Morgan Russell Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Morgan Russell Art Value Price Guide

Feb. 21, 2024
Morgan Russell (American, 1886-1953) Piscine No. 1, 1933
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
Morgan Russell (American, 1886-1953) Piscine No. 1, 1933 oil on canvas 29 x 36 inches. Provenance: Sold: Christie's East, New York, October 28, 1980, Lot 221 (as titled, dated, and inscribed Roma on the reverse)
Hindman
Feb. 21, 2024
Morgan Russell (American, 1886-1953) Sketch for 'La femme adultère,' 1943
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
Morgan Russell (American, 1886-1953) Sketch for 'La femme adultère,' 1943 oil on canvas laid to panel signed Morgan Russell, dated, and inscribed Sketch and Rome (on the reverse) 9 1/4 x 13 3/4 inches.
Hindman
Feb. 21, 2024
Morgan Russell (American, 1886-1953) Jesus au desert secouru par l'ange (or The Visitation)
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
Morgan Russell (American, 1886-1953) Jesus au desert secouru par l'ange (or The Visitation) oil on canvas signed Morgan Russell (lower left); titled (on the reverse) 28 x 21 1/4 inches.
Hindman
May. 25, 2023
MORGAN RUSSELL (1886 - 1953, AMERICAN) Standing Nude Man.
Est: $500 - $700
MORGAN RUSSELL (1886 - 1953, AMERICAN) Standing Nude Man. Ink on brown paper, circa 1910. 229x153 mm; 9x6 inches. Provenance: The collection of Benjamin Garber, Saint Martin; Private collection, NY.
Swann Auction Galleries
Feb. 26, 2023
MORGAN RUSSELL SANTA MONICA CALIFORNIA PAINTING
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
Title is Santa Monica Mountains 1931. 10 1/2" by 11" framed. 6 1/2" by 7" unframed. Morgan Russell (1886 - 1953) was active/lived in California / France. Morgan Russell is known for Synchromist, modernist painter. Morgan Russell was born in New York City in 1886. He was a handsome young man who modeled nude for sculpture classes as a student and made his first trip to Europe at the age of twenty. The Fauves and their brilliant, emotional colors were all the rage and much influenced Russell. He settled in Paris in 1909, took classes from Matisse and in conjunction with Macdonald-Wright, synthesized their research into what they called Synchronism, meaning simply "with color." It combined the spatial figures of Cubism with full-blast color and pushed beyond any clear images into abstraction. But the flame burned out quickly and Russell all but abandoned the movement by 1916. Consequently, Robert Delaunay was credited with inventing the style. Physical problems plagued him also; he wrote Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, whose monthly stipends had supported his life abroad, that eye troubles made it impossible to paint with bright hues any longer. He lived in France in constant poverty, until after World War II. In 1946, he came back to America where be settled near a stepdaughter in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. He died in 1953.
Davis Brothers Auction
Jan. 24, 2023
ATTR. MORGAN RUSSELL (1886-1953) OIL ON PANEL
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
Abstract from the artist's Paris Period. On a reused French mahogany panel. Apparently unsigned. Faint monogram verso. Dimensions: (Frame) H 30" x W 26", (Panel) H 23" x W 19" Condition: Panel warped. Frame with marks.
Westport Auction
Jan. 24, 2023
MORGAN RUSSELL (1886-1953) PENCIL SKETCH
Est: $400 - $600
Pencil sketch of crucifixion. With notes. Salander-O'Reilly Galleries label verso, giving artist as Morgan Russell and their registration number. Dimensions: (Frame) H 19.75" x W 14.75", (Sight) H 12.5" x W 8" Condition: Age toning to paper. Flattened creases. Handling marks.
Westport Auction
Jan. 24, 2023
MORGAN RUSSELL (1886-1953) O/B
Est: $400 - $600
Study of old master. Monogram verso. Dimensions: (Frame) H 8.75" x W 7", (Board) H 6" x W 4" Condition: Marks to the frame. Uneven varnish.
Westport Auction
Jan. 11, 2023
Morgan Russell (American/New York, 1886-1953)
Est: $500 - $700
Morgan Russell (American/New York, 1886-1953), "Crouched Nude", graphite on paper, signed lower right, label with artist on backing paper, 6 in. x 7 7/8 in., framed. Condition: Overall poor condition. Ext. Frame: 14 in. x 16 in. x 1 in.
