Romare Bearden, Norman Lewis, Charles Alston and Beauford Delaney were among the top artists at today's Out of the Blue: Modern Art & Jazz auction at Swann. The African-American Fine Art auction's top lot was Norman Lewis's Bassist, an oil on canvas work from 1946 that sold for $48,000. The painting is one of the earliest abstracted jazz musicians that Lewis painted, and was the first to come to auction. Norman Lewis, Bassist, oil on canvas, 1946. Sold for $48,000.
Romare Bearden's oil monotypes depicting different jazz scenes were other highlights of the day, with Jazz Musician at Piano bringing $30,000. Trumpet Player sold for $24,000, rounding out the day's top three lots. The third monotype, Storyville: Special Request, brought $15,600.
Top: Romare Bearden, Jazz Musician at Piano, oil monotype, circa 1975. Sold for $30,000. Bottom: Romare Bearden, Trumpet Player, oil monotype, circa 1980. Sold for $24,000.
Labels: African-American Fine Art, Beauford Delaney, Charles Alston, Norman Lewis, Out of the Blue: Modern Art and Jazz, Romare Bearden
Romare Bearden, Norman Lewis, Charles Alston and Beauford Delaney were among the top artists at today's Out of the Blue: Modern Art & Jazz auction at Swann. The African-American Fine Art auction's top lot was Norman Lewis's Bassist, an oil on canvas work from 1946 that sold for $48,000. The painting is one of the earliest abstracted jazz musicians that Lewis painted, and was the first to come to auction. 
