Richmond Barthé Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Richmond Barthé Art Value Price Guide

Oct. 03, 2024
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Mary.
Est: $40,000 - $60,000
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Mary. Cast bronze with a green patina, circa 1945. Approximately 533x140 mm; 21x5½ inches high. Signed "Barthé" on the base, lower edge. Provenance: Ernest Bonner, Denver; Celeste Durant, Los Angeles (2003); private collection, Connecticut (2007), acquired from M. Hanks Gallery, Santa Monica, CA. Richmond Barthé's Mary is a striking and modern interpretation of the biblical Mary as a pregnant young woman. This bronze cast is a smaller version of Barthé's 1945 sculpture of Mary, a 60 inch painted plaster figure which won the Audubon Society's gold medal prize that year. Having left Harlem for Midtown in the mid-1930s, Barthé achieved critical success and won several awards in the 1940s, including the Guggenheim Fellowship and election to the National Sculpture Society. Barthé scholar Margaret Vendryes describes the place of this significant work in his oeuvre in some detail. Vendryes relates how as a Roman Catholic, Barthé took a particular interest in reinterpreting Catholic iconography in several 1940s sculptures, including his own Pietà, the bronze Mother and Son. Vendryes describes Mary as "the most charming and feminine of Barthé's female figures". Another cast of this bronze is in the Harmon and Harriet Kelley Collection of African American Art. Lewis p. 44, Vendryes pp. 128-30, 207.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 03, 2024
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Boy with a Broom.
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Boy with a Broom. Painted plaster, 1929. Approximately 533x330x280 mm; 21x13x11 inches. Incised signature and date on the base. Provenance: acquired at the Southside Community Art Center, Chicago (1940); private collection, Atlanta; thence by descent to the current owner, Georgia; private collection, New York. The owner's mother was gifted this work by Peter Pollack, the director of the Southside Community Art Center in 1940. While cleaning out their building's basement, she found this sculpture abandoned at 3831 S Michigan Avenue. Previously, the home was built in 1892 for George A. Seaverns, Jr. and his family. In the early 20th century, as wealthy white families moved away, the grand house was eventually converted into apartments in the now African American neighborhood. Illustrated: Samella Lewis, Barthé: His Life in Art p. 37, reproduction of a photograph in the artist's archives; Margaret Vendryes, Barthé: A Life in Sculpture, fig. 2.22, p. 46, reproduction of a photograph in the magazine Mission Fields at Home, September 1931. Exhibited: An Exhibition of Portraits and Sculpture by Richmond Barthé, The Woman's City Club, Chicago, June 7 - 21, 1930. This exhibition of 38 works, included the sculptures Jubilee Singer, Deviled Crab Man, Blackberry Woman, Black Narcissus, West Indian Venus and Breakaway. Exhibition of the Work of Negro Artists, the Harmon Foundation, New York, February 16 - 28, 1931. Boy with a Broom was one of five artworks by Barthé in his second showing at the Harmon Foundation; The Wisconsin Union, University of Wisconsin, April 7 - May 1, 1931. It included 17 artworks; one sold for $50; Women's City Club, 22 Park Ave, New York, June 7 - 21, 1931. It included Boy With a Broom along with several others from the earlier Harmon Foundation exhibition. Boy with a Broom is an exciting find - an extremely scarce example of a large plaster sculpture surviving from Richmond Barthé's early career. Most of the early plaster works from Barthé's first two Harmon Foundation exhibitions, like West Indian Girl, 1929 are only known today from reproductions. In 1928, Barthé also made a series of historical African American figures in busts including Henry Ossawa Tanner and Touissant L'Ouverture; from this series, Paul Laurence Dunbar and Booker T. Washington are now in the collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. This charming, life-size portrait was likely made in New York as Barthé arrived in Harlem in February of 1929 and did not return to Chicago until the summer of 1930. While Barthé was the toast of the town in Harlem, he was also preparing for his first solo exhibition sponsored by the Woman's City Club of Chicago planned for June of 1930. He brought back to Chicago 24 sculptures, six oil paintings and eight drawings, including Boy with a Broom. It was such a success that soon after Barthé successfully applied for a Rosenwald Foundation scholarship to return to New York. Vendryes pp. 39-46; Schulman p. 84.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 01, 2024
RICHMOND BARTHE
Est: CHF3,000 - CHF5,000
(Bay St. Louis 1901–1989 Pasadena) Frauenkopf. Gips. Auf der Skulptur signiert. H 25 auf Holzsockel 36,5 cm. - Patina am Abblättern. Leicht schmutzig.
Schuler Auktionen
Sep. 18, 2024
RICHMOND BARTHE
Est: CHF3,000 - CHF5,000
(Bay St. Louis 1901–1989 Pasadena) Frauenkopf. Gips. Auf der Skulptur signiert. H 25 auf Holzsockel 36,5 cm. - Patina am Abblättern. Leicht schmutzig.
Schuler Auktionen
Sep. 14, 2024
Richmond Barthe, 1901-1989, Girl Putting Flower in Hair
Est: $25,000 - $35,000
Richmond Barthe 1901-1989 Girl Putting Flower in Hair 1965/1987 bronze sculpture on marble base 20 inches (height) signed, dated '87, with AP Provenance: Collection of Jerry Manpearl and Jan Goodman; BAA, lot 126, May, 16, 2020; private collection, Massachusetts. This work was originally conceived and executed while Barthe was living in Jamaica. Literature: Barthe His Life in Art, Dr. Samella Lewis, published by Unity Works in collaboration with the Museum of African American Art Los Angeles, CA, 2009; color plate, unpaginated.
Black Art Auction
Sep. 14, 2024
Richmond Barthé, 1901-1989, Dreamer
Est: $35,000 - $55,000
Richmond Barthé 1901-1989 Dreamer 1963/1986 cast bronze sculpture marble base 26 inches overall > signed and dated 1986, A/P Provenance: Collection of Jan Goodman and Jerry Manpearl, Los Angeles, CA. Mr. Manpearl was the co-founder of the Paul Robeson Community Center in Los Angeles and was the President of the Southern California World Trade Association; he clerked for the Chief Justice of the California Courts of Appeal. Through his interest in the visual arts, he has lent his services to many artists, including Elizabeth Catlett, Samella Lewis, and Richmond BarthÃ©. Mr. Manpearl was instrumental in facilitating the artist in creating a second edition of many of his best images after he had moved to Los Angeles (along with actor James Garner and Samella Lewis) in the 1980s.