Neal Auction Company
Nov. 29, 2022
MORGAN RUSSELL (1886-1953): MALE TORSO
Est: $2,500 - $3,500
circa 1920; oil on canvas; signed lower left and verso; Provenance, Estate of Stephen Longstreet; Jack Rutberg Fine Art; 24 x 20 inches; 27 1/4 x 23 inches frame
Abell Auction
Sep. 22, 2022
MORGAN RUSSELL Still Life Study.
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
MORGAN RUSSELL Still Life Study. Pencil on paper, circa 1929. 207x263 mm; 8 1/4x10 1/2 inches. Extensively annotated with color notes in pencil throughout the composition. Provenance: Washburn Gallery, New York, with the label; private collection, Chicago.
Swann Auction Galleries
Sep. 22, 2022
MORGAN RUSSELL Woman in Repose.
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
MORGAN RUSSELL Woman in Repose. Color crayons and pencil on paper, circa 1915-20. 300x220 mm; 11 3/4x8 5/8 inches. Initialed in pencil, lower right recto, and inscribed with a color notation in the key of blue-violet in Synchronism in pencil, upper left recto. Provenance: Gifted by the artist to the artist Mabel Alvarez, Los Angeles; Glen Bassett; gifted from the above to the current owner, private collection, South Carolina, 1990s. Russell (1886-1953) was a modern American artist who, along with Stanton Macdonald-Wright (1890-1973), was the founder of Synchromism, a provocative style of abstract painting that dates from around 1912 to the 1920s. Russell's "synchromies," which analogized color to music, were an early American contribution to the rise of Modernism. Synchromism was an early innovation in pure abstraction, which was developed primarily by Russell with contributions from Stanton Macdonald-Wright. Other American painters in Paris, where Russell had moved in 1911, who were experimenting with Synchromism at the time included Thomas Hart Benton, Andrew Dasburg, and Patrick Henry Bruce, all of whom were friends with Russell and Macdonald-Wright. Bruce was also friendly with Sonia and Robert Delaunay, proponents of Orphism (a term coined in 1912 by the poet Guillaume Apollinaire), another contemporaneous art movement centered around color and abstraction.
Swann Auction Galleries
Jun. 15, 2022
MORGAN RUSSELL - THREE BATHERS
Est: $200 - $400
Lot 65 Morgan Russell American (1886-1953) Three Bathers (1940) graphite on paper signed lower right sight: 13 3/8 x 12 inches frame dimensions: 20 1/4 x 19 x 1 inches, wood frame with glazing Provenance: Property from the Collection of Seymour Stein Sotheby's, New York, 'American Paintings, Drawing and Sculpture,' 25 September 1992, lot 264,,Salander-O'Reilly Galleries, Inc., NY label to frame verso
Capsule Gallery Auction
Jun. 09, 2022
MORGAN RUSSELL (1886-1953) PENCIL STUDY
Est: $300 - $500
Pencil study for still life with notations. Gallery labels verso from Washburn Gallery, NYC and cut letter head of Morgan Russell also attached. Dimensions: (Frame) H 14.25" x W 16.75" (Paper) H 8" x W 10.5" Condition: Toning, wavy. Frame with a few marks on the edges.
Westport Auction
Mar. 02, 2022
Morgan Russell American, 1886-1953 Head of an Angel, 1933
Est: $800 - $1,200
Morgan Russell American, 1886-1953 Head of an Angel, 1933 Signed Morgan Russell, dated Rome 1933 and inscribed Tete d'Ange on the reverse Oil on canvasboard 11 3/4 x 7 7/8 inches (29.8 x 20 cm) C
DOYLE Auctioneers & Appraisers
Nov. 19, 2021
MORGAN RUSSELL (1886-1953) The Bridge oil on board 18 x 26 ½ in. (45.7 x 66
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
MORGAN RUSSELL (1886-1953) The Bridge oil on board 18 x 26 ½ in. (45.7 x 66.5 cm.)
Christie's
Jun. 30, 2021
MORGAN RUSSELL Study for "Synchromy, in Blue-Violet."
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
MORGAN RUSSELL Study for "Synchromy, in Blue-Violet." Pen and ink on cream wove paper, circa 1913. 155x100 mm; 6x4 inches. With a pencil study, verso. Exhibited "Morgan Russell: The Origins of a Modern Masterpiece", The Montclair Art Museum, Montclair, New Jersey, January 25-April 26, 1998, The Museum of American Art of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, June 12-August 23, 1998, Heckscher Museum of Art, Huntington, New York, September 5-November 15, 1998, with the label on the frame back. Ex-collection Washburn Gallery, New York, with the label on the frame back; private collection, New Jersey. A preliminary study for the same-titled 1913 oil on canvas by Russell (1886-1953).
