Modern, Post War, & Contemporary: Art + Design
Mon, Jun 28, 2021 01:00AM EDT
Lot 30
WILLY ARACTINGI / Untitled Oil (1986)
Sold for
$19,000
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 |
Willy Aractingi
(Lebanon, 1930-2003)
Untitled, 1986
Oil on canvas
35" x 47"
A fantastical arrangement of wildlife from the vibrant vision and hand of Lebanese artist Willy Aractingi. Sometimes classified as a naive artist, the self-taught Aractingi's unique aesthetic is on full display here: graduations of bold color define rhythmic shapes, composing an imagined and primitively executed landscape. His work has been noted by both Christie's and Sotheby's for its similarities to that of Henri Rousseau, a comparison appropriate for their similarities in both style and subject.
Willy Aractingi was born in New York, and was raised internationally before settling in Beirut. He painted throughout his life, but received no formal training. In the 1970s that Aractingi committed himself as an artist, when he opened a modern art gallery and began drawing and painting in earnest. He is best known for his depictions of flora, as well as his series Magnum Opus, a wide-ranging collection of oils based on Jean de la Fontaine's Fables, begun in 1989. In 2017, the Sursock Museum in Beirut held a definitive retrospective titled Les Mondes de Willy Aractingi, showcasing 120 highlights from Aractingi's renowned career.
Signed and dated to the bottom right corner, and presented in a metal frame that measures 36 1/4" x 48 1/4".
Provenance: From the estate of Edwin T. Long, whose daughter Laura married Willy Aractingi's son Ronald. Mr. Long acquired the painting directly from the artist during a visit to Aractingi's Paris studio.
The extreme edges of the canvas have been impressed by the frame, not visible when the work is in the frame. Otherwise, the work is in very good condition, with no damage found, including no issues or repairs visible under blacklight inspection.
(Lebanon, 1930-2003)
Untitled, 1986
Oil on canvas
35" x 47"
A fantastical arrangement of wildlife from the vibrant vision and hand of Lebanese artist Willy Aractingi. Sometimes classified as a naive artist, the self-taught Aractingi's unique aesthetic is on full display here: graduations of bold color define rhythmic shapes, composing an imagined and primitively executed landscape. His work has been noted by both Christie's and Sotheby's for its similarities to that of Henri Rousseau, a comparison appropriate for their similarities in both style and subject.
Willy Aractingi was born in New York, and was raised internationally before settling in Beirut. He painted throughout his life, but received no formal training. In the 1970s that Aractingi committed himself as an artist, when he opened a modern art gallery and began drawing and painting in earnest. He is best known for his depictions of flora, as well as his series Magnum Opus, a wide-ranging collection of oils based on Jean de la Fontaine's Fables, begun in 1989. In 2017, the Sursock Museum in Beirut held a definitive retrospective titled Les Mondes de Willy Aractingi, showcasing 120 highlights from Aractingi's renowned career.
Signed and dated to the bottom right corner, and presented in a metal frame that measures 36 1/4" x 48 1/4".
Provenance: From the estate of Edwin T. Long, whose daughter Laura married Willy Aractingi's son Ronald. Mr. Long acquired the painting directly from the artist during a visit to Aractingi's Paris studio.
Condition
Available payment options
