Neal Auction Louisiana Purchase 2015

62 291. James Lamantia (American/New Orleans, 1923‑2011) , “Marsh Grasses”, 1975-1976, acrylic on canvas, signed, dated, titled and inscribed “Bienville Gallery” en verso, 32 in. x 40 in., framed. $2000/3000 293. Ida Rittenberg Kohlmeyer (American/New Orleans, 1912‑1997) , “Circus Series 22A”, 1978, mixed media on canvas, signed and dated lower right, “’Ida Kohlmeyer: Thirty Years’, The Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, NC” exhibition label en verso, 70 1/2 in. x 74 in., original slat frame. $30000/50000 Provenance: Private Collection, New York, acquired from the artist. Exh.: Ida Kohlmeyer: Thirty Years, The Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, NC, 1984‑1985, and listed in the accompanying catalogue, no. 40, p. 81, no. 40, p. 81. Note: By the mid-1970s, Ida Kohlmeyer had adopted the grid form that would dominate the paintings of her Clusters series. This series represents the first style that was solely identified with the artist and consists of a grid of variously colored rectangular elements, similar in shape and size, surrounded by a white border. The Clusters afforded Kohlmeyer the opportunity to experiment within her grid with automatic drawing, an element which would define the series and the artist as much as her characteristic use of color. The series drew critical acclaim for Kohlmeyer, and, in her words, embodied “my whole voyage through years of searching for a personal visual statement.” By the late 1970s, Kohlmeyer transitioned into a sequence of Clusters titled the Circus paintings. With the Circus paintings, Kohlmeyer multiplied the number of symbols exponentially, greatly increasing the color saturation and heightening the comparison of her canvases to a unique, pictorial language. The monumental Circus work offered here from 1978 is an example of how each rectangle reduced in size becomes a miniature painting unto itself that interacts with the others within the grid to create an overall composition which lends itself to contemplation rather than interpretation. Ref.: Plante, Michael. Ida Kohlmeyer: Systems of Color . New York: Hudson Hills Press, 2004. Kessler, Jane. Ida Kohlmeyer: Thirty Years . Charlotte, NC: The Mint Museum, 1983. 294. Frank Ashley (American, 1920‑2007) , “The Birth of Jazz”, 1952, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, “Spanierman Gallery, NY” and “Cahoon Museum of American Art” labels en verso, 23 in. x 27 in., framed with artist plaque. $3000/5000 Provenance: Spanierman Gallery, New York, NY. 295. William Tolliver (American/Louisiana, 1951‑2000) , “Jazz Drummer”, oil on canvas, signed lower right, 30 in. x 40 in., unframed. $5000/8000 Provenance: Family of the artist. 292. José Jesús Francisco Zúñiga Chavarria (Costa Rican/Mexico, 1912‑1998) , “Mujer Sentada”, 1974, watercolor with pastel on paper, signed and dated lower right, 19 in. x 26 in., framed. $7000/9000 Note: Francisco Zúñiga, a Costa Rican painter, engraver and sculptor, began his craft at a young age under the tutelage of his father, Manuel María Zúñiga, a gifted sculptor in his own right. The younger Zúñiga began his studies at the School of Fine Arts in San Jose and moved to a specialty program in stone carving at La Esmeralda in Mexico City, where he served as a faculty member until his retirement in 1970. Zúñiga is best known for his sensitive portrayals of the culture and regional life of Central America. His images of women and children often reflect both a deep admiration and respect for the people and his own heritage. In “Mujer Sentada”, a young woman is seated with an expression of contemplation. Zúñiga describes this “squatting” pose, a characteristic figural stance in his work, as “a very natural position, a physical pose close to the earth…it is a native position of the prehistoric cultures, and it interests me because this form of culture still has not been lost.” Zuniga received several highly regarded public and private commissions both in Central America and internationally. Today, Zúñiga’s works can be seen in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Mexico; the Phoenix Art Museum; Harvard University; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C.; and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Ref.: Reich, Sheldon, and Francisco Zuniga. Francisco Zúñiga , Sculptor: Conversations and Interpretations . Tucson: University of Arizona, 1980.