Swann Auction Galleries
Jun. 05, 2021
Morgan Russell (American, 1886-1953), classical group, oil on board, unsigned, 12 3/4" x 8 1/4".
Est: $150 - $300
Morgan Russell (American, 1886-1953), classical group, oil on board, unsigned, 12 3/4" x 8 1/4".
Nadeau's Auction Gallery
Jun. 02, 2021
Morgan Russell (1886-1953): A Study After Michelangelo's Dying Slave
Est: $600 - $900
Pencil on paper, with label from Salander-O'Reilly Galleries, NY. 11 3/8 x 5 7/8 in. (sight), 18 1/2 x 12 1/2 in. (frame). A Contemporary Vision: Works from the Melva Bucksbaum Collection Sold to Benefit Art for Access at Bennington College
STAIR
Dec. 07, 2019
Morgan Russell (1886-1953): Eqyptian Frieze
Est: $300 - $500
Gouache on board, with the artist's calling card and label from Washburn Gallery, NY.5 x 6 1/2 in. (sheet), 9 3/4 x 11 in. (frame). The Collection of Arthur Brandt.
STAIR
Sep. 18, 2019
Morgan Russell American, 1886-1953 Pomegranates: Two
Est: $700 - $1,000
Morgan Russell American, 1886-1953 Pomegranates: Two Each signed Morgan Russell (lr) Ink wash on paper 12 3/8 x 9 1/4 inches and 9 1/4 x 12 3/8 inches Provenance: Louis Sol, Montrouge, France Washburn Gallery, New York [Sale] Sotheby's New York, Dec. 7, 2001 C
DOYLE Auctioneers & Appraisers
Jun. 13, 2019
MORGAN RUSSELL Still Life.
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
MORGAN RUSSELL Still Life. Oil on canvas, circa 1920. 605x730 mm; 24x29 inches. Signed in oil, lower left recto. Ex-collection the artist Alexander Robinson (1867-1940), Paris; private collection, Paris.
Swann Auction Galleries
Jun. 13, 2019
MORGAN RUSSELL Self Portrait, at the Easel.
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
MORGAN RUSSELL Self Portrait, at the Easel. Oil on canvas, circa 1920-30. 730x545 mm; 29x21 1/4 inches. Signed in oil, upper left recto. Ex-collection the artist Alexander Robinson (1867-1940), Paris; private collection, Paris. Russell (1886-1953) trained in New York and Europe, sponsored by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, which stoked his interest in the Post-Impressionists and the Fauves. In 1912, this led him to establish, along with friend and fellow artist Stanton MacDonald-Wright (see lot 158) the Synchronism movement, which was the creation of abstract paintings that analogized color to music. Though Synchronism caused a stir in the avant-garde scene, as the first major modernist movement advanced by American artists, it lost its momentum when Russell and MacDonald-Wright went their separate ways in 1920. Russell's later work is largely figurative and displays few of the color effects and the abstraction of Synchronism.
Swann Auction Galleries
May. 22, 2019
Morgan Russell (1886-1953) Synchromy oil on canvas 18 x 15 in. (45.7 x 38.1 cm.)
Est: $200,000 - $300,000
Morgan Russell (1886-1953) Synchromy oil on canvas 18 x 15 in. (45.7 x 38.1 cm.) Painted circa 1913-14.
Christie's
May. 11, 2019
Morgan Russell (1886-1953) Group of 6 Studies
Est: $500 - $800
Group of 6 unframed ink on paper studies by Morgan Russell. Subjects include: legs, pomegranate, back of sitting nude, front of sitting nude, standing nude, and legs. Some numbered, all signed/initialed. Dimensions: 8" x 6.5" to 12.25" x 9" Property from the collection of Gertrude Stein, New York (GSTE795/6)(EL)
Litchfield Auctions
Apr. 05, 2019
MORGAN RUSSELL (USA/ 1886-1953) Synchromy
Est: €800 - €1,200
MORGAN RUSSELL (USA/ 1886-1953) Synchromy graphite sur papier 31.1 x 6 cm. Exécuté vers 1910 - 1915 Pencil on paper; 12.1/4 x 2.3/8 in.; executed around 1910-1915. 800 - 1.200€ PROVENANCE Michel Seuphor, Paris (don de l'artiste). Collection privée, France (don du précédent).
