Christie’s NOVEMBER 30, 2011
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CHARLES DEMUTH | In the Key of Blue
Estimate: $1,800,000-2,400,000
Painted circa 1919-1920, In the Key of Blue was part of a new series of paintings that Charles Demuth had executed in tempera, all of which were much larger in scale than his previous watercolors. In the Key of Blue is a tour-de-force that demonstrates Charles Demuth at the height of his abilities. Here Demuth depicts buildings in a landscape set against planes of subtly modulated color in a composition that is simultaneously refined and dynamic. Most likely influenced by John Addington Symons’ 1893 essay on aesthetics, it is a dynamic Precisionist composition and meditation on light, form and color. Demuth juxtaposes the strong outlines of the planar forms with the softness of the tempera medium to create depth and suggest the effects of light on the scene. The influence of Cezanne is evident in the areas of exposed board, which Demuth has deliberately left bare and incorporated into the composition to add further texture and complexity. Executed circa 1920, In the Key of Blue is an important and rare tempera that is a direct precursor of masterworks such as My Egypt (1927, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York).
Sotheby's April 16, 2014
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Bonhams
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Charles Demuth (American, 1883-1935) Fish Series, Number Eight, 1917 9 7/8 x 7 7/8in
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Sotheby's April 16, 2014
CHARLES DEMUTH
RESTING ON THE BEACH
Estimate ![]()
5,000 — 7,000
LOT SOLD. 9,375 USD
Sotheby’s May 21 2014
CHARLES DEMUTH
1883 - 1935
TREES AND HOUSES (PROVINCETOWN)
Estimate
80,000 — 120,000
Tumblers
PRICE REALIZED
$542,500
Rooftops, Provincetown
PRICE REALIZED
$481,000
In Vaudeville: Two Dancers
PRICE REALIZED
$315,750
Pink Lilies and Butterflies
PRICE REALIZED
$290,500
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Flowers and Cucumbers
PRICE REALIZED
$242,500
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At "The Golden Swan," Sometimes Called the "Hell Hole"
PRICE REALIZED
$193,000
Red Roses
PRICE REALIZED
$183,750
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Negro Girl Dancer
PRICE REALIZED
$145,000
Biarritz, South of France
PRICE REALIZED
$30,000
Man in Blazer
PRICE REALIZED
$28,750
Rocks and Sea (Coastal Scene)
PRICE REALIZED
$22,500
Bonhams
Charles Demuth (American, 1883-1935) Fish Series, Number Eight, 1917 9 7/8 x 7 7/8in
US$ 20,000 - 30,000
Charles Demuth (American, 1883-1935) River Landscape: Ruins 8 1/2 x 10in
US$ 15,000 - 25,000