EUR
CAD
AUD
GBP
MXN
HKD
CNY
MYR
SEK
SGD
CHF
THBSURREALISTIC OIL ON CANVAS, WALTER QUIRT
About Seller
2229 Lincoln Street
Cedar Falls, IA 50613
United States
Founded in 1969, Jackson’s International Auctioneers and Appraisers has grown to become one of the nation’s premier service providers for the sale and appraisal of antiques and fine art. Our regularly scheduled auctions bring to market a broad array of objects, including Russian icons, Old Master pa...Read more
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Two ways to bid:
- Leave a max absentee bid and the platform will bid on your behalf up to your maximum bid during the live auction.
- Bid live during the auction and your bids will be submitted real-time to the auctioneer.
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $10 |
| $100 | $25 |
| $500 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $200 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
About Auction
LiveNov 29, 2016 - Nov 30, 2016
Jackson's International Auctioneers and Appraisers accounting@jacksonsauction.com
View Full Catalog (690)
- Lot Description
WALTER QUIRT (American 1902-1968)
A Surrealistic Assemblage of Figures - 1942
Oil on canvas
Signed lower right and inscribed on verso in artist's hand "August 1942"
40 inches x 48 inches, unframed
Provenance:
The estate of the late American operatic mezzo-soprano, Nell Rankin (1924-2005)Walter Quirt was born in Northern Michigan in the year 1902. He studied art at the Layton School of Art in Wisconsin from 1921 until 1923 and later at the McDowell Colony in New Hampshire in 1928. He was one of the most vital and active figures of the New York avant-garde art world of the 1930s. He worked for the Works Project Administration painting murals in the mid-1930s.
He later moved to Minneapolis and taught art at the University of Minnesota from 1956 to 1968. Early in his career, Quirt painted the social problems of his time in realistic style. He also involved himself in left-wing causes by illustrating political magazines, such as The Masses, and by joining radical artists groups. Quirt was a member of the John Reed Club.
After working with socialist themes for many years, Quirt became one of the first American artists to experiment with Surrealism. He had a retrospective exhibition of his work in 1960 through the American Federation of Fine Arts, and he showed during his career at the Art Institute of Chicago, Whitney Museum of American Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, and the Detroit Institute of Arts.
By the time the Museum of Modern Art held their landmark 1936 exhibition on Surrealism, Walter Quirt was already defining his approach to Surrealism that had been displayed first as early as 1933. Quirt's attitude was that Salvador Dali and others had not taken full advantage of the possibilities that Surrealism offered, and that artists using free association to explore the language of emotions on problems the public feels but has not the means for projecting into actualities was a positive move.
Quirt's painting reflects a subliminal consciousness that is based in Hegelian theories of metaphysics and psychoanalysis, and James Joyce literature. Quirt's dreams supplied this disturbing theatrical imagery of interlacing color and distorted clown figures. Given Quirt's previous tendency toward social commentary and the current events of World War II, his paintings could be interpreted as a discourse on the problems of the era, but more likely was one such as those described in the early 1940s as enigmatic.
Many of Quirt's paintings exhibit an active and colorful format. Quirt's painting shows fragmented, sometimes "halequin-esque" figures (such as in the offered lot). In doing so, he makes a uniquely American Surreal picture that, at the same time, resonates with the work of many European émigrés who had recently fled America to escape Nazi persecution.
Quirt died of lung cancer on March 19, 1968, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
SHIPPING NOTICE:
Jackson’s is your sole and only source for one stop packing and shipping. With over 50 years of experience, our professional, affordable and efficient in-house shipping department will be happy to provide you a fair and reasonable shipping quote on this lot. Simply email us before the auction for a quick quote: shipping@jacksonsauction.com or call 1-800-665-6743. Jackson’s can expertly pack and ship to meet any of your needs. To ensure quality control Jackson’s DOES NOT release to third party shippers.
All photos and descriptions posted on Live Auctioneers or any internet platform are property of Jackson’s International and are subject to US copyright laws. No photo or description may be used without written approval of a Jackson’s International authorized agent. We are happy to provide photos in certain cases; please contact our offices for any authorization. Use of any unauthorized photos and descriptions could incur penalties. - Shipping Info
-
All successful absentee bidders may request a shipping quote for Jackson's International to provide shipping to be sent with their invoice. This shipping quote includes the cost of standard shipping as well as charges for materials and labor. Please indicate any special shipping instructions on the bid form. Purchases paid by personal check will not be shipped until funds have cleared Auctioneer's bank. Please note that International shipping is not available for ivory items. These items will only be shipped within the United States, except to California, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York. All buyers agree to comply with any additional restrictions regarding the trade of endangered species as a condition of sale. It is the purchaser's responsibility to obtain any licenses and/or certificates as well as any other required documentation prior to shipment. In the case of denial or delay of any required documentation or paperwork, they buyer will still be responsible for making on-time payment for the total purchase price of the lot. Therefore, if you are unsure, Jackson's recommend that you DO NOT BID on ivory items. We support the ban on the sale of non-antique carved ivory objects of art.
-
- Buyer's Premium
