the Art Collectors Group in Luxemburg, should command $40,000-$60,000.

An oil on canvas Abstract Composition attributed to Franz Josef Kline (Am., 1910-1962), done circa 1950 and signed by Kline, reputedly confiscated by the Russian government in the 1960s and later restituted to its owners after the breakup of the Soviet Union, should gavel for $70,000-$100,000; and a watercolor and gouache on paper attributed to Miguel Covarrubias (Am./Mex., 1904-1957), titled Party Scene, in a 21 ½ inch square frame, should sell for $10,000-$20,000.

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 September 20th online-only Prestige Collection auction, please visit www.woodshedartauctions.com.

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