Black Art Auction
Jun. 28, 2024
Richmond Barthe (American/Mississippi, 1901-1989)
Est: $6,000 - $8,000
Richmond Barthe (American/Mississippi, 1901-1989), "Male Nude", bronze, signed and incised "Modern Art Fdry NY" on self-base, h. 9 1/4 in., w. 2 3/4 in., d. 2 3/4 in. Provenance: Collection of Dorian M. Bennett, New Orleans, LA; Neal Auction, Sept. 11, 2020, lot 62.
Neal Auction Company
Jun. 11, 2024
Attrib. Richmond Barthe (American 1901-1989) Bonded Bronze Bust
Est: $50 - $500
DESCRIPTION: Attributed to Richmond Barthe (American 1901-1989) Bonded bronze bust of JFK (John Fitzgerald Kennedy) signed in cast: "Barthe" at verso, mounted to wood base. Illegibly inscribed in cast at right side of neck. CIRCA: 20th Century ORIGIN: USA DIMENSIONS: H: 9.25" x D: 7" - CONDITION: Great condition. See lot description for details on item condition. More detailed condition requests can be obtained upon sms or email.
Akiba Galleries
May. 18, 2024
Richmond Barthe, 1901-1989, Girl Putting Flower in Hair
Est: $25,000 - $35,000
Richmond Barthe 1901-1989 Girl Putting Flower in Hair 1965/1987 bronze 20 inches Signed, dated 87, AP Provenance: Private collection, Los Angeles, CA
Black Art Auction
May. 18, 2024
Richmond Barthe, 1901-1989, Black Madonna
Est: $30,000 - $40,000
Richmond Barthe 1901-1989 Black Madonna 1961/1986 bronze sculpture on marble base 14 x 9 x 9 inches (without base) signed Provenance: private collection, Los Angeles, California. Illustrated: Barthe, His Life in Art, Samella Lewis, pages 206-07. An example of this work appears in the film by Isaac Julien, Once Again..Statues Never Die (2022), a project featured at the Barnes Foundation. To our knowledge, it has never been offered previously at auction.
Black Art Auction
Apr. 04, 2024
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Black Majesty.
Est: $50,000 - $75,000
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Black Majesty. Bronze with a brown patina, 1969. Approximately 610x260x133 mm; 24x10¼x 5¼ inches. Incised signature at the base edge. Cast at the foundry of sculptor Herzl Emanuel in Rome. Provenance: acquired directly from the artist; private collection, Rome. Illustrated: Margaret Vendryes, Barthé: A Life in Sculpture, fig. 529; p. 177 (another cast). This beautiful, tall sculpture is truly a majestic figure, and a scarce example of a large female bronze by Richmond Barthé. Margaret Vendryes remarked how this striding figure "harkens back to Blackberry Woman to a time of Barthé's newly discovered talent with clay" but with a regal air of remove. " In 1969, Barthé left Jamaica and moved to Florence, Italy. He lived in Europe until 1975 when he returned to the US. Vendryes p. 177.
Swann Auction Galleries
Dec. 02, 2023
Richmond Barthe, 1901-1989, The Seeker
Est: $40,000 - $60,000
Richmond Barthe 1901-1989 The Seeker 1963/1986 bronze 24-1/2 inches high signed and dated '86, A/P Provenance: the collection of Jan Goodman and the late Jerry Manpearl, Los Angeles, CA Literature: This work appears in an image in Barthe, A Life in Sculpture, Margaret Rose Vendryes, 2008; p. 172 and dated 1963. This image is pictured in Samella Lewisâ Barthe, His Art in Life, 2009, p.20-21, dated 1965. Vendryes writes about The Seeker, p. 173: Barthe also returned to modeling nudes, but unlike the sensual Feral Benga or erotic Stevedore ,the figures from this period are solemn to the point of sobriety. Barthe stayed true to the natural representation of the body while he searched for his muse. The search led him deeper inside himself. The Seeker came to Barthe in a dream that made him feel well: âFor days and days I would think about this dream, remembering the feeling of walking through the beautiful water, along the silent, sunlit sea bottomâ. The Seeker is Bartheâs final self-portrait as a man effortlessly gliding across the ocean floor seeking the meaning of life. This figure had a new proportion âânine heads high..the same proportion as the seven foot Watusi tribe,â which Barthe felt added sophistication. More satisfied than ever with his work, he pronounced this time of healing as âthe most wonderful thing that has ever happened."
Black Art Auction
Dec. 02, 2023
Richmond Barthe, 1901-1989, Inner Music
Est: $60,000 - $80,000
Richmond Barthe 1901-1989 Inner Music 1961/1986 bronze 23-1/2 inches (height) Signed and dated 86, AP Provenance: the collection of Jan Goodman and the late Jerry Manpearl, Los Angeles, CA Literature: This work appears in an image in Barthe, A Life in Sculpture, Margaret Rose Vendryes, 2008; p. 171. Barthe His Life in Art, Dr. Samella Lewis, Published by Unity Works in collaboration with the Museum of African American Art Los Angeles, CA, 2009; p.18.
Black Art Auction
Oct. 24, 2023
Attrib. Richmond Barthe (American 1901-1989) Bonded Bronze Bust
Est: $100 - $1,000
DESCRIPTION: Attributed to Richmond Barthe (American 1901-1989) Bonded bronze bust of JFK (John Fitzgerald Kennedy) signed in cast: "Barthe" at verso, mounted to wood base. Illegibly inscribed in cast at right side of neck. CIRCA: 20th Century ORIGIN: USA DIMENSIONS: H: 9.25" x D: 7" - CONDITION: Great condition. See lot description for details on item condition. More detailed condition requests can be obtained upon sms or email.
Akiba Galleries
Oct. 19, 2023
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Untitled (Head of a Young Man).
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Untitled (Head of a Young Man). Cast bronze with a dark brown patina, mounted on a marble base, circa 1930. Approximately 95x63x44 mm; 3 3/4x2 1/2x1 3/4 inches (not including base). Provenance: private collection, Washington, DC. This small head is an early and very scarce example in bronze of these sensitive and intimate portraits made by Richmond Barthé. A plaster version of this head was sold at Swann Galleries on June 4, 2020. Despite their size, Barthé's small heads have a naturalism and immediacy that demonstrate his skill in portraiture. Barthé's career was launched in Chicago with the critical and popular acclaim for his 1927 bust The Jubilee Singer which stood only 4 1/2 inches high. It was featured on the cover of Opportunity magazine in 1928.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 19, 2023
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Head of a Dancer (Harald Kreutzberg).
