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Arc Welders at Night Drypoint and sand ground, 1937, McCarron 124, edition 33. 10 x 8 in. Signed in pencil. This is a superb, luminous impression printed on white wove paper. The printed surface is pristine. The margins are full and the condition is excellent. To quote McCarron, "Lewis's use of the almost cubist device of overlapping, transparent planes of light, produced by the arc welder's torch, is unique in his oeuvre." (See page 212.) (Provenance: Kennedy Galleries, NY.) SOLD |
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Arch, Midnight Drypoint, 1930, McCarron 84, edition 99 plus 12 trial proofs. 8 x 11 1/2 in. Signed in the plate lower left. Signed in pencil. This is a superb, dark impression with full margins. The condition is fine with the printed surface pristine without any blemishes. According to McCarron, a possible source of inspiration for this print is L'Arche du Pont, Notre Dame, by Charles Meryon. SOLD |
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Break in the Thunderstorm Drypoint, 1930, McCarron 86 (ii/II), intended edition of 85. 12 3/8 x 9 7/8 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil. This is a superb impression printed on a wove paper with a subtle greenish-blue tint. The margins are full and the condition is exceptionally fine. According to the catalogue, the location is the corner of 34th Street and Park Avenue, near Lewis's studio.
Provenance: Kennedy Galleries, New York (with their label). The McCarron catalogue states 66 recorded impressions including 16 trials. SOLD |
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Building a Babylon, Tudor City, N.Y. Drypoint, 1929, McCarron 76, edition 84. 12 3/4 x 7 7/8 in. Signed in pencil, lower right. This is a superb, luminous impression with full margins. The condition is excellent. Tudor City was completed in 1928 as a middle class housing project and became a historic district in 1988. The location is 40th to 43rd Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues. As McCarron aptly states on page 140 of the catalogue raisonné, "The dripping stains on the embankment were possibly influenced by another print, Charles Meryon's 'La Morgue, Paris,' of 1854. Lewis included Meryon among the etchers he admired..." $10,000 |
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Chance Meeting Drypoint, 1940-41, McCarron 131, edition 105. 10 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. Initialed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil. This is a superb impression with full margins. The condition is excellent.
This outstanding print was commissioned by the Society of American Etchers and they were originally known as the Brooklyn Society of Etchers. The plate was printed by Charles White. Thirty-seven impressions are cited in museum collections. As McCarron states, "This is one of Lewis's most complex prints, one in which he was able to harmonize many diverse elements." SOLD |
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Corner Shadows Drypoint and sand ground, 1930, McCarron 83 (ii/II), edition 242. 8 3/8 x 9 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil. This is a fine, luminous impression with full margins. The condition is fine apart from two small indiscreet hinges on the verso, top corners. This stellar work is included in at least twenty-five museum collections. This work was commissioned by the Print Club of Cleveland and the preparatory drawings and proofs are now in the Cleveland Museum of Art. The edition was printed by Charles S. White. SOLD |
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Country Scene with Man Walking Etching and drypoint, circa 1915, McCarron 6, edition listed as 1 recorded impression. 9 x 10 1/2 in. Signed in the plate, lower right. Signed in pencil. This is a fine impression printed on laid paper with light plate tone. The margins are wide and the condition is good. There's a suggestion of toning showing within an early mat opening and a faintly darkened area in the tree branches at left.
The one impression listed and illustrated in the catalogue by McCarron is in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts. This is the second recorded impression of this early print and there are no listed auction records to indicate any other impressions. This exceedingly rare early print is indicative of the artist's emerging skills as a printmaker. SOLD |
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Derricks at Night Drypoint, 1927, McCarron 62 (i/II); edition 104. 7 7/8 x 11 3/4 in. Signed in the plate, lower right. Signed in pencil. This is a superb impression with full margins. The paper is ARCHES and the condition is excellent. According to McCarron, "'Derricks at Night' is the only Lewis print with such extensive changes between states. The second state was begun two years after he had essentially finished the composition, an exception to Lewis's usual procedure in completing a plate." Both versions are exceptionally fine and a casual glance at museum collections which own this print show an almost equal number of museums own the first or the second states. First state impressions are owned by the Whitney Museum, the Museum of Modern Art and the Achenbach Foundation for the Graphic Arts, among others. This engaging print has a compelling sense of geometry and a single worker walks along on the street at night, conveying the solitude of the evening. $9,000 |
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Down to the Sea at Night Drypoint and sand ground, 1929, McCarron 79, edition 65. 7 7/8 x 12 3/4 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil. This is a superb, luminous impression printed on white laid paper. The margins are full and the condition is fine. According to McCarron, the intended edition was 75 and only 65 were recorded. This unusual and captivating work is an uncommon print today. SOLD |
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Ha'nted Drypoint and sand ground, 1932, McCarron 100, edition 107. 13 1/4 x 8 7/8 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil and inscribed, "to Chas S. White from M.L." This is a superb impression with full margins. The condition is excellent apart from a small speck of printer's ink in the outer right margin. (Note: Charles S. White was the printer for many of Lewis's plates. There is no record that Lewis used any other printer than White throughout his career.) This outstanding, underrated print was done in Sandy Hook, Connecticut where the Lewis family lived in the early 1930s. $11,000 |
