Bill Hodges Gallery

Richmond Barthé (1901 - 1989)

Quo Vadis, ca. 1951

Cast Bronze with Dark Brown Patina on Marble Base

21 x 9 1/2 x 7 ⅛ in. (53.3 x 24.1 x 18.1 cm)

Base: 1 x 9 x 7 ⅜ in. (2.5 x 22.9 x 18.7 cm)

Total: 22 x 9 1/2 x 7 ⅜ in. (55.9 x 24.1 x 18.7 cm)

Signed on the Back: BARTHÉ

DeCarava's untitled photograph (pictured to the right) is a notable example of the refined simplicity of the artist's style. An older man leans against a pole with a National Alliance of Businessmen portfolio that declares “hire, train, retain.” His sharp attire, completed with a feathered top hat, inclines us to believe that this man is in search of a job or is a manager that benefits from the government program –a testament to the Black job market in New York in the 1950’s. He is balanced on his right arm that is hidden behind his back and his fingers clasp a sheet of paper. This moment of isolated self-reflection, something so discreet, fleeting and rare in New York City, is so delicately and surreptitiously captured by DeCarava.

Roy DeCarava (1911 - 1988)

Untitled (Man with Portfolio), 1950s

Gelatin Silver Print

Image: 12 ¾ x 9 1/4 in. (32.39 x 23.5 cm)

Paper: 14 x 11 in. (35.6 x 27.9 cm)

This 16th century work is a rare find for any collector. Painted in classic academic style, this portrait by Franz Canton depicts a well-dressed escort, flanked by a young Black page. Peering coyly towards the viewer, her pale skin is dramatized by a rosy flush and the rich colors of her embellished cerulean cape and bright red throw. Figured from the shadows of the background, the Black page's youthful , jesting form is active; pointing towards the far edge of the frame. A vignette of courtly characters, this historic snapshot of how race, class, and gender shaped societal expectations for pleasure and frivolity is a strking aspect of this painting.

Acaptivating work of art, Abstract Expressionist Norman Lewis composed this painting in 1945, when he was transitioning from social realism to abstraction. While this work remains untitled, it is visually similar to those inspired by jazz music and street scenes, calling on his distinct practice of subtly referencing the outside world in his work. In this painting, the rhythm and flow of jazz are articulated through rich colors, expressive brushwork, and organic forms fit into a thick, lattice-like structural outline. Though previously overlooked by art history. Lewis's body of work and artistic philosophy demonstrate the exclusionary rhetoric around Abstract Expressionism and encourages a reexamination of how we conceptualize the movement today.

Norman Lewis (1909 - 1979)

Untitled (Woman with a Yellow Flower), 1943

Gouache and Watercolor on Wove Paper

20 x 14 in. (50.8 x 35.6 cm)

Signed and Dated, Lower Left: Norman Lewis July 1943

In this oil on canvas, a young boy dons a floppy, brimmed hat and a concolorous coat, clutching a pair of gloves in his hand. With his head tilted and demure, he gazes to the side with soulful and communicative eyes. His hands are crossed elegantly, in the manner of a well-educated lady in Old Masters' painting. Depicted with unnaturally sloped shoulders and an elongated neck, this figure stands dignified; the confluence of masculine and feminine characteristics. Though the color palette is muted, Sebree's composition remains active; energized by the nuance in the portrait's implication.

Bill Hodges Gallery

Charles Sebree (1914 - 1985)

Untitled (White Gloves), ca. 1950

Oil on Canvas

36 x 28 in. (91.4 x 71.1 cm)

Signed, Lower Left: Sebree

Another nstance of Eldzier Cortor's signature approach to graceful, dignified figuration in his paintings, Marche Assemblage III is a tender composition of elegant contemplation. Draped in rosy pink fabric, the female figure in the foreground raises a gentle hand to the straw hat which frames her head as if it were a golden halo. Tropical fruits, vases, and sea shells are scattered around, their bright colors decorating the scene with a warm glow. Known for his elongated nude figures in intimate settings, Cortor skillfully blends traditional African art silhouettes with European Art sensibilities; creating aesthetic surrealism in his work.

Sunset, a collage of verdant greens, delicately accented by the magenta hues of a figure cradled in foliage abound. Though shape and shadow are bisected and sourced from the saturated dyes of cuttings and photographs, the composition of Sunset is imbued with a dreamy gentleness that an impressionist scene of idyllic nature might invoke. The feminine figure in the foreground, whose shades of orange share a color palette only with the setting sun, is the portrait of interior serenity. Donning a beaded headband with eyes not quite closed, the corners of her mouth curve into a gentle smile. Bearden, a tour de force of the mixed media and collage genre, beckons viewers to consider how a spirit of tranquility can be inscribed within pressed layers of paper on fiberboard. Created at the height of the artist’s collage works, Bearden’s Sunset is the pinnacle of craft and detail, illustrative of an artist’s keen sensibility of surreal place and personhood that a work can evoke.

Romare Bearden (1911 - 1988)

Sunset (Mysterious Woman), 1980

Collage and Mixed Media on Fiberboard

14 x 18 in. (35.6 x 45.7 cm)

Titled, Dated and Signed, Label on Reverse: “Sunset” Collage & Mixed Media 1981 Romare Bearden

Kara Walker’s etching, The Secret Sharerer from the series: An Unpeopled Land in Uncharted Waters, is a striking exploration of her signature manipulation of shape, shadow, and silhouette to depict a layered, often historical narrative. With foreground and background flattened by the otherworldly sense of perspective and light, the four figures depicted in couplets stand in stunning contrast to each other. By layering one dramatic scene onto another, Walker engages with themes of temporality, aliveness, and death – both psychosocial and corporeal, in this uniquely evocative work.

Bill Hodges Gallery

Kara Walker (1969 - )

The Secret Sharerer, 2010

Etching with Aquatint, Sugar-Lift,Spit-bite and Dy-point, Printed on Hahnemuhle Copperplate Bright White 300gm Paper

Edition of 30

Image: 23 1/2 x 23 1/2 in. (59.7 x 59.7 cm)

Paper: 30 1/4 x 27 ¾ in. (76.8 x 70.5 cm)

Signed and Dated Lower Right: KW 2010

Editioned Lower Left: 23/30

Framed in a convex composition, Carrie Mae Weems' "The Broken, See Duchamp" is a striking vignette. A compositional engagement with Marcel Duchamp's last major artwork, " Étant donnés , this phograph by Weems is a near-surreal glimpse into intimate tableau. Rendered in obscurative shadow, the prostrate form of a female figure lays with legs akimbo . With one raised arm, she holds up a wine glass, whose reflection of light gleams from the edge of the work.

Bill Hodges Gallery

The Broken, See Duchamp, 2012

Chromogenic Print in Artist's Frame

Edition of 3 (Plus 2 APs)

Diameter 21 1/2 in. (54.6 cm) buoy is one work from a series of six prints titled An Unpeopled Land in Uncharted Waters by Kara Walker. ,epicts various scenes concerning the devastating transatlantic slave trade using Walker’s familiar style of dramatic monochrome and exaggerated features. buoy, is a curious piece as it is more fantastical than contextual compared to the other works in the series. Pictured here, created from aquatint, is the floating body of a Black man camouflaged in a pool of more black. The character’s eyes sink lifelessly towards the water as his head and body float. On the character’s stomach lies a ghastly woman with petrified eyes and flowing hair. Roped around her neck and bare abdomen are two, small black arms pulling her down into the darkness surrounding her and lifeless character. This somber portrait presents difficult ideas and histories in such bare, analogical terms, which is a strong suit of Walker’s style.