Description: Gibran Kahlil Gibran (Lebanese-American, 1883 – 1931), How Far the Immortal Looks, Graphite on paper, initial signed and dated 1909 lower left, with inscription 'How far the immortal looks to the mortals but to the immortal he looks so near.' Frame size: 26 in. x 21 in. Provenance: according to James Hungerpiller "The sketch came to me and my sister from our mom, Page Anderson Hungerpiller who in turn received it from her mother , Edith Hunter Minis. Edith was married to Abram "Bob" Minis . The sketch was a gift from him to her on the occasion of their marriage. Bob knew Mary Haskell Minis by virtue of her marriage to Jacob Florance Minis, Bob's uncle. Bob was given this sketch by Mary Haskell as they had cordial relations and Bob helped her with her financial affairs during her later life. Gibran gave it to Mary Haskell as he did with many of his works. So, it's been in the family essentially since being gifted by Gibran." Khalil Gibran was a Lebanese-American philosophical essayist, novelist, poet, and artist. He immigrated with his parents to Boston in 1895. He returned to Lebanon in 1898 and studied in Beirut, where he excelled in the Arabic language. On his return to Boston in 1903, he published his first literary essays; in 1907 he met Mary Haskell, who was to be his benefactor all his life and who made it possible for him to study art in Paris. In 1912 Gibran settled in New York City and devoted himself to writing literary essays and short stories, both in Arabic and in English, and to painting. Gibran’s writings and artwork was highly romantic in outlook and was influenced by the Bible, Friedrich Nietzsche, and William Blake. He is best known as the author of The Prophet, which was first published in the United States in 1923 and has since become one of the best-selling books of all time, having been translated into more than 100 languages. He illustrated his best-selling books and is associated with the American School of Symbolism. Telfair Academy Savannah Georgia has major holdings; as well as his eponymous museum in Besharre, Lebanon. (gibrankhalilgibran.org) Measurements: Height: of paper 17 1/2 in. x Width: 11 3/4 in. Condition: Good condition, not viewed out of frame, minor foxing along mid right edge, top edge slightly imperfect as it was probably from a sketchbook, the top left center with small 1/8 in. tear to edge. Notice to bidders: The absence of a condition report does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections, or the conditions of aging. PHOTOS MAY ALSO ACT AS A CONDITION REPORT. Please review all photos closely prior to bidding. Complete condition reports are available by request, no later than 24 hours prior to the live auction. All lots are offered and sold 'AS IS’, and Everard Auctions will not provide refunds based on condition. Timepiece movements, lighting and electrics have not been tested, and art has not been examined out of the frame unless otherwise stated. We do not guarantee the condition of frames. By placing a bid, either in person, by phone, absentee or via the Internet, you signify that you agree to be bound by the conditions of sale. Everard Auctions does not provide any shipping or packing services. We recommend that all potential buyers obtain pack/ship estimates prior to bidding. Please contact us for a list of recommended shippers.
Portrait of Marianna Gibran (1908-1910) as Rosalind, graphite on paper, signed and marked as "Rosalind begun by...". In modern silver cast frame, matted and glazed, OS: 25" x 27", SS: 16" x 18 3/4". Gibran was the author of "The Prophet", published in the US in 1923, ultimately translated into more than 100 languages.
KAHLIL GIBRAN (AMERICAN, 1883-1931) PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN EYES CLOSED, 1926 Graphite on paper: 8 x 10 1/2 in. (sight) Framed; lower right initialed and dated: K.G. / 1926 Provenance: Waverly, December 11, 1986, lot. 378; purchased by the present owner; Private Collection, Washington D.C.
