Lot 142
Self Portrait As Cicero, 1984. Signed on the right side, dated. Mixed Media, Wood, Terra Cotta, Paint. Height 51 in. Width 31 in. Depth 21 in. Provenance: Property from a Private New York, NY and Bridgehampton Collection. Purchased directly from the artist by the present owner. cf. The two figures in the offered work are the artist, Graham Nickson, and his muse on the beach, East Hampton, NY. CF.Leonid Lerman was born in Odessa, Russia, where he studied drawing and sculpture at the Odessa School of Art and the Professional School of Mosaics and Woodcarving. He received his M.F.A. from the Mukhina College of Art and Design in Leningrad in 1979 and emigrated to New York during the following year. In 1981, he received the James Wilburt Johnston Sculpture Award in Washington, DC. Before leaving Russia, he was commissioned to create wooden sculptures in public parks and gardens in Odessa, Ukraine, and a monumental war memorial in Kazakhstan, formerly a Soviet republic. As put forth by Randy Rosen in his 2003 essay for Lerman’s McKee Gallery show, titled, Last Man, April thru May 2003. Lerman depicts himself as Cicero, the philosophical Roman statesman and orator, his left hand raised in declamation. The right hand, firmly planted on the rostrum, appears to emerge from the cuff of an unseen garment. Or the cuff could just as well indicate ropes, restraints inhibiting the speaker from saying what he wants to say. The orator’s mouth is not modeled in the clay, only sketched in. His eyes are also not fully rendered. This Cicero/Lerman is not equipped with the basic tools of communication, nor the vision to see what they might be. As Michael P. Mezzatesta points out in an earlier essay: The eloquence of Cicero depended on language and rhetoric. Without such shared knowledge between speaker and audience neither the speaker’s message nor artistry can be comprehended. Extracted from "On The Edge": The Sculpture of Leonid Lerman (Duke University Museum of Art) Mr. Lerman's work has been described as marking a departure from main trends that dominate contemporary sculpture. Journal of Modern Society & Culture (Winter 2005). Whereas abstraction and a retreat from the human form has been a predominant impulse in post-war western art, Lerman's work embraces human form, but one ensnared in the artist's own struggle with human meaning, language, and the desire to express the authenticity of human experience. Journal of Modern Society & Culture (Winter 2005). His figuratively based sculpture —with sources ranging from ancient Greek art to Dada, Surrealism and Expressionism present an ironic and highly personal view of the turmoil of life. Indeed, Lerman is often the subject of his own work as we can see in the amusing Self-Portrait as Omelette and in the offered lot Self Portrait as Cicero. Leonid Lerman’s teaching experience includes New York Sculpture Center; University of Art, Philadelphia; the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts; New York University; Fashion Institute of Technology, New York; and International School of Art, Umbria, Italy. In addition to the Art Students League of New York, Mr. Lerman teaches drawing and sculpture at the New York Academy of Art and the New York Studio School, and he is a visiting professor at the Vermont Studio Center. Exhibited: Duke University Art Museum, On the Edge: Sculpture of Leonid Lerman, 1988, illus. #5 Fine Arts Museum of Long Island, Transit: Russian Artists Between The East & West, 1989-90, State Russian Museum Leningrad, 1990 and Trietiakov State Gallery, Moscow, 1990. Provenance: McKee Gallery, New York, NY, in 1985, (pd. $ 25,000) Exhibited: Duke University Art Museum, On the Edge: Sculpture of Leonid Lerman, 1988, illus. #5 Fine Arts Museum of Long Island, Transit: Russian Artists Between The East & West, 1989-90, State Russian Museum Leningrad, 1990 and Trietiakov State Gallery, Moscow, 1990.
- Condition: All lots are subject to the terms and conditions of the auction and are sold AS-IS without any guarantees. There are no returns or refunds solely based on condition. All cataloged entries are strictly statements of opinion of the cataloger and/or the auction gallery and should not be interpreted as fact. Any absence of a condition report does not imply that the item is in perfect and/or good condition. Please request a condition report and any additional photos and/or information prior to bidding. AGOPB does not pack or ship any items but can assist with a list of packers and shippers, and in some instances assist with packing and shipping. It is suggested that all bidders receive a quote to pack and ship prior to bidding at the auction. Please contact [email protected] for a list of recommended shippers.
Accepted Forms of Payment:
American Express, COD (cash on delivery), Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer
Shipping
Packing and Shipping: The gallery can pack and mail small and non-breakable items via USPS.
Junior Auction Packing Services-561-310-0345 [email protected]
UPS Store #5005-561-655-1017 [email protected]
UPS Store #1226 561-835-9791 [email protected]
First Class Shipping Center 754-800-7674 [email protected]
Pakmail 561-469-7189 [email protected]
Transport and Trucking:
Ram Trucking (NYC & I-95) 516-410-7062
Alberts Transport (NYC, Chicago, Michigan, & Eastern U.S) 863-595-6156
Craters and Freighters (Nationwide) 954-917-4929
Capital City Moving (Eastern Seaboard) 512-302-0275
Uship.com (Nationwide)
Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches
View full terms and conditions
| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $249 | $25 |
| $250 | $499 | $25 |
| $500 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $2,499 | $100 |
| $2,500 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $19,999 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $49,999 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $99,999 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $499,999 | $10,000 |
| $500,000 + | $50,000 |