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Head of a Dancer (Harald Kreutzberg). Cast bronze with a dark brown patina, mounted on a white marble base, 1937. Approximately 311 mm; 12 1/4 inches high (not including the base). A later casting. Signed and number stamped "27" along the upper edge, verso. Provenance: acquired from Adolphus Ealey, Washington, DC; private collection, Washington, DC. Adolphus Ealey was the curator of the Barnett-Aden Gallery in Washington, DC. from 1969 until 1989. This contemplative but powerful head by Richmond Barthé is his well known portrait of the Czech-born German dancer Harald Kreutzberg (1902 - 1968). Kreutzberg is an important figure in German ballet and modern dance whom Richmond Barthé befriended when he performed in New York in the 1930s. Barthé made several sculptures of the expressive dancer in busts and figures. Barthé himself studied Martha Graham's dance techniques in an effort to understand the movement and form of dancing figures. A plaster cast of this head was exhibited and illustrated in the 1974 Anacostia Museum catalogue The Barnett-Aden Collection. Other similar bronze casts of this head are in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, the David C. Driskell Collection, the Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and the Kinsey Collection of African American Art and History. Kinard p. 40; Auzenne, p. 42.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 19, 2023
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Head of a Monk.
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Head of a Monk. Painted plaster, mounted on a wooden base, circa 1930-39. Approximately 203 mm; 8 inches high (not including base). Incised signature along the rear lower edge. Provenance: the collection of George T. Wein, New York; the estate of George T. Wein (2021). All proceeds to benefit the Newport Festivals Foundations, Inc., the non-profit organization created by George Wein to carry on the legacy of his Newport Jazz and Newport Folk Festivals.
Swann Auction Galleries
Jun. 21, 2023
Richmond Barthe American, 1901-1989 Maasai Warrior, 1933/86
Est: $7,000 - $9,000
Richmond Barthe American, 1901-1989 Maasai Warrior, 1933/86 Signed, dated and numbered Barthe 33-86 18/25 Bronze on stone base, originally conceived in 1933, cast in 1986 Overall with base 7 3/4 x 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 inches (19.7 x 10.8 x 10.8 cm) C
DOYLE Auctioneers & Appraisers
May. 20, 2023
Richmond Barthe, 1901-1989, Woman with Turban
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
Richmond Barthe 1901-1989 Woman with Turban 1962 bronze with brown patina 12 x 5 x 5 inches incised signature Illustrated: Samella Lewis, Barthe: His Life in Art, p. 209 (another cast). Provenance: The estate of James Garner, Los Angeles, California (acquired directly from the artist). In 1976, Richmond Barthe arrived in Pasadena, with the entirety of his personal belongings: a television and a modeling table. Charles White and his wife had found him a small apartment. BarthÃ© was an acquaintance of Ivan Dixon (an African American actor and director, well-known for his role in Hogan's Heroes). Dixon introduced his friend to Samella Lewis shortly after his arrival in L.A. Two years later (1978), Dixon introduced Barthe to a co-worker, Nanette Turner, who decided to interview him and submit an article to the Inner City Cultural Center, who published a multicultural magazine of the arts. Dixon was directing an episode of the television show, The Rockford Files, and upon hearing the story of Barthe and reading the article, actor James Garner (the star of the show), requested a meeting with the artist. Garner funded the casting of editions of Bartheâs sculptures, under the supervision of the artist. The revenue from these sculptures, supplemented by financial support from Garner (Garner put Barthe on his payroll for the remainder of the artistâs life) allowed Barthe to live comfortably. Barthe celebrated his 81st birthday in 1982 on the set of The Rockford Files, and five years later, in 1987, the Museum of African American Art honored him for his achievements in the art world.
Black Art Auction
May. 15, 2023
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (AFRICAN-AMERICAN, 1901-1989).
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
Head of a Boy. Plaster. Inscribed "Barthe" (verso). From a Greenwich, CT collection. Dimensions: 6.5" h x 4.25" w x 4" d. (Height with base: 11.2 inches).
Clarke Auction Gallery
Nov. 19, 2022
Richmond Barthé, 1901-1989, Stevedore
Est: $80,000 - $100,000
Richmond Barthé 1901-1989 Stevedore 1937/1986 cast bronze sculpture on a rojo alicante marble base 26 (h) x 17 (w) x 15 1/2 (d) inches (bronze only) 2 x 20 x 6 inches (base) (total height=28 inches) signed and dated 1986, A/P Provenance: Collection of Jan Goodman and Jerry Manpearl, Los Angeles, CA. Mr. Manpearl is the co-founder of the Paul Robeson Community Center in Los Angeles and was the President of the Southern California World Trade Association; he clerked for the Chief Justice of the California Courts of Appeal. Through his interest in the visual arts, he has lent his services to many artists, including Elizabeth Catlett, Samella Lewis, and Richmond Barthé. Mr. Manpearl was instrumental in facilitating the artist in creating a second edition of many of his best images after he had moved to Los Angeles (along with actor James Garner and Samella Lewis) in the 1980s. Illustrated: Barthé, His Life in Art, Samella Lewis, pp. 184-185.
