JACKSON LEE NESBITT (1913-2008) PENCIL SIGNED ETCHING

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Our 26th Annual Spring Fine Art Auction

By Soulis Auctions

Jun 7, 2024

Set Reminder 2024-06-07 13:00:00 2024-06-07 13:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Our 26th Annual Spring Fine Art Auction https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/dirk-soulis/our-26th-annual-spring-fine-art-auction-15986
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• Lot Description
  Jackson Lee Nesbitt (1913-2008)
  
  Ten Inch Bar Mill
  
  1938
  
  The rarely seen etching printed on 'FRANCE' watermarked paper in an edition reported as being of 80 prints is signed by the artist in pencil lower right and titled Rod Mill lower left, dedication to Chet Moore center below the image.
  
  For whatever reason, this image, with its toiling figures lit by glowing steel, and the etcher's brilliantly conceived semi-circle swoop of white-hot steel rod like a halo in the image, has only appeared at auction twice before. One other was sold by Paramour Fine Arts in Franklin, Michigan. That makes for a grand total of three known to have appeared in any market.
  
  Strange things can happen. There is an etching by Nesbitt's colleague John De Martelley that sources say was intended to be an edition of 75, but the plates were lost after only a few impressions.
  
  It is not known why so few of this image by Nesbitt exist.
  
  Although it's listed in Retif & Salzer, the artist's catalog raisonne, as number 13, it's the only entry in the book that does not have a corresponding image. The title there is stated as Ten Inch Rod Mill, which corresponds to the other two examples found.
  
  Nesbitt describes the scene as, ''In the rolling process at this mill in Kansas City, steel is reduced into smaller shapes for the wire mill. The men grab it with tongs and whip it around to send it on to the next process.''
  
  This image is from a highly sought after series of prints documenting the industrial processes at Sheffield Steel Corporation in Kansas City, Nesbitt recalled 'The company had called the Kansas City Art Institute to inquire about an etcher to create some images of their operations. John De Martelly and I were both recommended; but De Martelly, not wanting to spend any time on site at Sheffield, encouraged me to do it. For all the Sheffield pieces, I had to submit a finished pencil drawing to the company for approval prior to creating the etching. The original etchings were given as Christmas remembrances to VIPs both in and outside of the company and were offered for sale to the employees.'
  
  Image measures 9 x 11.75, sheet is 10 x 12.5, and frame is 16 x 18.75 inches.
  
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  Condition

  Good condition to near very good, not laid down, toning in the margins as shown in the online images, close margins with very irregular edges having the appearance of a deckle overall but with defects from the process as shown.
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