Leslie Garland Bolling Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Leslie Garland Bolling Art Value Price Guide

Dec. 02, 2023
Leslie Garland Bolling, 1898-1955, Female Burlesque figure
Est: $10,000 - $20,000
Leslie Garland Bolling 1898-1955 Female Burlesque figure c. 1935 carved wood and painted sculpture 13 inches high unsigned, but documented Illustrated: Batson - Freeing Art From Wood. The Sculpture of Leslie Garland Bolling, pp. 84-85, no. 21. Watson writes about this example: "Similar to Beautiful Womanhood (cat. no. 19) this nude figure depicts a woman of generous proportions holding her hands behind her head. Bolling used the gesture to delineate the musculature of the shoulders and upper arms. The weight of the figure falls on her right leg as her left leg bends with her toe of her shoe touching the base. The sculpture was painted yellow at an undiscovered date with black paint added over the yellow to highlight the figure's hair and her shoes. The base was also painted black, possibly obliterating any inscription. In 1931 Carl Van Vechten wrote Hunter T. Stagg that he had sold a yellow reclining figure carved by Bolling to Eddie Wasserman. Bolling himself left no explanation for painting his figures." Leslie Bolling was born in Surry County, the son of Clinton C. Bolling, a blacksmith, and his first wife, Mary Brown Bolling. He was educated at the Hampton Normal Institute and Virginia Union University in Richmond, both historically black institutions. After his 1924 graduation, he began working as a porter in Richmond. In 1926, Bolling began carving wood without having any formal instruction. Richmond artist Berkeley Williams Jr. noticed his work at a 1928 group exhibition by the Young Women's Christian Association. Williams helped bring Bolling's work to the attention of Harlem Renaissance writer and photographer Carl Van Vechten of New York. This brought him national exposure and led to his works being featured in many ground-breaking exhibitions promoting African-American artists between 1928 and 1943. These included "Exhibition of Works by Negro Artists," Smithsonian Institution, 1933; "Exhibition of Productions by Negro Arts," New York, 1933; "The Art of the Negro", New York, 1934; "The Wood Sculptures of Leslie Boiling," a one-man show at the then-segregated Richmond Academy of Arts (now the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts), 1935; the New Jersey State Museum, 1935; "Exhibition of Fine Arts Productions by American Negroes", Texas Centennial, Dallas, 1936; and "Exhibition of the Art of the American Negro (1851 to 1940), Chicago, 1940. Thomas Hart Benton visited the 1935 Richmond exhibition and singled out Bolling's work as sculptures that "show real merit, and a new kind of form" and he offered to support the artist for a Guggenheim Fellowship. Bolling left Richmond in the early 1940s; little is known about his life after that. He died in New York on September 27, 1955, and his body was returned to Richmond for burial.
Black Art Auction
Sep. 23, 2023
IMPORTANT LESLIE GARLAND BOLLING (VIRGINIA, 1898-1955) FOLK ART CARVED AND PAINTED FIGURE OF A NUDE WOMAN
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
IMPORTANT LESLIE GARLAND BOLLING (VIRGINIA, 1898-1955) FOLK ART CARVED AND PAINTED FIGURE OF A NUDE WOMAN, an expressive example, from the solid, in the burlesque-style, the curvaceous figure striking a pose and wearing high-heel shoes, set on a separate base. The whole retains a yellow- and black-painted surface. Circa 1935. 13" HOA. Published: Batson - Freeing Art From Wood. The Sculpture of Leslie Garland Bolling, p. 85, no. 21. Catalogue Note: Leslie Bolling was born in Surry County, the son of Clinton C. Bolling, a blacksmith, and his first wife, Mary Brown Bolling. He was educated at the Hampton Normal Institute and Virginia Union University in Richmond, both historically black institutions. After his 1924 graduation, he began working as a porter in Richmond. In 1926, Bolling began carving wood without having any formal instruction. Richmond artist Berkeley Williams Jr. noticed his work at a 1928 group exhibition by the Young Women's Christian Association. Williams helped bring Bolling's work to the attention of Harlem Renaissance writer and photographer Carl Van Vechten of New York. This brought him national exposure and led to his works being featured in many ground-breaking exhibitions promoting African-American artists between 1928 and 1943. These included "Exhibition of Works by Negro Artists," Smithsonian Institution, 1933; "Exhibition of Productions by Negro Arts," New York, 1933; "The Art of the Negro", New York, 1934; "The Wood Sculptures of Leslie Boiling," a one-man show at the then-segregated Richmond Academy of Arts (now the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts), 1935; the New Jersey State Museum, 1935; "Exhibition of Fine Arts Productions by American Negroes", Texas Centennial, Dallas, 1936; and "Exhibition of the Art of the American Negro (1851 to 1940), Chicago, 1940. Thomas Hart Benton visited the 1935 Richmond exhibition and singled out Bolling's work as sculptures that "show real merit, and a new kind of form" and he offered to support the artist for a Guggenheim Fellowship. Bolling left Richmond in the early 1940s; little is known about his life after that. He died in New York on September 27, 1955, and his body was returned to Richmond for burial.
Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates
Mar. 10, 2023
Leslie Garland Bolling (American 1898-1955), Portrait of Bishop Brooks, Hand-carved stained pine wood sculpture, Height overall: 15-1/2 in (39.4 cm)
Est: $5,000 - $7,000
Leslie Garland Bolling (American, 1898-1955) Portrait of Bishop Brooks Hand-carved stained pine wood sculpture Signed LG Bolling and dated 10-10-34 on back of base and inscribed Bishop Brooks on front of base
Weschler's
Jun. 12, 2021
Leslie Garland Bolling (American, 1898-1955), Rock of Ages
Est: $1,000 - $3,000
Leslie Garland Bolling (American, 1898-1955), Rock of Ages hand-carved wood, depicting female figure clinging to a cross, the title Rock of Ages carved to recto, inspired by the Christian hymnal by Reverend Augustus Toplady, date and signature carved to verso "IE 1934 / L G Bolling," with dedicated carved inscription "Carved / for / Dr. J. W. Johnson." Included is a handwritten letter from Frances James Johnson, the son of Dr. James White Johnson, whom inherited the piece after his father's passing. 16 3/4 x 5 3/4 x 10 1/8 in. Leslie was a self-taught artist and worked a day job as a porter in Richmond, Virginia. He is best known for his small scale figurative wood carved sculptures of everyday people, workers, preachers and occasionally Biblical figures. Popularity for Bolling's work increased as his work was brought to the attention of Carl Van Vechten, a New York writer and photographer deeply involved in the Harlem Renaissance Movement. In 1933, Bolling entered seven pieces in a National Exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution. In January 1935, Bolling was the first African American in Virginia to have a one-man exhibition at the Richmond Academy of Arts. Thomas Hart Benton visited the show, and singled out Bolling's work as "show[ing] real merit, and a new kind of form." Additional high-resolution photos are available at www.lelandlittle.com
Leland Little Auctions
Mar. 28, 2018
LESLIE GARLAND BOLLING | Despair
Est: $6,000 - $8,000
carved wood on a 7/8 inch wooden base
Sotheby's
Apr. 06, 2017
LESLIE GARLAND BOLLING (1898 - 1955) Beautiful Womanhood.
Est: $7,000 - $10,000
LESLIE GARLAND BOLLING (1898 - 1955) Beautiful Womanhood. Poplar wood sculpture, 1931. Approximately 355 mm; 14 inches high. Incised "Leslie G. Bolling" on the verso Provenance: aquired directly from the artist; James A. Porter (1934); Dorothy Porter Walker; Constance Porter Uzelac; thence by descent to the current owner. James A. Porter purchased two sculptures from Bolling in 1934. Exhibited: Freeing Art from Wood, Barbara C. Batson, The Library of Virginia, The University of Virginia, Richmond, 2006, pp. 82-83. Leslie Garland Bolling was a largely self-taught artist whose carved figurative sculptures achieved national attention during his lifetime. Their inclusion in exhibitions by Carl Van Vechten, the Harmon Foundation and in James A. Porter''s Modern Negro Art, published in 1943, helped establish him as an important sculptor. He had 4 works in the landmark Exhibition of Works by Negro Arts at the National Gallery of Washington, DC in 1929. Bolling used the same female model for both this sculpture and New Moon. Her full forms, carved with a pocket knife and left unpainted in both works, recall the work of Gaston Lachaise.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 02, 2015
LESLIE GARLAND BOLLING (1898 - 1955) Beautiful Womanhood.
