Lot 73: Joseph Raphael (1869-1950 Jackson, CA)

" The Art Dealer" - circa 1910 portrait of Nils Helgesen (1877-1946) appears unsigned (see attached letter) o/c

19x15

Accompanying by a signed and dated authentication by Johanna Raphael Sibbert, the artist's daughter; and also accompanied by a photograph of the painting signed by the above and dated on the reverse. This painting is catalogued as number P56 and will appear in the forthcoming catalogue of the works of Joseph Raphael.

Note: Nils Helgesen came to San Francisco before the Alaska Yukon gold strike of 1897-1898 and opened a frame shop about 1900. The Helgesen Frame Shop on Sutter Street quickly expanded to become a large and important art gallery, rapidly asserting itself as the central venue for modern-oriented art. Known as "Helgie" to the artists, Helgesen mounted annual one man exhibitions for Raphael from about 1912 through the mid 1920's. He also sponsored one man exhibitions for other then-emerging artists, including Bruce Nelson, Xavier Martinez, Gottardo Piazzoni, Henry Varnum Poor, and Maynard Dixon. This painting was presented by Raphael to Helgesen around 1910, and has remained in the Helgesen family in an unbroken chain until this year.