Art + Antiques: Featuring The Birger Sandzen Collection
Sat, Nov 23, 2019 01:00AM EST
Lot 22
Thomas Hart Benton 'Mr. President' Signed Lithograph
Sold for
$1,200
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
| $500 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $5,000 | $250 |
| $10,000 | $500 |
| $20,000 | $1,000 |
| $50,000 | $2,500 |
| $75,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
Thomas Hart Benton
(American, 1889-1975)
Mr. President, 1971
Lithograph on paper
14" x 12" (sight)
Edition of 150
"Shortly after I finished painting the mural in the Truman Library at Independence, MO, I tried, at the request of some of the President's admirers, to make a portrait of him. I failed. The reason--there were too many people around him, secretaries, politicians, and would-be cronies who wanted me to make him look like god--or maybe Clark Gable--anyway some kind of beauty... Later on, when he was eighty six years old, I went to visit him... I said "You know, Mr. President, we can try that business again." He said "Why not?" I made some drawings of him and later a portrait which, this time, did not fail." - Thomas Hart Benton
From an edition of 150, circulated by Associated American Artists. Pencil-signed "Benton" at the bottom left of the image. Sheet not laid down, three edges deckled. Presented in a contemporary silver leaf frame. Sheet measures 19" x 16", in a contemporary silver leaf frame that measures 22 1/2" x 20".
Literature: Creekmore Fath, The Lithographs of Thomas Hart Benton, Austin, Texas, 1990, 83.
The sheet has come free from two pieces of archival tape previously hinging the top of the sheet to the backing mat. The sheet shows very gentle rippling. Some even overall toning inside the mat sight from light exposure.
The sheet also shows very slight acid burn from the original non-archival matting; because the old mat was tighter in on the image (it used to show about 1 to 1 1/2 inches less of the sheet on all sides of the image), it has created a very subtle halo effect, which darkens very slightly toward the sight edge.
(American, 1889-1975)
Mr. President, 1971
Lithograph on paper
14" x 12" (sight)
Edition of 150
"Shortly after I finished painting the mural in the Truman Library at Independence, MO, I tried, at the request of some of the President's admirers, to make a portrait of him. I failed. The reason--there were too many people around him, secretaries, politicians, and would-be cronies who wanted me to make him look like god--or maybe Clark Gable--anyway some kind of beauty... Later on, when he was eighty six years old, I went to visit him... I said "You know, Mr. President, we can try that business again." He said "Why not?" I made some drawings of him and later a portrait which, this time, did not fail." - Thomas Hart Benton
From an edition of 150, circulated by Associated American Artists. Pencil-signed "Benton" at the bottom left of the image. Sheet not laid down, three edges deckled. Presented in a contemporary silver leaf frame. Sheet measures 19" x 16", in a contemporary silver leaf frame that measures 22 1/2" x 20".
Literature: Creekmore Fath, The Lithographs of Thomas Hart Benton, Austin, Texas, 1990, 83.
Condition
The sheet also shows very slight acid burn from the original non-archival matting; because the old mat was tighter in on the image (it used to show about 1 to 1 1/2 inches less of the sheet on all sides of the image), it has created a very subtle halo effect, which darkens very slightly toward the sight edge.
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