James A. Porter Paintings & Artwork for Sale | James A. Porter Art Value Price Guide

Oct. 30, 2024
James Amos Porter, Haiti Beach, Watercolor
Est: $2,750 - $3,750
Artist: James Amos Porter, American (1905 - 1970) Title: Haiti Beach Year: circa 1965 Medium: Watercolor, signed lower right Size: 15 in. x 12 in. (38.1 cm x 30.48 cm) Frame Size: 22 x 18 inches
RoGallery
Apr. 04, 2024
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) The Masquerade.
Est: $15,000 - $25,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) The Masquerade. Oil on linen canvas, circa 1929. 380x452 mm; 15x18 inches. With the artist's label pasted on the canvas verso. Provenance: gift of the artist to Loïs Mailou Jones; the estate of Loïs Mailou Jones; private collection; acquired from Swann Auction Galleries on 02/19/2008, private collection, Illinois. The Masquerade is a scarce example of a Harlem Renaissance-era painting by the great art historian, educator and painter James A. Porter. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Porter grew up in the District of Columbia. Porter entered Howard University's School of Applied Sciences on an art scholarship in the fall of 1923 under the tutelage of James V. Herring, the founder of Howard's art department. Graduating in 1927, James Porter was soon appointed as an assistant professor. He went on to become the head of the department and the director of the Art Gallery at Howard University until 1970. Porter also attended Teachers College, Columbia University, and the Art Students League, New York In 1930, Loïs Mailou Jones joined Porter on the Howard University faculty, where they both taught for over forty years. Porter frequently entered the Harmon Foundation Exhibitions in New York; in 1933, he was awarded the Arturo Schomburg Portrait Prize for his painting, Woman Holding A Jug. In 1943, Porter published his seminal Modern Negro Art, the first comprehensive survey of African American Art.
Swann Auction Galleries
Dec. 02, 2023
James Amos Porter, 1905-1970, Portrait of a Man
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
James Amos Porter 1905-1970 Portrait of a Man c. 1950 watercolor on paper 16 x 11 inches signed Provenance: private collection, Philadelphia, PA
Black Art Auction
Oct. 14, 2023
James Amos Porter, American 1905 -1970, Lagos, Nigeria
Est: $5,000 - $7,000
James Amos Porter American, 1905 -1970 Lagos, Nigeria 1964 oil on canvas 12 x 20 inches Signed and dated Provenance: The Collection of Dr. Donald and Isabel Stewart, Chicago, IL. Dr. Stewart was the 6th president of Spelman College from 1976-1986.
Black Art Auction
Jan. 07, 2023
MALE PORTRAIT OIL PAINTING BY JAMES AMOS PORTER
Est: $100 - $150
Oil on canvas painting by James Amos Porter, 1905 to 1970, an African-American artist. The artwork depicts a profile portrait of a young black man. Signed by the artist in the lower right. Wooden frame. Mid Century American Figurative Art For Collectors.
Antique Arena Inc
Dec. 09, 2022
James Amos Porter (American 1905-1970), Cover Art for 'The Pastor's Voice' by Walter H. Brooks and 'The Negro in Tennessee' by A.A. Taylor: Two Works, The first, ink and gouache on paper; the second, ink on paper
Est: $800 - $1,200
James Amos Porter (American, 1905-1970) Cover Art for 'The Pastor's Voice' by Walter H. Brooks and 'The Negro in Tennessee' by A.A. Taylor: Two Works The first, ink and gouache on paper; the second, ink on paper; each with copy edit notes in margins and verso and with various handling creases and smudges. Each unframed. The first, unsigned; the second, inscribed James Porter, Howard University/ for Associated Publishers and C.G. Woodson, presumably the publisher's final approval, in graphite on verso
Weschler's
Mar. 31, 2022
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Untitled (Male Nude).
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Untitled (Male Nude). Charcoal on cream laid paper, 1925. 635x483 mm; 25x19 inches. Signed and dated "Oct. '25" in charcoal, lower right recto. With an unfinished figure drawing on the verso. Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac; thence by descent to the current owner, private collection. James A. Porter drew this academic figure study as an undergraduate student at Howard University. Porter entered Howard's School of Applied Sciences on an art scholarship in the fall of 1923, studied under the tutelage of James V. Herring, the founder of the university's new art department, and graduated in 1927.
