Leading the auctions at $12,100 was “Naturole” by Syd Solomon (American, 1917-2004), 1974, oil and acrylic on canvas, 49¾ by 61½ inches framed ($5/7,000).

Review by Carly Timpson

ATLANTA — Ahlers & Ogletree Auction Gallery highlighted Modern & Contemporary Art & Design on June 4 and followed it up with a dedicated art glass auction on June 5, titled Translucence: Contemporary Studio Art Glass. Jamia Berry, Ahlers & Ogletree’s marketing coordinator, said, “Our two-day auction was a strong success. Modern and contemporary art continues to resonate with our buyers, and the addition of a remarkable studio art glass collection elevated the auctions even further. Overall, we’re very pleased with the results and the enthusiastic response from our bidders.” For both sales, there were a handful of local buyers — about 40 people came to bid in person — as well as those from elsewhere in the United States, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, New Zealand, China and the United Kingdom.

Modern & Contemporary Art & Design

Billed as “an exceptional opportunity to acquire iconic design and investment-quality works of art that shaped the modern era,” the 420-lot June 4 auction realized $551,216 and had a sell-through rate of 95 percent.

The top lot of day one, and of the two auctions overall, was American abstract artist Syd Solomon’s “Naturole.” The large, evocative acrylic and oil painting, done in 1974, was signed to the lower left as well as being titled, signed and dated on the reverse. Breezing past its $7,000 high estimate, the abstract work was bid to $12,100.

Louise Nevelson, known for her monochromatic, mostly black-painted sculptures, was represented in this sale by a carved wooden box sculpture titled “Cryptic Cord #1389.” While only one side of the box was carved on the outside, the lid opened to reveal a full array of carvings to fill the interior. On the box’s underside, it bore labels to The Pace Gallery in New York City and Richard Gray Gallery in Chicago. Sold with a copy of the artist’s book Dawns + Dusks: Taped Conversations with Diana MacKown (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1976), the piece achieved the second-highest price of $10,285.

“Cryptic Cord #1389” by Louise Nevelson (American, 1899-1988), 1966-67, wood and black paint, 9½ inches high by 8¾ inches wide by 12-5/8 inches deep, sold with a copy of the artist’s Dawns + Dusks: Taped Conversations with Diana MacKown (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1976) for $10,285 ($8/12,000).

A large mixed media on canvas, “Windows to the After Life” by Terence La Noue, was bid more than twice its high estimate to achieve $9,075. Signed, titled and dated to the reverse, the work, which came from a private Atlanta collection, sold with a 1989 receipt from the Atlanta-based Eve Mannes Gallery from when the consignor acquired it.

Frank Stella’s color lithograph “Sinjerli Variation” was signed in pencil and numbered “69/100” to the lower right. Featuring a circle of colored arcs and lines offset on a plain background, the framed piece finished for $7,865. Another lithographic hit was Joan Miró’s 1971 color lithograph titled “Le Belier Fleuri (The Flowery Ram).” Published by Maeght (Paris), the work was from Miró’s “Derriere le Miroir 193/194” series and was signed to the lower right and numbered “3/75” to the lower left. With provenance to a private collection in Roanoke, Ala., the float-mounted work had a Kraskin/Mitchell Gallery (Atlanta) label on its reverse and it was chased to $6,655.

As is the case with many modern and contemporary design auctions, this one featured several pieces of ever-desirable Eames furniture. The selection was led by a classic pair of Eames lounge chairs (model 670) and ottomans (model 671) with santos palisander veneer shell and black leather upholstery. This pair came from the private collection of Dr Michael and Audrey Landy of Atlanta and sold for $8,470. The other lounge chairs and ottomans, these in walnut and rosewood veneer, came from other private collections and each sold for $4,235 ($3/5,000). 

Translucence: Contemporary Studio Art Glass

Leading the art glass auction at $9,075 was “Sunset Macchia” by Dale Chihuly (American, b 1941) for Portland Press, 2008, 8 inches tall ($2/4,000).

With an 89 percent sell-through rate, the June 5 auction, which offered 153 lots from a single-owner collection, realized a total of $192,511. Ahlers & Ogletree’s catalog for the auction described the collection as celebrating “the innovation and craftsmanship of contemporary glass artists from the late Twentieth and early Twenty-First Centuries,” including works by artists such as Dale Chihuly, Nancy Callan, Kevin Gordon and others.

At $9,075, Dale Chihuly’s 2008 “Sunset Macchia” was the top lot of the Contemporary Studio Art Glass auction. Published by Portland Press and housed in an 11¾-inch-tall Plexiglas case, the 8-inch-tall sculpture was signed to the side and inscribed “PP08” to the underside. The green, yellow and pink basket-form sculpture was attached to a black base and it more than doubled its $4,000 high estimate.

Another Chihuly piece, a “Sky Blue Basket with Black Lip Wrap” landed within its estimate range to achieve $5,143. This 2004 piece was also for Portland Press and the smaller nesting basket was marked “PP04” to its underside. In a 13¾-inch-tall Plexiglass case, the larger basket was attached to a black base while the smaller one sat loose within the mouth of the other.

The studio glass sale’s second-highest price was earned by “Amber & Blue Phloem,” a circa 2015 piece by Matthew Curtis. This curved triangular-form piece was comprised of many small blown fused and cold-worked glass tubes, representing the vascular tissue within plants, housed in a stainless steel frame signed by the artist and numbered “1525.” “Amber & Blue Phloem” had provenance to the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, Ga., and was deaccessioned in July 2023. Exceeding its $3,500 high estimate, the triangular form grew to $5,445.

“Amber & Blue Phloem” by Matthew Curtis (Australian/English, b 1964), circa 2015, blown fused and cold-worked glass in a stainless steel frame, 16¼ inches high by 22½ inches wide by 8-1/8 inches deep, earned $5,445 ($2,5/3,500).

“Conundrum 6 Contrary” by New Zealand artist Evelyn Dunstan, a cast glass floral sculpture from 2009, more than doubled its high estimate to earn $5,143. The all-green sculpture depicted leaves and flowers growing out of a round deep green root-form foot. The work was signed, dated and titled to the underside, and marked with the artist’s cipher to the side of the foot.

Another colorful piece that more than doubled its estimates was Nancy Callan’s 2013 blown glass “Coloratura Cloud.” The cloud, with its wispy swirls of multicolored lines, stood on an attached metal base, had an overall height of 17 inches and was signed and dated to the underside. According to the auction catalog, this piece was most recently acquired in Seattle in 2023, but a lucky bidder won it for $4,840.

Two of Martin Janecky’s humanoid sculptures were featured in this sale and they both earned within-estimate prices. The higher of the two was “Hero Five,” a hot-sculpted bust with white skin and a colored striped shirt. Done in 2012, “Hero Five” was signed and dated to the back and finished for $4,235. The other Janecky work was an untitled nude male torso. Also from 2012, this 16¼-inch-tall white figure had shadowy details to his shoulders and found a home for $3,933 ($3/5,000).

Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.aandoauctions.com or 404-869-2478.