We are pleased to offer this fine and diverse selection of lithographs by the American master, George Bellows (1882-1925). Drawn from a private collection, this group reflects his remarkable skills as a draughtsman and covers his wide range of subject interests: boxing, tennis, WWI, figure studies, family portraits and life in the city of New York. Ultimately, the human figure is the consummate subject for Bellows and this is fundamental to appreciating his work. This collection is exemplary in this regard and the impressions described herein are consistently fine.
Bellows was a gifted athlete but he ultimately decided to move to New York to train as an artist. He was a student of Robert Henri at the New York School of Art and in 1909, he was elected an associate of the National Academy. He began teaching at the Art Students League in 1910. His first lithograph dates from 1916 and he produced over one hundred and ninety prints throughout his short life. He died in January, 1925, and his last print dates from 1924. Clearly, he would have kept on making lithographs had he lived longer. The editions are generally small in number and rarely were they printed beyond fifty impressions.
As additional works come to us by this American master lithographer, they will appear here in “Artist Spotlight” and also under the “Recent Acquisitions” section of our site. Meanwhile, we hope you enjoy this stellar selection of lithographs and we welcome any inquiries you may have.
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Anne in a Black Hat
Lithograph, 1923-24, Mason 185, edition 40. 14 1/2 x 11 3/4 in. Signed on the stone. Signed and titled in pencil. Also signed in pencil by the printer, Bolton Brown. A fine impression in very good condition. Just a faint bit of discoloration showing from an earlier mat opening. Full margins showing a deckle all around. This is the fifth study of daughter Anne shown here at the age of thirteen.
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Artists' Evening (At Petipas')
Lithograph, 1916, Mason 19, edition 65. 8 3/4 x 12 1/4 in. Signed, titled and numbered in pencil. This is a superb, luminous impression printed on cream wove paper with full margins. The condition is fine apart from minor spots of soiling on the verso. The elderly man with the beard is John Butler Yeats. Speaking with him is Robert Henri with Bellows in the middle. This New York restaurant scene is one of the artist's best early works.
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Elsie, Emma and Marjorie, First Stone
Lithograph, 1921, Mason 103, edition 16. 9 5/8 x 12 1/4 in. Initialed on the stone in the lower left corner. Signed in pencil by Bellows and also by the printer, Bolton Brown. This is a superb impression printed on thin china paper. The margins are full. The condition is fine. This group portrait includes, from left to right; Elsie Speicher, Emma Bellows and Marjorie Henri. Their husbands are in the background at left.
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Elsie, Figure
Lithograph , 1921, Mason 109, edition 25. 9 x 7 1/4 in. Initialed on the stone, lower left corner. Signed in pencil and also signed by the printer, Bolton Brown. This is a superb impression printed on china paper. The margins are wide and probably full. The condition is fine apart from slight rippling showing in the corners of the sheet. The sitter is Elsie Speicher.
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Emma and Marjorie on a Sofa
Lithograph, 1921, Mason 102, edition 44. 10 1/2 x 8 3/8 in. Initialed on the stone, lower right. Signed in pencil and also signed by the printer, Bolton Brown. This is a superb impression printed on china paper. The margins are probably full and untrimmed and the condition is excellent. The sitters are Emma Bellows and Marjorie Henri.
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In the Park, Dark
Lithograph, 1916, Mason 30, edition 81. 16 7/8 x 21 in. Signed, titled and numbered in pencil. This is a superb impression printed with strong contrasts and exceptional luminosity. The margins are full and the condition is fine. (There's a very faint suggestion of an old tape residue along the top of the upper sheet edge, verso.) This large work exists in two versions, the other being Mason 31, In the Park, Light. There are, in fact, state variations in this image and our impression is slightly different that the one illustrated in the Mason catalogue. Differences in the sky, apartment house and trees are apparent. This subject, a June day in Central Park, is the basis for an oil painting which is now in the Detroit Institute of Arts. A related ink wash drawing was exhibited in the Armory show and it's now in the collection of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, NY. This is a large and exceptional print by the artist.
