Mahalo Antiques & Modern Design

09/21/2024

Andre Cartier-Bresson, “Jakarta 1949”. silver gelatin print. un-mounted. numerous back stamps, including Bresson’., handwritten notations, et al.

“Together with the prominent photographers Robert Capa, George Rodger and David Seymour, Cartier-Bresson had initiated Magnum Photos in 1947: a legendary photographers’ collective focused on supplying (news) photography to media, galleries and museums. To this end, the Magnum Photos photographers travelled the world to document key events.

After having visited India and then China, in late 1949 Cartier-Bresson left for Indonesia in service of the collective. This country, that had been called the Dutch East Indies until the Japanese invasion in 1942, was on the verge of an important historical change. Following Japan’s capitulation in 1945, a chaotic and violent period of decolonization had ensued. After a bloody guerilla and counter-guerilla war, the official transfer of power was finally to take place.

That was the moment at which Cartier-Bresson arrived on central Java. This region, with the important cities of Yogyakarta and Surakarta (Solo), was the Indonesian republicans’ center of power at the time. This was where it was all going to happen, and Cartier-Bresson was to report on it with his camera.

The photographs Cartier-Bresson took depict the final episode of the tragic process toward Indonesian independence: the moment when the transfer of power is about to take place and the Dutch troops must leave the region, followed by the marching in of Indonesian troops and – symbolically important to the transfer of power and the birth of the new Republik Indonesia – Sukarno’s inauguration as the republic’s first ever president.”

08/31/2024

well, summer break is over, and the house call appts are starting to roll in!

SOLD & SOLD
beautiful woodblock print by the master of shin hanga, Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950), entitled “Thousand Flower Garden”, circa 1926.

Very involved/complex composition, a very crisp strike, sophisticated palette, and superb color saturation.

this is a lifetime impression, that is, it was rendered while Yoshida was alive. He was personally involved in every aspect of each print, from start to finish. Yoshida also was at the forefront of the sosaku hanga movement, which emphasized the independence and individualism of the artist, unlike the collaborative efforts of artists, carvers, printers, and publishers within the shin hanga movement.

FYI, many of Yoshida’s prints were profusely re-issued after he died. Generally, the quality of the early re-strikes is good, but the values are but a fraction of what a lifetime print is worth. Later re-strikes? meh.

…a little known fact about Yoshida “signed” in the lower margin prints…some are actually titled and signed in pencil, while others bear a stamped title and sig that is often mistaken for a pencil inscription.
That said, it really doesn’t matter as Yoshida NEVER signed his prints cursively as some unscrupulous dealers may insist.
Both the hand and impressed signatures were rendered by either the printer(s) or publisher.

How do you know if you have a lifetime or posthumous impression by Hiroshi Yoshida ?
DM me images of your print(s), including the margins, and I’ll tell ya’.

I have 30+ years studying Japanese art…(especially woodblock prints) and was fortunate to have been mentored by some of the most respected and honest experts in this field.

07/03/2024

…some fireworks goin’ on here 💥💥💥

Ed Cromey with some Hamada vibes.

cool vintage Celebration Gallery tag on the back.

available.

06/26/2024

arguably one of the most beautiful example of Amy Donaldson i’ve ever handled…or seen, for that matter.

auction-worthy, imho

06/24/2024

beasty chunky early Fulper Pottery lobed console bowl, with ruffled rim.

rich lavender glaze with yellow underglaze; impressive flambe drip interior.

Oval raised mark (obscured by glaze) 1917-1923.

measures aporox. 11.5” diameter x 4” tall.

this beast weighs nearly 6 lbs as shown… probably half of that is glaze weight, no joke🤣

very good vintage condition, some glaze crazing inside and areas of mild gloss loss also inside.

$145, includes shipping anywhere in the lower 48 states.

