Norman Lewis Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Norman Lewis Art Value Price Guide

Apr. 04, 2025
NORMAN WILFRED LEWIS (New York, 1909-1979), Untitled (Procession), 1961., Mixed media with gold leaf heightening on plaster over brick. Painted area: front 29.5" x 34.5"; left side 34" x 27.25"; right side 37" x 29".
Est: $80,000 - $120,000
NORMAN WILFRED LEWIS New York, 1909-1979 Untitled (Procession), 1961. Painted on three sides of the smoke chamber portion of a chimney built in 1950. Signed and dated "Norman Lewis 60" on a brick on the right side of the structure, below the lower left portion of the painting.
Eldred's
Apr. 03, 2025
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Togetherness.
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Togetherness. Etching on cream wove paper, 1973. 325x405 mm; 12¾x16 inches, full margins. Artist's proof, aside from the edition of 35. Signed, titled, dated, and inscribed "Artists Proof" in pencil, lower margin.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 03, 2025
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled.
Est: $200,000 - $300,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled. Oil on linen canvas, 1954. 1065x1127 mm; 42x50 inches. Signed and dated, lower right. Provenance Joan Murray Weissman, New York. Private collection, New Jersey. Swann Galleries, February 6, 2007, lot 73. Private collection, Florida.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 03, 2025
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled.
Est: $15,000 - $25,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled. Oil and pastel on cream wove paper, 1961. 482x660 mm; 19x26 inches. Signed and dated in pencil, lower left. Provenance Acquired directly from the artist. Private collection. Swann Galleries, October 8, 2009, lot 47. Private collection, Massachusetts.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 03, 2025
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled.
Est: $25,000 - $35,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled. Oil, pencil and ink on cream wove paper, 1961. 487x660 mm; 19x26 inches. Signed and dated "10-30-61" in pencil, lower left. Provenance James and Gloria Jones, Paris. Estate of Gloria Jones, New York. Private collection, New York.
Swann Auction Galleries
Mar. 15, 2025
Norman W. Lewis, 1909-1979, The Red Umbrella
Est: $3,500 - $4,500
Norman W. Lewis 1909-1979 The Red Umbrella 1973 etching printed in orange on a bluish-grey chine-collÃ© 11-3/4 x 15-3/4 inches, full margins. signed, titled, dated and numbered 11/25; dedicated to Fran and Bill, two lovely people Catalog note: many of these images are signed ,OBL (by Ouida Lewis - his wife) and are a second edition of 50; this is the first, smaller edition of 25 and signed by the artist.
Black Art Auction
Feb. 06, 2025
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled.
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled. Pen and ink on thin buff wove paper, 1940s. 184x124 mm; 7¼x4⅞ inches. Provenance Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, (label). Estate of Patricia Scipio-Brim, New York, February 1, 2007.
Swann Auction Galleries
Feb. 06, 2025
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled.
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled. Oil and pastel on wove paper, circa 1960. 660x482 mm; 26⅛x19 inches. Provenance Doyle, New York, November 12, 2008 , lot 1137. Bill Hodges Gallery, New York (label). Estate of Patricia Scipio-Brim, New York, October 12, 2012.
Swann Auction Galleries
Feb. 06, 2025
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) A Certain Total.
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) A Certain Total. Oil and pastel on cream wove paper, 1951. 470x597 mm; 18½x23½ inches. Signed and dated in pencil, lower right recto. Titled in pencil on verso. Provenance Bill Hodges Gallery, New York (label). Estate of Patricia Scipio-Brim, New York. Published B. Hodges. Norman Lewis: A Painter's Odyssey, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, 2009, p. 70, 90 (illustrated).
Swann Auction Galleries
Feb. 06, 2025
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled.
Est: $30,000 - $40,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled. Oil on masonite board, 1946. 254x355 mm; 10x14 inches. Signed and dated "7-2-46", lower right. Provenance Bill Hodges Gallery, New York (label). Estate of Patricia Scipio-Brim, New York, September 1, 2012. Published B. Hodges, Norman Lewis: A Painter's Odyssey, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, 2009, p. 53, 89 (illustrated).
