AFTER DARK/AUGUST Highlights
AFTER DARK/AUGUST Highlights
Presenting a Series of Highlights from the Catalog
Lot 19: Michail Tsakountis (Greek, Contemporary). Náftis Patxo from the Homage to Tsarouchis series, 2026. Oil on canvas. Estimated at $2000 - $3,000.
Lot 19 is Michael Tsakountis’ Náftis Patxo from the Homage to Tsarouchis series, a body of work inspired by the gay Greek painter Yannis Tsarouchis. The painting features a variety of references to Tsarouchis, such as the Naval subject, a favorite male archetype for the artist, and the dusty pink background, an iconic element of his compositions. The painting also showcases Tsakountis’ own artistic sensibilities, with the eyes of the sailor suggesting a beauty and vulnerability beyond his otherwise rugged countenance. The signature of the work, in Marjorelle blue, also alludes to Tsakountis' time in Marrakesh, Morocco, which further inspired the artist’s more recent portraits of the handsome men of the Maghreb.
Lot 17: Pavel Tchelitchew (Russian/American, 1898-1957). Two (2) Homoerotic Silverpoint Drawings, ca. 1931. Silverpoint on paper laid on artist board. Estimated at $4,000 - $6,000.
Lot 18: Pavel Tchelitchew (Russian/American, 1898-1957). Upright Man, Stooping Boy, ca. 1932. Blue wash painting on paper. Estimated at $4,000 - $6,000.
Lots 17 & 18 are works by the acclaimed Russian-born surrealist Pavel Tchelitchew. An openly gay man, Tchelitchew fled from Russia to Paris after the revolution. He eventually made his way to America and began a relationship with the poet Charles Henri Ford.
Both of these works have prestigious provenance, originating from the estate of Tchelitchew through his sister, Alexandra Zaoussailoff. Zaoussailoff would then arrange for the works to enter the collection of the American novelist, Glenway Wescott. While Wescott then gave most of the collection to the Kinsey Institute, he would personally gift these drawings to the author John Stevenson in 1971. Stevenson and Glenway Wescott were in a ménage à trois with Monroe Wheeler, the founder of MoMA.
Lot 16: Avel de Knight (American, 1923-1995). Male Nude, Contrapposto, ca. 1940s. Charcoal on wove paper. Estimated at $1,000 - $1,500.
Lot 16 features an early charcoal illustration by the American painter and illustrator Avel de Knight. Knight was born in New York City into an Afro-Caribbean family, later moving to Paris to study at acclaimed institutions like the École des Beaux-Arts, the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and the Académie Julian. There he met the Breton artist Julien Outin, who would amass a collection of the artist’s paintings and illustrations. This particular drawing comes from estate of Outin, who passed in 2005.
Lot 22: James Childs (American, 1945-2020). Antinous. Oil on panel. Estimated at $1,200 - $1,500.
This work by James Joseph Childs depicts Antinoüs, the male lover of the Roman emperor Hadrian. Much like the later Saint Sebastian, Antinoüs would become a prominent symbol of classical gay culture in the arts, directly referenced in the works of authors like Oscar Wilde and Fernando Pessoa. Childs was known for his classical imagery and devotion to the male form. Childs took particular inspiration from the works of Lord Frederic Leighton, and was the first resident artist of the Leighton House Museum. This auction also features two attractive portraits of an olympian in the red figure (erythrómorpha) style; part of a pair offered in our latest auction catalog.
Lot 71: Tom of Finland (Touko Valio Laaksonen) (Finnish, 1920-1991). Collection of Thirty-Six (36) Tom of Finland Photographs Produced by Bob Mizer (Physique Pictorial), ca. 1960s. Estimated at $2,000 - $3,000.
This expansive collection of thirty-six (36) Tom of Finland photographs was produced by Bob Mizer for distribution during the 1960s. Many of the photographs feature Mizer's own pencil notations on the verso, as well as an attribution to the famous physique photographer Pete Dobing. This lot comes from the collection of Carl Morse (1935-2008). Morse was an esteemed LGBTQ+ historian, playwright, poet, and also an art dealer active in New York City throughout the 1990s. He was responsible for the New York Public Library’s first exhibition of male nude photography in 1990, and produced many anthologies on gay and lesbian poetry from the UK in the 1980s-1990s.
Lot 66: David Wojnarowicz (American, 1954-1992). True Myth (Domino Sugar), 1983. Screenprint, 20/47. Signed and editioned in graphite. Estimated at $5,000 - $7,000.
Lot 66 is an iconic screenprint by the internationally celebrated artist and AIDS activist David Wojnarowicz. Throughout his tragically short period as an active artist, Wojnarowicz produced an extraordinary body of work ranging from prints, photography, film, sculpture, painting, and new media. Wojnarowicz was active within the 1970s-1980s East Village scene in New York, collaborating with artists such as Nan Goldin, Kiki Smith, and Peter Hujar. The artist's work can now be found in permanent collections across the United States, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, MoMA, the Leslie Lohman Museum, and more.
Browse the catalog to find these highlights and other works that showcase the beauty of the male form. There’s still plenty of time to register, request condition reports, or place pre-bids on any lots you’re interested in for our upcoming auction, next Thursday, August 20th!
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