GIBRAN, KAHLIL (1883-1931) Group of seven drawings framed together Variously graphite, ink and graphite, and graphite with ink washes, on thin paper of various kinds (one on Faneuil Hall stationery), the largest 5 x 8 1/2 inches (13 x 22 cm), two apparently signed or annotated recto in Arabic, one with extensive notations in pencil on the verso in Arabic and English. Several strengthened with archival tissue on verso, otherwise about fine. Gibran (properly Gibran Kahlil Gibran) emigrated from Lebanon (in what was then the Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate) with his parents and siblings, settling in the South End of Boston. The Boston publisher and photographer F. Holland Day funded his education, encouraging him to read Whitman and study the drawings of Blake. As early as 1898 some of Gibran's drawings were published as binding designs; his first art exhibition was held in 1904 in Day's studio. In the intervening years, he had returned to Lebanon and studied at " al-Hikma," a Maronite-run preparatory school and college in Beirut, during which time he started a student literary magazine and made a reputation for himself at the school as a poet. He returned to the United States in 1902. Already an accomplished artist, in 1908-1910 he studied at the Académie Julian in Paris. At the same time, his literary interests blossomed. He was broadly influenced from the time of his Beirut studies by the writing of the Syrian writer Francis Marrash, whose works dealt with many of the themes of love, freedom and spirituality that were to become Gibran's hallmarks. Most of his earliest writings were in Arabic; he was an influential member Arab-American League of the Pen ( al-Rabita al-Qalamiyya), a group of expatriate writers then active in New York, often referred to as "al-Mahjar," issuing numerous newspaper articles, poems and several books. In 1918, Gibran published his first book in English, The Madman, a collection of seven parables, and this was followed by several English-language works, some with his illustrations, before The Prophet was published by Alfred Knopf in 1923. It is this work, a collection of twenty-six prose poetry fables, which has brought Gibran enduring fame outside the Arab world; it remains one of the most popular works of poetry of all time. It sold out its first printing in a month, and has sold in vast quantities subsequently, almost entirely by word-of-mouth. It has been translated into at least 50 languages, and somewhere between 50 and a hundred million copies have been sold worldwide by most estimates, making it among the most reprinted works of poetry ever written. This group of drawings were in the possession of Barbara Young, his last companion and assistant, author of a biography of Gibran. Provenance: Kahlil Gibran to Barbara Young by gift to Madeleine Vanderpoel by descent to her son, Wynant D. Vanderpoel. C Property from the Wynant D. Vanderpoel Trust
GIBRAN, KAHLIL (1883-1931) [Figures on the shore]. Graphite and watercolor on thin paper, 7 5/8 x 7 5/8 inches (20 x 20 cm), unsigned. Strengthened with archival tissue on verso, otherwise about fine. Gibran (properly Gibran Kahlil Gibran) emigrated from Lebanon (in what was then the Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate) with his parents and siblings, settling in the South End of Boston. The Boston publisher and photographer F. Holland Day funded his education, encouraging him to read Whitman and study the drawings of Blake. As early as 1898 some of Gilbran's drawings were published as binding designs; his first art exhibition was held in 1904 in Day's studio. In the intervening years, he had returned to Lebanon and studied at " al-Hikma," a Maronite-run preparatory school and college in Beirut, during which time he started a student literary magazine and made a reputation for himself at the school as a poet. He returned to the United States in 1902. Already an accomplished artist, in 1908-1910 he studied at the Académie Julian in Paris. At the same time, his literary interests blossomed. He was broadly influenced from the time of his Beirut studies by the writing of the Syrian writer Francis Marrash, whose works dealt with many of the themes of love, freedom and spirituality that were to become Gibran's hallmarks. Most of his earliest writings were in Arabic; he was an influential member Arab-American League of the Pen ( al-Rabita al-Qalamiyya), a group of expatriate writers then active in New York, often referred to as "al-Mahjar," issuing numerous newspaper articles, poems and several books. In 1918, Gibran published his first book in English, The Madman, a collection of seven parables, and this was followed by several English-language works, some with his illustrations, before The