Leclere - Maison de ventes
Apr. 05, 2019
MORGAN RUSSELL (USA/ 1886-1953) Etude pour une composition synchroniste (recto), Etude (verso)
Est: €800 - €1,200
MORGAN RUSSELL (USA/ 1886-1953) Etude pour une composition synchroniste (recto), Etude (verso) graphite sur papier 14.9 x 10.1 cm. Exécuté vers 1910-1915 Pencil on paper; 5.7/8 x 4 in.; executed around 1910-1915. 800 - 1.200€ PROVENANCE Michel Seuphor, Paris (don de l'artiste). Collection privée, France (don du précédent).
Leclere - Maison de ventes
Apr. 05, 2019
MORGAN RUSSELL (USA/ 1886-1953) Isadora Duncan dansant (recto); Etude de mouvement (verso)
Est: €1,000 - €1,500
MORGAN RUSSELL (USA/ 1886-1953) Isadora Duncan dansant (recto); Etude de mouvement (verso) signé des initiales, daté, titré et situé 'Isadora 1910 Paris M.R.' (en bas) graphite sur papier 14.4 x 9.2 cm. Exécuté à Paris en 1910 Signed with the initials, dated, titled and located lower; pencil on paper; 5.13/16 x 3.5/8 in.; executed in Paris in 1910. 1.000 - 1.500€ PROVENANCE Michel Seuphor, Paris (don de l'artiste). Collection privée, France (don du précédent). BIBLIOGRAPHIE S. R. Udall, Dance and American Art: A Long Embrace, Madison, 2012, p.245, (oeuvre citée: "Dans une veine plus abstraite, Morgan Russel, qui a vu une performance de Duncan à Paris après son arrivée en 1909, fit d'elle un dessin épuré, linéaire l'année suivante (Collection Seuphor, Paris).").
Leclere - Maison de ventes
Feb. 23, 2019
Morgan Russell (1886-1953) Group of 6 Studies
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
Group of 6 unframed ink on paper studies by Morgan Russell. Subjects include: legs, pomegranate, back of sitting nude, front of sitting nude, standing nude, and legs. Some numbered, all signed/initialed. Property Title: Gertrude Stein Collection, New York (GSTE795/6) ()
Litchfield Auctions
Jun. 14, 2018
Morgan Russell (1886-1953), BAIN DE SOLEIL, Oil on canvas; signed lower right, 44.5 x 35.25 in — 113 x 89.5 cm
Est: $5,000 - $7,000
MORGAN RUSSELL (1886-1953), AMERICANBAIN DE SOLEILOil on canvas; signed lower right44.5 x 35.25 in — 113 x 89.5 cmProvenance:With L.A. Packing and Crating, CA label;Freeman's, Philadelphia, PA., June 24, 2007, Lot 81;Private Collection, Port Perry, OntarioEstimate: $5,000—7,000
Waddington's
Jun. 02, 2018
MORGAN RUSSELL (1886-1953): MALE BATHER
Est: $2,000 - $4,000
MORGAN RUSSELL (1886-1953): MALE BATHER Oil on canvas, signed 'Morgan Russell' lower left, lined, with label from Salander-O'Reilly Galleries, Inc., NY. 39 1/4 x 31 3/4 in., 46 1/2 x 39 in. (frame). Property from the Estate of William Kelly Simpson
STAIR
Dec. 02, 2017
MORGAN RUSSELL (1886-1953): SCISSORS; FRUIT STILL LIFE; FRUIT STUDY; SEATED FIGURE; AND RECLINING FIGURE
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
MORGAN RUSSELL (1886-1953): SCISSORS; FRUIT STILL LIFE; FRUIT STUDY; SEATED FIGURE; AND RECLINING FIGURE One pencil and four ink on paper, all but Scissors signed in ink and with label from Washburn Gallery, NY. Scissors 5 3/4 x 4 in. (sight), 10 1/2 x 8 1/2 in. (frame), others all 12 1/2 x 9 in. (sheet), unframed. The Collection of Arthur Brandt, New York, NY
STAIR
May. 24, 2017
MORGAN RUSSELL (1886-1953) Still Life with Pomegranate signed ‘Morgan Ru
Est: $12,000 - $18,000
MORGAN RUSSELL (1886-1953) Still Life with Pomegranate signed ‘Morgan Russell’ (lower left) oil on canvas 21 1/4 x 18in Painted circa 1920s.
