Erwin Blumenfeld (American of German origin, 1897-1969). "Blumenfeld Color: The Age of Elegance" limited edition portfolio - Hamburg: PPS.Galerie F.C. Gundlach, 1940s to 1950s, printed in 1984. A "Blumenfeld Color" portfolio of 10 dye-transfer prints, each one presenting an Erwin Blumenfeld estate copyright stamp and numbered edition 6/50 or 17/50 in pencil on the verso. Also included is the printed title/plate list/colophon, with edition 17/50 in pencil. The portfolio comes with its red linen clamshell box presenting the title in purple lettering. Erwin Blumenfeld was an innovative artist who created an impressive body of work in the 1940's and 1950's that including drawings, collages, and photography - dazzling an international audience with his portraits, nudes, advertising campaigns, and remarkable fashion photography. Size of images: various sizes to 12.75" L x 10" W (32.4 cm x 25.4 cm)
The plates of this portfolio include: (1) Decollete, Cover Study, New York, 1950s - ed. 6/50 (2) Distorted Nude, New York, 1950s - ed. 17/50 (3) Model and Mannequin, Cover Study, New York, 1945 - ed. 17/50 (4) Broken Mirror, New York, early 1940s - ed. 17/50 (5) Water Effect, Cover Study, New York, early 1950s - ed. 17/50 (6) Study for an Advertising Photograph, New York, 1948 - ed. 6/50 (7) Line on Face, New York, between 1947 and 1949 - ed. 17/50 (8) Lisette behind Fluted Glass, New York, around 1943 - ed. 17/50 (9) Cubistic Purple Nude, New York, 1949 - ed. 6/50 (10) Three Times Petersen, Study for a Fashion Page, New York, late 1940s - ed. 17/50
Also included is the PPS.Galerie F.C. Gundlach portfolio colophon which states, "The PPS.Galerie F.C. Gundlach is proud to announce the publication of a limited edition portfolio: BLUMENFELD COLOR / There was not a more original photographer in the 1940's and 1950's than Erwin Blumenfeld. Throughout his career he tested the limits of this medium with his innovative black and white and color pictures. / During the 1950's Blumenfeld experimented with his transparencies to make prints which were similar to the best of his avant-garde black and white work. Unfortunately, the few Type C prints which remain have faded and an important aspect of Blumenfeld's work has been overlooked simply because prints do not exist. / Using the archivally preferable dye transfer process, the PPS. Galerie F.C. Gundlach has been able to produce a portfolio which, in the estate's estimation, faithfully reconstitutes the artist's original efforts. / 50 sets of BLUMENFELD COLOR, numbered 1 through 50, and 7 Artist's Proof sets, numbered AP I through AP VII, have been produced from the original transparencies under the supervision of the Blumenfeld estate. No further prints will be produced. The dye transfer prints were made by Creative Colour GmbH, Hamburg. Each print is stamped verso and initialled by the publisher. PPS.Galerie F.C. Gundlach, Hamburg, in 1984."
This portfolio was in the collection of pioneering patron of the arts, Ginny Williams. Sotheby's hosted a series of auctions featuring art and photography from the Ginny Williams Collection in June and July of 2020. The Sotheby's press release provided the following biographical statement, "Born in rural Virginia in 1927, Ginny moved to Denver, Colorado in the late 1950s with her husband, Carl Williams. An avid photographer herself, who studied with Austrian-American photojournalist and photographer Ernst Haas, her collecting journey began with classical figurative photography. Her passion and keen eye eventually prompted her to open her namesake gallery in Denver in the 1980s. While her passion for photography never waned, remaining a primary focus of both her gallery and private collection, her voracious curiosity quickly widened her curatorial focus. Over time, Ginny became increasingly courageous and experimental in her selections, venturing into Abstract Expressionism and Contemporary Art and following her artists themselves through gallery shows and museum exhibitions. As the years passed, Ginny became as much of a trailblazer as the artists she collected."
Provenance: private Idledale, Colorado, USA collection; ex-Ginny Williams collection
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#171269
Condition
The ten dye-transfer prints are in excellent condition with vibrant color and no fading. Nine of the ten prints are matted (occasional marks on a few mattes). The unmatted print is in a protective plastic sleeve. All have the estate copyright stamp on the verso. All are numbered edition 6/50 or 17/50 in pencil on the verso. Three prints are edition 6/50 and seven are edition 17/50 (see extended description to complete list). Red linen clamshell case is generally excellent, very minor wear.