The Passion of Collecting Academic Nudes

Join me as we explore my collection of Academic Nudes from the 18th, 19th, and Early 20th Centuries and serendipitous finds in the Museum, Art Auction, and Gallery world......examples from the Golden Age of the European Academie


Saturday, July 20, 2013

Monogrammist L.T. - Unknown German School: Sitting Male Nude - 1879

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This beautifully executed academic male nude study is presently listed on eBay Germany. It is monogrammed with the initials "L.T." and dated 1879 (?). The control and talent of this unknown artist is just breathtaking.
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Friday, June 28, 2013

Late 19th Century Parisian Atelier: Seated Male Nude

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One of my favorite sellers in Paris has listed this beautifully executed academic male nude on eBay France. It dates from the later 19th century and attributes it to the Parisian Atelier Adolph von Menzel. The color palette and brush work are truly impressive.
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Unknown Artist - Vienna Academy: Line Drawing - Female Nude around 1919

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I must apologize for being remiss in my posting lately but with summer here there is more work around here than I like to think about. I have a boat load of finds to post for you so please be patient. I was on my usual haunts this morning and this beautiful line drawing popped up and I just had to share it with you. It is unsigned and originates from the Wiener Kunstgewerbeschule around 1919. It is a beautiful example of the skills coming out of the late 19th century European Academy.
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Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Ludwig von Hoffman (1861-1945): Junge in Einer Felslandschaft (Boy in Rocky Landscape)

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These seldom seen works by Ludwin von Hoffman (1861-1945) keep popping up occasionally in European Auction Houses, this time in the current catalog of Villa Grisebach Auktionen, Berlin, DE. I do not recall ever seeing this one in books on his works, still a nicely executed study of a male youth in landscape. If you have an extra six thousand Euros to get the bidding war going you might want to throw your name in the pot.
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June 11, 2013: A seller on eBay Germany has listed another seldom seen von Hoffman drawing, this time a nice watercolor study for two thousand Euros. Enjoy.
 


 

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Raffaello Resio (Genoa 1854 - Savona 1927): Standing Bacchus

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Our friend Mattia Jona at La Portantina di Mattia Jona, Milan, Italy has listed his latest acquisitions and this beautiful study really impressed me. It is a brush and ink study of Bacchus by Raffaello Resio (1854-1927). According to the description "Resio studied in Genoa, at the Accademia Ligustica, and made his debut in the late 1870's with paintings of military subjects. There followed a period of study and work in Rome, where he participated (1880-1887) in the exhibitions of the 'Società degli Amatori e Cultori', with Roman landscapes, Ligurian and Neapolitan views, genre scenes and paintings of historical subject. In Liguria he was also very active as a fresco painter of churches." (Illustration and biography courtesy La Portantina di Mattie Jona, Milan, Italy)
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Saturday, April 27, 2013

Hans-Ferdinand Tönnies (1878-1973): Sitzender Mädchenakt im Atelier - 1904

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Kunstauktionshaus Schloss Ahlden has listed this beautiful female nude study by Hans-Ferdinand Tonnies (1878-1973) in their latest Auction catalog. Unfortunately, I could find scant information on the artist although there is a German Socialogist/Philosopher by the same name. The artist obviously has absolute control over his medium.
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Karl Schdmit (1890-1962): Dramatic California Sunset - 1928

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I was browsing my usual haunts this morning when I came across this beautiful work. I know it really is outside the purview of this blog but I just had to share it with you just for the sheer joy of it. I have long been an admirer of the Mission Style and in particular the California School of painters from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.I wish I had that control of color that Schmidt exhibits in this work. Every thing just seems to come together in this work, the composition, the color, and that beautiful frame, which was no doubt designed by the artist to compliment that beautiful painting. Here is the description of the work Doyle New York provided with the illustration:

"Karl Schmidt American, 1890-1962 A Dramatic California Sunset, 1928: Triptych Signed Karl Schmidt and dated 1928 left panel (lr) Oil on card laid down on board Overall 8 3/4 x 17 3/4 inches; center panel 8 3/4 x 10 1/2 inches, left panel 8 3/4 x 3 1/2 inches, right panel 8 3/4 x 3 1/2 inches Provenance: Private collection, San Francisco, CA A painter, ceramics designer, and art teacher, Schmidt was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. By 1917, he had moved to Santa Barbara, California, where he was associated with the group of painters who worked in California artist Alexander Harmer`s mission-style studio. In California, Schmidt developed a decorative painting mode in which he abstracted landscape forms, rendering them as flat planes of color thoughtfully arranged within his compositions. His approach suggests the influence of the art of Arthur Wesley Dow, whose method was disseminated by the many Dow students who settled in the Los Angeles area in the early twentieth century. This triptych of magnificent sunset colors and soft-shaped trees and clouds is hinged together in original frames."

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