Armstrong Fine Art

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Armstrong Fine Art Art Gallery

Art dealership committed to showing the most beautiful works on paper from the 19th and 20th centuries, from Europe, the United States, and increasingly from beyond.

This charming depiction of a gnome hiding under a toadstool is unusual for Fillmore Lillie in more ways than one. Not on...
07/10/2026

This charming depiction of a gnome hiding under a toadstool is unusual for Fillmore Lillie in more ways than one. Not only did she mostly depict real places, even if some of her landscapes are idealized, Fillmore Lillie practiced lithography almost exclusively. And her prints are always printed in black only. This fantasy subject was likely inspired by some children's tale, with an unclear purpose. The resulting artwork is charming, and shows that Fillmore Lillie did know how to use color, as she did in her paintings.

Ella FILLMORE LILLIE (1884-1972): "Rain Drops".
Color linocut with pochoir and hand coloring on think laid japan paper.
No known edition; possibly unique.
Signed and titled in pencil.
Image: 5 ¼ x 7 ⅞ inches. $340.

This is what an art dealer's Sunday looks like. Three very recent acquisitions simply had to be added to our shipment go...
03/03/2026

This is what an art dealer's Sunday looks like. Three very recent acquisitions simply had to be added to our shipment going to San Antonio print fair this coming weekend. So, we had to do a bit of last minute matting. It so happens that each of these was an oblong format... Funny how that happens sometimes. Anyway, working 7 days a week isn't my favorite, but with matting there are these small gratifying moments, like when a clean mat enhances the beauty of an attractive composition. And cutting a crisp bevel into a sheet of mat board, with a sharp blade gliding down the cutter's rail, is one of those Zen experiences that never gets old. Anyway, come and see these new beauties in San Antonio, if you happen to live nearby. Or message us if interested to find out more. These aren't even on our website yet.

In the 1980s, under the influence of Japanese artists, who had rediscovered the mezzotint technique, European and Americ...
12/04/2025

In the 1980s, under the influence of Japanese artists, who had rediscovered the mezzotint technique, European and American printmakers got in on the action. Joop Vegter, a Dutch artist, created a couple hundred compositions, many small or very small. These two are part of his main oeuvre, somewhat larger (7 3/4 inches / 20 cm tall). Vegter always invites the viewer in a diminutive world, suspended into a timeless dark background, where a little bit of natural beauty is displayed in vivid colors. His work is a great escape from the loudness of today. These two color mezzotints are available (link to our site in the bio).

Georges de Feure (1868-1943) was one of Europe’s most important Art Nouveau artists. A painter and printmaker at heart,...
10/30/2025

Georges de Feure (1868-1943) was one of Europe’s most important Art Nouveau artists. A painter and printmaker at heart, de Feure also dabbled in decorative arts, designing furniture, vases, candle sticks, etc. After some art studies in Amsterdam, where he had mostly grown up, he launched a visible career in Paris by designing colorful posters. Associated early on with the symbolist movement, which he never repudiated, he was soon approached by Siegfried Bing to help him design the Art Nouveau pavilion of the 1900 exposition. His career was launched. For decades he was a force in European arts, painting, making prints, and designing decorative arts.

This is the most elaborate Art Nouveau color lithograph by the artist which we have ever encountered, and it is in excellent condition. This is also one of the finest examples of a fine art print in the Art Nouveau style (as opposed to posters, which are more common).

Georges de FEURE (French, 1868-1943)
Profil de Femme à la Boucle d’Oreille Art Nouveau (French title)
Profile of a Woman with an Art Nouveau Earring
Color lithograph on smooth wove paper, circa 1898.
No known edition. We have yet to find another impression of this subject; exceedingly scarce.
Signed and numbered in black pencil.
Provenance: Michel Romand (1929-2013), great-grandson of Edmond Sagot (1857-1917).
Image size: 15 ½ x 10 ¾ inches.

Georges de Feure (1868-1943) was one of Europe’s most important Art Nouveau artists. A painter and printmaker at heart,...
10/30/2025

Georges de Feure (1868-1943) was one of Europe’s most important Art Nouveau artists. A painter and printmaker at heart, de Feure also dabbled in decorative arts, designing furniture, vases, candle sticks, etc. After some art studies in Amsterdam, where he had mostly grown up, he launched a visible career in Paris by designing colorful posters. Associated early on with the symbolist movement, which he never repudiated, he was soon approached by Siegfried Bing to help him design the Art Nouveau pavilion of the 1900 exposition. His career was launched. For decades he was a force in European arts, painting, making prints, and designing decorative arts.

This is the most elaborate Art Nouveau color lithograph by the artist which we have ever encountered, and it is in excellent condition. This is also one of the finest examples of a fine art print in the Art Nouveau style (as opposed to posters, which are more common).

Georges de FEURE (French, 1868-1943)
Profil de Femme à la Boucle d’Oreille Art Nouveau (French title)
Profile of a Woman with an Art Nouveau Earring
Color lithograph on smooth wove paper, circa 1898.
No known edition. We have yet to find another impression of this subject; exceedingly scarce.
Signed and numbered in black pencil.
Provenance: Michel Romand (1929-2013), great-grandson of Edmond Sagot (1857-1917).
Image size: 15 ½ x 10 ¾ inches.

