Lot 165A
Leonard Baskin (American, 1922-2000). "Thistle Ornament" color woodcut, edition 33 or 80, and original block, n.d. (ca. 1965). Signature, edition number, and title in pencil beneath woodcut image. An extremely large woodcut printed in black and green inks entitled "Thistle Ornament" by legendary artist Leonard Baskin as well as the original block used to print it! Baskin was a creative force for more than five decades and worked in a variety of media; however, he is best known for sizeable woodcuts like this example. "Thistle Ornament" is rendered in Baskin's characteristically expressive manner and enormous scale. It is among Baskin's figurative prints that rivaled the works of Abstract Expressionists during his day, set in a custom frame and hand signed. Size of woodcut (image): 23.25" L x 31.875" W (59.1 cm x 81 cm) Size of frame: 34" L x 42.75" W (86.4 cm x 108.6 cm)
Leonard Baskin was a 20th century "Renaissance Man" - a highly respected sculptor, printmaker, writer, and watercolorist. His prints included mythological, classical, and biblical scenes as well as portraits and floral studies. Baskin studied at Yale University from 1941 to 1943 and received his B.A. at the New School for Social Research in 1949. He also founded Gehenna Press which specialized in fine book production and taught printmaking and sculpture at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts as well as Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts from 1953 until 1974. Baskin's artworks are in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, the Vatican Museum, the Smithsonian Institute, the Tate Gallery in London, and other elite institutions. His noted public sculptural commissions include pieces for the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial as well as the Holocaust Memorial in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Baskin also received many prestigious honors, such as a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Gold Medal of the National Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Jewish Cultural Achievement Award. He was also honored with numerous retrospective exhibitions at institutions including the Smithsonian Museum, the Albertina Museum, and the Library of Congress.
Leonard Baskin's "Thistle Ornament" has been collected by the Philadelphia Museum of Art (accession number 2014-49-31) and the Farnsworth Art Museum (accession number 2010.11.3).
Provenance: ex-private Bishop Family Trust collection, the Trust of the late Bill Bishop, a noted antiquarian with shops in Scottsdale, Arizona and Allenspark, Colorado, USA, acquired before 2010
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#173170
- Condition: Signature, edition number, and title in pencil beneath woodcut image. Woodcut is set in a custom frame behind glass and has not been examined outside the frame but appears to be in excellent condition. Woodcut frame has some scuffs/abrasions, nicks, and slight separation to two mitered corners. The original block was "destroyed" or rendered unusable by carving bold marks over the design. Original block design is covered with dry green and black inks. A few scuffs to the black linen covered matte surrounding original block. Scuffs and chips to the frame of the block. Both framed woodcut and framed original block are fitted with suspension wires and ready to display.
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