BEACHWOOD, OH.- A screen-print in colors by Roy Lichtenstein (American, 1923-1997), titled The Oval Office, a politically-themed work that is especially meaningful in today’s trying times, is an expected star lot in Neue Auctions’ online sale of modern art and design slated for Saturday, August 22nd. Previews will be held in the Beachwood gallery (outside of Cleveland).

The auction, nicknamed What’s Neue, Pussycat?, has a start time of 11 am Eastern. Previews will be held at 23533 Mercantile Road in Beachwood. “The sale features all things modern,” said Cynthia Maciejewski of Neue Auctions. “That includes fine art, design, furniture, prints, modern paintings and more. Most, if not all, of the lots are fresh to the market, pulled from area estates.”

Maciejewski said the modern furnishings category is especially strong, with offerings by some of the biggest names in mid-century modern design, like Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, Alberto Rosselli, Isamu Noguchi, Hugh Acton, Paul McCobb and Alvar Aalto. “This auction is a must if you’re riding or feel like finally hopping on the mid-century bandwagon,” she remarked.

The Lichtenstein screen-print, on Rives BFK paper, is signed and dated in pencil lower right, and numbered (158/175), with the printer's blind stamp "X" lower right. The artist's ink stamp is on verso. It was printed by Brand X Editions (N.Y.) and co-published by the artist and Ronald Feldman Fine Arts (N.Y.). It’s expected to gavel for $30,000-$50,000.

The 36 inch by 45 ½ inch work (sight, less the frame) was commissioned as part of the Artists for Freedom of Expression Project, to benefit the Democratic National Committee during the 1992 Clinton/Gore campaign. It was later chosen as one of six commemorative inaugural posters by the Presidential Inaugural Committee. It is in very good condition.




The sale is full of other sought-after modern artists who, like Lichtenstein, happen to be of the Cleveland School or had strong ties to the area. The first three lots up for bid, in fact, are lovely and charming daily sketch paintings by Uganda-born Cleveland artist Algesa O’Sickey (1917-2006), all modestly estimated. Her husband was Cleveland artist Joseph O’Sickey (1918-2013).

Like O’Sickey, Cleveland artist Viktor Schreckengost (1906-2008) is also represented with a trio of offerings, lot 6 being a large ink and watercolor on illustration board of musical instruments, pulled from an Akron, Ohio estate. At 39 inches by 29 inches, it’s both monumental and colorful, depicting clarinets and French horns amid radiating sound circles. The estimate is $3,000-5,000.

Lot 4 is an early student work by Cleveland artist Clarence Van Duzer (1920-2009), whose legendary technical skill in painting with egg tempera was refined at Yale in the late 40’s. The tempera on Masonite painting depicts a physical education class with stylized figures playing basketball, volleyball and other physical activities. It’s expected to hammer for $1,000-2,000.

A mixed media on illustration board by Ziggy artist Tom Wilson (American, 1931-2011), titled Unanimous, is impressive at 35 ½ inches by 48 inches (framed). Like Lichtenstein’s The Oval Office, this work also fits today’s mood. It depicts four men in what appears to be a judicial setting, rendering their decision with index fingers raised. It has an estimate of $1,000-$2,000.

Lot 23 is a rare to the market collage by the British Surrealist Roland Penrose (1900-1984). A work from his late period, Seaside Flower (est. $600-$1,000) is typical of his creations from photographic materials he collected on visits to France, Sri Lanka, Kenya and The Seychelles. Penrose was an artist, historian and poet, and associate of Picasso and Max Ernst among others.

Lots 27 and 28 are color screen prints signed in pencil and numbered by Julian Stanczak (1928-2017), the popular Cleveland artist and figurehead of the Op Art movement. One, titled Sunset (1970), from the artist’s “Eight Variants” series, is framed under glass and has an estimate of $300-$500. The other, titled Filtration (1978) is not framed. It should finish at $500-$1,000.

Neue is proud to present two ceramic vessels by Claude Conover (American, 1907-1994), a mid-century modern favorite known the world over. Lot 94, titled Hoplac, is 24 inches tall, having a brown bisque glaze decorated with incised horizontal bands with repeating patterns of circles filled with white slip on a variously crosshatched ground (est. $5,000-$7,000).