Swann Auction Galleries
Mar. 12, 2022
James Amos Porter, 1905-1970, Vision at Ibadan
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
James Amos Porter 1905-1970 Vision at Ibadan 1963 pastel on board 16 x 28 3/4 inches signed Artist's label verso with title and date Provenance: the estate of Adelaide Cromwell (1919-2019; distinguished professor at Boston University)
Black Art Auction
Mar. 12, 2022
James Amos Porter, 1905-1970, Reclining Nude
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
James Amos Porter 1905-1970 Reclining Nude 1963 charcoal on tan paper 11 x 17 1/2 inches signed and dated, "10-63"
Black Art Auction
Dec. 04, 2021
James Amos Porter, 1905 -1970, Lagos, Nigeria, Oil on Canvas, 12 x 20 inches
Est: $5,000 - $7,000
James Amos Porter 1905 -1970 Lagos, Nigeria Oil on Canvas 1964 Signed and dated Provenance: Private collection, Chicago, IL
Black Art Auction
Oct. 07, 2021
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Seraphim and Cherubim, Lagos.
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Seraphim and Cherubim, Lagos. Oil on cotton canvas, 1964. 508x356 mm; 20x14 inches. Provenance: the estate of Adelaide Cromwell; private collection, Massachusetts. Adelaide Cromwell was the founder of the African American Studies program at Boston University. Exhibited: Retrospective Exhibition: Paintings of the Years 1954-1964, Howard University, Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, January 22 - February 26, 1965, cat no. 24.
Swann Auction Galleries
May. 04, 2021
James Amos Porter (American, 1905-1970) Seraphim and Cherubim, Lagos 20 1/16 x 14 1/16in (51 x 35.7cm) (Painted in 1964)
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
James Amos Porter (American, 1905-1970) Seraphim and Cherubim, Lagos oil on canvas 20 1/16 x 14 1/16in (51 x 35.7cm) Painted in 1964 For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Apr. 22, 2021
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Child Reading.
Est: $7,000 - $10,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Child Reading. Oil on linen canvas, circa 1945. 267x216 mm; 10 1/2x8 1/2 inches. Signed and titled in charcoal, verso. Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac; thence by descent to the current owner, private collection, with the estate's labels on the verso. Exhibited: James A. Porter: An Exhibition of Recent Paintings, Dupont Theatre Art Gallery, Washington, DC, May 24- July 4, 1949; James A. Porter: Artist and Art Historian; The Memory of The Legacy, Howard University Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, October 15, 1992 - February 9, 1993.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 22, 2021
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Lynching.
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Lynching. Brush, pen and ink on cream wove paper, circa 1933-34. 292x260 mm; 11 1/2x10 1/4 inches. Initialed in ink, lower right. Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac; thence by descent to the current owner, private collection, with the estate's labels on the verso. This drawing is related to a smaller ink drawing by James A. Porter that illustrated the poem Blasphemy - American Style in the December 1934 issue of the magazine Opportunity, p. 368.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 22, 2021
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Untitled (Male Nude).
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Untitled (Male Nude). Charcoal on cream laid paper, 1925. 635x483 mm; 25x19 inches. Signed and dated "Oct. '25" in charcoal, lower right recto. With an unfinished figure drawing on the verso. Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac; thence by descent to the current owner, private collection. James A. Porter drew this academic figure study as an undergraduate student at Howard University. Porter entered Howard's School of Applied Sciences on an art scholarship in the fall of 1923, studied under the tutelage of James V. Herring, the founder of the university's new art department, and graduated in 1927.
Swann Auction Galleries
Jul. 07, 2020
James Amos Porter (1905 - 1970) Charcoal on paper
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
James Amos Porter (1905 - 1970) Charcoal on paper Signed measures 13.5 x 11
Cutler Bay Auctions
Jun. 04, 2020
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Tempest of the Niger.