$5,000 |
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In the Park, Light
Lithograph, 1916, Mason 31, edition 59 (?) 16 x 21 1/8 in. Signed in the stone, lower left. Numbered in pencil "60" but not signed in pencil. This is a superb, rich impression printed on a sturdy cream wove paper. The margins are full. The condition is fine apart from minor soiling on the verso. This stellar impression was deaccessioned from the Yale University Art Gallery and bears their stamp verso. (Lugt 2667c). The scene is Central Park in New York City.
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Introducing Georges Carpentier
Lithograph, 1921, Mason 98, edition 50. 14 1/2 x 20 7/8 in. Signed in pencil. Signed by the printer, Bolton Brown. This is a superb impression on china paper in very good condition. There's just a slight trace of toning along the edge of an early mat opening and occasional minor wrinkles in the margins. The sheet is probably full and untrimmed. This great composition is combined with a multitude of figures and faces to create an exceptional print. The subject is a fight on July 2, 1921, between Carpentier and Jack Dempsey in Jersey City. It was the first million dollar gate, according to Mason, and the excitement of the moment is clearly captured by Bellows.
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Jean 1923
Lithograph, 1923, Mason 138, edition 58. 9 1/4 x 7 1/8 in. Initialed on the stone. Signed and titled in pencil. Also signed in pencil by the printer, Bolton Brown. A fine impression in very good condition other than a pencil point sized spot in the paper to the left of her face. Probably full margins. Jean was the younger of the two Bellows' daughters.
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Legs of the Sea
Lithograph on thin China paper, 1921, Mason 85, edition 53. 8 1/2 x 10 5/8 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Also signed in pencil by the printer, Bolton Brown. A fine impression of this outstanding work. Narrow margins but probably the full sheet as printed. Fine condition. The view is of Third Beach in Newport, Rhode Island.
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Married Couple
Lithograph, 1923, Mason 141, edition 44. 9 3/4 x 7 1/8 in. Initialed on the stone, lower left. Signed and titled in pencil and also signed by the printer, Bolton Brown. This is a very fine impression printed on cream wove paper. The margins are substantial and this is probably the full, untrimmed sheet. The condition is excellent. Here we have a charming yet formal portrait and their identity remains unknown.
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Miss Tate
Lithograph, 1921, Mason 129, edition 26. 10 5/8 x 8 1/2 in. Initialed on the stone, lower left. Signed in pencil by Bellows and also signed by the printer, Bolton Brown. This is a fine impression on thin china paper in fine condition. The margins are slightly narrow on the sides but this is probably the full sheet as printed. A drawing related to this compelling portrait is in the Wiggin collection of the Boston Public Library.
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My Family No. 2
Lithograph, 1921, Mason 116, edition 56. 10 1/8 x 8 in. Signed and titled "Family Group" by the artist. Signed by the printer, Bolton Brown. This is a very fine impression printed on thin china paper. The margins are fairly modest but this is possibly the untrimmed sheet as printed. The condition is very good other than for two small old hinges at the top corners with traces of the old adhesive showing through and a soft wrinkle along the bottom edge of the sheet, well away from the image. This second version of this subject, done in reverse of the first, is more fully developed and beautifully designed.
$2,400 |
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Nude Study, Girl Sitting on FLowered Cushion
Lithograph, 1923-24, Mason 172, edition unknown. 8 x 9 5/8 in. Initialed on the stone, lower left. Signed and titled in pencil. Signed in pencil by the printer, Bolton Brown. This is a very fine impression printed on off white wove paper. The margins are full and the condition is excellent.
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Nude Study, Girl Standing with Hand Raised to Mouth
Lithograph, 1923-24, Mason 173, edition 40. 12 x 4 7/8 in. Signed on the stone, lower left. Signed, and titled in pencil. Signed by the printer, Bolton Brown. This is a fine impression printed on cream wove paper. The margins are full and the condition is fine. A related drawing for this stellar nude study is in the Wiggin Collection of the Boston Public Library.
