Newly Acquired Pieces

 

"Samson and Delilah" by Joseph Bolden

Brilliantly transposed from Biblical times to 1940s America, this vivid scene shows Samson and Delilah in a quintessentially domestic setting, complete with pink wallpaper, a portrait of Samson on the wall, and a pet parrot. Note the modern razor and strop that Delilah is using with clear purpose. Perhaps Samson is using the bell and the kitten as early warning devices, should anyone try to remove his locks, but his efforts will be to no avail. The artist, Joseph Bolden, was an illustrator and painter of classical scenes.

 

"Warrior with Spear and Skull " by Gerhardt

Powerfully painted with a series of Art Deco details -- including the radiating circles to the right of the figure -- this exotic portrait of an African American man holding a spear has all the hallmarks of WPA-influenced art in the 1930s.

 

"Lamott Dupont Bas Relief Panel" by Rene Chambellan

One of the two or three most important sculptors creating bas relief panels, grills and other decorative elements for America's Art Deco buildings in the 1920s and 1930s, Rene Chambellan is known today for his work at Rockefeller Center in New York: a set of dolphin fountain heads, and a massive figure of Atlas in collaboration with Lee Lawrie. He was also a superb medalist, and is well known today for creating the Newbery medal (for excllence in children's literature) and the Caldecott medal (for excellence in children's book illustration). This rare bronze panel, mounted on a walnut plaque, was sculpted in the 1930s, and awarded annually through the 1970s (this example went to the Sunolin Chemical Company).

 

"Laborer with Dove " probably by Geza de Vegh

Powerfully and gracefully expressed, this large, very fine sculpture -- probably by an important figure such as Albert Wein or Geza de Vegh -- depicts a farm worker with one hand holding a tree pruner and the other cradling a dove. Sculpted, not molded, this unique piece is finished in a pale yellow glaze, and presents the male figure in a stylized way that emphasizes his strength.