Black Art Auction
Nov. 04, 2022
Richmond Barthe (American, 1901-1989) Shilluk Warrior Bronze with dark brown pat
Est: $60,000 - $80,000
Richmond Barthe (American, 1901-1989) Shilluk Warrior Bronze with dark brown patina 10-1/4 inches (26.0 cm) high on a 5 inches (7.9 cm) high wood base Inscribed on reverse: BARTHÉ Inscribed to plaque on base: RICHMOND BARTHE / SHILLUK WARRIOR PROVENANCE: Private collection, Hallandale Beach, Florida. Harlem Renaissance sculptor Richmond Barthé approached his body of work as a spiritual endeavor. He believed that if an artist considered how an object felt—rather than how it looked—then his hands could execute the sculpture with little interference from his conscious mind. During his sixty-year career, Barthé received numerous prestigious awards for his art, including Rosenwald and Guggenheim fellowships. Considered by critics to be one of the leading "moderns" of his time, Barthé's sculpture bridges the gap between realism and abstraction. Growing up along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Barthé was frequently sick and enjoyed art as a diversion. As his talent became more evident, supporters raised money to fund his enrollment at the Art Institute of Chicago, one of only two art academies that accepted African American students at that time. In Chicago, Barthé attended classes with his friend and classmate Ellis Wilson and also undertook private instruction with notable independent teachers, including Archibald Motley, Jr., all the while working multiple jobs to make ends meet. Following his graduation from the institute in 1929, Barthé relocated to New York, where he established a studio in Harlem. Immersing himself in the cultural renaissance flourishing there, Barthé developed a reputation among scholars of the New Negro Movement, including Alain Locke, who became a passionate collector and promoter of his work, as well as poet Langston Hughes. Barthé was open to studying and depicting people of all races, creeds, and demographics. Eager to understand the nature of societies and the individuals who function within them, Barthé sought to capture the spiritual essence of his subjects. "For me," he said, "there is no Negro art—only art. I have not limited myself to Negro subjects. It makes no difference in my approach to the subject matter whether I am to model a Scandinavian or an African dancer." However, he is best known for the allegorical and genre figures of African Americans executed during the 1930s and 1940s, works inspired by his Christian faith, interest in African lore, and fascination with theater and dance. Barthé left New York at the height of his career in the late 1940s, and moved to Jamaica in the late 1940s. Though soon forgotten by New York art critics, Barthé's career flourished in Jamaica. Two decades later, he went on hiatus to Europe, living in Switzerland, Spain, and Italy over a five-year period. Impoverished, aging, and unwell, Barthé returned to the United States in 1977. He settled in Pasadena, California, where he befriended the actor James Garner. Garner became a faithful benefactor, supporting Barthé financially, assisting him with copyright issues, and establishing the Richmond Barthé Trust. Shilluk Warrior is a rare and unique example from Barthé's oeuvre. The Shilluk warrior is portrayed in a solemn and contemplative manner, wearing a traditional headpiece and face turned down in contemplation. The artist's subject appears solemn and heroic all at once, exuding a powerful, expressive presence and sense of dignity. According to the late Richmond Barthe scholar Margaret Vandryes, the present bronze is likely a unique casting, and the base was probably made by the artist's brother. HID01801242017
Heritage Auctions
Oct. 06, 2022
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Toussaint L'Ouverture.
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Toussaint L'Ouverture. Color pastel and charcoal on thin buff wove paper, 1949. 432x381 mm; 17x15 inches. Signed and dated in pastel, lower right. Provenance: private collection, New York. This striking portrait of the Haitian national hero, revolutionary leader and general François-Dominique Toussaint L'Ouverture is a significant 1940s drawing by Richmond Barthé - a very scarce study for an important Haitian commission. In the fall of 1948, Barthé was awarded commissions by Haiti's president Dumarais Estimé - a new coin with Estimé's profile and two large public monuments to honor both L'Ouverture and his successor Jean-Jacques Dessalines. The monuments were by far the largest commissions Barthé had taken on - envisioned as part of a grand two hundredth anniversary commemorating Port-au-Prince's founding as the nation's capital. For L'Ouverture's portrait, in 1949, Barthé hired Ural Wilson from Katherine Dunham's dance company as a model. The artist translated his model dressed in period costume and holding a sword into a larger than life heroic figure. The bronze was cast in New York and shipped to Haiti in 1950, but it was not publicly unveiled until 1954, after Barthé had completed the second monument of Dessalines for the new president Paul Magloire. Vendryes pp. 143, 150-154.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 06, 2022
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Julius.
Est: $5,000 - $7,000
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Julius. Painted plaster on a wooden base, circa 1940. 190x114x102 mm; 7 1/2x4 1/2x4 inches (not including base). Incised with the artist's signature, backside of head. A later cast, made in Jamaica in the 1960s. Provenance: acquired directly from the artist in Jamaica, private collection; thence by descent, private collection. This bust was originally commissioned by the photographer Carl Van Vechten, Richmond Barthé's friend. The young boy Julius was Van Vechten's housekeeper's nephew. In October of 1940, Van Vechten photographed the sculpture decorated with a feather headress - images are in the Carl Van Vechten Papers, in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University. A bronze cast of Julius is in the collection of the Pennyslyvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia.
Swann Auction Galleries
Jun. 04, 2022
Richmond Barthe, 1901-1989, Head of a Boy
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
Richmond Barthe 1901-1989 Head of a Boy 1986 bronze sculpture on a wooden base 11-1/2 x 8 x 7-1/2 inches (bronze only) base measurements: 6-3/4" (h) x 9-1/2 x 9-1/2 inches signed, dated, AP
Black Art Auction
Jun. 04, 2022
Richmond Barthe, 1901-1989, Josephine Baker
Est: $30,000 - $50,000
Richmond Barthe 1901-1989 Josephine Baker 1951/1986 bronze sculpture with dark brown patina 11 x 6 x 9-1/2 inches signed Provenance: private collection, Los Angeles Illustrated: Barthé, His Life in Art, Samella Lewis, pp 92-93. This example was cast as part of a series Barthe executed with the assistance of Samella Lewis and actor James Garner after moving to Los Angeles in the 1980s.
Black Art Auction
Mar. 31, 2022
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Boy with a Broom.
Est: $25,000 - $35,000
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Boy with a Broom. Painted plaster, 1929. Approximately 533x330x280 mm; 21x13x11 inches. Incised signature and date on the base. Provenance: acquired at the Southside Community Art Center, Chicago (1940); private collection, Atlanta; thence by descent to the current owner, Georgia. The owner's mother was gifted this work by Peter Pollack, the director of the Southside Community Art Center in 1940. While cleaning out their building's basement, she found this sculpture abandoned at 3831 S Michigan Avenue. Previously, the home was built in 1892 for George A. Seaverns, Jr. and his family. In the early 20th century, as wealthy white families moved away, the grand house was eventually converted into apartments in the now African American neighborhood. Illustrated: Samella Lewis, Barthé: His Life in Art p. 37, reproduction of a photograph in the artist's archives; Margaret Vendryes, Barthé: A Life in Sculpture, fig. 2.22, p. 46, reproduction of a photograph in the magazine Mission Fields at Home, September 1931. Exhibited: An Exhibition of Portraits and Sculpture by Richmond Barthé, The Woman's City Club, Chicago, June 7 - 21, 1930. This exhibition of 38 works, included the sculptures Jubilee Singer, Deviled Crab Man, Blackberry Woman, Black Narcissus, West Indian Venus and Breakaway. Exhibition of the Work of Negro Artists, the Harmon Foundation, New York, February 16 - 28, 1931. Boy with a Broom was one of five artworks by Barthé in his second showing at the Harmon Foundation; The Wisconsin Union, University of Wisconsin, April 7 - May 1, 1931. It included 17 artworks; one sold for $50; Women's City Club, 22 Park Ave, New York, June 7 - 21, 1931. It included Boy With a Broom along with several others from the earlier Harmon Foundation exhibition. Boy with a Broom is an exciting discovery - an extremely scarce example of a large plaster sculpture surviving from Richmond Barthé's early career. Most of the early plaster works from Barthé's first two Harmon Foundation exhibitions, like West Indian Girl, 1929 are only known today from reproductions. In 1928, Barthé also made a series of historical African American figures in busts including Henry Ossawa Tanner and Touissant L'Ouverture; from this series, Paul Laurence Dunbar and Booker T. Washington are now in the collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. This charming, life-size portrait was likely made in New York as Barthé arrived in Harlem in February of 1929 and did not return to Chicago until the summer of 1930. While Barthé was the toast of the town in Harlem, he was also preparing for his first solo exhibition sponsored by the Woman's City Club of Chicago planned for June of 1930. He brought back to Chicago 24 sculptures, six oil paintings and eight drawings, including Boy with a Broom. It was such a success that soon after Barthé successfully applied for a Rosenwald Foundation scholarship to return to New York. We would like to thank art historian and Barthé expert Margaret Rose Vendryes for sharing her notes detailing the sculpture's exhibition history. Vendryes pp 39-46; Schulman p. 84.
