NEW YORK, NY.- Doyle has announced the sale of works of art from the Eileen & Herbert C. Bernard Collection. This remarkable collection was assembled by Eileen (1916-1999) and her husband Herbert (1912-2016) during the course of their 65-year marriage. Its significance lies in the wide-ranging view and refined eye of a drawings collector, rarely seen today; as well as in the freshness of material not on the market in many decades.
Doyle’s auction of Impressionist & Modern Art on Tuesday, November 1 will feature a number of works from the Collection, comprising lots 57 through 77. Highlighting the offerings is an exceptional Alberto Giacometti bronze bust of Diego, the sculptor’s faithful brother, whose features are instantly recognizable (est. $1,000,000-2,000,000). Diego became the artist’s alter ego, and the vehicle for Alberto to seize the gaze, a quality so characteristic of his portrait busts, which he equated to the importance of life.
The Collection includes a particularly fine group of works by Fernand Léger. Among them are an outstanding study for Les Plongeurs, the sinuous entangling of divers, from 1942 (est. $150,000-300,000); Le Bonheur, three figures with bold outlines superimposed with swathes of intense color, acquired directly from the artist’s dealer in 1959 (est. $250,000-400,000); and La Belle Equipe, the Cyclists, a theme originating in the United States, but depicting the sport most beloved by the French (est. $200,000-400,000).
Works by Henri Matisse in the Collection feature a beautiful Interior from 1947 that was purchased in Paris in 1962. This remarkable sheet can be described as a self-portrait, as if the artist has just left the room for a moment, leaving behind his easel, his tobacco tin, an animal asleep on the floor and his empty chair with a rumpled cushion (est. $100,000-150,000).
Composition with Red Polygon is a Stuart Davis composition primarily comprised of his typical linear style of painting. Using small line drawings he made on location, Davis often scaled-up these drawings to canvas, using the spontaneous simplification in the line drawing as armature for his composition. This drawing also shows Davis’ cubist style. The horizontal, vertical and diagonal line creating the illusion of depth by two-dimensional planes. The red polygon solidifies his intentions, expanding the depth of field with a descending solid form.
The Collection also offers a significant group of drawings, including works by Joan Miró, Paul Klee, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec and Berthe Morisot, among others.
The public is invited to the exhibition on view from Saturday, October 29 through Monday, October 31. Doyle is located at 175 East 87th Street in New York. The Internet catalogue may be viewed online at Doyle.com.
Additional property from The Eileen & Herbert C. Bernard Collection will be offered in the January 25, 2017 sale of Old Master Paintings & Drawings and English & Continental Furniture & Decorations.
