Lot #1414: STEVE WHEELER - The Sailor and His Women - Three color wookcut

 

Artist: Steve Wheeler (American, 1912 - 1992).
Title: "The Sailor and His Women".
Medium: Three color wookcut.
Date: Composed c1950.
Dimensions: Overall size: 15 1/16 x 10 5/8 in. (383 x 270 mm).
Pricing:
  Starting Price: $1,600
  Reserve Price: N.A.
  Auction Sale Price Estimate: $2,000/2,500
Lot Note(s): Signed "Wheeler" in pencil, lower right. Edition size unknown (perhaps never editioned, with only a few proofs pulled). Handmade cream paper. Ample margins. Fine impression. Good to very good condition; the image is fine; creasing inherent in the paper lower margin; printed off-center.
Comment(s): Wheeler’s prints in woodcut and etching are rare. ‘Gordon’s Print Prices’ lists only his silkscreens – not a single woodcut or etching. He is often spoken of as one of the least appreciated, but most deserving, of 20th Century American artists. The influence of Arshile Gorky on Wheeler’s oeuvre is often overlooked. His work is increasingly being "discovered," as evidenced by the sale of his painting "W22 (Man Looking at Pork Chop)" at Christie's New York, 05/21/2008, lot #8, at $109,000 (including premium). There has been recent increasing interest in his fine prints as well. Image copyright © The Estate of Steve Wheeler. [30112-3-1600-NA]