Description:

Will Henry Stevens (American/New Orleans, 1881-1949), "Abstract Composition with Shells", 1947, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower center, 22 in. x 26 in., framed. Provenance: Neal Auction Company, Feb. 5, 2000, lot 254. Note: Will Henry Stevens was a pioneer of Modernism in the South who worked simultaneously in both abstract and representational styles. Stevens came to New Orleans in 1921 to teach at Newcomb College, a position he held until the year prior to his death. Stevens became part of the active and exciting art circle centered around the French Quarter. Prior to and during his tenure in New Orleans, he also worked in and visited New York, where he was exposed to current international developments in artistic styles. A trip in the 1930s to the newly opened Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York exposed him to the work of the European masters Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky. Both artists became a strong influence on Stevens’ aesthetic. In the painting offered here, he depicts abstracted shells and other forms of sea life against diagonal planes of color. The composition is a masterful example of Stevens’ modern, abstract style.

  • Condition: All lots are sold “As is” and “Where is”. Neal Auction provides condition reports on items with a low estimate over $500 as a courtesy to aid in your bidding decision. No statement regarding age, condition, kind, value, or quality of a lot, whether made orally at the auction or at any other time, or in writing in this catalogue or elsewhere, shall be construed to be an express or implied warranty, representation, or assumption of liability. Completed condition reports are posted as an additional image with the lot. Neal Auction does not give refunds.

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April 22, 2017 10:00 AM CDT
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