Property of the Montclair Art Museum, Sold to Benefit the Acquisitions Fund
ROMARE BEARDEN (1911-1988)
Odysseus Suite: four plates
Important information about this lot
Price Realised USD 8,125
Estimate
USD 4,000 - USD 6,000
Estimates do not reflect the final hammer price and do not include buyer's premium, any applicable taxes or artist's resale right. Please see the Conditions of Sale for full details.
Including: Odysseus Leaves; Troy; Circe Into Swine and Siren's Song
Romare Bearden's work refrences a wide variety of sources: the Bible, the writings of French satirist François Rabelais, his childhood memories of Mecklenburg County in North Carolina, the people and streets of Harlem, the epic poems of Homer, and more. He revisited many of these themes time and time again. He initially referenced Homer's Iliad in ink drawings and watercolors in the 1940s, and a series of twenty collages based on The Odyssey in 1977. Bearden’s collages drew strong praise when they were exhibited at the Cordier & Ekstrom Gallery in New York’s Upper East Side in the spring of 1977, and he went on to make watercolor versions around the same time. About two years later, he translated six of the collage compositions into screenprints, which were published as the Odysseus Suite in 1979.
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You have agreed to be bound by the Conditions of Sale and if your bid is successful, you are legally obliged to pay for the lot you have won. The purchase price for a successful bid will be the sum of your final bid plus a buyer’s premium, any applicable taxes and any artist resale royalty, exclusive of shipping-related expenses.
Condition report
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The condition of lots can vary widely and the nature of the lots sold means that they are unlikely to be in a perfect condition. Lots are sold in the condition they are in at the time of sale.
In addition to the catalogue description, with full margins, very pale mat staining, very soft scuffs in places in the matte ink (primarily visible in raking light), pale surface soiling in places in the margins, otherwise in good condition, each framed
Odysseus Leaves Image: 181⁄4 x 237⁄8 in. (464 x 606 mm.) Sheet: 22 x 293⁄4 in. (559 x 756 mm.)
Troy Image: 18 x 237⁄8 in. (457 x 606 mm.) Sheet: 213⁄4 x 29 in. (553 x 737 mm.)
Circe Into Swine: a handling crease to the left of Circe's body (with associated very minor ink loss), a 3⁄8-in. nick at the left sheet edge (with associated minor tear) Image: 171⁄2 x 235⁄8 in. (445 x 600 mm.) Sheet: 22 x 295⁄8 in. (559 x 753 mm.)
Siren's Song: light-staining, uneven toning on the reverse Image: 18 x 24 in. (457 x 610 mm.) Sheet: 22 x 293⁄4 in. (559 x 756 mm.)
Cost calculator
Lot 40Sale 18857
Odysseus Suite: four platesROMARE BEARDEN (1911-1988)Estimate: USD 4,000 - 6,000
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