Swann Auction Galleries
Mar. 31, 2022
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1909 - 1989) Untitled (Etta Vee Barnett).
Est: $5,000 - $7,000
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1909 - 1989) Untitled (Etta Vee Barnett). Pastel on cream wove paper, circa 1940. 685x558 mm; 27x22 inches. Signed in pastel, lower right. Provenance: the estate of Claude A. Barnett and Etta Moten Barnett, Chicago. Etta Vee Barnett is the youngest daughter of Etta Moten Barnett and her first husband Curtis Brooks. Richmond Barthé was a friend and regular visitor at the Barnett household.
Swann Auction Galleries
Mar. 31, 2022
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1909 - 1989) Untitled (Etta Moten Barnett).
Est: $5,000 - $7,000
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1909 - 1989) Untitled (Etta Moten Barnett). Pastel on cream wove paper, circa 1940. 685x558 mm; 27x22 inches. Signed in pastel, lower right. Provenance: the estate of Claude A. Barnett and Etta Moten Barnett, Chicago. Illustrated: Langston Hughes. The Negro Speaks of Rivers. As Sung by Etta Moten. Music by Margaret Bonds, Words by Langston Hughes., Handy Brothers Music, New York, 1942, cover illustration. This drawing is reproduced on the cover of this printed sheet music. A photograph of this drawing is also located in Photographs of Prominent African Americans, James Weldon Johnson Collection in the Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Etta Moten Barnett (1901 - 2004) was a popular African American actress and vocalist, who was best known for her signature role of Bess in Porgy and Bess. She married Claude Albert Barnett (1889 - 1967) in 1934. Barnett was an influential and trailblazing national figure - an important media entrepreneur, journalist and one of the principal organizers of the Chicago Negro Exposition in 1940. Barnett is also known as the founder of the Associated Negro Press in 1919, the first Black news service in the country, connecting Black newspapers across the country. By 1950, Barnett's news organization had became an influential international news source. The Barnetts travelled the world together - he frequently to report on African events for the ANP. In March 1957, Moten Barnett interviewed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Accra, Ghana, when the Barnetts, along with Vice President Richard Nixon, attended the celebration of Ghana's independence from Great Britain.
Swann Auction Galleries
Mar. 31, 2022
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Head of a Dancer (Harald Kreutzberg).
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Head of a Dancer (Harald Kreutzberg). Bronze with a brown patina, mounted on a white marble base, 1937. Approximately 311 mm; 12 1/4 inches high (not including the base). A later casting, from an edition of 25. Signed, inscribed "xxx" and number stamped "25" along the upper edge, verso. Provenance: private collection, Washington, DC.; the estate of Allan O. Hunter, Jr., acquired at Swann Galleries, October 4, 2018. This contemplative but powerful head by Richmond Barthé is his well known portrait of the Czech-born German dancer Harald Kreutzberg (1902 - 1968). Kreutzberg is an important figure in German ballet and modern dance whom Richmond Barthé befriended when he performed in New York in the 1930s. Barthé made several sculptures of the expressive dancer in busts and figures. Barthé himself studied Martha Graham's dance techniques in an effort to understand the movement and form of dancing figures. A plaster cast of this head was exhibited and illustrated in the 1974 Anacostia Museum catalogue The Barnett-Aden Collection. A similar bronze casting, the same size as this head, is illustrated in the 1995 The Catalogue of the Barnett-Aden Collection and dated "circa 1973." Other bronze casts of this head are in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, the David C. Driskell Collection, the Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and the Kinsey Collection of African American Art and History. Kinard p. 40; Auzenne, p. 42.
Swann Auction Galleries
Mar. 31, 2022
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Woman with Turban.
Est: $30,000 - $40,000
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Woman with Turban. Bronze with a brown patina, 1962. Approximately 304x127x127 mm; 12x5x5 inches. Incised with the artist's signature at the rear of the base. Provenance: acquired directly from the artist, private collection, Los Angeles; thence by descent private collection, Los Angeles. Illustrated: Samella Lewis, Barthé: His Life in Art, p. 209 (another cast). This beautiful and poignant sculpture is a later work by Richmond Barthé from his Jamaica period. This scarce bronze has not come to auction before.
Swann Auction Galleries
Mar. 12, 2022
Richmond Barthé, 1901-1989, Little Spanish Mother
Est: $30,000 - $40,000
Richmond Barthé 1901-1989 Little Spanish Mother 1937/1986 cast bronze sculpture on a black marble base 26 (h) x 7 1/2 (w) x 7 (d) inches (bronze only) 1 x 9 x 9 1/2 inches (base) (total height= 27 inches) signed and dated, A/P Provenance: Collection of Jan Goodman and Jerry Manpearl, Los Angeles, CA. Mr. Manpearl is the co-founder of the Paul Robeson Community Center in Los Angeles and was the President of the Southern California World Trade Association; he clerked for the Chief Justice of the California Courts of Appeal. Through his interest in the visual arts, he has lent his services to many artists, including Elizabeth Catlett, Samella Lewis, and Richmond Barthé. Illustrated: Barthé, His Life in Art, Samella Lewis, p. 76. Catalog note: this image by Barthé has never before been offered at auction.
