This fall, Swann Auction Galleries hosts its African American Art sale, which will feature a variety of works by both historic and contemporary Black artists. Art ranges from abstract to figurative to sculpture. “We will also have some late 19th-century and early 20th-century paintings in the sale,” says Nigel Freeman, Swann’s director of African American art. Among the highlights in the sale are works by Norman Lewis, Emma Amos and Elizabeth Catlett, to name a few. Norman Lewis (1909-1979), Untitled, ca. 1950-51. Oil on canvas, 39 x 24 in. Estimate: $150/250,000  Abstract expressionist, scholar, teacher and New Yorker Lewis has two important oils in the sale coming from a private collection that has not been exhibited in more than 50 years. His Untitled (Gate Composition) (est. $60/90,000), painted in 1947, features a depiction of wrought-iron gates found throughout New York City punctuated by brilliant shades of red. The second piece, Untitled, estimated at $150,000 to $250,000, delves even deeper into the realm of abstraction. Robert Neal (1916-1987), Street People, ca. 1986. Oil on canvas, 35 x 31 in. Estimate: $20/30,000Norman Lewis (1909-1979), Untitled (Gate Composition). Oil on Masonite board, 14 x 18 in. Estimate $60/90,000

“They’re both really wonderful early examples of his abstract paintings. These were done in the beginning of his exploration with abstraction,” says Freeman. Discussing Untitled (Gate Composition), he says, it is a “scarce example of Norman Lewis’ painting in the late 1940s. Lewis made several paintings with a rich variety of surfaces, including graffito and scrapings, based on the iron work of New York doors and gates.” Freeman comments on the Untitled 1950-51 piece, “This elegant painting is a very fine example of Norman Lewis’ abstract idiom of the early 1950s. Lewis painted thinly on linen canvas to created subtle, atmospheric effects to represent natural phenomena.”Emma Amos (1938-2020), Polka Dots, ca. 1985. Color monotype with color pastels and stencil on paper, 15½ x 22½ in. Estimate $8/12,000

Other lots to pay attention to include figurative artist Amos’ Polka Dots, a color monotype with color pastels and stencil on paper expected to fetch between $8,000 to $12,000, as well as Robert Neal’s winter scene Street People, depicting city dwellers going about their day as flurries of snow rush around them. The oil on canvas has a pre-sale estimate of $20,000 to $30,000. The auction will also include important stone sculpture by Catlett and bronzes by Richmond Barthé. 

The sale will be held Thursday, October 7. Viewing will be available by appointment and can be scheduled directly with a specialist. —

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