Joanne Seltzer Art

James Lesesne Wells, 'Sisters', linocut, edition not stated but small, 1928. Signed, titled, and annotated 'imp' in pencil. A fine impression on off-white wove Japan paper, with wide margins (1 7/8 to 3 3/4 inches), in excellent condition. Printed by the artist. Very scarce. Matted to museum standards, unframed. Image size 8 3/16 x 6 3/4 inches (208 x 171 mm); sheet size 13 1/2 x 10 3/4 inches (343 x 273 mm). Exhibition and Literature: 'Narratives of African American Art and Identity: The David C. Driskell Collection,' The Art Gallery at the University of Maryland, extensive touring exhibition, 1998-2000. Collections: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Smithsonian Institution (Anacostia Community Museum). ABOUT THE ARTIST “Wells is more than an artist with a deep concern for his fellow man. He carries many of his themes a step further into an apocalyptic world, a world of revelation and shifting lights. … He works on large blocks in a bold free style. … His work has a vigor, therefore, that is not often used in the medium today.” —Jacob Kainen (painter, critic, and collector) from Richard J. Powell’s 1986 essay Phoenix Ascending: The Art of James Lesesne Wells. James Lesesne Wells was an American painter, printmaker, educator, and pioneering figure of the Harlem Renaissance, whose work established a vital connection between African heritage, modernist form, and African American cultural identity. Known for his innovative use of linoleum and woodblock printing, Wells played a key role in shaping 20th-century African American art and inspired countless students throughout his lengthy career as a teacher at Howard University. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Wells' early exposure to the arts came through church and community, where African American cultural traditions were central. He pursued formal artistic training at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania (earning a B.A. in 1924), followed by studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Barnes Foundation, where he encountered European modernists as well as traditional African sculpture, which profoundly influenced his style. Wells moved to New York in the late 1920s, swiftly immersing himself in the lively artistic and intellectual scene of Harlem. There, he became associated with artists, writers, and thinkers of the Harlem Renaissance, contributing to the growth of Black cultural identity. Considered a mentor to many famed artists of the Harlem Renaissance, Wells served as director of a summer art workshop in Harlem where his assistants included Charles Alston, Jacob Lawrence, and Palmer Hayden...

Hand signed and numbered by the artist. Artwork is in excellent condition. Additional images are available upon request. Certificate of Authenticity is included. Edition of 175. All...

An important 1934 WPA-era color serigraph by American modernist Hilaire Hiler (1898–1966), this dynamic work titled Native American Fox Costume exemplifies the artist’s bold synthesis of modernist abstraction, cultural symbolism, and avant-garde color theory. The composition depicts a stylized figure in ceremonial fox costume, poised with a bow and adorned with an elaborate feathered headdress, rendered in striking contrasts of black, red, and white. The result is a powerful visual rhythm that reflects both the graphic experimentation and cultural fascination characteristic of early twentieth-century American Modernism. Executed during the WPA period, this original serigraph demonstrates Hiler’s distinctive semi-abstract style, in which figuration is reduced to geometric structure and symbolic form. The flattened composition, bold outlines, and saturated palette create a sense of movement and ritual energy, reinforcing the work’s connection to mythic narrative and Native American-inspired themes common in WPA-era printmaking. The artist’s engagement with color theory and structural design is evident throughout, making this an especially strong example of his print oeuvre. Hilaire Hiler was a key figure in American modernism, known not only as a painter and printmaker but also as a color theorist and educator associated with WPA mural projects, including work for the Aquatic Park...

SECOND GENERATION is an original hand drawn limited edition lithograph by the highly acclaimed African-American woman artist Elizabeth Catlett, master printmaker and sculptor best known for her depictions of the African-American experience. SECOND GENERATION portrays a double portrait of a boy and girl in profile, bordered by bright yellow, orange and red flames with a row of turquoise blue silhouette figures marching in protest across the lower portion of this striking composition by Elizabeth Catlett. From the FOR MY PEOPLE suite of prints, a set of 6 lithographs illustrating the well known 1942 poem by Margaret Walker. "Let a new earth rise. Let another world be born. Let a bloody peace be written in the sky. Let a second generation full of courage issue forth; let a people loving freedom come to growth. Let a beauty full of healing and a strength of final clenching be the pulsing in our spirits and our blood. Let the martial songs be written, let the dirges disappear. Let a race of men now rise and take control." stanza from the poem FOR MY PEOPLE by Margaret Walker...

FLOWER BLOSSOMS, LIGHT BLUE VASE is an original hand drawn lithograph by the renowned Chinese born artist Walasse Ting (DING XIONGQUAN, Chinese, 1929-2010) printed on archival Somers...

Alexander Calder Sun Face Moon Face , ca. 1965 Signed and numbered lower right Color lithograph on white wove paper, 50 x 65.4 cm 19.7 x 25.7 inches Edition of 100 Alexander Calder ...

A Large, Dynamic 1950s Mid-Century Modern Watercolor of Lower Manhattan, New York City by Noted Chicago Artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). The image is watercolor, pastel and c...

Signed lower left, 'Bonnaure' for Alain Bonnaure (French, born 1941) and painted circa 1995. When he was a young artist, Alain Bonnaure's work was purchased by the renowned French p...

Country landscape, early 20th century pastel on paper. The work is signed bottom left, as yet undeciphered, and located and dated bottom right. It is presented in a fine patinated an...

Sandy Litchfield’s "Latent" reflects her signature approach of transforming landscapes into lyrical, abstracted visions. Drawing from memory, walking, and direct observation, Litchfi...

In the yard. 1950. Pastel on paper, 65x49,5 cm

SUR LE BANC is an original hand drawn limited edition lithograph printed using hand lithography techniques on archival Arches paper 100% acid free, by the popular French artist Michel Delacroix, well known for his naif style paintings of a city he calls "the Paris of then." SUR LE BANC is a misty Autumn in Paris scene featuring two lovers seated...