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Tempest of the Niger. Oil on cotton canvas, 1964. 660x1015 mm; 26x40 inches. Signed and dated in oil, lower right. Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac; thence by descent to the current owner, private collection. Exhibitions: Retrospective Exhibition: Paintings of the Years 1954-1964, January 22 - February 26, 1965. Washington, DC, Howard University, Gallery of Art; The Negro in American Art; An Exhibition Co-Sponsored by the California Arts Commission, with the label on the frame back. Travelling Exhibition; University of California, Los Angeles, September 11-October 16, 1966; University of California, Davis, November 1 - December 15, 1966; Fine Arts Gallery, San Diego, January 6 - February 12, 1967; Art Museum, Oakland, February 24 - March 19, 1967; California Afro-American Museum, Los Angeles, 1967, with the label on the frame back; Afro-American Artists, 1800-1969, Municipal Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, 1969-70; James A. Porter: Artist and Art Historian; The Memory of The Legacy. Howard University Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., October 15, 1992 - February 9, 1993. Illustrated: The Negro in American Art, Dickson Art Center, UCLA Art Galleries, 1967, p. 40. (Porter also wrote the catalogue essay); Romare Bearden and Harry B. Henderson, Jr. A History of African-American Artists, pl. xxii. In 1963-64, James Porter took a sabbatical leave from his chairmanship of the art department at Howard University. He travelled and lived in West Africa, Nigeria and Egypt to gather materials for a projected book on West African art and architecture. He hoped to re-trace the African roots of black arts, and find its inherent African qualities. Porter said from this time that "I hope most sincerely that my paintings [do] reflect the enthusiasm and the understanding admiration which I have felt for Africa and the Africans, even though, admittedly the most skillful expatriate artist may utterly fail to capture those ineffable traits in the African people which we believe are made visible to us in their arts."
Swann Auction Galleries
Jun. 04, 2020
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) The Piggy Bank.
Est: $6,000 - $9,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) The Piggy Bank. Charcoal on wove paper, 1944. 610x460 mm; 24x18 inches. Signed and dated in charcoal, lower right. With a pencil drawing of a physics diagram from Howard University on the verso. Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac; thence by descent to the current owner, private collection. Illustrated: A History of African-American Artists, Romare Bearden and Harry B. Henderson, Jr., p. 375. This early drawing depicts the artist's daughter with an experimental cross-hatch technique. Porter painted and drew many family portraits.
Swann Auction Galleries
May. 16, 2020
James Amos Porter, 1905 -1970, Lagos, Nigeria, Oil on Canvas, 12 x 20 inches
Est: $8,000 - $10,000
James Amos Porter 1905 -1970 Lagos, Nigeria Oil on Canvas 1964 Signed and dated Provenance: Private collection, Chicago, IL 12 x 20 inches
Black Art Auction
Oct. 08, 2019
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Ferry to Tarkwa Bay, Lagos (Nigeria).
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Ferry to Tarkwa Bay, Lagos (Nigeria). Oil on linen canvas, 1963. 457x711 mm; 18x28 inches. Signed and dated in oil, lower right. Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac; thence by descent to the current owner. Exhibited: James A. Porter: Artist and Art Historian; The Memory of The Legacy. Howard University Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, October 15, 1992 - February 9, 1993.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 08, 2019
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Waiting for the Fishing Boats.
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Waiting for the Fishing Boats. Color pastels on buff wove paper, 1963. 686x845 mm; 27x33 1/4 inches. Signed and dated in pastel, lower left. Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac, thence by descent to the current owner. Exhibited: James A. Porter: Artist and Art Historian; The Memory of The Legacy. Howard University Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, October 15, 1992 - February 9, 1993. Illustrated: James A. Porter, 1905 -1970, From Me to You: the Works of James A. Porter, G.R. N'Namdi Gallery, p. 102. In 1963-64, James Porter took a sabbatical leave from his chairmanship of the art department at Howard University. He travelled and lived in West Africa, Nigeria and Egypt to gather materials for a projected book on West African art and architecture.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 04, 2019
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Victoria Island, Lagos (Nigeria).
