BELTON, Mo. – A large, single-owner lifetime collection of significant artwork and other items dating from the Belle Epoque era up through World Wars I and II and the mid-20th century, to include original etchings, lithographs, woodcuts, engravings, war propaganda, Judaica, Art Deco, advertising, posters, original art, photos and more, are all being sold in an online-only auction.

It is an absolute auction (everything sells, regardless of price), conducted by Mayo Auction & Realty, with offices and a warehouse at 16513 Cornerstone Drive in Belton. All of the more than 550 lots in the auction are already online and ready for bidding, at the Mayo Auction & Realty website: www.AuctionbyMayo.com. Bidding will end with a staggered closing on March 24th.

The sale features original artwork by Roger Medearis, Boris Deutsch, Nahum Tschacbasov, Maurice Sendak, Sergei Senkin, Yefin Royak, folk artist Mose Tolliver, Alexander Exter, Ivan Kliun and more, plus etchings and engravings by Gordon Grant, E, Hubert Deines, Harry Sternberg, Fiske Boyd, Graciela Rodo Boulanger, John Taylor Arms and Umberto Romano.

While not all of the artists are household names, all were important contributors in their time and place. Most were born in the 1800s or early 1900s. All of them are long deceased and most of their creations have been artist-signed, either physically or on the plate. The more obscure names are the German, Polish and Austrian artists. Some are examples of Judaica (Jewish-related art).

The auction also features items such as a group of highly collectible Frankart Art Deco lamps, a Waylande Gregory original terra cotta sculpture, an artist’s proof of a John Lennon work signed by Yoko Ono, tickets to the Woodstock rock concert in 1969, a letter written by J. Edgar Hoover, a gorgeous Lalique centerpiece and a small Lalique perfume bottle, World Wars I and II propaganda posters and sperm whale teeth.

Certain to attract bidder interest is an original portfolio with 12 numbered lithographs by the artist Leo Haas (1901-1983), a Holocaust survivor who was sent to the ostensibly idyllic ghetto camp Theresienstadt, set up by the Nazis to fool the outside world into thinking its concentration camps were actually nice places. Haas’s paintings were rendered while he was a prisoner there.

Haas’s assignment: to paint pictures that would make life in Theresienstadt seem perfectly fine. Which he did, but he also began to secretly paint pictures that told the true story. He was arrested for smuggling atrocity propaganda abroad and was sent to Auschwitz and then to other labor and death camps, until being freed by American troops in 1945. He then moved to Czechoslovakia.

The Frankart Art Deco lamps include one depicting two figural nudes holding an 8-inch amber glass shade, 20 inches tall; one showing a nude gazing into a 5-inch rose glass bubble globe, 8 ½ inches tall; one of two nymphs guarding a skyscraper in amber glass, with a black finish, 13 inches tall; and one of a nude holding a round cylinder of frosted crackled glass with light within.

Maurice Sendak will feature one lot consisting of four original pencil studies on frosted acetate drawing paper, used as advertisement design storyboards for his now-famous “Hungry Birds” and “Wild Things” characters; and a signed print of Bill Clinton’s inauguration as President in 1993 with portraits of the First Family and other characters. It was Sendak’s only political poster.

In addition to artwork by Sendak, the sale also has about 20 books written and signed by him. Some are first-edition copies. Other books includes autobiographies written and signed by such luminaries as Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev. There is also a 1918 first-edition copy of Raggedy Ann and an unsigned copy of Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss.

The books category also features several books written and signed by author Norman Mailer, two autobiographies of astronaut Buzz Aldrin (both signed), a signed copy of Interview With a Vampire by Anne Rice, a signed copy of Stephen King's The Best American Short Stories, a 1931 Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec 10th loan exhibition catalog for the Museum of Modern Art, a first-edition copy of Steinbeck's classic The Grapes of Wrath, and anti-Semitic and racist books.

Original oil paintings by the Russian/American artist Nahum Tschacbasov (1899-1984) will include a 1952 work titled Harlequin, signed, gifted by the artist to Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio; a 1948 clown oil painting, artist signed; and a clown oil on board painting, signed.