Swann Auction Galleries
Dec. 14, 2024
NORMAN LEWIS AMERICAN ABSTRACT WATERCOLOR PAINTING
Est: $100 - $150
Watercolor on paper painting by Norman Wilfred Lewis, 1909 to 1979, an African-American artist of Bermudian descent who is associated with abstract expressionism. The artwork represents an abstract composition in black, red, and blue colors. Signed by the artist and dated 1959 in the lower left. White mat, wooden frame. Collectible Modernist Graphic Art.
Antique Arena Inc
Nov. 21, 2024
NORMAN LEWIS (1909-1979) No. 5 78 3/8 x 54 5/8 in (198.9 x 138.8 cm) (Painted in 1973)
Est: $300,000 - $500,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909-1979) No. 5 oil on canvas 78 3/8 x 54 5/8 in (198.9 x 138.8 cm) Painted in 1973
Bonhams
Nov. 19, 2024
Norman Lewis (1909-1979), "The Red Umbrella," 1973
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
Norman Lewis (1909-1979) "The Red Umbrella," 1973 Etching printed in bright orange on a blue-grey chine-collé paper Edition: 11/25 Signed, titled, dated, numbered, and inscribed "To Fran & Bill / Two lovely people" in pencil in the lower margin: Norman Lewis - 73
John Moran Auctioneers
Oct. 05, 2024
Norman Lewis Signed Alabaster Sculpture w/ COA
Est: -
Nose Is Chipped. Measuring Approximately 11.5in X 11in X 5in. Bh40114 Ci
EJ'S Auction & Appraisal
Oct. 05, 2024
Norman Lewis Signed Alabaster Sculpture w/ COA
Est: -
Titled: United In Brotherhood. Measuring Approximately 11.5in X 17.5in X 5in. Bh40114 Ci
EJ'S Auction & Appraisal
Oct. 03, 2024
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled (Seated Female Figure).
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
UNTITLED (SEATED FIGURE), CIRCA 1940S. NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled (Seated Female Figure). Pencil, pen and ink on cream wove paper, circa early 1940s. 324x254 mm; 12¾x10 inches. Provenance: the estate of the artist; Bill Hodges Gallery, New York; with the label on the frame back; private collection, New York. Illustrated: Norman W. Lewis: Works on Paper, 1935 - 1979, Billl Hodges Gallery, New York, p. 60.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 03, 2024
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled (Seated Female Nude).
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled (Seated Female Nude). Pencil, pen and ink on cream wove paper, circa early 1940s. 324x254 mm; 12¾x10 inches. Provenance: the estate of the artist; Bill Hodges Gallery, New York; with the label on the frame back; private collection, New York. Illustrated: Norman W. Lewis: Works on Paper, 1935 - 1979, Billl Hodges Gallery, New York, p. 60.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 03, 2024
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled.
Est: $25,000 - $35,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled. Oil on wove paper, 1962. 508x664 mm; 20x26 inches. Signed and dated "62" in ink, lower left. Provenance: the estate of the artist, Newark; Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, New York; private collection, New York (2012).
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 03, 2024
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled.
Est: $30,000 - $40,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled. Oil and ink on wove paper, 1960. 660x511 mm; 26x20⅛inches. Signed and dated "- 60" in pencil, lower left. Provenance: private collection, California. This striking, expressive composition examplifies Norman Lewis's work on paper at mid-career. It shows the evolving calligraphy of Lewis's ritual figures or "little figures" within more colorful abstract compositions in the early 1960s. The sheet of paper has the printed Inkweed Arts illustrations on the verso - found on many Lewis works on paper from the late 1950s and 1960s.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 03, 2024
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) The Red Umbrella.
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) The Red Umbrella. Etching printed in orange on a bluish-grey chine-collé, 1972. 300x400 mm; 11¾x15¾ inches, full margins. Second edition (of 2). With the estate ink stamp signature, lower right. Initialed "OBL" by Ouida B. Lewis, the artist's wife, inscribed "second edition" and numbered 21/50 in pencil, lower margin. Fine 31.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 01, 2024
NORMAN LEWIS (1909-1979). Orpheus. oil on canvas 29 ¾ x 50 in. (75.6 x 127
Est: $300,000 - $500,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909-1979). Orpheus. oil on canvas 29 ¾ x 50 in. (75.6 x 127 cm.).