Est: $7,000 - $10,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Victoria Island, Lagos (Nigeria). Oil on cotton canvas, 1963. 406x660 mm; 16x26 inches. Signed in oil, lower right recto. Signed and dated in pencil and titled in ink, upper right verso. Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Wesley; Constance Porter Uzelac, with the label on the frame back; thence by descent to the current owner. Illustrated: James A. Porter, Artist and Art Historian: The Memory of the Legacy, Howard University, p. 144. In 1963-64, James Porter took a second trip to Africa while on sabbatical leave from his chairmanship of the art department at Howard University. He travelled and lived in West Africa, Nigeria and Egypt to gather materials for a projected book on West African art and architecture, in addition to painting several African landscapes.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 04, 2019
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Physiognomic Design.
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Physiognomic Design. Red conte crayon on cream wove paper, 1929. 584x508 mm; 23x20 inches. Initialed in red conte crayon, lower right. Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac, thence by descent to the current owner. Exhibited: The New York Water Color Club, Fine Arts Building, New York City, 1931; Exhibit of a Small Group of Paintings, Howard University, February 1932; 13th Annual Philadelphia Water Color Exhibition and the 31st Miniature Exhibition, Pennslyvania Academy of Fine Arts, November 5 - December 11, 1932, with the label on the frame back. Illustrated: James Amos Porter (1905 - 1970): Spotlight on His Works on Paper. Westport Foundation and Gallery, Fort Lauderdale, FL, p. 9.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 04, 2018
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Street of the Market, Zaria.
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Street of the Market, Zaria. Oil on linen canvas, 1964. 406x660 mm; 16x26 inches. Signed in oil, lower right. Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac, thence by descent to the current owner. Illustrated: Romare Bearden and Albert Henderson. A History of African-American Artists, p. 380. Zaria is a major city in the Kaduna State of northern Nigeria. In 1963-64, James Porter took a second trip to Africa while on sabbatical leave from his chairmanship of the art department at Howard University. He travelled and lived in West Africa, Nigeria and Egypt to gather materials for a projected book on West African art and architecture, in addition to painting several African landscapes.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 04, 2018
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Untitled (Dorothy).
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Untitled (Dorothy). Charcoal on cream wove paper, circa 1929. 610x457 mm; 24x18 inches (sheet). Signed in charcoal, lower right. Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac, thence by descent to the current owner. This beautiful charcoal drawing is a lovely, early portrait of his wife Dorothy, and a very scarce example of a Harlem Renaissance-era drawing by the artist.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 22, 2018
AN ARGICULTURAL MEDAL, DATED 1905 AND AWARDED TO JAMES W PORTER FOR BEST HOLSTEIN COW OR HEIFER
Est: $400 - $600
AN ARGICULTURAL MEDAL, DATED 1905 AND AWARDED TO JAMES W PORTER FOR BEST HOLSTEIN COW OR HEIFER modelled in 15ct gold. Weight 14gms
Leonard Joel
Apr. 05, 2018
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) African Venus.
Est: $7,000 - $10,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) African Venus. Oil on paper, 1963. 787x432 mm; 31x17 inches. Signed in oil, lower right. Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac, thence by descent to the current owner. Exhibited: James A. Porter: Artist and Art Historian; The Memory of The Legacy. Howard University Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, October 15, 1992 - February 9, 1993. In 1963-64, James Porter took a sabbatical leave from his chairmanship of the art department at Howard University. He travelled and lived in West Africa, Nigeria and Egypt to gather materials for a projected book on West African art and architecture.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 05, 2017
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Storm over Jos (Nigeria).
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Storm over Jos (Nigeria). Oil on cotton canvas, 1964. 502x730 mm; 19 3/4x28 3/4 inches. Signed in oil, lower right. Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac; thence by descent to the current owner. Illustrated: James A. Porter, Artist and Art Historian: The Memory of the Legacy, Howard University, p. 144: James A. Porter, 1905 -1970.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 05, 2017
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Physiogenic Design.
