Richard W Dempsey Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Richard W Dempsey Art Value Price Guide

Dec. 01, 2022
RICHARD DEMPSEY (1909 - 1987, AMERICAN) S & K House, Long Beach, North Carolina.
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
RICHARD DEMPSEY (1909 - 1987, AMERICAN) S & K House, Long Beach, North Carolina. Watercolor and ink on wove paper, circa 1960. 483x635 mm; 19x24 3/4 inches. Signed Dempsey and inscribed North Carolina, lower left recto. Titled and with the artist's Takoma Park address ink stamp verso. Provenance: Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, with the label on the frame back; private collection. This colorful abstracted landscape is an excellent example of the mid-career work of Richard Dempsey. In 1951, Dempsey became associated with the Washington, DC color field school with his inclusion in the first Annual Exhibition of the Loïs Mailou Jones & Céline Tabary Studio Group. Alongside Delilah Pierce and Alma Thomas, Dempsey showed at the Barnett-Aden Gallery in Washington, DC through the 1950s. These watercolors are organic abstractions of the local color and scenery that Dempsey encountered on his travels to Haiti, Jamaica, and North Carolina in the late 1950s. His work today is found in the Atlanta University Collection of Afro-American Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Harriet and Harmon Kelly Collection of African American Art, San Antonio.
Swann Auction Galleries
Jun. 04, 2022
Richard Dempsey, 1909-1987, Storm, Cape Hatteras
Est: $1,800 - $2,800
Richard Dempsey 1909-1987 Storm, Cape Hatteras 1968-72 watercolor on paper 30 x 22 inches signed, inscribed, "North Carolina" stamped verso with label
Black Art Auction
Mar. 12, 2022
Richard Dempsey, 1909-1987, Jamaica No. 4
Est: $600 - $800
Richard Dempsey 1909-1987 Jamaica No. 4 c. 1970 india ink on paper 8 1/4 x 11 inches signed label verso, Stella Jones Gallery Provenance: prominent private collection, Kansas City, MO
Black Art Auction
Dec. 04, 2021
Richard Dempsey, 1909-1987, Boy in a Hat
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
Richard Dempsey 1909-1987 Boy in a Hat 1944 charcoal drawing on paper 16 x 12 inches signed and dated Provenance: Sloan's & Kenyon, lot 1577, 11/09/2007, to a private collection, Dallas, Texas
Black Art Auction
Nov. 18, 2021
RICHARD W. DEMPSEY (AMERICAN, 1909-1987) CARTAGENA Watercolor and ink: 21 1/2 x 29 in. (sight), 27 x 34 1/2 in. (framed)
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
RICHARD W. DEMPSEY (AMERICAN, 1909-1987) CARTAGENA Watercolor and ink: 21 1/2 x 29 in. (sight), 27 x 34 1/2 in. (framed) Framed; lower right signed and inscribed: dempsey /Cartagena Provenance: Estate of Mirtha V. Perea
Potomack Company
May. 22, 2021
Richard Dempsey, 1909-1987, Mountains in Mexico
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
Richard Dempsey 1909-1987 Mountains in Mexico 1962 oil on canvas 41 1/2 x 41 1/2 inches signed label verso from Franz Bader Gallery, Washington, D.C. Provenance: Private collection, Richmond, Virginia
Black Art Auction
Feb. 06, 2021
Richard Dempsey, 1909-1987, Untitled Abstract
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
Richard Dempsey 1909-1987 Untitled Abstract 1935 gouache on illustration board, mat is painted 37-1/2 x 29-1/2 inches signed Provenance: The Melvin Holmes Collection of African American Art, San Francisco, CA
Black Art Auction
Dec. 10, 2020
RICHARD DEMPSEY (1909 - 1987) Cityscape.
