Lot 11
Harold Frank (American born in England, 1921-1995). "Two Nudes, Yellow Sky" mixed media on paper, n.d. Signed at upper left. A striking composition by Harold Frank depicting an Abstract-Expressionist rendering of two nude female figures standing before color fields of sunny yellow (as noted in the title "Two Nudes, Yellow Sky") above teal green, their bodies delineated with Frank's signature expressive loose brushstrokes, lyrical contouring lines, and vibrant colors. According to scholar Sandie Stern, "Like his idol de Kooning, Frank chose the human figure, as his principal subject. Variations on women became a lifelong, consistent, ubiquitous theme." (Stern, "H. Frank", p. 16) A wonderful composition set in a custom matte and frame under glass. Size (sight view): 16.125" L x 12.125" W (41 cm x 30.8 cm) Size (frame): 22.3" L x 18.25" W (56.6 cm x 46.4 cm)
Harold Frank immigrated with his family to the US through Ellis Island. Growing up in the tenements of the Lower East Side in New York City during the era of the Great Depression and World War II, Frank found Abstract Expressionism to be the ideal means to explore the angst of his world. He once stated, "I can live with the abstract. Life is a mystery."
Frank studied at the Art Students League in New York, the National Academy of Design, the Pratt Institute, the Chouinard Art Institute, and UCLA where he was a colleague of Richard Diebenkorn (American, 1922-1993), an artist who is oftentimes associated with Abstract Expressionism as well as a pioneer of the Bay Area Figurative Movement. In addition to Diebenkorn, Frank's influences include DeKooning, Picasso, Matisse, and Rouault. While he also created landscapes, non-objective abstract compositions, and still-life paintiings, figures and head studies were the predominant theme of his oeuvre.
For more about Harold Frank, see Sandie Stern's monograph "Harold Frank Abstract Expressionist 1921-1995" (2001).
Provenance: private Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA collection, acquired via descent, purchased June 25, 1973
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#174801
- Condition: Signed at upper left corner. Painting is mounted in a custom matte and frame under glass and has not been examined outside the frame but appears to be in excellent condition overall. A few minor scuffs to the frame, tear to gallery paper on verso that does not impact the artwork, otherwise excellent and fit with a suspension wire. Matthews Gallery label on verso lists painting for $3500.
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| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
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| $200,000 + | $20,000 |