Two Hippies at Vauc - Est. $300-$500 |
1st Rockmore from the Shirley Marvin Collection to be offered at AuctionLOT # 1637 - May 23, 2010 - New Orleans Auction Galleries
"Two Hippies at Vauc, Noel Rockmore with Riva", June 1970, ink and watercolor on paper, titled, dated and signed upper right, 10-1/2" x 13-1/2". Glazed and framed. Provenance: Collection of Mrs. Shirley Marvin, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Estimate $300-$500
Facts: Part of the Hippie series and just after the first Jazzfest series. The Vaucresson was a favorite hangout of the French Quarter denizens in 1970.
Thoughts: This is Rockmore doing watercolors at his finest. The Vaucresson seems to have a place in the Quarterites hearts.
Perhaps being the first of the Shirley Marvin Collection ever to be auctioned adds value.
The Artist & The Elk - Est $350-$500 | 2nd Rockmore from the Shirley Marvin Collection at Auction
LOT # 1638 - May 23, 2010 - New Orleans Auction Galleries
"The Artist and the Elk", 1989, from the Grid Series, mixed media on paper, signed and dated lower left "Rockmore 89", verso with Casell Gallery, 818 Royal St., New Orleans, Louisiana, label en verso, sight 9" x 8-1/2". Glazed, matted and framed. Provenance: Collection of Mrs. Shirley Marvin, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Estimate $350-$500
Facts: This is one of the earliest of his Grid series which was from the football cards at Johnny White's. There is at a lot of symbolism here and the artist has broken off with his last girlfriend and is very aware and regretful of that during this time period. He was fond of animals and giving human qualities to their eyes. Thoughts: This is an interesting insight into Rockmore's ability to create from whatever canvas he is given. What does it mean - not sure, it is certainly a conversation starter. Sacre de Printemps Est $600-$900 | 3rd Rockmore from the Shirley Marvin Collection at Auction
LOT # 1639 - May 23, 2010 - New Orleans Auction Galleries
"Sacre du Printemps - the Rite of Spring", 1991, mixed media on paper, signed in ink "Rockmore" and titled lower edge, inscribed "for Igor Stravinsky', dated Aug - Sep - Oct '01, watercolor added 26 Nov '91", sight 13-1/2" x 19-1/2". Glazed, matted and framed. Provenance: Collection of Mrs. Shirley Marvin, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Estimate $600-$900 Facts: This work is a tribute to Igor Stravinsky. It uises a technique Rockmore called Random Dispersal. The figure in the center is Rockmore. There are several derivatives of this work that Rockmore did - this is the only one we have seen attributed to Stravinsky. Thoughts: At some point there will be intense interest in all of the classical music tie ins that Rockmore left throughout his life. Rockmore also painted family friend leonard bernstein mentioned in Wikipedia passage below. The Rite of Spring, commonly referred to by its original French title, Le sacre du printemps (Russian: Весна священная, Vesna svyashchennaya) is a ballet with music by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, original choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky, and original set design and costumes by archaeologist and painter Nicholas Roerich, all under impresario Serge Diaghilev. The music's innovative complex rhythmic structures, timbres, and use of dissonance have made it a seminal 20th century composition. Composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein said of one passage, "That page is sixty years old, but it's never been topped for sophisticated handling of primitive rhythms...", and of the work as a whole, "...it's also got the best dissonances anyone ever thought up, and the best asymmetries and polytonalities and polyrhythms and whatever else you care to name."[1] A performance of the work lasts about 33 minutes. Figures with Steam Machines - Est. $1000-$1500 | 4th Rockmore from the Shirley Marvin Collection at Auction
LOT # 1640 - May 23, 2010 - New Orleans Auction Galleries
"Figures with Steam Machines", 1981, oil on masonite, signed and dated lower right "Rockmore 81", one of only four known paintings from the Bath Tub Series, 16-1/4" x 12". Handsomely matted and framed. Provenance: Collection of Mrs. Shirley Marvin, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Facts: Part of the first Sandra Zahn Oreck Gallery show. Part of a Bath Tub series of 4 paintings known. The use of red in the back is a departure from Rockmore's darker colors. Thoughts: This is the best of the lot of the Shirley Marvin Collection Lot of 6 and captures Rockmore's creativity and humor at its finest. He was a very funny original guy and the things that came out of his head are sometimes genius.
