FRANKLIN, Mass. – An elite selection of 54 original oil and watercolor Impressionist, Pop and Modern paintings by and attributed to renowned artists such as Picasso, Monet, van Gogh, Franz Kline and Sam Francis will come up for bid in an auction slated for Thursday, October 4th, by Woodshed Art Auctions, online and in the 500 Gallery at 475 Franklin Village Drive in Franklin.

Live bidding will begin promptly at 5:30 pm Eastern time. People can register and bid now, at www.woodshedartauctions.com. Previews will be held at 500 Gallery starting September 26th.

“Our auctions have grown to the point where we’d like to focus on smaller selections of excellent paintings and drawings,” said Bruce Wood of Woodshed Art Auctions. “It allows those with specific interests to ponder masterpieces without distraction. Previewing this exhibition of paintings at 500 Gallery is a serene, museum-like experience. We invite everyone to come out.”

Pablo Picasso (Sp., 1881-1973) will make multiple appearances in the sale. The star lot promises to be an oil on canvas by the Spanish Surrealist titled Portrait of a Woman, measuring 21 inches by 25 ¼ inches in the frame and signed and dated “7.1.39” top right (est. $200,000-$300,000). Picasso was arguably the most dominant and influential artist of the first half of the 20th century.

Another Picasso in the auction is an attribution, titled Woman in Chair, appropriately estimated at $60,000-$80,000. The 7 inch by 9 inch unframed oil on paper is dated “23.5.54” and stamped with the Goldwish Gallery verso. Associated mostly with pioneering Cubism, alongside Georges Braque, Picasso also invented collage and contributed a great deal to Symbolism and Surrealism.

Two other artworks in the sale, in addition to Picasso’s Portrait of a Woman, could easily soar to six figures. One is an unframed 18 inch by 20 inch still life oil on canvas attributed to Richard Diebenkorn (Am., 1922-1993), signed and dated “70” bottom right (est. $150,000-$250,000). Diebenkorn is an abstract expressionist best known for his 135 late-career Ocean Park paintings.

The other six-figure candidate is a 15 inch by 19 inch framed tempera and gouache on paper attributed to the renowned French Impressionist Claude Monet (1840-1926), titled Waterlilies (est. $80,000-$120,000). The painting is artist signed and verso marked with a gallery stamp and reference number, with a certificate of authenticity from Art Collectors Group in Luxembourg.

An oil on canvas by a follower of Edward Hopper (Am., 1882-1967), titled Office at Night, the Hopper original of which is held at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, has a pre-sale estimate of $60,000-$80,000. The vintage 1940s 28 inch by 34 ¼ inch framed work, signed “Edward Hopper” bottom right, depicts a man working through the night, alone in his office. The Minneapolis version has the addition of the man’s secretary (based on Hopper’s wife, Jo).

An oil on canvas painting attributed to Chaim Soutine (1893-1943), the Russian-French artist best remembered for his expressionist depictions of meat carcasses, is expected to hammer for $60,000-$80,000. The signed work, titled Man Dressed in Pirate Garb, measures 21 inches by 29 inches in the frame. The rather tame depiction is perhaps an early work from his studies at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, as it is a somewhat unusual subject for Soutine.

An oil on canvas abstract composition attributed to Franz Kline (Am., 1910-1962), signed bottom left and measuring 13 inches by 18 ½ inches in the frame, should bring $60,000-$80,000. Kline was known for his black and white paintings. He contributed to the avant-garde movement and his work exemplified the Action Painting achievements of the Abstract Expressionist artists.

An oil on canvas attributed to the Russian maritime painter Ivan Aivazovsky (1817-1900), titled Ship at Sea, carries an estimate of $50,000-$60,000. The 26 ¼ inch bv 33 ½ inch (in the frame) painting is artist signed with a monogram lower right and signed in Cyrillic with 1895 on verso.

Aivazovsky was the last of the true academic painters and the main painter of the Russian Navy.

A tempera on paper Landscape Study attributed to Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Fr., 1841-1919), housed in a handsome frame that measures 12 ½ inches by 15 ¾ inches, is expected to finish at $40,000-$60,000. The work is verso marked with the stamp of Gallery Simon in Paris and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the Art Collectors Group in Luxembourg.

A 24 inch by 20 inch oil on canvas by the second-generation abstract expressionist Michael Goldberg (Am., 1924-2007), titled Dune House No. 2, is estimated at $8,000-$12,000. The painting is artist signed and titled and dated “1960” on verso. Goldberg was associated with the New York School. His work synthesized Western painting traditions and Eastern philosophies.

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 about Woodshed Art Auctions and the sale of 54 selected paintings scheduled for Thursday, October 4th, please visit www.woodshedartauctions.com. Updates are posted often.

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