Bonhams
Apr. 30, 2017
Morgan Russell Modell Med Gron Stol Oil on canvas
Est: -
Artist: Morgan Russell Title: Modell Med Gron Stol Medium: Oil on canvas Year or Era: 20th C.Signature: Lower right Frame Measurement: 28" x 34" 2" Notes: Good condition
J Levine Auction & Appraisal LLC
Apr. 29, 2016
Morgan Russel (1886 - 1953).
Est: $5,000 - $8,000
La Vallee du Serein a Molay c. 1926. Oil on canvas. 17'' x 19''. Signed lower right.
Morphy Auctions
Dec. 04, 2015
RUSSELL, MORGAN (New York 1886 - 1953 Broomall) Ohne Titel. Um 1925. Öl auf Leinwand. Oben rechts signiert: Morgan Russell. 65 x 54 cm. Provenienz: Privatbesitz Schweiz. Nach dem Architekturstudium absolviert der amerikanische Künstler Morgan
Est: CHF2,000 - CHF3,000
RUSSELL, MORGAN (1886 New York 1953) Untitled. Oil on canvas. Signed upper right: Morgan Russell. 65 x 54 cm. Provenance: Private collection Switzerland.
Koller Auctions
Nov. 04, 2015
Morgan Russell American, 1886-1953 Untitled, 1914
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
Morgan Russell American, 1886-1953 Untitled, 1914 Extensively inscribed on the reverse Melody - will be several groups or mesures [sic] of colors - one or several / each - the whole to have a given character and satisfying as a / whole - It will go a lot from dark to light + / warm to cold chords or mesures [sic]... Graphite pencil on paper 6 3/8 x 9 3/8 inches C Property of a Private Foundation
DOYLE Auctioneers & Appraisers
Aug. 19, 2015
Morgan Russell, Woman (after Renoir), oil on canvas, 22.5" x 16"
Est: $300 - $500
Morgan Russell Woman (after Renoir) oil on canvas 22.5" x 16"
Toomey & Co. Auctioneers
May. 27, 2015
Morgan Russell
Est: $500 - $700
Untitled (Portrait), Graphite on Paper, 12 1/2 x 9, Signed in pencil lower right ‘Morgan Russell'
Auctionata US
Apr. 16, 2015
Russel Synchromy in Orange: To Form Poster
Est: $50 - $100
Artist Name: Russel, Morgan Title: Synchromy in Orange: To Form Medium: Offset Lithograph Edition Size: Unknown Year: Unknown Paper Size: 35 x 21 inches Image Size: 35 x 21 inches Condition: B-: Good Condition, Signs of Handling and Age
DUMBO Auctions
Mar. 25, 2015
Morgan Russell, (American, 1886-1953), Nude Study
Est: $400 - $600
Morgan Russell (American, 1886-1953) Nude Study oil on unstretched canvas signed Morgan Russell and incscribed (on verso) 15 x 12 1/2 inches.
Hindman
Mar. 25, 2015
Morgan Russell, (American, 1886-1953), A group of twelve works
Est: $500 - $700
Morgan Russell (American, 1886-1953) A group of twelve works charcoal Largest 31 1/2 x 19 3/4 inches.
Hindman
Mar. 25, 2015
Morgan Russell, (American, 1886-1953), Study for a Crucifixion Scene
Est: $400 - $600
Morgan Russell (American, 1886-1953) Study for a Crucifixion Scene pencil on paper 12 3/4 x 7 1/4 inches.
Hindman
Mar. 25, 2015
Morgan Russell, (American, 1886-1953), Raised Arm
Est: $400 - $600
Morgan Russell (American, 1886-1953) Raised Arm charcoal on paper 10 x 13 1/4 inches.