Prophet was published by Alfred Knopf in 1923. It is this work, a collection of twenty-six prose poetry fables, which has brought Gibran enduring fame outside the Arab world; it remains one of the most popular works of poetry of all time. It sold out its first printing in a month, and has sold in vast quantities subsequently, almost entirely by word-of-mouth. It has been translated into at least 50 languages, and somewhere between 50 and a hundred million copies have been sold worldwide by most estimates, making it among the most reprinted works of poetry ever written. The present drawing, a fine example of his watercolor studies, was a gift to Barbara Young, his last companion and assistant, author of a biography of Gibran. Provenance: Kahlil Gibran to Barbara Young by gift to Madeleine Vanderpoel by descent to her son, Wynant D. Vanderpoel. C Property from the Wynant D. Vanderpoel Trust
GIBRAN, KAHLIL (1883-1931) [Rocky shoreline]. Graphite and watercolor on thin paper, 7 5/8 x 7 5/8 inches (20 x 20 cm), unsigned. Strengthened with archival tissue on verso, otherwise about fine. Gibran (properly Gibran Kahlil Gibran) emigrated from Lebanon (in what was then the Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate) with his parents and siblings, settling in the South End of Boston. The Boston publisher and photographer F. Holland Day funded his education, encouraging him to read Whitman and study the drawings of Blake. As early as 1898 some of Gibran's drawings were published as binding designs; his first art exhibition was held in 1904 in Day's studio. In the intervening years, he had returned to Lebanon and studied at " al-Hikma," a Maronite-run preparatory school and college in Beirut, during which time he started a student literary magazine and made a reputation for himself at the school as a poet. He returned to the United States in 1902. Already an accomplished artist, in 1908-1910 he studied at the Académie Julian in Paris. At the same time, his literary interests blossomed. He was broadly influenced from the time of his Beirut studies by the writing of the Syrian writer Francis Marrash, whose works dealt with many of the themes of love, freedom and spirituality that were to become Gibran's hallmarks. Most of his earliest writings were in Arabic; he was an influential member Arab-American League of the Pen ( al-Rabita al-Qalamiyya), a group of expatriate writers then active in New York, often referred to as "al-Mahjar," issuing numerous newspaper articles, poems and several books. In 1918, Gibran published his first book in English, The Madman, a collection of seven parables, and this was followed by several English-language works, some with his illustrations, before The Prophet was published by Alfred Knopf in 1923. It is this work, a collection of twenty-six prose poetry fables, which has brought Gibran enduring fame outside the Arab world; it remains one of the most popular works of poetry of all time. It sold out its first printing in a month, and has sold in vast quantities subsequently, almost entirely by word-of-mouth. It has been translated into at least 50 languages, and somewhere between 50 and a hundred million copies have been sold worldwide by most estimates, making it among the most reprinted works of poetry ever written. The present drawing, a fine example of his watercolor studies, was a gift to Barbara Young, his last companion and assistant, author of a biography of Gibran. Provenance: Kahlil Gibran to Barbara Young by gift to Madeleine Vanderpoel by descent to her son, Wynant D. Vanderpoel. C Property from the Wynant D. Vanderpoel Trust
GIBRAN, KAHLIL (1883-1931) [Reclining Nudes], Christmas 1925. Graphite and watercolor on thin paper (watermarked "Bond"), 7 3/4 x 9 3/4 (19 x 25 cm), inscribed in graphite "To Barbara Young with the gratitude of Kahlil Gibran" and dated Christmas 1925 (l.l.). Traces of old mount adhesive on verso, slight toning, otherwise about fine. Gibran (properly Gibran Kahlil Gibran) emigrated from Lebanon (in what was then the Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate) with his parents and siblings, settling in the South End of Boston. The Boston publisher and photographer F. Holland Day funded his education, encouraging him to read Whitman and study the drawings of Blake. As early as 1898 some of Gibran's drawings were published as binding designs; his first art exhibition was held in 1904 in Day's studio. In the intervening years, he had returned to Lebanon and studied at " al-Hikma," a Maronite-run preparatory school and college in Beirut, during which time he started a student literary magazine and made a reputation for himself at the school as a poet. He returned to the United States in 1902. Already an accomplished artist, in 1908-1910 