Max Thorek Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Max Thorek Art Value Price Guide

Feb. 26, 2023
MAX THOREK (IL/HUNGARY, 1880-1960)
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
"Harlemesque", 1939, gelatin silver print, pencil signed on the 20" x 16" mount, 10 1/4" x 13 1/4" image, unframed, loose, in foamcore folio. Two small nicks lower right.
Thomaston Place Auction Galleries
Jun. 21, 2022
THOREK, MAX (1880-1960) Lines, 1936. printed circa 1936.
Est: $700 - $1,000
THOREK, MAX (1880-1960) Lines, 1936. printed circa 1936. Vintage Bromoil print, 11 3/4 x 9 inches (302 x 228 mm), letter of authentication from Ted Lambert, Thorek's studio assistant 1936-1940, dating the print to about 1936. About fine. Framed. C
DOYLE Auctioneers & Appraisers
Jun. 17, 2021
Max Thorek (Hungarian/American, 1880-1960) Sombrero, c. 1920
Est: $800 - $1,200
Max Thorek (Hungarian/American, 1880-1960) Sombrero, c. 1920 toned gelatin silver print signed and titled 9 1/2 x 11 1/2 inches. Property from the Ginny L. Williams Collection, Denver, Colorado Please Note: This lot is located in and will ship from Denver, Colorado.
Hindman
Jun. 17, 2021
Max Thorek (Hungarian/American, 1880-1960) Inca Dancer, c. 1930
Est: $800 - $1,200
Max Thorek (Hungarian/American, 1880-1960) Inca Dancer, c. 1930 toned gelatin silver print signed and titled 13 1/4 x 10 1/8 inches. Property from the Ginny L. Williams Collection, Denver, Colorado Please Note: This lot is located in and will ship from Denver, Colorado.
Freeman’s | Hindman
Jun. 17, 2021
Max Thorek (American/Hungarian, 1880-1960) Diagonal, c. 1936
Est: $800 - $1,200
Max Thorek (American/Hungarian, 1880-1960) Diagonal, c. 1936 toned gelatin silver print bearing signed attestation of Fred Lambert, Thorek's assistant (mount verso) 12 1/2 x 9 inches. Property from the Ginny L. Williams Collection, Denver, Colorado Please Note: This lot is located in and will ship from Denver, Colorado.
Hindman
Feb. 27, 2021
Max Thorek, Grapes Harvest, c. 1930
Est: $600 - $800
Max Thorek, Grapes Harvest, c. 1930, Bromide print, 12.5" x 9", mounted (partially detached) 20" x 16". Signed and titled in pen on mount recto. Artist Biography: Dr. Max Thorek was in the handful of top American pictorialists during the 1930s and 1940s. He exhibited, wrote, and lectured extensively and excelled at making figure studies with the paper negative process. Professionally, he was a world-renowned surgeon in Chicago. Thorek was born in a Hungarian village on March 10, 1880. He attended school in Budapest and then immigrated with his parents to the United States at about age twenty. In 1904, he obtained U.S. citizenship, as well as his medical degree from Rush Medical College of the University of Chicago. As a general practitioner, he opened an office in the Chicago slum where he and his parents had originally lived. Four years later, he cofounded the American Hospital (now the Thorek Hospital and Medical Center), pledging to serve patients according to their need, not their ability to pay. Over time, he wrote more than three hundred articles and five books, significantly expanding knowledge in the field of surgery. For his various achievements, he was made an officer of the French Foreign Legion and was awarded the Distinguished Citizen’s Medal by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. In about 1925, Thorek somehow found the time to begin making creative photographs. He considered the photographic salon the high court of pictorialism and soon was exhibiting extensively. For the seasons of 1937-38 and 1938-39, the American Annual of Photography listed him as the world’s most prolific exhibitor. By mid-century—near the end of his career—he had shown almost four thousand prints in 1,087 salons. Thorek was indefatigable, involving himself with numerous photographic organizations. In 1930, he was elected president of Chicago’s Fort Dearborn Camera Club, a position he held for three consecutive terms. Four years later, he was instrumental in founding the Photographic Society of America (PSA) and served as its first president. Early in his career, he was awarded fellowships status in England’s Royal Photographic Society (FRPS). In 1930, he helped promote the important Chicago International Photography Salon