Black Art Auction
Mar. 12, 2022
Richmond Barthé, 1901-1989, Angry Christ
Est: $60,000 - $80,000
Richmond Barthé 1901-1989 Angry Christ 1946/1986 cast bronze sculpture 23 1/2 (h) x 13 (d) x 12 1/2 (w) inches (bronze only) on a black marble base, 15 1/8 (w) x 12 (d) x 1 3/4 inches (total height=25 inches) signed and dated, 1986; A/P Provenance: Collection of Jan Goodman and Jerry Manpearl, Los Angeles, CA. Mr. Manpearl is the co-founder of the Paul Robeson Community Center in Los Angeles and was the President of the Southern California World Trade Association; he clerked for the Chief Justice of the California Courts of Appeal. Through his interest in the visual arts, he has lent his services to many artists, including Elizabeth Catlett, Samella Lewis, and Richmond Barthé. Illustrated: Barthé, His Life in Art, Samella Lewis, pp. 52-53 Catalog note: this impressive image by Barthé, The Angry Christ, has never before been offered at auction.
Black Art Auction
Mar. 12, 2022
Richmond Barthé, 1901-1989, Stevedore
Est: $80,000 - $100,000
Richmond Barthé 1901-1989 Stevedore 1937/1986 cast bronze sculpture on a rojo alicante marble base 26 (h) x 17 (w) x 15 1/2 (d) inches (bronze only) 2 x 20 x 6 inches (base) (total height=28 inches) signed and dated 1986, A/P Provenance: Collection of Jan Goodman and Jerry Manpearl, Los Angeles, CA. Mr. Manpearl is the co-founder of the Paul Robeson Community Center in Los Angeles and was the President of the Southern California World Trade Association; he clerked for the Chief Justice of the California Courts of Appeal. Through his interest in the visual arts, he has lent his services to many artists, including Elizabeth Catlett, Samella Lewis, and Richmond Barthé. Illustrated: Barthé, His Life in Art, Samella Lewis, pp. 184-185.
Black Art Auction
Dec. 04, 2021
Richmond Barthe, 1901-1989, Head of a Dancer (Harald Kreutzberg)
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
Richmond Barthe 1901-1989 Head of a Dancer (Harald Kreutzberg) 1937 Cast bronze with brown patina 12.25 inches high (without base) signed and numbered 26. This is an early cast of this image, assumably the next one sequentially after the original edition of 25. Provenance: Adolphus Ealey, Barnett-Aden Gallery, Washington, D.C., to private collection, Chicago (purchased from the gallery in 1979)
Black Art Auction
Nov. 18, 2021
Richmond Barthé (1901-1989) Feral Benga inscribed 'BARTHÉ' (on the base) br
Est: $50,000 - $70,000
Richmond Barthé (1901-1989) Feral Benga inscribed 'BARTHÉ' (on the base) bronze with brown patina 18 ¾ in. (47.6 cm.) high on a 3/4 in. (1.9 cm.) marble base Modeled in 1935; cast circa 1960.
Christie's
Nov. 05, 2021
Richmond Barthe (American, 1901-1989) Head of a Boy Plaster with applied patina
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
Richmond Barthe (American, 1901-1989) Head of a Boy Plaster with applied patina 7-1/2 inches (19.1 cm) high on a 4-1/2 inches (11.4 cm) high wood base Inscribed on reverse: Barthe PROVENANCE: Private collection, Ridgway, Colorado. HID01801242017
Heritage Auctions
Oct. 07, 2021
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Head of a Dancer (Harald Kreutzberg).
Est: $15,000 - $25,000
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Head of a Dancer (Harald Kreutzberg). Bronze with a brown patina, mounted on a white marble base, 1937. Approximately 311 mm; 12 1/4 inches high (not including the base). A later casting, from an edition of 25. Signed, inscribed "xxx" and number stamped "25" along the upper edge, verso. Provenance: private collection, Washington, DC.; the estate of Allan O. Hunter, Jr., acquired at Swann Galleries, October 4, 2018. This contemplative but powerful head by Richmond Barthé is his well known portrait of the Czech-born German dancer Harald Kreutzberg (1902 - 1968). Kreutzberg is an important figure in German ballet and modern dance whom Richmond Barthé befriended when he performed in New York in the 1930s. Barthé made several sculptures of the expressive dancer in busts and figures. Barthé himself had studied Martha Graham dance techniques in an effort to more fully understand the movement and form of dancing figures. A plaster cast of this head was exhibited and illustrated in the 1974 Anacostia Museum catalogue The Barnett-Aden Collection. A similar bronze casting, the same size as this head, is illustrated in the 1995 The Catalogue of the Barnett-Aden Collection and dated "circa 1973." Other bronze casts of this head are in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, the David C. Driskell Collection, the Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and the Kinsey Collection of African-American Art and History. Kinard p. 40; Auzenne, p. 42.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 07, 2021
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Feral Benga.
Est: $75,000 - $100,000
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Feral Benga. Bronze with a dark brown patina, modeled in 1935, cast circa 1960. Approximately 483 mm; 19 inches high (not including the marble base). Cast by the Modern Art Foundry, Long Island City, NY. Signed at the base edge. Provenance: William Watson Hines III, thence by descent, private collection, New Jersey. Hines was a business writer, art dealer and collector who lent many works from his collection to the Art In Embassies Program of the US State Department. Illustrated: Cedric Dover. American Negro Art, plate 70 (another impression). Feral Benga represents the culmination of Richmond Barthé's study of the figure in sculpture, anatomy and dance in the 1930s, and his pioneering realization of an ideal male nude. According to Barthé scholar Margaret Rose Vendryes, Feral Benga, Barthé's "signature piece," was completed within a few months of seeing the Folies Bergères dancer Benga perform on stage during his first visit to Paris in 1934. Vendryes describes how Benga was an exotic celebrity--a Senegalese cabaret dancer known in Parisian and Manhattan gay circles, who had perfomed on stage with Josephine Baker and had even appeared in a Jean Cocteau surrealist film. Barthé used postcards, photographs and his memory to recreate a life-like representation of the dancer. The raised sword pose also recalls the muscular nudes of the famous Mannerist engraving by Antonio Pollaiuolo, Battle of Naked Men, circa 1470. Grander in scale than its actual size, Feral Benga was one of the artist's major achievements in his life-long body of work, a natural and sensual representation of the male nude, made at the height of his career. The sculpture was first shown at the 1937 Dance International exhibition at Rockefeller Center, and was later featured and illustrated in Alain Locke's seminal survey, The Negro in Art.. The figure is also important as a groundbreaking evocation of both male and homosexual sexuality in early 20th century American Art. Thank you to Margaret Vendryes for her assistance with the cataloguing of this cast. This is only the second mid-career cast of this bronze sculpture to come to auction--there are only two bronzes known to exist from the first 1935 casting. Under the supervision of the artist and the Richmond Barthé Trust, an edition of 10 numbered casts and a small number of artist's proofs of Feral Benga were made in 1986. Vendryes pp. 66-69.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 07, 2021
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Black Majesty.