Roger Medearis (1920-2001) is certain to be a hit with collectors, especially his original egg tempura oil panel work titled Vines and Stone (1947), signed by the artist and framed. Also from Medearis is one lot of five original drawings on thin vellum paper, signed and dated 1969-1971. Medearis was a student of Thomas Hart Benton.

World Wars I and II were an emotionally-charged time, and that is reflected in the posters in this auction. One, titled Our Carelessness, Their Secret Weapon – Prevent Forest Fires (1943) shows Hitler and Tojo sporting crazed looks, while a fire rages in the background. Another, by Polish artist Arthur Szyk (1894-1951), from 1942, warns troops against the dangers of venereal disease.

Another World War II poster, by Jon Whitcomb (1906-1988), from 1945, is a nurse recruiting poster, showing to young women in nurse’s garb, titled Cadet Nurse – That Girl With a Future. World War I posters will feature a Russian Revolution war poster from Oct. 1917, depicting Vladimir Lenin; and a 1917 U.S. bond drive poster by legendary illustrator Howard C. Christy.

Advertising posters from around the world will feature one showing a magician doing laundry by the French artist Jean Pierre from 1956, 50 inches by 66 inches; a 1906 French aperitif poster backed on linen by Leonetto Capiello (1875-1942), 46 inches by 63 inches, Capiello’s most famous poster; and a German lithographic two-section poster for soap, 77 inches by 60 inches.

Additional posters include a pair of posters by the noted French illustrator/artist Jules Cheret (1836-1932/33); a 1930 French motor oil Art Deco litho poster for “Priceless Oil,” backed on linen and with brilliant color, 46 inches by 63 inches; an Odeon Casino poster by Joseph N. Geis (1892-1952), 35 ½ inches by 47 inches; and a “Steam Riding Gallery” turn-of-the-century carousel lithograph poster for the C. W. Parker Amusement Company (Leavenworth, Kan.).

Signed lithographs are plentiful and include a 1937 depiction of the Joe Louis-Braddock fight by Joseph Golinkin (1896-1977), titled At Chicago; a limited edition litho by Umberto Romano (1905-1984), titled Frightened Horses, circa 1940s, signed; and a bullfight rendering by Hunt Diederich (1884-1953), circa 1930s, on cut paper, rather diminutive at 3 ¼ inches by 5 ½ inches.

Also sold will be a lithograph signed in pencil by the noted maritime illustrator Gordon Grant (Am., 1875-1962), titled In the Aquarium; a large stylized print of a child and a ram by Bolivian artist Graciela Rodo Boulanger (b. 1935), signed/numbered (18/120); and a signed and inscribed etching by John Taylor Arms (Am., 1887-1953), titled Plumed Serpent Chicken Itza (1940).

Woodcuts and wood engravings will feature a rare 1934 wood engraving by E. Hubert Deines, titled Explorers, signed and numbered (3/50); and a circa-1925 woodcut by Fiske Boyd (Am., 1895-1975), titled Street Life, Summer (possibly in Provincetown, Mass.). Also sold will be an aquatint done in 1936 or 1937 by Harry Sternberg (1904-2002), titled Coal Miner, artist signed.

The highly collectible Lalique crystal centerpiece was designed in 1951 by Marc Lalique and was inspired by the fallen leaves on the Champs Elysees in Paris. It is etched on the base. The set of four polished sperm whale teeth (being sold as one lot) have been carved into penguins and range in length from 4 to 6 ½ inches. They feature subtly carved details and nice honey patina.

This is an internet-only auction. A preview will be held on March 23rd, the day before bidding ends, at the Mayo Auction & Realty warehouse in Belton. A 10 percent buyer’s premium will be added to each purchase. Payment terms are major credit cards, local checks or cash. Payment must be made before items are picked up, in Belton, on March 25th (1-5 p.m.) or 26th (9-noon).

Mayo Auction & Realty is a family-owned business It is a team of professional auctioneers and Realtors. The firm conducts real estate and personal property auctions, with an emphasis on real estate, antiques and collectibles and specialty collections. The firm is always accepting quality consignments for future sales. To consign an item, an estate or a collection, you may call them directly at (816) 361-2600 or you can send them an e-mail inquiry to Robert@auctionbymayo.com.

- 30 -