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Nude Woman Seated (first state)
Lithograph, 1916, Mason 7 (i/III), total edition of at least 11. 15 x 10 1/8 in. Signed on the stone, upper right corner. Numbered in the lower left corner and signed "Geo Bellows" (J.B.B.) by the artist's daughter, Jean Bellows Booth. This is a superb impression of this rare early work. The paper is a thin Japanese and the margins appear to be full. The condition is fine. (We are offering the first and third states as a pair only.)
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Nude Woman Seated (third state)
Lithograph, 1916, Mason 7 (iii/III), total edition of at least 11. 15 x 10 1/8 in. Signed on the stone, upper right corner. Numbered in pencil in the lower left and signed "Geo Bellows" (J.B.B.) by the artist's daughter, Jean Bellows Booth. This is a superb impression on Japan paper of this rare early work. The margins are probably untrimmed but they are modest on the top and right side (about 1/2 in.). The condition is fine. This print was only known in the third state in the first edition of the Mason catalogue and it went unrecorded in the artist's record book. (We are offering the first and third states as a pair only.)
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Prepare, America!
Lithograph, 1916, Mason 34, edition at least 13. 11 1/2 x 10 1/4 in. Signed on the stone, upper right corner. Signed "Geo Bellows" and initialed by the artist's daughter, Jean Bellows Booth ("J.B.B.") indicating a lifetime impression that did not get signed by the artist himself. This impression is numbered as well. This is a fine impression of this rare print. The margins are wide and the condition is excellent. This print is not formally part of the War Series but it certainly relates to it.
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Statuette
Lithograph, 1917, Mason 40, edition 71. 8 x 5 7/8 in. Signed on the stone, lower right. Signed, titled and numbered in pencil. This is a fine impression printed on Japanese paper. The margins are wide and probably full. The condition is fine. This well-rendered, academic nude study was reproduced in "The Masses", May 1917.
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The Life Class, First Stone
Lithograph printed on Japan paper, 1917, Mason 43 (ii/II), edition 49. 13 7/8 x 19 1/2 in. Signed, titled and numbered in pencil. This is a very fine impression with substantial and possibly the full margins. The condition is very good apart from a thinning of the paper in the lower center margin and also on the right lower corner. Bellows arrived in New York in 1904 and studied at William M. Chase's New York School of Art under Robert Henri. Henri moved on in 1909 and set up classes at 1947 Broadway which is the building Bellows occupied. This is an evening life class and Bellows was omnipresent working to improve his great skills as a draughtsman. Impressions of this outstanding print are found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Blanton Museum of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art among others.
$5,000 |
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The Street
Lithograph, 1917, Mason 47, edition 54. 19 x 15 1/4 in. Signed, numbered and titled in pencil. This is a superb impression printed on a fibrous, medium weight wove paper. The margins are full and the condition is fine other than occasional specks of dirt or ink showing in the margins only. This large, beautifully composed New York print depicts the lower East Side, under the El, during the summer. Yet again, Bellows demonstrates his extraordinary skills as a draughtsman. A crayon and ink drawing for this print is in The Wiggin Collection of the Boston Public Library.
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The Tournament
Lithograph, 1920, Mason 72, edition 63. 14 7/8 x 18 1/4 in. Signed on the stone, lower left. Signed, titled and numbered in pencil. Signed in pencil by the printer, Bolton Brown. This is a fine impression with wide and probably the full margins. The condition is very good apart from slight discoloration in the margins an a few subtle wrinkles to the chine appliqué. This is the better of the two tennis prints Bellows created in 1920, both depicting tennis scenes in Newport, RI. (He and his family spent two summers in Middletown, RI.) There's an oil painting which relates to this stellar lithographic image.
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The White Hope
Lithograph, 1921, Mason 96, edition 50. 15 1/8 x 18 3/4 in. Signed on the stone, lower left. Signed in pencil, "Geo Bellows, E.S.B." (This superb, lifetime impression is from the estate of the artist and was signed by Emma Story Bellows, the artist's widow.) The margins are full and the condition is fine. Jack Johnson was the first African American heavyweight champion and is pictured here beating Jim Jeffries in Reno.
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