Christie's
Sep. 14, 2024
Norman W. Lewis, 1909-1979, untitled, Dancer
Est: $50,000 - $70,000
Norman W. Lewis 1909-1979 untitled, Dancer 1947-1950 oil on canvas 29-1/2 x 34 inches unsigned, from the estate; label from Bill Hodges Gallery verso accompanied by a letter from Lisa Peters
Black Art Auction
Jun. 11, 2024
NORMAN LEWIS CARVED MARBLE CHIEF SCULPTURE SIGNED
Est: $50 - $100
Norman Lewis (Navajo 1909-1979). A carved marble sculpture of a Native American, likely Navajo, Indian chief. The work is signed. Measures: H 8" x W 8" x D 2 1/2" Provenance: Property of a private Hudson Valley art collection.
Austin York LLC
May. 18, 2024
Norman Wilfred Lewis, 1909-1979, Circle Dance
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
Norman Wilfred Lewis 1909-1979 Circle Dance 1973 color etching and relief on Arches cream wove paper 15-1/2 x 19-1/2 inches, full margins signed, AP Provenance: Bill Hodges Gallery, NYC to private collection, NYC
Black Art Auction
May. 18, 2024
Norman Lewis, 1909-1979, Risky Business
Est: $200,000 - $300,000
Norman Lewis 1909-1979 Risky Business 1939 oil on board 19-1/8 x 9-3/4 inches signed and dated Provenance: private collection Exhibited: Mobile Museum of Art, Georgia Museum of Art, Mint Museum, Westmoreland Museum of Art and several other institutions, 2005- This is a very rare and important work by Lewis from his social realist period.
Black Art Auction
May. 15, 2024
White on Beige
Est: $700,000 - $1,000,000
Property of a Private Collection, New York Norman Lewis 1909 - 1979 White on Beige titled and inscribed illusions how we hate to give them up (on the reverse) oil on canvas 48 ⅞ by 63 ¾ in. 124 by 162 cm. Executed circa 1949.
Sotheby's
May. 02, 2024
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979, AMERICAN) Untitled (Two Seated Figures).
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979, AMERICAN) Untitled (Two Seated Figures). Pen and ink on cream wove paper, circa 1940s. 229x159 mm; 9x6¼ inches. Signed, Norman Lewis/OBL, lower right, posthumously by the artist's widow Ouida Lewis. Provenance: the estate of the artist; Bill Hodges Gallery, New York; Private collection. Illustrated: Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, "Norman W. Lewis: Works on Paper, 1935 - 1979", p. 64.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 10, 2024
Norman Lewis Carved Navajo Alabaster Sculpture
Est: $100 - $200
Norman Lewis Carved Navajo Alabaster Sculpture. Measures 10.75 x 2.75 inches. No damage. If lot is absent of a condition report one may be requested via email. Condition report is provided as an opinion only and is no guarantee as grading can be subjective. Buyer must view photographs or scans to assist in determining condition and ask further questions if so desired. Our in-house shipping department will gladly pack and ship any item that fits into a 14x14x14 inch or 30x5x24 inch or equivalent or smaller box/folio if it is not fragile or over 25lbs. We will charge for labor to pack and process based on actual time it takes, actual cost of materials used to pack and actual shipper charges that will include insurance and signature required. We generally use USPS and Fed Ex and compare the pricing between the two. Books maximum box size will be 14x14x14 inch or equivalent and will be shipped USPS Media Mail unless otherwise requested. We gladly will give shipping estimates prior to auction. Please make this request at least 24 hours prior to auction for our shipping department to respond. If your invoice is for multiple items, we will use our discretion on requiring the use of an outside shipper. We reserve the right to require an outside shipper on any item(s) in the auction even if not stated.
Grant Zahajko Auctions, LLC
Apr. 04, 2024
NORMAN LEWIS (1917 - 1979) Untitled.
Est: $6,000 - $9,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1917 - 1979) Untitled. Pen and ink on buff wove paper, circa 1949. 324x254 mm; 12¾x10 inches. Provenance: the estate of the artist. Illustrated: Tarin Fuller/Billy E. Hodges, Norman W. Lewis Works on Paper 1935-1979, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, p. 73. Consigned to support the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 04, 2024
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Getting it Together.