he studied at the Académie Julian in Paris. At the same time, his literary interests blossomed. He was broadly influenced from the time of his Beirut studies by the writing of the Syrian writer Francis Marrash, whose works dealt with many of the themes of love, freedom and spirituality that were to become Gibran's hallmarks. Most of his earliest writings were in Arabic; he was an influential member Arab-American League of the Pen ( al-Rabita al-Qalamiyya), a group of expatriate writers then active in New York, often referred to as "al-Mahjar," issuing numerous newspaper articles, poems and several books. In 1918, Gilbran published his first book in English, The Madman, a collection of seven parables, and this was followed by several English-language works, some with his illustrations, before The Prophet was published by Alfred Knopf in 1923. It is this work, a collection of twenty-six prose poetry fables, which has brought Gibran enduring fame outside the Arab world; it remains one of the most popular works of poetry of all time. It sold out its first printing in a month, and has sold in vast quantities subsequently, almost entirely by word-of-mouth. It has been translated into at least 50 languages, and somewhere between 50 and a hundred million copies have been sold worldwide by most estimates, making it among the most reprinted works of poetry ever written. The present drawing, a fine example of his watercolor studies, was a gift to Barbara Young, his last companion and assistant, author of a biography of Gibran. Provenance: Kahlil Gibran to Barbara Young by gift to Madeleine Vanderpoel by descent to her son, Wynant D. Vanderpoel. C Property from the Wynant D. Vanderpoel Trust
GIBRAN, KAHLIL (1883-1931) [Almustafa, The Prophet]. [1923?] or after. Graphite on Dartmouth Bond paper (with watermark), 10 x 7 5/8 inches, initialed in pencil K.G. (l.r.). Minimal toning to edges, overall fine. Gibran emigrated from Lebanon (in what was then the Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate) with his parents and siblings, settling in the South End of Boston. The Boston publisher and photographer F. Holland Day funded his education, encouraging him to read Whitman and study the drawings of Blake. As early as 1898 some of Gilbran's drawings were published as binding designs; his first art exhibition was held in 1904 in Day's studio. In the intervening years, he had returned to Lebanon and studied at al-Hikma, a Maronite-run preparatory school and college in Beirut, during which time he started a student literary magazine and made a reputation for himself at the school as a poet. He returned to the United States in 1902. Already an accomplished artist, in 1908-1910 he studied at the Académie Julian in Paris. At the same time, his literary interests blossomed. He was broadly influenced from the time of his Beirut studies by the writing of the Syrian writer Francis Marrash, whose works dealt with many of the themes of love, freedom and spirituality that were to become Gibran's hallmarks. Most of his earliest writings were in Arabic; he was an influential member Arab-American League of the Pen ( al-Rabita al-Qalamiyya), a group of expatriate writers then active in New York, often referred to as "al-Mahjar," issuing numerous newspaper articles, poems and several books. In 1918, Gilbran published his first book in English, The Madman, a collection of seven parables, and this was followed by several English-language works, some with his illustrations, before The Prophet was published by Alfred Knopf in 1923. It is this work, a collection of twenty-six prose poetry fables, which has brought Gibran enduring fame outside the Arab world; it remains one of the most popular works of poetry of all time. It sold out its first printing in a months, and has sold in vast quantities thereafter, almost entirely by word-of-mouth. It has been translated into at least 50 languages, and somewhere between 50 and a hundred million copies have been sold worldwide, by most estimates, making it among the most reprinted works of poetry ever written. The frontispiece by Gibran of the Prophet Almustafa is an iconic image, and has often been taken to be a portrait of Gilbran himself (which, to some degree, it is). Several versions are known. This example was a gift to Barbara Young, his last companion and assistant, author of a biography of Gibran. Provenance: Kahlil Gibran to Barbara Young by gift to Madeleine Vanderpoel by descent to her son, Wynant D. Vanderpoel. C Property from the Wynant D. Vanderpoel Trust
* KAHLIL GIBRAN (LEBANON, 1883-1931) Portrait of Amin Rihani oil on panel, framed labelled “Louis Katz Art Galleries, 309 Columbus Ave No 6364” (on verso of frame), executed circa 1908-1912 43 x 33cm (16 15/16 x 13in).