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
RICHARD DEMPSEY (1909 - 1987) Cityscape. Oil on board, 1955. 266x345 mm; 10 1/2x13 1/2 inches. Signed in oil, lower right. Provenance: the Evans-Tibbs collection, Washington, DC: private collection, Callfornia. Exhibited: African American Artists, 1880 - 1987, Selections from the Evans-Tibbs Collection, SITES (Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service), Washington, DC, with the label on the frame back. In 1951, Richard Dempsey was associated with the Washington, DC school with his inclusion in the first Annual Exhibition of the Loïs Mailou Jones & Céline Tabary Studio Group. Alongside Delilah Pierce and Alma Thomas, Dempsey exhibited his paintings at the Barnett-Aden Gallery in Washington, DC through the 1950s.
Swann Auction Galleries
Jun. 04, 2020
RICHARD DEMPSEY (1909 - 1987) Untitled (Abstraction).
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
RICHARD DEMPSEY (1909 - 1987) Untitled (Abstraction). Oil on masonite board, circa 1960. 711x610 mm; 28x24 inches. Signed in oil, lower right. Provenance: private collection, New York.
Swann Auction Galleries
Dec. 13, 2019
Richard Dempsey (American 1909-1987), Untitled, Signed Ink and Watercolor on Paper, 23-1/4 x 29 in
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
Richard Dempsey (American 1909-1987) Untitled Signed Dempsey l.l. Ink and watercolor on paper with Strathmore blindstamp l.l.; some creasing to surface. Sheet size: 23-1/4 x 29 in (59.1 x 73.7 cm)Property of Various Owners
Weschler's
Apr. 04, 2019
RICHARD W. DEMPSEY (1909 - 1987) Cow Creek.
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
RICHARD W. DEMPSEY (1909 - 1987) Cow Creek. Watercolor on heavy cream wove paper, circa 1956-60. 559X756 mm; 22x29 3/4 inches. Signed and inscribed "North Carolina" in ink, lower right. Provenance: Evans-Tibbs collection, Washington DC; private collection, Washington DC (1989). Exhibited: Art in the Embassies Program, State Department, Washington DC, with the program label supplying the title; Evans-Tibbs Collection, Washington DC, November 30, 1985 - January 5, 1986. Cow Creek was one of Richard Dempsey's many works which traveled for two decades internationally through the Art in the Embassies Program beginning in 1964. This colorful abstraction is an excellent example of the mid-career work of Dempsey. In 1951, he had became associated with the Washington DC school with his inclusion in the first Annual Exhibition of the Loïs Mailou Jones & Céline Tabary Studio Group. Alongside Delilah Pierce and Alma Thomas, Dempsey showed at the Barnett-Aden Gallery in Washington, DC through the 1950s. These watercolors are organic abstractions of the local color and scenery that Dempsey encountered on his travels to Haiti, Jamaica, and North Carolina. His work today is found in the Atlanta University Collection of Afro-American Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Harriet and Harmon Kelly Collection of African American Art, San Antonio.
Swann Auction Galleries
Jun. 06, 2018
Richard William Dempsey (1909/19-1987) Untitled (Jamaica), Watercolor and Ink,
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
Richard William Dempsey (1909/19-1987) Untitled (Jamaica), Watercolor and Ink, Signed lower left. Framed dimensions: h: 32 1/2 x w: 42 1/2 in.
Gray's Auctioneers
Mar. 18, 2017
Richard Dempsey, (American, 1909-1987), Circus Scene, oil on canvas, 42" x 32"
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
Richard Dempsey (American, 1909-1987) Circus Scene oil on canvas signed c. 1960 42" x 32"
Ripley Auctions
Sep. 10, 2016
Richard Dempsey, (American, 1909-1987), 1+1+1=F.B., Tmc, & LV, oil on canvas, 15" x 18"
Est: $500 - $700
Richard Dempsey (American, 1909-1987) 1+1+1=F.B., Tmc, & LV oil on canvas signed lower right; titled on stretcher 15" x 18"
Toomey & Co. Auctioneers
Dec. 04, 2015
Richard Dempsey (American 1909-1987), The City, Signed Oil on Canvas, 20 x 24 inches
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
Richard Dempsey (American 1909-1987) The City Signed Dempsey l.l. Oil on canvas 20 x 24 in (50.8 x 61 cm)Property from a Washington, DC Private Collection
Weschler's
Feb. 16, 2012
RICHARD DEMPSEY (1909 - 1987) Untitled (Dancer Back Stage).