by sponsoring gold, silver, and bronze medals. Thorek was an acknowledged master of paper negatives, the most widely used manipulative technique between the world wars. He considered the camera-generated negative mere raw material in the making of creative photographs, and he freely used pencil, crayons, and even stove polish to hand alter his imagery. Rarely venturing outdoors, he preferred working in the studio, where he could direct his models and fabricate his scenes. In this setting, he photographed primarily figure studies and portraits, both generic and specific. He made flamboyant use of the female form in creating tableaux and allegories, often with such spare titles as Despair. Thorek enjoyed collecting, and he acquired large holdings of both autographs and photographs. While his autograph collection included such notables as Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre, the French inventor of photography, his print collection focused on the work of living photographers. Among the pictorialists whose pictures he acquired were Anne W. Brigman, Louis Fleckenstein, and Alexander Leventon. In addition, he owned at least four photographs by the Belgian modernist Pierre Dubreuil and five by the Chicago illustrative photographer Harry K. Shigeta. In 1935, Thorek presented his collection of about 150 pictures to what is now the Museum of Science and Industry (though it recently divested itself of the material). Five years later, the Brooklyn Museum acquired examples of Thorek’s own work for its permanent collection. Pictorialists around the country felt Thorek’s influence. He lectured, demonstrated, and critiqued at camera clubs and judged international photographic salons. In addition, he wrote articles for the photographic press covering such topics as the nude, salons, and the paper negative. He explored all these subjects in depth in his two books, Creative Camera Art (1937) and Camera Art as a Means of Self-Expression (1947). The first chapter of Creative Camera Art clarified his crusading attitude about photography as an art form. Then he went on to rant against purist photography and modern art, despite the fact that the volume’s cover design clearly reflected machine-age thinking. Strangely, Thorek referred only briefly to his extensive photographic exploits in his 1943 autobiography, A Surgeon’s World. He died of a heart attack on January 25, 1960, in Chicago. (Christian Peterson/Luminous Lint)
Keith Delellis Gallery LLC
Dec. 02, 2020
Max Thorek - ”Odalisque”. 1934
Est: €1,000 - €1,500
”Odalisque”. 1934 Laid down on brown original cardboard (33 x 26,2 cm), this one laid down on beige original cardboard with embossed frame (50,8 x 40,6 cm), signed thereupon, along with a dedication in pencil lower right, as well as titled lower left Thorek, Max
Grisebach
Jul. 09, 2020
Max Thorek - "Venice“
Est: €800 - €1,000
Max Thorek "Venice“ Vintage. Gelatin silver print Mounted to black original cardboard (24,4 x 18,8 cm), this mounted to beige original cardboard (44 x 30,9 cm), thereupon signed and titled with brown ink in lower right as well as an ornamental frame, drawn in pencil 9 3/8 × 7 1/4 in.
Grisebach
Dec. 07, 2019
MAX THOREK (Hungarian, 1880-1960)
Est: $200 - $300
MAX THOREK (Hungarian, 1880-1960), ''Odalisque'', gelatin silver print, pencil signed and title on bottom. Laid down, toning, foxing. Image sight 12-1/2'', 9-3/4''w. (Fine Art)
South Bay Auctions Inc
Sep. 15, 2019
Max Thorek, (American, 1880-1960), Harvest, toned gelatin silver print, 12 1/8" x 9 1/8"
Est: $400 - $600
Max Thorek (American, 1880-1960) Harvest toned gelatin silver print Thorek Studio, No. A4, ClBr (label verso) 12 1/8" x 9 1/8"
Toomey & Co. Auctioneers
Sep. 30, 2018
MAX THOREK (HUNGARIAN/AMERICAN 1880-1960), GELATIN SILVER PRINT, "INCENTONE" (INITIATIVE), SIGNED & TITLED. SIGHT 12 1/4 X 9 1/4"; FRAMED & GLAZED-21 X 17"
Est: $400 - $600
MAX THOREK (HUNGARIAN/AMERICAN 1880-1960), GELATIN SILVER PRINT, "INCENTONE" (INITIATIVE), SIGNED & TITLED. SIGHT 12 1/4 X 9 1/4"; FRAMED & GLAZED-21 X 17"
William J Jenack Auctioneers
Jul. 28, 2018
Max Thorek (1880-1960)
Est: $200 - $300
Max Thorek (1880-1960), "HARLEMESQUE". Original photograph. Includes letter from Teel Lambert (personal assistant to Thorek C. 1936-40). 10 1/2" x 13".