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Physiogenic Design. Red conte crayon on cream wove paper, 1929. 584x508 mm; 23x20 inches. Initialed in red conte crayon, lower right. Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac, thence by descent to the current owner. Exhibited: The New York Water Color Club, Fine Arts Building, New York City, 1931; Exhibit of a Small Group of Paintings, Howard University, February 1932; 13th Annual Philadelphia Water Color Exhibition and the 31st Miniature Exhibition, Pennslyvania Academy of Fine Arts, November 5 - December 11, 1932, with the label on the frame back. Illustrated: James Amos Porter (1905 - 1970): Spotlight on His Works on Paper. Westport Foundation and Gallery, Fort Lauderdale, FL, p. 9.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 06, 2017
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) The Birth of Africa (Rebirth of Africa).
Est: $15,000 - $25,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) The Birth of Africa (Rebirth of Africa). Oil on cotton canvas, 1963-64. 610x838 mm; 24x33 inches. Initialed in oil, lower right. Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac; thence by descent to the current owner. Exhibited: James A. Porter, Retrospective Exhibition: Paintings of the Years 1954-1964. Howard University Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, January 22 - February 26, 1965; James A. Porter: Artist and Art Historian; The Memory of The Legacy. Howard University Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, October 15, 1992 - February 9, 1993. In 1963-64, James Porter took a sabbatical leave from his chairmanship of the art department at Howard University. He travelled and lived in West Africa, Nigeria and Egypt to gather materials for a projected book on West African art and architecture.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 06, 2017
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) The Artist''s Wife.
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) The Artist''s Wife. Color pastels on tan wove paper, early 1940s. 635x508 mm; 25x20 inches. Signed, titled and inscribed "Portrait - Pastel" and "738 Gersham Pl., N.W., Washington, D.C." in ink on a fragment of backing paper, mounted on the frame back. Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Wesley; Constance Porter Uzelac; thence by descent to the current owner. Exhibited: An Exhibition and Address by Mr. James A. Porter, Howard University, Armstrong High School, Washington, DC, January 11, 1944; James A. Porter, Artist and Art Historian: The Memory of the Legacy, Howard University Gallery of Art, Howard University, Washington, DC, October 15, 1992 - February 9, 1993, with the estate label on the frame back listing exhibition history.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 06, 2016
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Dismounted Spirit.
Est: $12,000 - $18,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Dismounted Spirit. Oil on cotton canvas, 1959. 1016x762 mm; 40x30 inches. Signed in oil, lower right. Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac, thence by descent to the current owner. Illustrated: James A. Porter, 1905 -1970, From Me to You: the Works of James A. Porter, G.R. N'Namdi Gallery, p. 40.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 06, 2016
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Porteuse.
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Porteuse. Oil on board, 1963-64. 635x355 mm; 25x14 inches. Signed and dated in crayon, lower right. Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac, thence by descent to the current owner. Exhibited: James A. Porter, Retrospective Exhibition: Paintings of the Years 1954-1964. Howard University Gallery of Art, Washington DC, January 22 - February 26, 1965; James A. Porter: Artist and Art Historian; The Memory of The Legacy. Howard University Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, October 15, 1992 - February 9, 1993. In 1963-64, James Porter took a sabbatical leave from his chairmanship of the art department at Howard University. He travelled and lived in West Africa, Nigeria and Egypt to gather materials for a projected book on West African art and architecture.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 06, 2016
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Dorothy (Profile Drawing).
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Dorothy (Profile Drawing). Charcoal on cream wove paper, circa 1929. Approximately 419x305 mm; 16 1/2x12 inches (image). Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac, thence by descent to the current owner. Exhibited: James A. Porter: Artist and Art Historian; The Memory of a Legacy, Howard University Gallery of Art, October 15, 1992-February 9, 1993, with label on the frame back listing exhibition history. Illustrated: James A. Porter, Artist and Art Historian: The Memory of the Legacy, Howard University, p. 135: James A. Porter, 1905 -1970, From Me to You: the Works of James A. Porter, G.R. N'Namdi Gallery, p. 98; James Amos Porter (1905 - 1970): Spotlight on His Works on Paper, Westport Foundation and Gallery, Fort Lauderdale, FL, p. 10. This beautiful charcoal drawing is a lovely, early portrait of his wife Dorothy, and a very scarce example of a Harlem Renaissance-era drawing by the artist.