Est: $5,000 - $7,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Getting it Together. Color etching and relief on cream Arches paper, 1975. 450x445 mm; 17¾x17½ inches, full margins. Artist's proof, aside an edition of 50. Signed, titled, dated, and inscribed "Artist's Proof" in pencil, lower margin. Printed at Bob Blackburn's Printmaking Workshop, New York. Acton/Fine 34; Fine p. 142.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 04, 2024
NORMAN LEWIS (1917 - 1979) Tenement.
Est: $120,000 - $180,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1917 - 1979) Tenement. Oil on masonite board, 1947. 508x610 mm; 20x24 inches. Signed and dated in oil, lower left recto. Titled in oil, upper right verso. Provenance: acquired directly from the artist, private collection, New York; thence by descent, private collection, New York. This modernist and urbane painting is a striking example of the earliest abstraction by Norman Lewis. By fall 1946, Lewis joined the Marian Willard Gallery in New York, and began a new series of linear abstract paintings in the spring of 1947. In this painting, Lewis constructs a wonderfully dense composition of rectangular linear forms derived from elements of New York tenement buildings - windows, fire escapes and iron work. Tenement balances linear layers with painterly passages of opaque warm and cool color. Colors from this palette also appear in his Meeting, 1947. A year later, Lewis revisited this subject and painted the more abstract, nocturnal Tenement, 1948. His first solo exhibition at the Willard Gallery in 1949 included six paintings from 1947. Fine pp. 60-62, 254.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 04, 2024
NORMAN LEWIS (1917 - 1979) Standing Figure.
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1917 - 1979) Standing Figure. Mixed media, including ink, charcoal, and graphite on paper, circa 1947-49. 558x457 mm; 22x18 inches. Signed in pencil, lower right. Provenance: private collection, Illinois. This early work on paper is an abstraction of a standing figure. Norman Lewis uses earth-toned inks, charcoal, and graphite in stacked graphic shapes to form an armature of a standing male. He is wearing a long coat, with his proper right hand held up in the air, forming a fist.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 04, 2024
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled (Circle Composition).
Est: $25,000 - $35,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled (Circle Composition). Oil on wove paper, 1964. 660x1016 mm; 26x40 inches. Signed and dated in pencil, lower right. Provenance: acquired directly from the artist; private collection, New York. This circular shape floating in an atmospheric field is a striking abstract composition by Norman Lewis. The beautiful minimalism of this halo-like form makes this work on paper exceptional. A similar, smaller 1964 composition was included in the traveling museum retrospective, Procession: The Art of Norman Lewis. This paper has the printed Inkweed Arts illustrations on the verso - found on many Lewis works on paper from the 1960s. Fine p. 115.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 04, 2024
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) The Red Umbrella.
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) The Red Umbrella. Etching printed in orange on a bluish-grey chine-collé, 1972. 300x400 mm; 11¾x15¾ inches, full margins. Second edition (of 2). With the estate ink stamp signature, lower right. Initialed "OBL" by Ouida B. Lewis, the artist's wife, inscribed "second edition" and numbered 23/50 in pencil, lower margin. Fine 31.
Swann Auction Galleries
Mar. 04, 2024
Untitled
Est: $40,000 - $60,000
Norman Lewis 1909 - 1979 Untitled signed and dated 62 (lower center) oil on paper 20 by 26 in. 50.8 by 66 cm. Executed in 1962.
Sotheby's
Dec. 09, 2023
ATTR TO NORMAN LEWIS AFRO AMERICAN NUDE OIL PAINTING
Est: $100 - $150
Attributed to Norman Wilfred Lewis, American, 1909 to 1979, oil painting on canvas depicting a portrait of an Afro American nude woman. Unsigned. Framed. Norman Wilfred Lewis was an American painter, scholar, and teacher. Lewis, who was African American and of Bermudian descent, was associated with abstract expressionism, and used representational strategies to focus on black urban life and his communitys struggles. One of a kind artwork.
