Harry Jackson Bronze - "John Wayne" (1981)

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Exceptional Antiquities, Ethnographic and Fin...

By Artemis Gallery

Jun 29, 2023

Set Reminder 2023-06-29 10:00:00 2023-06-29 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities, Ethnographic and Fine Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-ethnographic-and-fine-art-13031
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• Lot Description
  Harry Jackson (American, 1924- 2011). "John Wayne: First Unfinished Model for the Monument" bronze, modeled in 1980, cast by 1981. Edition 14 of 40. inscribed "Harry Jackson 1981/WUB 11" with artist's thumbprint, stamped "WF" with Wyoming Foundry Studios seal 'WFS/ITALIA' and inscribed "JOHN WAYNE/FIRST UNFINISHED MODEL/FOR THE MONUMENT/HARRY JACKSON". This bronze statue of John Wayne by Harry Jackson was conceived in 1980 as his study for a larger than life sculpture of the legendary Western actor on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Jackson's realistic bronze equestrian sculpture and its impressive bas-relief base featuring scenes of a cattle stampede and a prairie cowboy burial resonates with the tradition of Charles Russell and Frederic Remington. Stunning and in superb condition, a limited edition bronze by Harry Jackson depicting his friend, the legendary John Wayne. Size: 25.5" L x 12.5" W x 38.5" H (64.8 cm x 31.8 cm x 97.8 cm)
  
  Harry Jackson and John Wayne were friends, and following Wayne's death in 1979, Jackson was commissioned to create a monumental tribute to Wayne. The bronze in this lot was part of a limited edition in preparation for "The Horseman" - a monumental 6 ton, 21 foot tall bronze - that took 3 1/2 years to create and captured the "spirit of the Old West and the ideal of the great American cowboy."
  
  Artist Statement: "After Cezanne a lot of artists made art for art’s sake, and when I became an Abstract Expressionist in New York I was among them. In 1953 and ‘54 I moved on from there to again deal with man through my art. The New York school and interlude for me was too private and removed from man. It did not speak to the people I was born and raised with, the ones I’ve learned the most timeless lessons from and admire with my whole heart. John Wayne spoke for these people. He was a perfect figure for me to sculpt."
  
  About the artist: "Harry Jackson grew up in Chicago and had two passions: drawing and horses. At age fourteen, he hopped on a freight train to Cody, Wyoming, to become a cowboy. He served as a combat artist for the Marines in World War II, and when he returned, studied art under the GI Bill. After a stint as a radio actor and narrator, he moved to New York City, where he belonged to a circle of abstract expressionist painters including Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Grace Hartigan, to whom he was married for a time. In the early 1950s, Jackson traveled to Europe, where he studied the Old Masters, and although he continued to appreciate abstract art, his own work from this time on was representational. He is most noted for his bronze sculptures that tell stories of the Old West." (Smithsonian American Art Museum website)
  
  Jackson divided his time between Cody, Wyoming and Camaiore, Italy where he had his studio and foundry. Jackson's art is in prestigious collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.; Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado; Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas; Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma; Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Wyoming; the Meeteetse Museum, Wyoming; University of Wyoming; Wyoming State Museum; American Museum In Britain, Bath, England; Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, California; and the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library, Austin, Texas.
  
  Please Note: The bronze in this lot is cast number 14 from a limited edition of 20 in this scale. While another edition of 40 bronzes was cast; those do not include the bas-relief base.
  
  Of Note: Another "John Wayne - American" bronze by Jackson, cast number 11 of the same edition of 40, sold for $37,800 USD at Christie's auction 21168, lot 55, on May 17, 2022.
  
  Accompanied by a Certificate of Origin signed by Harry Jackson as well as a Wyoming Foundry Studios pre-casting agreement for cast number 14 of a limited edition of 20 numbered bronzes.
  
  This item is heavy/oversized and will require 3rd party shipping. Please inquire about shipping cost prior to bidding.
  
  Provenance: private Erie, Colorado, USA collection; purchased at Trailside Galleries, Jackson, Wyoming in 1981
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
  We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
  
  #179673

  Condition

  Inscribed "Harry Jackson 1981/WUB 11" with artist's thumbprint, stamped "WF" with Wyoming Foundry Studios seal 'WFS/ITALIA' and inscribed "JOHN WAYNE/FIRST UNFINISHED MODEL/FOR THE MONUMENT/HARRY JACKSON" along the base. Overall excellent with warm brown patina.
• Shipping Info

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