* KAHLIL GIBRAN (LEBANON, 1883-1931) Portrait of Yamile (The Essence of Her body) oil on canvas, framed stamped “Paul Foinet Fils 21 Rue Brea” on the verso, executed circa 1908-1910 74 x 54cm (29 1/8 x 21 1/4in).
* KAHLIL GIBRAN (LEBANON, 1883-1931) Portrait of Charlotte Teller (The Essence of her Body) oil on canvas, framed stamped “Paul Foinet Fils 21 Rue Brea” on the verso, executed circa 1908-1910 66 x 50cm (26 x 19 11/16in).
GIBRAN KAHLIL: (1883-1931) Lebanese-American Artist & Poet. A charming original pencil drawing, heightened in watercolour, signed ('KG') by Gibran with his initials at the foot, on the verso of a folded 4to sheet (effectively therefore 8vo), the recto of which bears the printed heading of The Imported Grocery Co., of Gloucester, Massachusetts, n.p., n.d. Gibran's attractive drawing depicts a female nude standing in a three quarter length pose, her arms raised above her head as she holds an infant child on her right shoulder. Two further pencil studies appear in the margins, one of the lower part of an arm and the other showing the outline of a small child. Accompanied by an A.L.S., Barbara Young, by Henrietta Breckenridge Boughton (1878-1961, Gibran's secretary and companion from 1925 until his death), one page, 8vo, New York City, 26th April n.y. (1931), to Mr. Isham, on the printed stationery of the Grand Hotel. Young states 'You have been many times in my thoughts since the hour you spent with the great pictures in the Studio' and continues 'All that is now over. We are sailing May 4th….for England, then the continent and eventually Syria. The pictures will go almost intact to Beshari', adding that some will remain in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Young further adds 'I am sending you a sketch which Gibran once sent me in a letter - and was therefore….by his own hand. This is my recognition of your beautiful understanding of his work.' A large, neat tear runs diagonally across the upper third of Gibran's drawing and has been repaired to the verso. Young's letter with some extensive, neat splitting to the folds, partially repaired to the verso, and with a few small tears and signs of age wear to the edges, G, 2 Gibran had died in New York City on 10th April 1931 at the age of 48, just over two weeks prior to Young's letter transmitting Gibran's original drawing. In the present letter Young makes a reference to Bsharri ('Beshari'), the birthplace and final resting place of Gibran, and the location of The Gibran Museum. Kahlil Gibran is regarded as a literary and political rebel, most famous for his 1923 work The Prophet, an early example of inspirational fiction which was especially popular during the counterculture period of the 1960s. Gibran's romantic style was at the heart of a renaissance in modern Arabic literature. In Lebanon he is still celebrated as a literary hero and is the third best-selling poet of all time, behind Shakespeare and Laozi.
KAHLIL GIBRAN (LEBANON, 1883-1931) Unfinished Portrait of a Lady (documented as Fredericka Haskell) oil on canvas executed circa 1912 72 x 94cm (28 3/8 x 37in).