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
RICHARD DEMPSEY (1909 - 1987) Untitled (Dancer Back Stage). Tempera on illustration board, circa 1940s. 235x190 mm; 9 1/4x7 1/2 inches. Signed in blue pencil, verso. Provenance: John and Mediel R. Hoskins Jr., Washington, DC (brother-in-law and sister of Delilah Pierce); the estate of Delilah Pierce; thence by descent to the current owner. This small but richly detailed painting is a scarce work by Washington, DC artist Richard Dempsey--it is one of the earliest figurative paintings of his to come to auction. Dempsey received a Julius Rosenwald Fellowship in 1946 to paint 100 portraits of "Outstanding American Negroes."
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 06, 2011
RICHARD DEMPSEY (1909 - 1987) Soon Came.
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
RICHARD DEMPSEY (1909 - 1987) Soon Came. Watercolor and collage on wove paper, 1975. 660x511 mm; 26x20 1/8 inches. Signed and inscribed "Jamaica" in black ink, lower right. Titled and dated in pencil on the verso. Provenance: the estate of the artist.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 06, 2011
RICHARD DEMPSEY (1909 - 1987) Three Wise Men and Black Christmas.
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
RICHARD DEMPSEY (1909 - 1987) Three Wise Men and Black Christmas. Watercolor on heavy wove paper, circa 1970s. 765x565 mm; 30 1/8x22 1/4 inches. Signed and inscribed "Jamaica" in black ink, lower left. Titled in pencil on the verso. Provenance: the estate of the artist.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 06, 2011
RICHARD DEMPSEY (1909 - 1987) Transitions, Sea to City (Port au Prince, Haiti).
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
RICHARD DEMPSEY (1909 - 1987) Transitions, Sea to City (Port au Prince, Haiti). Oil on masonite, 1957. 406x305 mm; 16x12 inches. Signed in oil, lower left recto. Signed, titled, and inscribed with the medium and the artist's Takoma Park, MD address in ink on a handwritten label on the verso. Provenance: the estate of the artist. Transitions, Sea to City is one of Richard Dempsey's earliest abstract oil paintings to come to auction, and a fine example of his Abstract Expressionist landscape interpretations from his travels to Haiti in the 1950s and '60s.
Swann Auction Galleries
Feb. 17, 2011
RICHARD DEMPSEY (1909 - 1987) Hills of Haiti.
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
RICHARD DEMPSEY (1909 - 1987) Hills of Haiti. Oil on masonite, 1951. 533x914 mm; 21x36 inches. Signed and inscribed "Haiti" in oil, lower left. Provenace: collection of the artist, Washington, DC; private Washington, DC collection. Exhibited: Pan-American Union, Washington, DC, November - December, 1951, with the labels on the frame back. While Richard Dempsey is known primarily as a Washington, DC abstract painter, he traveled extensively throughout his career. Dempsey traveled to Haiti and Jamaica in the 1950s and '60s. In 1951, he became associated with the Washington, DC school with his inclusion in the first Annual Exhibition of the Loïs Mailou Jones & Céline Tabary Studio Group, which also included Delilah Pierce and Alma Thomas. He was also included in the 10th Annual Exhibition of American Art in 1952 at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, where he won the purchase award.
Swann Auction Galleries
Jan. 01, 2011
Richard Dempsey (American 1919-1987) Girl in Yellow Dress
Est: $600 - $800
Richard Dempsey (American 1919-1987) Girl in Yellow Dress, Watercolor on Paper, 1974 Jamaica, Sight area 19" by 25," signed lower right.