The Artist with harem Hopefuls - Est. $500-$800 | 5th Rockmore from the Shirley Marvin Collection at Auction
LOT # 1641 - May 23, 2010 - New Orleans Auction Galleries
"The Artist with Harem Hopefuls", 1990, mixed media on paper, signed and dated lower right "Rockmore Jan '90", "Casell Gallery, 818 Royal St" label on the reverse, 14-3/4" x 11-3/4". Glazed, matted and framed. Provenance: Collection of Mrs. Shirley Marvin, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Estimate $500-$800
Facts: Part of the light bulb (hanging in the middle) & Egyptian harem series. The artist is in the middle depicted as himself as opposed to a pharoh (his alter ego). One of the few that he does that. Thoughts: This is the tamest of a really wild Rockmore series that spins totally out of control. You would have to see them to believe them. The fact that he is in this one gives it a greater value. Icarus ll - Est. $500-$800 | 6th Rockmore from the Shirley Marvin Collection at Auction
LOT # 1642 - May 23, 2010 - New Orleans Auction Galleries
"Icarus II", 1991, mixed media and collage on heavy paper, signed "Rockmore" and titled lower left, dated lower left "Aug 12 '91", Casell Gallery label on the reverse, sheet 22" x 29". Glazed and framed. Provenance: Collection of Mrs. Shirley Marvin, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Estimate $500-$800 Facts: This is a work that ties in Rockmore's fascination with Shadow Boxes and 3D art. Finally at the age of 62 Rockmore felt comfortable enough to do the modern art works that Pollack and others had done in the 50s but he had avoided. It also ties in his fascination with myths that is a theme that reoccurs starting in the 60s. Icarus' flight was routinely alluded to by Greek poets in passing, but was briefly related in Pseudo-Apollodorus, (Epitome of the Biblioteca) (i.11 and ii.6.3). Latin poets read the myth more philosophically, most of the time linking Icarus analogically to artists.
Thoughts: The Icarus theme will be dissected by Rockmore followers in the future and the tie in to shadow box and modern art will make it it attractive.
Haitian Market - Est. $800-$1200 | Not Part of Shirley Marvin Collection - From a Prior New Orleans Auction with reduced estimate Lot #1643 - May 23, 2010 - New Orleans Auction Galleries
"Haitian Market", pastel on paper, signed and dated "89" lower right, 24 1/2 in. x 35 1/2 in., matted and framed. Estimate = $800-1200 Facts: Noel Rockmore did visit Haiti in 1983 although this is dated 1989. He did a series called "looking up" which employed the use of pastels and the lines that we see along the wall. The figures do not have the detail typical in a Rockmore work. Thoughts: This was at a time when Rockmore was under contract with Bryant Gallery and really needed to produce sellable work. It is just before he was to do the Egyptian series which would also emphasize the gold. He was at the end of his relationship with Mary May Impastato and seemed at a loss to regain his focus in his art and his life. Of course with Haiti being so much in our minds it is certainly a topical work. These works below are at Neal Auction on Saturday May 22 (First Three) and Sunday May 23 (last four)! Clementine Hunter on her porch - Est $1200-$1800 | Lot# 469 - Saturday, May 22, 2010 at Neal Auction
"Clementine Hunter on her Porch", watercolor on paper, signed and dated "June 4/70" lower right, sight 10 1/2 in. x 13 1/4 in., attractively matted and framed. Estimate $1200-1800
Facts: Rockmore was fascinated by Louisiana Folk Artist including Clementine Hunter, Sister Gertrude Morgan & longtime friend Bruce Brice. He made trips out to Melrose Place to visit Clementine hunter and sketch her and eventually did a poster and painting of dolls from her place.
Henry " Booker T" Glass - Est $5000-$7500 | Lot# 485 - Saturday, May 22, 2010 at Neal Auction "Henry 'Booker T' Glass, Drummer", oil on canvas, signed and dated "'63" upper right, with a paper label bearing the title en verso, 60 1/2 in. x 38 1/4 in., in a period frame. Estimate $5000-7500
Provenance: New York City Estate; reproduced in Borenstein, Larry and Bill Russell, Preservation Hall Portraits by Noel Rockmore, Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge, 1968. Also, used in the first New Orleans JazzFest Poster.
Facts: Henry "Booker T." Glass was a drummer for the Eureka Brass Band during the 1960s. The Eureka Brass Band, whose members have included Kid Sheik, Chicken Henry, Cie Frazier, "Fats" Houston, Percy and Willie Humphrey, "Slow Drag" Pavageau and many other talented musicians, had a close association with Preservation Hall. Dedicated to Dixieland and Traditional New Orleans Jazz, Preservation Hall was established by Larry Borenstein, and by the young jazz enthusiasts, Allan and Sandra Jaffe.
In 1962, Borenstein commissioned Noel Rockmore to create a series of portraits of the musicians who played at Preservation Hall.
Thoughts: This is the big one of the weekend and one of the BEST jazz pieces to come up for auction yet. Certainly worthy of any future museum tour. Good Luck!
Marie Dolly Douroux Adams Est. $1000-$1500 | Lot# 486 - Saturday, May 22, 2010 at Neal Auction "Marie 'Dolly' Douroux Adams, Piano Player (b. 1904)", acrylic on masonite, signed and dated "'64" lower right, titled and inscribed "She played with Louis Armstrong" en verso, sight 14 in. x 19 in., framed. Estimate $1000-1500
Provenance: Collection of Alice Barry, New Orleans and Pass Christian, MS.