Kahlil Gibran (Lebanon, 1883-1931) Four rare and important books by Kahlil Gibran, including four with handwritten dedications by the author 1. GIBRAN, KAHLIL, "Sand And Foam", New York, Alfed Knopf, 1926 with dedication from Khalil Gibran reading: "To Selim, with love, Khalil Gibran, 1926" 2. GIBRAN, KHALIL, "Al Mawakib" (The Procession), Arabic, Mir'at al-gharb (Mirror of the West) Press, New York, 1919 3. GIBRAN, KHALIL, "Al-sanabil (The Spikes of Wheat), Al Sayeh Press, New York, 1929 with a dedication from Khalil Gibran reading: "With love, Khalil Gibran, 1929" 4. GIBRAN, KHALIL, "Al-sanabil (The Spikes of Wheat), Al Sayeh Press, New York, 1929 with a dedication from Khalil Gibran reading: "With love, Khalil Gibran, 1929"
Kahlil Gibran (Lebanon, 1883-1931) Portrait of Mrs Alexander Morten oil on canvas, framed titled "Mrs Alexander Morten" in English on the verso, executed in 1914 66 x 63cm (26 x 24 13/16in). FOOTNOTES AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE AND IMPORTANT PORTRAIT BY KAHLIL GIBRAN Provenance: Property from the collection of Mrs Alexander Morten, Boston Purchased from the estate of the above by the present owner "Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror. But you are eternity and you are the mirror." - Gibran Exhibited: New York, "Exhibition of Pictures by Kahlil Gibran", Montross Gallery, Fifth Avenue, December 1914 Published: Exhibition Catalogue, "Exhibition of Pictures by Kahlil Gibran", Montross Gallery, Fifth Avenue, December 1914 Suheil Bushrui and Joe Jenkins , Kahlil Gibran: Man and Poet, Oneworld Publications, 2008 "The weeks leading up to the exhibition were frenetic, amidst all the practicalities he finished three drawings and four paintings as well as adding to the portrait series by drawing Marjorie Morten. Gibran was incapacitated with the grippe: "I am already half dead. The thousand and one details that swim around my tired head are apt to drive one to the Mad House! Art is one thing and exhibiting another." - Khalil Gibran, Biography Bonhams have the rare privilege of presenting perhaps one of the most important and unique examples of twentieth century Lebanese art ever to come to market. The first appearance of an oil painting by Khalil Gibran at international auction, "Portrait of Mrs Alexander Morten" has been hidden from view for nearly a century. Painted at the outbreak of the First World War, archetypical of Gibran's signature portrait style, and featuring in Gibran's first exhibition in New York, the present work is considered one of the lost masterpieces that propelled the poet-artist to international fame. The Poet-Artist Best known for literary works including The Prophet and The Madman, Kahlil Gibrain was born in Besharri, Lebanon before immigrating with his family to Boston's South End in 1895. After completing his literary and artistic education in Beirut and Paris he returned permanently to his adoptive home, The United States, whilst remaining a Lebanese citizen till the end of his life. His magnum opus, The Prophet, made up of 26 prose poems delivered as sermons by a wise seer called Al Mustapha, has never been out of print since it was first published in 1923. A perennial classic, it has been translated into more than fifty language and is a staple of international best-seller list, its success has been so resounding that after Shakespeare and Lao Tzu, Gibrain is considered the world best selling poet, with over nine million copies of The Prophet having been sold in America alone. Gibrain's immense popularity lies in the accessibility and simplicity of his verse, and his ability to touch upon a wide array of existential questions such as love, family, society and death with surprising lucidity. Gibrain's vision of the world, much like Ghandi's, was pluralistic and egalitarian, uncoloured by the dogma of religion, and unaffected by the restrictions of orthodoxy; this non-judgmental, syncretic form of spirituality proved hugely influential and found him a universal audience that allowed his work to transcend national and ethnic divides. As an artist, Gibrain possessed a talent and sophistication arguably on a par with his literary works, and his fluency in both the art of the brush and the written word is what earned him the accolade, attributed to Rodin, of the "William Blake of the 20th Century" In 1908, Gibrain travelled to Paris and enrolled in the popular atelier of Rodolphe Julian, through which Matisse, Bonnard, and Léger, among others, had also passed. He also attended classes at the École des Beaux-Arts and studied under Pierre Marcel Béronneau, a well-known painter and disciple of Gustave Moreau, It is here where he was schooled in symbolist and aestheticisim, prominent 19th century art movements that would have a marked influence on much of his subsequent work. In Paris as in later life, Gibrain, Gibran mixed with the intellectual elites of his time, including figures such as WB