Press Release

Atlanta, GA, USA, February 29, 2024 -- A large and important early mixed media assemblage by Radcliffe Bailey (Ga., 1968-2023) sold for $66,550 and a painted iron sculpture by Pietro Consagra (Italian, 1920-2005) climbed to $57,475 at a 458-lot Art Deco to Post-Modern Art & Design auction held February 23rd by Ahlers & Ogletree, online and live in the Atlanta gallery at 788 Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard NW.

The mixed media assemblage by the late Southern African American artist Radcliffe Bailey, titled The Magic City (1994,) was pulled from the outstanding private collection of Bill Stewart. It was made from a combination of door, carpet, beeswax, dried flowers, iron brands, collage, tar and photos. The monumental work, 80 inches tall by 131 ¾ inches wide, more than doubled its $30,000 high estimate.

The sculpture by Consagra, executed in 1966, was titled Ferro Transparente Blanco. The work was signed and dated to the base and stood 27 ¼ inches tall. In 1947, Consagra was among the founding members of the Forma 1 group of artists, who advocated both Marxism and structured abstraction.

Following are additional highlights from the auction, which featured contemporary and modern art and furniture, plus the private collection of Atlanta interior designer Bill Stewart. Online bidding was facilitated by Ahlers & Ogletree’s platform, bid.AandOAuctions.com, plus LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and BidSquare.com. All prices quoted here include a 21 percent buyer’s premium.

A large 1988 oil on canvas painting by the French artist Andre Brasilier (b. 1929), titled Chant du Soir (Evening Song), was artist signed to the lower right, titled and initialed en verso ($36,300). The canvas was impressive, at 38 ½ inches by 51 ¼ inches, while the frame measured 48 ¼ inches by 61 inches.

A large oil on canvas painting by Robert Beauchamp (N.Y., 1923-1995), titled Number Thirty-Seven (circa 1982-1983), signed and dated en verso, blasted through its $3,000-$5,000 estimate to finish at $36,300. The 78 inch by 103 ½ inch work (canvas, less frame) was exhibited at the Asheville Museum.

A mixed media artwork by Todd Murphy (Ga., 1962-2020), titled Woman with Microphone (1995), 96 ½ inches by 72 ¼ inches, was ink signed, dated and inscribed. It knocked down for $22,990. Murphy’s large-scale paintings, digital prints and sculptures explored images of flora, fauna and bodily forms.

A Samuel Accoceberry for Collection Particuliere (French) 'Rough' brushed oak dining table, with a biomorphic top and raised on rounded pillar legs, marked 'CP' to underside to the top, more than doubled its $8,000 high estimate to hit $16,940. The table was 96 inches wide by 42 ½ inches deep.

A sheet copper and wire Hinged Poem Dress #3 by Lesley Dill (American, b. 1950), 62 inches tall by 22 inches wide, fetched $13,310. It was embedded with a quote from Catalan poet Salvador Espriu (1913-1985), saying: “I have given my whole life to words / chewed this dog hunger into a long meal.”

An oil on canvas floral rendering of Three Gold Iris (1976) by Lowell Blair Nesbitt (Md., 1933-1993), depicting dark yellow flowers on a stem, was signed, titled and dated ($13,310). The canvas was large, at 85 inches tall by 45 inches wide, while the frame was 85 ½ inches in height by 46 ¼ inches wide.

What would an art auction be without Pablo Picasso? A 1960 collotype with color stencil on Arches paper by the Cubist-Surrealist master (1881-1973), titled L’Etreinte, was pencil signed to the lower right and numbered (“122/125”) to the lower left. ($12,100). A Paris stamp showed the edition number.

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