Copake Auction Inc.
Sep. 13, 2014
Max Thorek, (American, 1880-1960), Apache, photogravure, 9.5" x 12.5"
Est: $300 - $500
Max Thorek (American, 1880-1960) Apache photogravure 9.5" x 12.5"
Toomey & Co. Auctioneers
Jun. 14, 2014
Dr. Max Thorek photograph
Est: $100 - $200
Dr. Max Thorek- ''Eli Edison''- silver gelatin photograph, signed and titled in pencil on the mount, some staining to mount otherwise good condition. 12 1/2 x 9 3/8''
Rachel Davis Fine Arts
Jun. 14, 2014
Dr. Max Thorek photograph
Est: $150 - $250
Dr. Max Thorek- ''Medicine Man''- silver gelatin photograph, signed and title din pencil on the mount, good condition. 11 x 7 1/2''
Rachel Davis Fine Arts
Jun. 14, 2014
Dr. Max Thorek photogaph
Est: $200 - $400
Dr. Max Thorek- ''Odalisque''- silver gelatin photograph, signed and titled in pencil on the mount, staining to mount. 12 1/4 x 9 5/8''
Rachel Davis Fine Arts
Jan. 18, 2009
Max Thorek, (American, 1880-1960), Eti...Hi...!
Est: $200 - $400
Max Thorek (American, 1880-1960) Eti...Hi...! silver bromide print signed (lower right) 14 1/4 x 11 1/2 inches.
Hindman
Dec. 18, 2008
Max Thorek (1880-1960)
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
Max Thorek (1880-1960) Lines; together with a companion photograph of Juan Papaza Train Station by Pettus Kaufman, circa 1940 circa 1936, typed authentication and signed in ink by Ted Lambert, Dr. Max Thorek's personal darkroom assistant during 1936-1940 on a sheet of paper affixed to the verso; the Kaufman photograph signed (recto) both gelatin silver prints Thorek 11¾ x 9 in. (29.9 x 22.9 cm.); Kaufman 9½ x 13¼in. (24 x 33.5cm.) (2)
Christie's
Dec. 12, 2007
Max Thorek, (American, 1880-1960), Time Marches On
Est: $500 - $700
Max Thorek (American, 1880-1960) Time Marches On silver bromide print signed "Max Thorek" (lower right mat) 15 3/4 x 12 3/4 inches.
Hindman
Dec. 12, 2007
Max Thorek, (American, 1880-1960), Rays of Hope
Est: $500 - $700
Max Thorek (American, 1880-1960) Rays of Hope silver gelatin print signed "Thorek" (lower right mount) 16 x 13 inches.
Hindman
Dec. 12, 2007
Max Thorek, (American, 1880-1960), Pause that Refreshes
Est: $500 - $700
Max Thorek (American, 1880-1960) Pause that Refreshes silver gelatin print signed "Thorek" (lower right mount) 12 1/4 x 15 3/4 inches.
Hindman
Dec. 12, 2007
Max Thorek, (American, 1880-1960), A pair of photographs (Tahitiana; Critic)
Est: $800 - $1,200
Max Thorek (American, 1880-1960) A pair of photographs (Tahitiana; Critic) gelatin silver print and bromide silver print each signed "Max Thorek" (on mount lower right) 16 1/2 x 13 1/2, 16 x 13 1/4 inches.
Hindman
May. 20, 2004
THOREK, MAX (1880-1960)
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
"Fan Dance." Silver print, 12 1/4x8 1/2 inches (31.1x21.6 cm.), with Thorek's label, with a typed title, and with an exhibition label, on verso. 1935
Swann Auction Galleries