Est: $35,000 - $50,000
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Black Majesty. Bronze with a brown patina, 1969. Approximately 610x260x133 mm; 24x10 1/4x 5 1/4 inches. Incised signature at the base edge. Cast at the foundry of sculptor Herzl Emanuel in Rome. Provenance: acquired directly from the artist; private collection, Rome. Illustrated: Margaret Vendryes. Barthé: A Life in Sculpture, fig. 529; p. 177 (another cast). This beautiful, tall sculpture is truly a majestic figure, and a scarce example of a large female bronze by Ricmond Barthé. Margaret Vendryes remarks how this striding figure "harkens back to Blackberry Woman to a time of Barthé's newly discovered talent with clay" but with a regal air of remove. Black Majesty was made in Barthé's last year living in Jamaica, before his move to Florence, Italy where he lived until 1975. Vendryes p. 177.
Swann Auction Galleries
May. 22, 2021
Richmond Barthe, 1901-1989, African Boy Dancing
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
Richmond Barthe 1901-1989 African Boy Dancing 1986 (conceived 1937) bronze with dark patina 16 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches (diameter of round base of bronze) on a marble base, 1 1/2 x 5 x 5 inches signed and dated with A/P Provenance: the collection of Jerry Manpearl and Jan Goodman, Los Angeles. Mr. Manpearl is a real estate, civil rights, and civil litigation lawyer in the state of California. He received his B.A. from UC Berkeley and then his law degree at UCLA, where he met artists Samella Lewis, Ruth Waddy, and E.J. Montgomery. Mr. Manpearl met Barthe through Samella Lewis and they became friends. He represented the artist in dealing with some copyright issues and purchased one of each image Barthe cast in 1986. Illustrated: Barthe, His Life in Art, Samella Lewis, p. 68
Black Art Auction
May. 22, 2021
Richmond Barthe, 1901-1989, Birth of Spirituals
Est: $40,000 - $60,000
Richmond Barthe 1901-1989 Birth of Spirituals 1986 bronze 13 1/2 x 12 x 6 inches Provenance: the collection of Jerry Manpearl and Jan Goodman, Los Angeles. Mr. Manpearl is a real estate, civil rights, and civil litigation lawyer in the state of California. He received his B.A. from UC Berkeley and then his law degree at UCLA, where he met artists Samella Lewis, Ruth Waddy, and E.J. Montgomery. Mr. Manpearl met Barthe through Samella Lewis and they became friends. He represented the artist in dealing with some copyright issues and purchased one of each image Barthe cast in 1986. Illustrated: Barthe, His Life in Art, Samella Lewis, p. 196
Black Art Auction
Apr. 22, 2021
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Head of a Dancer (Harald Kreutzberg).
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Head of a Dancer (Harald Kreutzberg). Cast bronze, with a brown patina, mounted on a white marble base, 1937. Approximately 311 mm; 12 1/4 inches high (not including the base). A later casting, from an edition of 25. Signed, inscribed "xxx" and number stamped "25" along the upper edge, verso. Provenance: private collection, Washington, DC.; the estate of Allan O. Hunter, Jr., acquired at Swann Galleries, October 4, 2018. This contemplative but powerful head by Richmond Barthé is his well known portrait of the Czech-born German dancer Harald Kreutzberg (1902 - 1968). Kreutzberg is an important figure in German ballet and modern dance whom Richmond Barthé befriended when he performed in New York in the 1930s. Barthé made several sculptures of the expressive dancer in busts and figures. Barthé himself had studied Martha Graham dance techniques in an effort to more fully understand the movement and form of dancing figures. A plaster cast of this head was exhibited and illustrated in the 1974 Anacostia Museum catalogue The Barnett-Aden Collection. A similar bronze casting, the same size as this head, is illustrated in the 1995 The Catalogue of the Barnett-Aden Collection and dated "circa 1973." Other bronze casts of this head are in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, the David C. Driskell Collection, the Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and the Kinsey Collection of African-American Art and History. Kinard p. 40; Auzenne, p. 42.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 22, 2021
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Stevedore.
Est: $75,000 - $100,000
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) Stevedore. Cast bronze with a dark brown patina on a green marble base, 1937. 778x508x368 mm; 30 5/8x20x14 1/2 inches (not including marble base). Cast in 1986 under the supervision of the artist and the Richmond Barthé Trust. Incised with artist's signature, date, numbered 3/8 and incised "©", right base edge. Provenance: private collection, Los Angeles. This iconic work by Richmond Barthé is an important and large bronze by the artist made at the peak of his career. Margaret Vendryes describes this sculpture of muscular dock worker standing on a i-beam in great length - he is both "Barthé's most virile male figure" and "a personal statement". With the epitome of a chiseled physique and commanding presence, the figure of a longshoreman was elevated to great heights by the artist. Barthé had created both a new type of masculine presence in his oeuvre, and a new depiction of a powerful black man. Stevedore was a non-commissioned work made from the artist's own funds. Vendryes describes how Barthé kept it out of storage and with him when he moved. He later gifted his cast to the St. Ann's Parish Public Library in Jamaica. This is only the second time a cast of Stevedore has come to auction: another was sold at Swann Galleries on October 15, 2017. Another example of this 1985 casting is the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Vendryes pp. 92-96.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 22, 2021
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) African Boy Dancing.