Swann Auction Galleries
Jun. 16, 2016
James Amos Porter, Haiti Beach, Watercolor
Est: $2,000 - $2,500
Artist: James Amos Porter, American (1905 - 1970) Title: Haiti Beach Year: circa 1965 Medium: Watercolor, signed l.r. Size: 15 in. x 12 in. (38.1 cm x 30.48 cm) Frame Size: 22 x 18 inches
RoGallery
Dec. 15, 2015
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1998) The Straw Hat.
Est: $7,000 - $10,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1998) The Straw Hat. Conte crayon and charcoal on cream wove paper, 1944. 635x482 mm; 25x19 inches. Signed and dated in crayon, lower right. Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac, thence by descent to the current owner. Exhibited: Paintings and Drawings by James A. Porter, Barnett-Aden Gallery, Washington, DC, February 7- March, 1948, with the estate label on the frame back listing exhibition history. Illustrated: James Amos Porter (1905 - 1970): Spotlight on His Works on Paper. Westport Foundation and Gallery, Fort Lauderdale, FL, p. 9.
Swann Auction Galleries
Dec. 15, 2015
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) FA as Harlequin.
Est: $5,000 - $7,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) FA as Harlequin. Watercolor on buff textured wove paper, 1930. Approximatey 483x405 mm; 19x16 inches. Signed and dated in ink, lower right Provenance: the artist; Dorthy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac, thence by descent to the current owner. Illustrated: James A. Porter, 1905 -1970, From Me to You: the Works of James A. Porter, G.R. N'Namdi Gallery, p. 57; James Amos Porter (1905 - 1970): Spotlight on His Works on Paper, Westport Foundation and Gallery, Fort Lauderdale, FL, p. 12. This unusual and early self-portrait is a striking departure for the artist, and a remarkable early foray into modernism by a Harlem Renaissance-era artist. Porter had received a Bachelor of Arts degree in painting at Howard University in 1926, when the following year he was appointed assistant professor there. Porter rose to prominence and widely exhibited his work in the early 1930s - including at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Museum of Modern Art, the Baltimore Museum, and the Harmon Foundation, New York. At the Harmon Foundation, his best known painting Woman Holding a Jug, also from 1930, was reproduced on the cover of its 1933 exhibition catalogue and won the Schomburg portrait prize; its popular and critical acclaim brought Porter national recognition.
Swann Auction Galleries
May. 08, 2015
James Amos Porter (American 1905-1970), Day and Night: A Pair of Works, Each Pastel on Paper, Sight Size: 17 x 11 in
Est: $5,000 - $7,000
James Amos Porter (American 1905-1970) Day and Night: A Pair of Works Each pastel on paper, each circa 1937; each glued down onto board. Each framed. Sight size of each: 17 x 11 in (43.2 x 27.3 cm)Property from a Washington, DC Collection
Weschler's
Apr. 09, 2015
James Amos Porter (1905 - 1970) Color Pencil.
Est: $3,000 - $4,000
Color Pencil and Ink Landscape illustration of San Miguel D'Allende 1961. 13 1/4" x 10 1/2" signed lower right. From the Estate of Merton Simpson.
Weiss Auctions
Apr. 02, 2015
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Fish Vendors at Bar Beach, Lagos.
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Fish Vendors at Bar Beach, Lagos. Oil on cotton canvas, 1964. 559x735 mm; 22x29 inches. Signed in oil, lower right recto. Inscribed "J. A. Porter", titled and numbered #42 in ink, verso, and inscribed "Seafood Vendors" in pencil in ink verso. Provenance: the artist; hence by descent to his daughter, Constance Porter-Uzelac; thence by descent, private collection. Exhibitions: African Retrospective, Howard University, 1964; Afro-American Artists, 1800-1969, Municipal Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, 1969-1970; James A. Porter: Artist and Art Historian; The Memory of The Legacy, Howard University Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, October 15, 1992 - February 9, 1993; The Art of Harlem Renaissance Man James A. Porter, State Capitol Rotunda, Tallahassee, February 1 - March 17, 2005, with the estate label on the frame back listing exhibition history.. Fish Vendors at Bar Beach, Lagos is large canvas from the artist's scarce African period - made in Nigeria during his 1963-64 study and tour of West Africa.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 02, 2015
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) The Artist's Wife.