Yeats, Carl Jung and August Rodin, all of whom he also painted. His artistic work drew many accolades and in Paris, Gibran succeeded in being invited to participate in one of the most prestigious annual exhibitions, the Salon d'automne, which counted Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, and Paul Gauguin among its alumni. A Lost Masterpiece The present painting was executed at a seminal point in Gibran's career and is the subject of extensive documentation both in Gibran's letters to his sister Maria and in Gibran's numerous biographies. Living in Boston at the time, Gibran was engrossed in his composition of the "Mad Man" (which was to be published in 1918) and desperately seeking an opportunity to exhibit his works in New York. In the spring of 1914 he was approached by the prominent New York Art Dealer Alexander Morten (whose wife in the subject of the portrait), and a suave gallerist by the name of Newman Montross. Whilst realizing Gibran's immense talent Montross noted that he was an artist who "doesn't care whether he sells or not", yet despite this the pair were excited by the prospect of "surprising New York" with this newly discovered talent, the exhibition in which the present piece was exhibited was a resounding success and laid the foundation for Gibran's growing popularity among the American artistic elite. Preparation for the exhibition put immense strain in Gibran's already fought nerves, and his weak constitution suffered greatly in the run up to the exhibition, in letters to his sister during the period he laments that "there is something struggling in my soul... it has never been so terrible before". This sense of existential angst and spiritual confusion is evident in the artists literary and artistic output during the period and serves to highlight the complexity of a figure who was at once a wholehearted advocate of spiritual peace yet also a deeply troubled soul The Subject – Marjorie Morten Marjorie Morten was a lavish and industrious figure; a writer, author and artist in her own right as well as generous supporter and patron of the arts and a New York City socialite, she was particularly well known as an influential member of the Baha'i faith serving as editor of the Baha'i journal "World Order," and personal friend of Bahiyyih Khanum, the daughter of Bahulullah. Morten and Gibran initially became acquainted with each other in Baha'i circles in New York when Gibran was seeking to learn more about Baha'ism, a mystical faith which was very much in line with his own personal philosophy of love, tolerance and spiritual emancipation. Importantly, Morten and Gibran were both present during Bahulullah's visit to New York in 1912 and it is perhaps no co-incidence that the portrait Gibran chose to paint is charged with a certain sense of spiritual grace no doubt a reflection of the sitters inner beliefs. Mrs Morten was an active patron of artists such as Mark Tobey, Juliet Thompson, and Albert Pinkham Ryder and her husband's trade as a successful art dealer allowed her to become a fixture in New York's artistic elite. The Painting The present portrait showcase the quintessential elements of Gibrain's artistic practice. Incorporating the stylistic and philosophical underpinnings of the asetheticsts, Gibrain sought beauty and poetry as an antidote to worldly woes and the transience of existence. The elevation of beauty as an ideal was characteristic of symbolists such as Rodin and Blake, who favoured romance over realism, and in a century inhabited by artists pursuing political, revolutionary and iconoclastic agendas, the soft, romantic grace of Gibrain's work was an affirmation of beauty as a transcendental and apolitical ideal, echoed the inclusive and unifying hue of his poetry. Exhibiting a soft, diaphanous and almost dream-like quality, there is a strong suggestion of his figures inhabiting a purely spiritual realm, unsullied by the fetters of earthly existence. In an artistic style inspired by the mystical paintings of Eugene Carrière, Gibran's dream-like solitary figures constantly remind us of the theme of spiritual unity that flows through his writing. The artist who "kept Jesus in one half of his bosom and Muhammad in the other," believed that a universal "religion of the heart" could create harmony between people of different faiths. Strongly influenced by Sufism, Gibran once wrote, "I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple, pray in your church. For you and I are sons of one religion, and it is the spirit." Sensuous and free flowing, Gibrain's works are committed to the aesthetics principle of depicting suggestion over statement, of establishing an "aesthetic mood" over making grand visual gestures. It is this form of gentle, sensitive draughtsmanship, which is so arousing in Gibran's works, and which justifies his position as one of the most enigmatic, admired and talented cultural figures of the twentieth century.