Est: $150,000 - $250,000
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 - 1989) African Boy Dancing. Cast bronze with a dark brown patina, 1937. Approximately 413 mm; 16 1/4 inches high. Incised with the artist's signature in the base. Cast by the Cellini Bronze Works, New York, with their stamp at the base rear edge. Provenance: David W. Prall (1886 - 1940); thence by descent to a private collection, MA. Prall was an influential philosopher of art with a PhD in philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley. A Professor of Philosophy at Harvard University from 1920-21 and 1930-1940; he also taught also at Cornell University, the University of Texas, Amherst College and the University of California. While at Harvard, Prall was a teacher and mentor to composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein. Illustrated: Parnassus, Volume 12, Issue 3, 1940, (cast illustrated in the "collection of the artist"); Sculpture by Richmond Barthé, Harmon Foundation brochure, reproduced in Samella Lewis, Barthé: His Life in Art p. 68. African Boy Dancing is an important and strikingly beautiful bronze by Richomond Barthé - representing the culmination of Richmond Barthé's significant study of the male figure in sculpture, anatomy and African dance in the 1930s, and his pioneering realization of an ideal male nude. African Boy Dancing shares many of its defining characteristics with Barthé's iconic 1935 Feral Benga. Appearing grander than its actual height, this natural and sensual repesentation of the male figure was made at the height of the artists's career. This lithe dancing figure is also part of Barthé's groundbreaking evocation of both male and homosexual sexuality in early 20th century American Art. The modelling emphasizes the dancer's lean physique, while the pose conveys a fluid, rhythmic movement. When seen in the round, Barthé's technical expertise and attention to the totality of the figure is evident. Both figures also share a very expressive modelling and finish for cast bronze - Barthé's 1930s bronzes wonderfully convey much of the immediacy of his clay model. Art historian and Barthé scholar Margaret Vendryes has written extensively on Barthe's attention to detail: "At the height of his career, Barthé took great pains with the finish of his sculpture. Foundry work received vigilant scrutiny to ensure that the bronze was chased to a seamless finish and read true to its original clay model. The traces of pulled and smoothed clay created with fingers and tools animate figures like Feral Benga and act as a road map of Barthé's meticulous rendering methods. This practice also reflected his admiration for the late 19th century French master Auguste Rodin who left impressions on surfaces that are his signature." African Boy Dancing is an extremely rare bronze. In 1937, six of Barthé's African dancer bronze figures, including African Boy Dancing, were shown in the prestigious month-long exhibition Dance International, 1900 - 1937 at the Rockefeller Center, New York, In 1939, the Barnett-Aden Gallery of Washington, DC also exhibited a cast of African Boy Dancing at Oberlin College. Another later cast of African Boy Dancing was included in the Landau traveling exhibition Richmond Barthé curated by Samella Lewis. This is only the second time that an original cast of a 1930s figure has appeared at auction; an early cast of An African Dancer, 1934, was sold at Bonham's, San Francisco in 2005. Several of Richmond Barthé's mid-career bronzes were cast at the Cellini Bronze Works in Brooklyn, New York: including An African Dancer and the The Boxer, 1942, in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Swann Auction Galleries
Feb. 06, 2021
Richmond Barthe, 1901 - 1989, Meditation
Est: $22,000 - $25,000
Richmond Barthe 1901 - 1989 Meditation 1963/1986 Bronze on marble base 13 inches high Signed and dated 86, A/P Vendryes writes that Meditation and The Dreamer are both portraits of Barthe’s friend and hired model, Lucien Levers. Both of these contemplative nudes were conceived in Jamaica (the casting was, for the images offered here, done in the U.S.) Barthé was born in Bay St Louis, Mississippi. He left in 1924, headed for Chicago to study at the Art Institute. It wasn’t until Richmond Barthé’s senior year there that he was introduced to sculpting--in an effort to improve his skill at fleshing out three dimensional forms on canvas. A bust completed in his introductory class was included in the Art Institute’s juried exhibition, The Negro in Art, in 1927. This led to commissions for busts of Henry O. Tanner and Toussaint L’Ouverture. He had been awarded two Rosenwald Fellowships in 1929 and 1930, and so after graduation, he moved to New York, focused on establishing himself as a sculptor, set up a studio in Harlem, and continued studying at the Art Student’s League. Both the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art purchased sculptures for their permanent collections. Throughout his career he created intimate portrait busts, large scale public commissions, and studies of the human figure. His work may be found in the public collections of Fisk University, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Black Art Auction
Feb. 06, 2021
Richmond Barthé, 1901-1989, Josephine Baker
Est: $200,000 - $300,000
Richmond Barthé 1901-1989 Josephine Baker 1951 bronze bust mounted on marble base 12 x 6 x 12 inches (sculpture) 6 x 4 x 4 inches (base) period handwritten label on base identifying artist and foundry tag found in the interior of bronze. Provenance: Louis Ehrlich descended to Phil Rubin to Jim Belinky, MI Exhibited: Richmond Barthé: The Seeker, Ohr O’Keefe Museum of Art, 2010-2011. Detroit Institute of Art, General Motors Center for African American Art, August 2014-November 2019; then traveled to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art with an exhibition called Dance! American Art 1830-1960, 2016. Literature: Barthé: A Life in Sculpture, Margaret Rose Vendryes, 2008, University Press of Mississippi; fig. 3.12, p. 66. This image of Josephine Baker is presumed to be unique; there has been no evidence of another casting which includes the ponytail, and when the casts were removed from Modern Art Foundry there was no evidence of the ponytail, which was apparently lost or destroyed. Barthé was born in Bay St Louis, Mississippi. He left in 1924, headed for Chicago to study at the Art Institute. It wasn’t until Richmond Barthé’s senior year there that he was introduced to sculpting--in an effort to improve his skill at fleshing out three dimensional forms on canvas. A bust completed in his introductory class was included in the Art Institute’s juried exhibition, The Negro in Art, in 1927. This led to commissions for busts of Henry O. Tanner and Toussaint L’Ouverture. He had been awarded two Rosenwald Fellowships in 1929 and 1930, and so after graduation, he moved to New York, focused on establishing himself as a sculptor, set up a studio in Harlem, and continued studying at the Art Student’s League. Both the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art purchased sculptures for their permanent collections. Throughout his career he created intimate portrait busts, large scale public commissions, and studies of the human figure. His work may be found in the public collections of Fisk University, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Black Art Auction
Dec. 10, 2020
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1909 - 1989) A Pair of Julius.
Est: $12,000 - $18,000
RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1909 - 1989) A Pair of Julius. Painted plaster on a wood base and cast bronze on a marble base, with a black patina, circa 1940. Both approximately 140 mm; 5 1/2 inches high, not including the base. The plaster head is inscribed "Van Loen" in paint on the backside. Provenance: private collection, New York. This remarkable pair of bronze and plaster casts of the same sculpure is a wonderful example to see a work of Richmond Barthé in two media. This head is a well known, and a very good example of the small scale work of Barthé. Another bronze cast of Julius is in the collection of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. With this and other heads like Head of a Boy and Mask of a Boy, Barthé demonstrated a great sensitivity and expressiveness on a small scale.
Swann Auction Galleries