CHICAGO.-The sale of Post-War and Contemporary Art and American and European Art at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers will be the first of several exciting fall auctions. The sale, which will include 556 lots on September 9-10, features a variety of highlights that will pique the interest of not only dealers and collectors, but even the general public given the provenance of selected lots.
One in particular is lot 114, Salvador Dali’s, Coup de Feu, estimated at $12,000 - 18,000. The Spanish artist, best known for his surrealist compositions, certainly used his eccentric manners when creating this work. Actress and model, Geene Courtney, was wearing the black leotard on a photo shoot in Paris, France in the late 1950’s. Dali spotted her from his residence, Hotel Meurice, and was quite taken by the American woman. After accepting an invitation to his studio, Dali painted the young actress in her black leotard. It was later said that a brief affair between the two began after this experience.
Using acrylic on fabric, the leotard as a medium, became well known when Dali famously painted an unknown model wearing a black leotard in a 1974 Alka Seltzer commercial. The leotard remained in the possession of Geene Courtney until her death in the late 1990’s. Along with several of her other possessions the leotard was kept in a climate controlled storage unit in Las Vegas. Due to the outstanding balance the actress had at the time of her death, everything in her storage unit was turned over to the unit was sold to pay off her debt. In 2003, the leotard was acquired by Mr. Darryl Carr of Las Vegas and then by a Corporate Art Collection in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was at this point that the piece was sent to Mr. Bernard Ewell, a leading expert for Salvador Dali, for authentication. He stated “no difficulty” believing both the signatures and the design to be by the hand of Salvador Dali.
The sale of Post-War and Contemporary Art and American and European Art on September 9-10 also includes works by Jean Dubuffet, Birger Sandzen, Fritz Thaulow, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Le Pho, Bernard Buffet, Andy Warhol, Alexander Calder, Hans Hoffman, Joan Miro, Harry Bertoia, Patrick Heron, Peter Shelton and Roy Lichtenstein.
Founded in 1982, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers is the oldest and largest full-service fine art auction house in the Midwest, and has earned an international reputation for achieving record prices while understanding and responding to our clients needs. This commitment to client service has made us a trusted partner of bankers, attorneys, museums, institutions and collectors around the world. Our established industry experts come from a variety of educational backgrounds and professional experience. Located in Chicago, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers conducts approximately thirty sales each year of post-war and contemporary art, Old Master, 19th and 20th century American and European paintings, prints, drawings and sculpture, fine jewelry, antique furniture, decorative arts, Asian works of art, art glass, vintage couture, books and manuscripts, rugs and carpets. We are currently accepting consignments for upcoming auctions. For a confidential complimentary appraisal, please contact our offices at 312.280.1212 or visit our website at www.lesliehindman.com.