KAHLIL GIBRAN (Lebanon, 1883-1931) Eight rare and important books by and about Kahlil Gibran, including four with handwritten dedications by the author
KAHLIL GIBRAN (Lebanon, 1883-1931) Anatomical Drawing with fragment of original handwritten manuscript from an early draft of "The Prophet" Framed alongside two Photographs
KAHLIL GIBRAN (1883 - 1931) Lebanese poet and artist, author of The Prophet and The Earth Gods. A very rare offering, a signed volume of his most famous work, The Prophet, with a fantastic A.Q.S. within. The volume is hardcover 4to., (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1926), bound in gilt boards (worn), 84pp. and a special edition with inset illustrations housed in the original case. On the first free endpaper, Gibran writes a fine quote from p. 27 of the book: "Love is winging this day through 'work' and 'work is love made visible' . To Marie Louise from her devoted friend, Kahlil April 1928". An interesting association piece, as Marie Louise was Marie Louise Watters, a friend of Gibran who lived in Greenwich Village. She studied at NYU and took pottery classes as the Arts Students League, where she met Gibran in 1918. According to our consignor, a neighbor of Watters' parents and friend of Watters herself, Marie Louise developed a close relationship with the author that continued until his death in 1931. They remained friends until his death three years after he penned this loving inscription. Watters herself gave this volume to our consignor, and a letter from Watters is included in the lot that attests to their relationship. The volume comes directly from our consignor to us. A wonderful example with the best possible content. The inscription page and interior pages of the volume are very clean and bright; however the boards and spine are a bit worn, corners bumped with loss of gilt thereon, still good. Housed in the original open-sided hardboard case, which is badly worn, lacking the original gilt paper, and other damage. Nonetheless a spectacular find.
319. KAHLIL GIBRAN (1883 - 1931) Lebanese born poet, artist and author of popular books in English and Arabic including The Prophet and The Earth Gods. Trained under Rodin in Paris, his drawings are considered lyrically ethereal, though he is best known for the universally spiritual themes in his writing. A rare signed book, a copy of Gibran's longest English work, Jesus, The Son of Man, 1928, New York, Alfred A. Knopf, 215pp., first and second printings before publication. Written at the height of his international popularity, this tome shows Gibran's self-invented style of extremely brief paragraph phrasing, taking on his interpretation of the life of Jesus as told through those he knew. Attractive sentiment and signature on front endpaper in black ink, "With the kindest thoughts of Kahlil Gibran, 1928" beneath an inscription in another hand. Book is nicely illustrated, with 15 plates including color inserts and also inclusive of the piece "Jesus, Son of Man" which resides in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Interior pages are very good, still crisp with uncut leaves toward the rear, slightly yellow but uniform throughout. Cover shows slight rubbing to inlaid lettering and corners, as well as upper and lower edges of spine, otherwise good.$600-800
KAHIL GIBRAN (b. 1922) SLEEP THOUGHT signed and dated 1945, l.r. on reverse; oil on canvas; 68 inches x 15 inches; Note: The artist is cousin and namesake of poet, philosopher and artist, Kahi Gibran, who wrote "The Prophet", a book of poetry popular in the 1970's.
![GIBRAN, KAHLIL (1883-1931) [Figures on the shore].](https://stageimg.invaluable.com/housePhotos/doyle/77/626777/H0061-L156393911.jpg)
![GIBRAN, KAHLIL (1883-1931) [Rocky shoreline].](https://stageimg.invaluable.com/housePhotos/doyle/77/626777/H0061-L156393905.jpg)
![GIBRAN, KAHLIL (1883-1931) [Reclining Nudes], Christmas 1925. Graphite and watercolor on thin paper (watermarked "Bond"), 7...](https://stageimg.invaluable.com/housePhotos/doyle/77/626777/H0061-L156393897.jpg)
![GIBRAN, KAHLIL (1883-1931) [Almustafa, The Prophet]. [1923?] or after. Graphite on Dartmouth Bond paper (with watermark), 10...](https://stageimg.invaluable.com/housePhotos/doyle/77/626777/H0061-L156393887.jpg)