Hindman
Dec. 06, 2014
MORGAN RUSSELL (1886-1953): SYNCHRONY (NUMBER 4)
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
MORGAN RUSSELL (1886-1953): SYNCHRONY (NUMBER 4) Oil on canvas, c. 1912-1913, signed 'M. Russell' and indistinctly dated lower right, with a study on the reverse. 20 x 24 in., 27 x 31 in. (frame). Note: This painting was most likely produced during the years 1912-1913 when Russell was in a period of creative exploration. Synchrony is a state in which things happen, move or exist at the same time. Through studies such as this one, Russell was working with the interplay of light, color and form and how they relate and react to each other. Russell later transitioned from his synchronist abstractions to more figurative imagery based on classicism. Salander-O'Reilly Galleries' Consigned by Trustees
STAIR
Nov. 23, 2014
ATTR. MORGAN RUSSELL (AMERICAN 1886 - 1953)
Est: $3,500 - $5,000
Untitled (SYNCHROMIST ABSTRACT of triangular,geometric shapes and colors ) Oil on wood panel, signed lower left M RUSSELL. On the Back a painted symbol of a triangle with center dot over a horizontal line with two vertical lines. Dimensions: Frame H 30" x W 26.25", panel H 22" x W 18" sight Condition: good
Westport Auction
Nov. 17, 2014
MORGAN RUSSELL (American, 1886-1953) Capucines (Nasturt
Est: $50,000 - $70,000
MORGAN RUSSELL (American, 1886-1953) Capucines (Nasturtiums), 1912 Oil on canvas 21-5/8 x 15 inches (54.9 x 38.1 cm) Signed twice and dated lower right: Morgan Russell / M. Russell 1912 PROPERTY FROM THE KING COLLECTION, TEXAS PROVENANCE: The artist; Mary L. Willard, New York, likely purchased from the Armory Show, March 15, 1913; Terry DeLapp Gallery, Los Angeles; Acquired by the present owner from the above, September 1986. EXHIBITED: (Possibly) "The International Exhibition of Modern Art" (Armory Show), New York, February 17-March 15, 1913; Montclair Museum of Art, Montclair, New Jersey, and elsewhere, "Morgan Russell: A Retrospective," April 22-June 17, 1990; El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso, Texas, "Round Up: Selected Works from Friends of the El Paso Museum of Art," January 26-April 8, 2001; El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso, Texas, "Modern American Painting 1907-1936: The Maria and Barry King Collection," September 8, 2013-January 8, 2014, no. 27. LITERATURE: M. Kushner, Morgan Russell: A Retrospective, exhibition catalogue, Montclair Museum of Art, Montclair, New Jersey, 1990, pp. 78 & 83, pl. 58, illustrated; J. Anderson Kyle, Cézanne and American Painting 1900-1920, Ph.D. dissertation, University of Texas, Austin, 1995, pp. 417-34, fig. 117, illustrated; W. Thompson, Round Up: Selected Works from Friends of the El Paso Museum of Art, exhibition catalogue, El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso, Texas, 2001, p. 12, illustrated; "Discovering the American Modern 1907-1936: The King Collection," American Art Review, December 2013, pp. 80-87, 127, illustrated; P.S. Cable, Modern American Painting 1907-1936: The Maria and Barry King Collection, exhibition catalogue, El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso, Texas, 2013, pp. 27-28, no. 27, illustrated. Capucines (Nasturtiums) is one of the earliest known surviving Modernist still life paintings by Morgan Russell. "Painted by one of the two originators of...Synchromism, this 'proto-Synchromist' picture dates from 1912, the year before Morgan Russell and his American colleague Stanton MacDonald-Wright launched Synchromism through exhibitions in Munich and then Paris. The still life is likely one of two paintings the artist sent back home from Paris for the historic 1913 Armory Show. (The Armory Show catalog titles a Russell entry as Capucine (nasturtiums in French) and is dated '1912.') "One could say that the canvas synthesizes inspiration from Cézanne and Matisse with glimpses of Russell's Synchromism to come. The isolated bits of canvas left bare between certain forms or between lit and shaded areas, together with the overall system of diagonal strokes structuring tabletop, flower pot, and backdrop, manifest Russell's intimate knowledge of Cézanne. The pastel colors as well as the motif of a simple houseplant in a terra-cotta pot recall Matisse, with whom Russell studied from 1908 to 1910 at the Académie Matisse organized by Sarah Stein. Simultaneously, the pictorial 'halos' of blue around the orange-red blossoms, and the manner in which these color strokes and those of violet around the leaves begin to take on an importance as the forms they surround--these features point toward Russell's Synchromism, an abstract style founded on the idea of color as the basis for both form and content" (P.S. Cable, Modern American Painting 1907-1936: The Maria and Barry King Collection, exhibition catalogue, El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso, Texas, 2013, p. 83).
Heritage Auctions
Jun. 25, 2014
Attributed to Morgan Russell Female on Horse
Est: $500 - $700
Attributed to Morgan Russell Female on Horse Inscribed Morgan Russel [sic] twice on the reverse Oil on paper laid to board 8 5/8 x 6 7/8 inches Provenance: Irvin Brenner Galleries, Ltd., New York C Estate of Sylvia Rubin
DOYLE Auctioneers & Appraisers