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Ice Cream Cones Drypoint and sand ground, 1928, McCarron 73, edition 70. 9 3/8 x 14 3/4 in. Signed in the plate lower left. Signed in pencil. (This fine impression was printed by the artist.) The margins are full and the condition is very good. (There's a small, subtle stain to the right of the image in the margin only.) This impression went through Kennedy Galleries as their price code is in pencil on the verso. SOLD |
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Quarter of Nine, Saturday's Children Drypoint, 1929, McCarron 78, edition 107. 9 7/8 x 12 7/8 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil, lower right. Also inscribed by the artist,"watakashi no E." This is a superb impression printed on off white laid paper. The margins are full and the condition is excellent. Provenance: Kennedy Galleries (with their label). The scene is 34th Street at Park Avenue, New york. SOLD |
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Rain on Murray Hill Drypoint, 1928, McCarron 75, edition 110. 7 7/8 x 11 7/8 in. Signed in the plate. Signed in pencil, lower right. This is a fine impression with full margins. The paper is a medium weight off white wove with an acorn leaf watermark. The condition is fine. This exemplary work depicts a scene just a few blocks from the artist's studio at 145 East 34th Street in New York. Impressions are cited in twelve museum collections. SOLD |
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Shadow Magic Drypoint, 1939, McCarron 126, edition 34. 13 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. Initialed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil. This is a superb, luminous impression with full margins. The printed surface is pristine. The condition is excellent. As McCarron mentions in the catalogue on page 216, "this is one of Lewis's most abstract designs." (This is also the only Martin Lewis print with a cat in it.) Provenance: Knoedler Galleries, NY. SOLD |
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Snow on the El Drypoint and sand ground, 1931, McCarron 95, edition 49 including 5 trial proofs. 14 x 9 in. Signed in the plate. Signed in pencil, lower right. This is a superb, atmospheric impression of this great American print from the 1930s. The margins are full and the condition is excellent. The location depicted here is 23rd Street and Sixth Avenue in New York City. SOLD |
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Stoops in Snow Drypoint and sand ground, 1930, McCarron 89 (ii/II); edition 115. 10 x 15 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil. This is a fine, atmospheric impression with full margins printed on a subtle, slightly bluish paper. The condition is fine apart from a subtle soft crease in the lower left corner margin. This, along with Snow on the El, are among the finest snow scenes created by the artist. This was a very popular print as the edition was virtually sold out during Lewis's lifetime. SOLD |
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The Boyfriends Drypoint and sand ground, 1927, McCarron 61, edition 30. 9 3/4 x 7 3/4 in. Signed in the plate, lower right. Signed in pencil. This is a superb impression with full margins. The condition is excellent. This endearing print is uncommon. McCarron mentions sand ground in his description of the technique used in this print. It can be described as follows: "In addition, some of the prints—including "Circus Night"—include an additional technique, called sand ground. In this technique the artist applies the wax coating for etching, then using sandpaper, emery board, or loose sand to make a series of pits in the wax. Upon biting, the plate achieves a soft, hazy effect that Lewis vastly preferred to the sharp, shiny copper of pure etching or engraving." (By Grant Hamming, Research Fellow at the Rollins College Museum of Art; as published in a Rollins College Museum of Art newsletter, 2020). SOLD |
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The Passing Freight, Danbury Drypoint and sand ground, 1934, McCarron 108, edition 47. 8 7/8 x 14 7/8 in. Signed in pencil. This is a superb impression with full margins. The condition is excellent. A locomotive also appears his lithograph, Veterans, from 1935. Hopper and especially Marsh were also interested in the train as subject matter. Provenance: Kennedy Galleries, NY. SOLD |
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Three Girls Conversing Etching with drypoint, circa 1946, McCarron 134 (ii/II), edition 7. 6 7/8 x 9 7/8 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed "Martin Lewis, P.L." (Patricia Lewis) in the lower right. This is a fine impression printed on cream wove paper. The margins are full and the condition is excellent. This rare print bears the stamp, verso, of Lucile Deming Lewis (not in Lugt), see McCarron pages 37-38. SOLD |
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Tree Manhattan Drypoint, 1930, McCarron 87, edition 91 including 10 trial proofs. 12 7/8 x 9 7/8 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil. This is a superb, luminous impression with full margins. The condition is fine. (There's just a very faint suggestion of a mat line.) This exceptional print contains all the elements of a great Martin Lewis; dramatic lights and darks, solitary figures, well-integrated architectural design and there's that added element of urban mystery to engage our imagination. $13,000 |
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Twin Silos Drypoint, 1936, McCarron 119, eddition of 23 including 6 trial proofs. 7 1/4 x 8 3/8 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil. Here we have a fine impression in fine condition. The margins are wide. This print is a Connecticut scene done in Cornwall. This is a rare print. SOLD |
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Wet Saturday Drypoint, 1929, McCaron 81, edition 72. 9 7/8 x 10 1/2 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil. This is a superb impression with full margins. The paper is a fine cream laid and the condition is excellent. SOLD |
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Winter on White Street Drypoint and sand ground, 1934, McCarron 110 (iii/III), edition 41 including 4 trial proofs. 10 7/8 x 6 7/8 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil. This is a very fine, atmospheric impression with full margins. The condition is fine apart from a couple of tiny specks in the lower margin. This uncommon print was done in Danbury, CT. As McCarron aptly states, "The placement of two blank white rectangles near the center of the composition is a daring compositional device." (see pg. 197). SOLD |
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