Est: $6,000 - $9,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) The Artist's Wife. Color pastels on buff wove paper, early 1940s. 635x508 mm; 25x20 inches. Signed, titled and inscribed "Portrait - Pastel" and "738 Gersham Pl., N.W., Washington, D.C." in ink on a fragment of backing paper, mounted on the frame back. Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Wesley; Constance Porter Uzelac, thence by descent to the current owner. Exhibited: An Exhibition and Address by Mr. James A. Porter, Howard University, Armstrong High School, Washington, DC, January 11, 1944; James A. Porter, Artist and Art Historian: The Memory of the Legacy, Howard University Gallery of Art, Howard University, Washington, DC, October 15, 1992 - February 9, 1993, with the estate label on the frame back listing exhibition history.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 02, 2015
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Head of a Young Man.
Est: $5,000 - $7,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Head of a Young Man. Charcoal on cream wove paper, 1925. 521x381 mm; 20 1/2x15 inches. Signed and dated in charcoal, lower right. Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac, thence by descent to the current owner. Exhibited: Annual Exhibition of Architecture and Art by the Students of the Departments of Architecture and Art of Howard University, School of Applied Science, Howard Universtity, June 1- 5, 1926; James A. Porter: Artist and Art Historian; The Memory of a Legacy, Howard University Gallery of Art, Howard University, Washington, DC, October 15, 1992 - February 9, 1993, with the estate label on the frame back listing exhibition history. This portait of a handsome young man is one of the earliest drawings by the artist to come to auction; it was included in a summer student exhibition before his senior year at Howard University.
Swann Auction Galleries
Dec. 06, 2014
James Porter, (American, 1905-1970), Landscape, oil on board, 8" x 9.5"
Est: $1,500 - $2,000
James Porter (American, 1905-1970) Landscape oil on board signed lower right 8" x 9.5"
Toomey & Co. Auctioneers
Oct. 09, 2014
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Woman Reading.
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Woman Reading. Oil on cotton canvas, 1930. 508x610 mm; 20x24 inches. Signed in oil, lower right. Provenance: the artist; Dorothy Porter Wesley; Constance Porter Uzelac, thence by descent to the current owner. Exhibited: The Art of the Negro, sponsored by the Harmon Foundation, circulated by the College Art Association, April 15 - May 4, 1935; James A. Porter, Artist and Art Historian: The Memory of the Legacy, Howard University Gallery of Art, Howard University, Washington, DC, October 15, 1992 - February 9, 1993; American Ambassador to the United Nations, Geneva Switzerland, as part of the Art in Embassies Program, United States Department of State, 1996 - 2000, with the label on the verso. Illustrated: James A. Porter, Artist and Art Historian: The Memory of the Legacy, Howard University, p. 128: James A. Porter, 1905 -1970, From Me to You: the Works of James A. Porter, G.R. N'Namdi Gallery, p. 104. This elegant interior study is an important and well-known example of Porter's early modern painting. Woman Reading shows the influence of Porter's study of Post-Impressionism, particularly Pierre Bonnard and Édouard Vuillard. James A. Porter rose to prominence and widely exhibited his work in the early 1930s - including at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Museum of Modern Art, the Baltimore Museum, and the Harmon Foundation, New York. At the Harmon Foundation, his Woman Holding a Jug, 1930, reproduced on the cover of its 1933 exhibition catalogue, won the Schomburg portrait prize, and its popular and crtical acclaim brought Porter national recognition. After graduating from Howard University in 1927, Porter established his career as an artist while teaching art at the University.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 09, 2014
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Dorothy (Profile Drawing).