Antique Arena Inc
Dec. 02, 2023
Norman Lewis, 1909-1979, Getting it Together
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
Norman Lewis 1909-1979 Getting it Together 1975 color etching and aquatint with embossing on Arches paper 17-3/4 x 17-1/2 signed artist proof aside from an edition of 50; Printed at Bob Blackburn's Printmaking Workshop, New York. Acton/Fine 34; Fine p. 142. Provenance: The Bill Savage Collection, Pittsburgh
Black Art Auction
Nov. 28, 2023
Native American Norman Lewis (American, 1909) Navajo Carved Stone Sculpture
Est: $25 - $250
DESCRIPTION: Native American Signed Norman Lewis Navajo carved stone sculpture in soft red onyx, depicting the bust of a Navajo chiefs wearing an animal-head headdress. With 'Norman Lewis' etched signature. CIRCA: 20th Century ORIGIN: American DIMENSIONS: H: 14 1/2" W: 11" CONDITION: Good condition
Akiba Galleries
Nov. 16, 2023
NORMAN LEWIS (1909-1979) Untitled 1955-1978
Est: $700,000 - $1,000,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909-1979) Untitled 1955-1978 signed and dated 1955-1978 oil on canvas 36 by 72 in. 91.4 by 182.9 cm.
Bonhams
Nov. 16, 2023
Composition with Moon
Est: $40,000 - $60,000
Norman Lewis 1909 - 1979 Composition with Moon signed and dated 2-18-60 (lower right) watercolor, acrylic and ink on paper 23¼ by 15¼ in. 59.1 by 38.7 cm. Executed in 1960.
Sotheby's
Nov. 11, 2023
NORMAN WILFRED LEWIS AMERICAN 1909-1979
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
Untitled #14, watercolor. 7 1/4 x 10 1/2 in (18.4 x 26.7 cm), framed 14 x 17 in (35.6 x 43.2 cm), signed lower right and dated 1960, signed and dated additionally verso, frame is original, PROVENANCE: Private collection St. Louis, MO
Trinity International Auctions & Appraisals, LLC
Oct. 19, 2023
NORMAN LEWIS (1917 - 1979) Untitled (Female Nude).
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1917 - 1979) Untitled (Female Nude). Pen and ink on cream wove paper, circa 1940s. 317x254 mm; 12 1/2x10 inches (sheet). Provenance: the estate of the artist; Bill Hodges Gallery, New York; Sande Webster Gallery, Philadelphia, with the gallery label on the frame back; private collection. Illustrated: Norman W. Lewis: Works on Paper, 1935 - 1979, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, p. 67.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 19, 2023
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Together IV.
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Together IV. Oil and pastel on thin cream laid paper, 1968. 1168x864 mm; 46x34 inches. Signed and dated in pencil, lower right. Provenance: private collection, New York. This abstraction is the largest work on paper by Norman Lewis we have handled.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 19, 2023
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled (Birds).
Est: $80,000 - $120,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled (Birds). Oil on cotton canvas, circa 1951-52. 1295x635 mm; 51x25 inches. Provenance: acquired directly from the artist, private collection, New York; thence by descent, private collection, North Carolina. This modernist painting is a striking example of Norman Lewis abstraction of the early 1950s in which birds are the subject. This period of abstraction can be seen as a reflection of Lewis's urban surroundings - echoing shapes and patterns seen in washing lines, tenement windows, storm clouds and birds flying over head. Here Lewis displays his distinctive dry brush technique with oil paint, similarly used on both canvas and paper to blur lines and suggest movement. One of the earliest examples of the subject is his Birds, 1950, a more painterly and expressionist precursor to the subject with swirling brushtrokes of color. That year, with his friend Ad Reinhardt, Lewis participated in the Artists' Sessions at Studio 35, three days of round-table discussions, moderated by Robert Motherwell, sculptor Richard Lippold and MoMA curator Alfred H. Barr, to define the relevant issues for Abstract Expressionism. Lewis was the only African-American artist to participate. In the early 1950s, in addition to several solo exhibitions at the Willard Gallery, Lewis finally achieved some public recognition for his contributions to abstraction. He was first included in the 1951 Abstract Painting and Sculpture in America exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. In 1952, Lewis also achieved critical acclaim with positive reviews in the New York Herald-Tribune and Art News magazine. He returned to an avian subject again in 1953 with his Migrating Birds, which later won the Popularity Prize at the prestigious Pittsburgh International Exhibition of Contemporary Painting at the Carnegie Institute in 1955. Fine, pl. 31, p 66.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 19, 2023
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled.