Resting on one leg, a white heron strikes an elegant pose against a pitch-dark background, while the rain falls. A drama...
10/19/2025

Resting on one leg, a white heron strikes an elegant pose against a pitch-dark background, while the rain falls. A dramatically beautiful image, one of Gakusui’s most famous, in which some feather outlines are “blind embossed”, outlined only thanks to their pressure; no ink needed!

 
Japanese nihonga-trained artist Ide Gakusui (1899–1978) worked in post-war Japan to produce a small but striking series of kachō-e (bird-and-flower prints) for Watanabe Shōsaburō from 1949 to the mid-1950s. His best-known woodblocks—such as Two Herons in Snow, Heron in Rain, and Two Cranes are composed in a graceful, understated style, with natural subjects distilled into elegant line and form.
Gakusui’s prints reflect a deep mastery of shin‑hanga principles: tonal subtlety, compositional restraint, and a serene presence. Owing to their refined beauty and rarity, these prints continue to attract collectors of Japanese modern printmaking.

 
GAKUSUI Ide (Japanese, 1899-1982)
White Heron in the Rain
Woodblock print (color woodcut), with embossing throughout the feathers, on Japan paper, circa 1950.
First edition, published by Watanabe.
With the signature in the block and with the red seal. There also seems to be an unidentified round stamp (collector's?) in the lower left image corner.
Sheet size: 15 ½ x 10 ¼ inches.

Richard Ranft (Swiss-French, 1862-1931) always liked to depict the more enjoyable side of life: parties, sunny landscape...
10/16/2025

Richard Ranft (Swiss-French, 1862-1931) always liked to depict the more enjoyable side of life: parties, sunny landscapes, elegant women. He didn't shy away from images of labor, but even those images convey a refined dignity. In "Promenade Matinale" Ranft gives us a snapshot of just how good life can get. Two beautifully dressed women are donning fine summer dresses on their morning walk. This is not a quick casual outing to have the dog go and do his business. The redheaded woman has taken the time to tie a black ribbon choker around her neck, while the black-haired woman slipped into a fitted and arresting red dress and took her fancy umbrella along. Puffy clouds suggest a lazy breeze. The blue-green water suggests the sun striking the water's surface. The umbrella and the light white dress evoke the possibility of summer heat. At their feet, a Belgian Malinois (Malinois noir) is trying to decide what comes next. Did he just come from a run, or is he about the take off? The elegant white cross is prominently displayed in this print. This dog was their owner's pride. This is the start of good day...

Richard RANFT (1862-1931): Morning Walk
Promenade Matinale (original French title)
Etching and aquatint printed in color on wove paper, circa 1900.
Edition of 50.
Signed and numbered in pencil.
Plate size: 22 x 10 inches.

An atmospheric, quiet, and sorrowful composition by Frank Utpatel. A man, book in hand, is speaking his eulogy. This fig...
10/12/2025

An atmospheric, quiet, and sorrowful composition by Frank Utpatel. A man, book in hand, is speaking his eulogy. This figure is inked more darkly than the mourners, or the horse-drawn hearse and clouds in the background. The focal point is further accentuated by the trees behind the standing figure and the fact that the clouds, the fence, as well as the lines in the snow all seem to run from him towards the edges of the composition.

A Wisconsin-based printmaker and illustrator, Frank Utpatel (1905-1980) created haunting woodcuts and engravings, including book covers for the Arkham House editions of notable authors such as H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and William Hope Hodgson. His work, rooted in the WPA era, blends fine woodcut precision with atmospheric tension.

"Funeral in the Snow"
Wood engraving on very thin Japan wove paper, no date.
No stated edition. Seemingly scarce.
Signed in pencil.
Image size: 8 x 12 inches. $275.

If you live in the Saint Louis area, please mark your calendar for next weeks’ inaugural St. Louis Rare Book Fair. This ...
10/03/2025

If you live in the Saint Louis area, please mark your calendar for next weeks’ inaugural St. Louis Rare Book Fair. This is a one-day-only show, Saturday, October 11th (10 AM - 6 PM), with a preview the night before, Friday, October 10th (4 - 8 PM). I hope you can join us downtown at the Missouri Athletic Club (405 Washington Ave, St Louis, MO 63102).

As the name suggests, this is mostly a collectible book fair, but three print and art dealers will be in attendance. We will show original prints from the 19th century to today: we’ll have something for every taste!

We still have two free tickets available for the preview. And if you email us ahead of time, we’ll cover admission for Saturday. I look forward to seeing you. Please spread the word! Bernard

The subject is reminiscent of depression-era compositions that were still fresh in people’s minds as the war took young ...
10/01/2025

The subject is reminiscent of depression-era compositions that were still fresh in people’s minds as the war took young man into battle. The melancholy in this sunset encounter of the famer’s wife bringing supper to her husband toiling in the field late into the evening is contrasted with their togetherness, echoed by the pair of horses standing side-by-side in the background. Such a moment certainly resonated with parents who had seen their sons off, headed for the faraway conflict.

Lithograph on wove paper, 1943.
Reference: Windisch, Cole, and Herbaugh 546.
Stated edition of 250, which is either an error, was never printed in those numbers, or has been lost in large part. Given it was published during World War II, any of these possibilities is likely. This composition is scarce. We have found just four in public collections and only two impressions seem to have come up for auction in the past 30 years. Very scarce.
Signed in pencil.
Image size: 13 1/8 x 9 3/4 inches. $650.

Address

1200 West 35th Street
Chicago, IL
60609

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

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+13126649312

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