Est: $5,000 - $7,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Dorothy (Profile Drawing). Charcoal on cream wove paper, circa 1929. Approximatey 419x305 mm; 16 1/2x12 inches (image). Provenance: the artist; Dorthy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac, thence by descent to the current owner. Exhibited: James A. Porter: Artist and Art Historian; The Memory of a Legacy, Howard University Gallery of Art, October 15, 1992-February 9, 1993, with label on the frame back listing exhibition history. Illustrated: James A. Porter, Artist and Art Historian: The Memory of the Legacy, Howard University, p. 135: James A. Porter, 1905 -1970, From Me to You: the Works of James A. Porter, G.R. N'Namdi Gallery, p. 98; James Amos Porter (1905 - 1970): Spotlight on His Works on Paper, Westport Foundatin and Gallery, Fort Lauderdale, FL, p. 10. This beautiful charcoal drawing is a lovely, early portrait of his wife Dorothy, and a very scarce example of a Harlem Renaissance-era drawing by the artist.
Swann Auction Galleries
Feb. 13, 2014
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Self-Portrait.
Est: $12,000 - $18,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Self-Portrait. Oil on linen canvas, circa 1935. 355x305 mm; 14x12 inches. Provenance: the artist; Dorthy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac, thence by descent to the current owner. Exhibited: James A. Porter, Artist and Art Historian: The Memory of the Legacy, Howard University Gallery of Art, Washington DC, October 15, 1992 - January 8, 1993; James A. Porter, 1905 -1970, From Me to You: the Works of James A. Porter, G.R. N'Namdi Gallery, New York, NY, January 13 - March 31, 2006. Illustrated: Porter, James A., Modern Negro Art, Howard University Press, Washington, DC, 1992 edition, frontispiece; James A. Porter, Artist and Art Historian: The Memory of the Legacy, Howard University, p. 127: James A. Porter, 1905 -1970, From Me to You: the Works of James A. Porter, G.R. N'Namdi Gallery, p. 39. James A. Porter, artist, art historian, and head of the Howard University Art department, shows himself here as young artist at his easel. Porter widely exhibited his work in the 1930s - including at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Museum of Modern Art, the Baltimore Museum, and the Harmon Foundation, New York. At the Harmon Foundation, his Woman Holding a Jug, 1930, reproduced on the cover of its 1933 exhibition catalogue, won the Schomburg portrait prize, and its popular and crtical acclaim brought Porter national recognition. After having graduated from Howard University in 1927, Porter established his career as an artist while teaching art at the University. This painting is dated to his first sabbatical year, when in 1935 he studied at New York University and the Sorbonne, University of Paris. That year he met Feral Benga in Brussels, and visited the studio of Henry Ossawa Tanner. Porter went on to complete and publish his seminal Modern Negro Art in 1943, one of the first comprehensive academic studies of African-American art. This image is one of the best known self-portraits by an African-American artist, and has been extensively exhibited and reproduced. This important painting is also the first portrait in oil on canvas by James A. Porter to come to auction.
Swann Auction Galleries
Feb. 13, 2014
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Bronze Figure.
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
JAMES A. PORTER (1905 - 1970) Bronze Figure. Color pastel and charcoal on tan wove paper, circa 1931. 559x711 mm; 22x28 inches. Signed in charcoal, lower right. Provenance: the artist; Dorthy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac, thence by descent to the current owner. Exhibited: American Water Color Society, Fine Arts Building, New York City, 1931; Exhibit of a Small Group of Paintings, Howard University, February 1932; 13th Annual Philadelphia Water Color Exhibition and the 31st Miniature Exhibition, Pennslyvania Academy of Fine Arts, November 5 - December 11, 1932; James A. Porter: Artist and Art Historian; The Memory of a Legacy, Howard University Gallery of Art, October 15, 1992-February 9, 1993, with label on the frame back listing exhibition history. Illustrated: Opportunity, 11:46 Fall 1933; James A. Porter, Artist and Art Historian: The Memory of the Legacy, Howard University, p. 133: James A. Porter, 1905 -1970, From Me to You: the Works of James A. Porter, G.R. N'Namdi Gallery, p. 108. This drawing is an early example of an academic African-American, female nude.
Swann Auction Galleries
May. 24, 2012
James Amos Porter, Haiti Beach, Watercolor
Est: $4,000 - $5,000
Artist: James Amos Porter, American (1905 - 1970) - Title: Haiti Beach - Year: circa 1965 - Medium: Watercolor, signed l.r. - Size: 15 in. x 12 in. (38.1 cm x 30.48 cm) - Frame Size: 22 x 18 inches
RoGallery