Est: $30,000 - $40,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Untitled. Oil on cream wove paper, 1960. 508x762 mm; 20x30 inches. Signed and dated "2-16-60" in ink, lower left. Provenance: McCarty Gallery, Chestnut Hill, PA; private collection, Pennsylvania; private collection, New York. This beautiful color field abstraction is an excellent example of Norman Lewis' mid-career work on paper. The sheet has the printed Inkweed Arts illustrations on the verso - found on many of Lewis' works on paper from the late 1950s and 1960s.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 19, 2023
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Moon Madness.
Est: $600,000 - $900,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Moon Madness. Oil on linen canvas, 1959. 1245x1600 mm; 36 1/4x60 1/4 inches. Signed and dated in oil, upper right recto. Incised title, upper stretcher bar verso. Provenance: acquired directly from the artist, New York; private collection, New York; thence by descent to the current owners. The original owner, now deceased, was a friend of the artist and had their portrait painted by the artist. Exhibited: Willard Gallery, New York, with the gallery label on the upper stretcher bar verso. Moon Madness is an exciting, important late 1950s processional painting by Norman Lewis. It is one of a significant series of nocturnal compositions made by the artist in the late 1950s. By 1959, Norman Lewis had gained international recognition, having had a series of well-received solo exhibitions at the Marian Willard Gallery, New York. In 1956, with his painting Cathedral, 1950, Norman Lewis was selected to represent the United States in American Artists Paint the City, an exhibition in the American pavilion during the 28th Venice Biennale. Lewis joined fellow Willard Gallery artists Lionel Feininger and Mark Tobey; he and Jacob Lawrence were the only African American artists included. He showed at the Willard Galley again in February of 1957, his sixth solo exhibition there since 1949, and then spent several months traveling--visiting France, Italy, Spain and North Africa. Upon his return to New York in 1958, he had a solo exhibition at the Barnett Aden Gallery in Washington, DC, and his monochromatic painting Night Walk, 1956 was exhibited in the group exhibition Nature in Abstraction at the Whitney Museum of American Art. In Moon Madness, the artist continues an investigation of processional compositions of his "ritual" calligraphic figures while shifting towards color field painting. This intense and dense canvas simultaneously obscures and reveals a large circle of dancing figures around the central crescent moon. The nocturnal work is similar with its dark multitude of figures to other late 1950s promenade paintings like Strictly for the Birds, 1959, collection of the artist's estate, and Untitled, 1959. The artist was simultaneously painting entirely black and white abstract compositions with such paintings as Night Walk of 1956 and Nocturne, 1959. His black figurative Civil Rights paintings Alabama and American The Beautiful of 1960 were soon to follow. Lewis continued to paint nocturnal scenes, including crescent moons, through the 1950s and 60s on canvas and works on paper. Lewis had previously used the title Moon Madness for a large work on paper in 1952. By the time of his 1961 solo exhibition at the Willard Gallery, he included eight works with the words "moon", "lunar" or "night" in the title. Norman Lewis continues his navigation between Abstract Expressionism and figuration in Moon Madness. The artist wrote about the diverse forces that shaped his work in a forward to his 1954 exhibition: "Art is to me the expression of unconscious experiences common to all men, which have been strained through the artist's own peculiar associations and use of his medium. In this sense, it becomes an activity of discovery, emotional, intellectual and technical, not only for the artist, but for those who view his work."
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 19, 2023
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Dusk, Sunset.
Est: $15,000 - $25,000
NORMAN LEWIS (1909 - 1979) Dusk, Sunset. Oil on cream wove paper, 1957. 483x610 mm; 19x24 inches. Signed and dated "9-12-57" in ink, lower right. Provenance: acquired from Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, with the gallery label on the frame back; private collection.
Swann Auction Galleries
Sep. 28, 2023
Untitled
Est: $60,000 - $80,000
Norman Lewis 1909 - 1979 Untitled signed and dated 1-60 (lower right); illustrated (on the verso) oil and ink on wove paper 22 ½ by 39 ½ in. 57.2 by 100.3 cm. Executed in 1960.
Sotheby's