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
LESLIE GARLAND BOLLING (1898 - 1955) Beautiful Womanhood. Poplar wood sculpture, 1931. Approximately 355 mm; 14 inches high. Incised "Leslie G. Bolling" on the back. Provenance: aquired directly from the artist; James A. Porter (1934); thence by descent to his daughter, Constance Porter-Uzelac. James A. Porter purchased two sculptures from Bolling in 1934. Exhibited: Freeing Art from Wood, Barbara C. Batson, The Library of Virginia, The University of Virginia, Richmond, 2006, pp. 82-83. Leslie Garland Bolling was a largely self-taught artist whose carved figurative sculptures achieved national attention during his lifetime. Their inclusion in exhibitions by Carl Van Vechten, the Harmon Foundation and in James A. Porter's Modern Negro Art, published in 1943, helped establish him as an important sculptor. He had 4 works in the landmark Exhibition of Works by Negro Arts at the National Gallery of Washington, DC in 1929. Bolling used the same female model for both this sculpture and New Moon. Her full forms, carved with a pocket knife and left unpainted in both works, recall the work of Gaston Lachaise. Batson p. 19.
Swann Auction Galleries
Feb. 06, 2007
LESLIE GARLAND BOLLING (1898 - 1955) New Moon.
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
LESLIE GARLAND BOLLING (1898 - 1955) New Moon. Poplar wood sculpture, 1933. Approximately 405 mm; 16 inches high. Inscribed "Leslie G. Bolling" on the back. Provenance: James A. Porter, hence by descent to his daughter, Constance Porter-Uzelac. Exhibitions: Freeing Art from Wood, Barbara C. Batson, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, 2006, pp. 82-83. The artist and art historian James A. Porter purchased both sculptures directly from the artist in 1934. Bolling wrote Porter that both Beautiful Woman and New Moon were early pieces, and he had not had time to finish the hands to his satisfaction. He sanded the surfaces of both sculptures to give them their smooth surface but did not paint them as with later works. Batson 20.
Swann Auction Galleries
Feb. 06, 2007
LESLIE GARLAND BOLLING (1898-1955) Beautiful Womanhood.
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
LESLIE GARLAND BOLLING (1898-1955) Beautiful Womanhood. Poplar wood sculpture, 1931. Approximately 355 mm; 14 inches high. Inscribed "Leslie G. Bolling" on the back. Provenance: Ex-collection James A. Porter; hence by descent to his daughter, Constance Porter-Uzelac. The artist and art historian James A. Porter purchased both sculptures directly from the artist in 1934. Exhibitions: Freeing Art from Wood, Barbara C. Batson, The Library of Virginia, The University of Virginia, Richmond, 2006, pp. 82-83. Leslie Garland Bolling was a largely self-taught artist whose carved figurative sculptures achieved national attention during his lifetime. Their inclusion in exhibitions by Carl Van Vechten, the Harmon Foundation and in James A. Porter''s Modern Negro Art, published in 1943, helped establish him as an important Black sculptor. He had 4 works in the landmark Exhibition of Works by Negro Arts at the National Gallery of Washington, D.C. in 1929. Bolling used the same female model for both this sculpture and New Moon. Her full forms, carved with a pocket knife and left unpainted in both works, recall the work of Gaston Lachaise. Barbara C. Batson, Freeing Art from Wood, The Library of Virginia, pp. 82-83, Batson 19.
Swann Auction Galleries