Facts: Born into a New Orleans family of musicians, Marie "Dolly" Douroux Adams was performing professionally at the age of thirteen with jazz greats Louis Armstrong, Kid Ory, Alex Bigard, Joel Oliver and Manuel Manetta. When she married in the early 1920s, Adams gave up her musical career to raise a family. Beginning in 1937, she joined her brothers Lawrence and Irving Douroux, and later her three sons, to form bands that played at the local jazz clubs. This portrait of Adams by Noel Rockmore was painted in 1964, three years after she began playing the piano regularly at Preservation Hall.
Reference: Borenstein, Larry and Bill Russell, Preservation Hall Portraits by Noel Rockmore, Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge, 1968.
Thoughts: Rockmore often did these acrylic on masonites as sketches for major oils that he would do. The paintings were so unique that Larry Borenstein began selling them and they were a hit. Each and every one of the 750 Preservation hall works found a home. Nathan Jim Robinson Est $1000-$1500 | Lot# 996- Sunday, May 23, 2010 at Neal Auction "Nathan "Jim" Robinson, Trombone Player (1892-1975)", acrylic on board, signed and dated "'70" lower right, inscribed "Jim Robinson" en verso, 11 7/8 in. x 14 1/2 in. Estimate $1000-1500
Facts: Jim Robinson was not only part of the Preservation Hall group, he was also close to Rockmore (not easy to do) and one of his favorite subjects. Rockmore struggled with capturing Jim because of his pleasant, easy going, happy personality. Rockmore was always trying to find the sad side of his subjects and it was really hard to do with Jim Robinson. Later in his career he was able to capture the happy Jim.
Thoughts: This is the steal of the weekend based on the low estimate.
Midday, McGlades Saloon, NYC - Est $1000-$1500 | Lot# 997- Sunday, May 23, 2010 at Neal Auction
" Midday, McGlades Saloon, NYC", acrylic on board, signed, dated "'70", and inscribed "McGlades" lower right, titled, dated "Feb 1970" en verso, 12 in. x 24 in. Estimate $1000-1500 Facts: Located on the corner of 68th and Columbus Streets in New York City, Paddy McGlades Saloon was a favorite neighborhood bar for over a hundred years. Hanging from the ceiling was a round clock with the numbers printed backwards allowing the patrons to read the time in a mirror without turning around. Images of horseracing, a favorite pastime of the bartender Al "The Bishop," were displayed above the register. Rockmore depicts the seedy bar at midday, with bright light streaming in through the doorway and windows. Reference: "What Makes a Great Bar?", Theme Magazine, United Kingdom, February, 2002, www.kingcocktail.comThoughts: There is no doubt that McGlades Bar, Café des Artiste, Johnny Whites and The Alpine will become part of the famous Rockmore hangouts legend. McGlades is now a Starbucks in NYC.
Tour de France ll - Est $1800-$2400 |
Lot# 1011- Sunday, May 23, 2010 at Neal Auction
"Tour de France II", oil on canvas, signed and dated "'87" lower right, signed, titled and dated en verso, 36 in. x 48 in., framed. Estimate -$1800/2400
Facts: This is the second interesting work that is part of the 1987 pastel series where Rockmore was inspired by finances to do commercially sellable work for Bryant Galleries. How and why he settled on the Tour de France for a series is something that we have not yet discovered. It certainly has Rockmore's style of interesting characters and he would use the balloons coming out their mouths in the later Immigrant series with words filled in.
Thoughts: This work shows an interesting evolution from the Tour de France l that was recently auctioned. The characters have all become much more surreal and there is a lot going on. You have to love the guy that looks like he has just fallen off his bike, the girl being carried, the figures in the background. #1 comment from Rockmore collectors, "every time I look at my Rockmore, I find something new."
The Great Lafite Oak - Est. $500-$700 | Lot# 1063- Sunday, May 23, 2010 at Neal Auction "The Great Lafitte Oak, Pass Christian, Mississippi", watercolor on paper, pencil-signed, titled, dated and inscribed "from Life, April '82", lower right, sight 19 3/4 in. x 25 3/4 in., matted and framed. Estimate - $500-700
Provenance: Collection of Alice Barry, New Orleans and Pass Christian, MS.
Facts: This was from Pass Christian where Rockmore was sometimes an invited guest of patron, Alice Barry. Rockmore was fascinated with trees from very early on in his career. When Rockmore returns from Haiti, he does this tree again with a fantastic Haitian voodoo ritual going on all around it.
Thoughts: Rockmore was quite confident that one day all of his works and sketches would be discovered and he would be recognized. He told everyone to hold on to their works because one day after he was gone they would have value - even his sketches. He was right!
Below is not up for auction - Just to show what Rockmore sketches can become. |