J Levine Auction & Appraisal LLC
Dec. 05, 2009
Richard Dempsey (American 1919-1987), Jamaica and Untitled: Two Works, watercolor on paper, first: 30-1/2 x 22 in
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
Richard Dempsey (American 1919-1987) Jamaica and Untitled: Two Works The first, signed dempsey and titled l.r. and the second, unsigned Each a watercolor on paper; each apparently in good condition. Each unframed. First: 30-1/2 x 22 in (77.5 x 55.9 cm) Second: 23-1/2 x 18 in (59.7 x 45.7 cm)
Weschler's
Apr. 25, 2009
Richard Dempsey (American 1919-1987), We Sit and Talk, watercolor & ink, 24 x 18 in (61 x 45.7 cm)
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
Richard Dempsey (American 1919-1987) We Sit and Talk Signed Dempsey and located Jamaica l.l. Watercolor and ink on paper; apparently in good condition. Unframed. 24 x 18 in (61 x 45.7 cm)
Weschler's
Apr. 25, 2009
Richard Dempsey (American 1919-1987), Storm, Cape Hatteras, watercolor & ink, 30 x 22 in (76.2 x 55.9 cm)
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
Richard Dempsey (American 1919-1987) Storm, Cape Hatteras Signed Dempsey and located Jamaica l.r. Watercolor and ink on paper; apparently in good condition. Unframed. 30 x 22 in (76.2 x 55.9 cm)
Weschler's
Feb. 17, 2009
RICHARD DEMPSEY (1909 - 1987) Untitled (Three Heads).
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
RICHARD DEMPSEY (1909 - 1987) Untitled (Three Heads). Mixed media on wove paper, circa 1970. 763x1017 mm; 30x40 inches. Signed in ink, lower right.
Swann Auction Galleries
Feb. 19, 2008
RICHARD DEMPSEY (1909 - 1987) Circus in Bogota, SA.
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
RICHARD DEMPSEY (1909 - 1987) Circus in Bogota, SA. Oil on masonite, circa 1967. 315x610 mm; 12 1/2x24 inches. Signed in oil, lower right recto. Signed and titled indistinctly, upper left verso. Provenance: the artist; Sun Gallery, Washington, DC, with a label and sticker on the frame back; the artist James A. Porter; thence by descent to the artist's daughter, Constance Porter-Uzelac. Richard Dempsey, known primarily for his work in Washington DC as an abstract painter, had an illustrious and well-travelled career. Born in Indiana, Dempsey had moved to Oakland, CA, and in 1934 was an employee of the Federal Art Project there. In 1941, he moved to Washington, D.C. and studied at Howard University. In 1946, along with Elizabeth Catlett, he was awarded the Julius Rosenwald Fellowship to produce a series of portrait paintings of outstanding African Americans. In 1951, he was part of the 1st Annual Exhibition of the Lois Jones & Celine Tabary Studio Group, which also included Delilah Pierce and Alma Thomas. By 1961, he was of sufficient stature to be included in the important Howard University Gallery of Art exhibiton, New Vistas in American Art, and in Cedric Dover's seminal book American Negro Art. Dempsey travelled through Africa, Colombia, Haiti and Jamaica in the 1950s and 60s. His works were exhibited in Colombia and Jamaica through the Art in Embassies Program. His work today is found in the Atlanta University Collection of Afro-American Art, the Smithsonian American Art Musuem and the Harriet and Harmon Kelly Collection of African American Art, San Antonio.
Swann Auction Galleries
Nov. 11, 2007
RICHARD DEMPSEY (American, 1919-1987). ABSTRACTION, signed lower right. Oil on canvas.
Est: $400 - $500
RICHARD DEMPSEY (American, 1919-1987). ABSTRACTION, signed lower right. Oil on canvas - 20 in. x 24 in.
Sloans & Kenyon
Nov. 11, 2007
RICHARD DEMPSEY (American, 1919-1987). WILD FLOWERS, signed and dated 44 lower left, also signed and titled on reverse. Oil on canvas.
Est: $300 - $400
RICHARD DEMPSEY (American, 1919-1987). WILD FLOWERS, signed and dated 44 lower left, also signed and titled on reverse. Oil on canvas - 24 in. x 20 in.
Sloans & Kenyon
Nov. 11, 2007
RICHARD DEMPSEY (American, 1919-1987). BOY IN A HAT, signed and dated 44 lower right. Charcoal drawing???.
Est: $300 - $500
RICHARD DEMPSEY (American, 1919-1987). BOY IN A HAT, signed and dated 44 lower right. Charcoal drawing??? - Sight: 15 1/2 in. x 11 1/2 in.
Sloans & Kenyon