06/23/2024

something you don’t see very often on Sundays…or any other day for that matter🙄
unusual, masterful surrealist oil painting rife symbolism…the more you look at it the more you discover…visually compelling… so much going on here!

have not been able to ID the artist.

the painting bears a red seal or stamp on the back of the canvas (partially visible) that reads “Mali Mai” which was/is an indigenous artist colony named Guajiro Workshops founded circa 1970 by textile artisan Luis Montiel.

known for their masterful surrealist tapestries, the workshop consisted of 160 artisans, most involved in pictorial textile production.

as with most artist colonies, there likely were those of other art disciplines. i think this is an example of a painter from this workshop…the canvas bearing the stamp from there.

the painting does bear a signature (as shown in the next to last photo) but i’m not sure how it reads and if it’s even the name of the artist.

oil on canvas..measures approx 24.5” tall x 17.5” tall. framed as found.

very good condition as found w/ some mild crazing. no adhesion issues.

available. DM for price, shipping quote.

06/15/2024

Professor James Kaneko (1923-1999)



“Born Susumu Kaneko (Go Forth Golden Child) in Sacramento on November 26, 1923, Jim and his brothers were all renamed by a local matriarch who couldn’t pronounce their Japanese names. Growing up in the rural pastures of nearby Lincoln, he graduated from Lincoln High in 1941 and Placer Junior College in 1942. Shortly after, however, Jim, like thousands of other patriotic, law abiding Japanese-Americans, was interned by the U.S. government. He was first sent to the Tule Lake encampment near Klamath Falls, then to a facility in Stockton.”

“Jim wound up settling in Stockton to attend the University of the Pacific, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1951 and his master’s in 1953. After a short tenure teaching math at Lincoln High, Jim was hired to teach ceramics at American River Junior College, then just a fledgling complex of buildings on the rural edge of Sacramento.”

“With Jim’s guidance, the ARC Art Gallery put on countless exhibitions throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Each year he held student art shows and provided awards for the outstanding entries. He brought back alumni and gave them shows. He gave shows to full time and adjunct faculty.”

“During his breaks from ARC, Jim taught other teachers ceramics at his Abingdon, Virginia studio. Considered an expert at glazes, his pieces sold at Tiffany’s, Marshall Fields, Nieman-Marcus, and Gumps in San Francisco. He was part owner and designer of Iron Mountain Stoneware. He showed works at the famous Candy Store Gallery in Folsom, at the Crocker Art Museum, the Davis Art Center and Jennifer Pauls Gallery.”

06/15/2024

it’s been a few

some well manipulated clay.

signed

unfortunately this is not 😭

still a cool pot in the style by a well-regarded Northern California studio ceramist and teacher.

05/05/2024

06/10/2023

i ate daddy’s rare world series baseball cap with some fava beans and a nice chianti 😱

06/06/2023

it’s going to be a woodsy kinda week....
1 of a kind, museum quality creativity is the current flavor in design collecting.

05/13/2023

it’s been a minute, peeps🙄
bumped into this 3 month beauty at the new antique mall in encinitas. clearly, the best treasure in there. couldn’t pass on her Siberian husky eyes. according to her (new) vet, she’s clearly Sibe husky, German Shepherd, and likely Akita.
DNA test soon.
She’s been w/ me 7 days now and Darzy Claire has been a whole lotta love, a HUGE test in my patience, training pads, and p**p bags.
i really miss my rat terrier Jackson, who’s in Farmerville Louisiana with my wife Michelle.
I think Jackson would approve tho...he digs cute puppy chicks😎

04/25/2023

Ed Moulthrop doin’ his thing, 1985.

04/22/2023

searching for a cool vtg frame for my Ynez Johnston painting..this one is just a tad small🤣

04/21/2023

never thought I’d see a Tackett? character holding a gun and a bottle of Suntory🤷🏽‍♂️

04/18/2023

anyone else own a pair of early ones?

04/15/2023

no fancy motion photography or videos needed for an early 1 of a kind creation (ok, I have a pair) made by a world renown master woodworker with the mind of a genius sculptor. circa 1956-57.

04/07/2023

all original and first issue cyclone table shipped off to a Japanese collector client in Hiroshima.

to

03/31/2023

was out picking all day and all i got was this lame Ynez Johnston painting at house call from a private in Del Mar🤷🏽‍♂️

03/15/2023

really good by John Novy. can’t quite remember if it packed away in one of my totes or?

03/10/2023

so glad i talk myself out of scouting antique malls...most of the time🤣

03/10/2023

Pair of all original vintage 1960s Bertoia child chairs for Knoll.
White seats, black bases. All original. Even has original seat pads!
Both chairs show honest wear. There are 2 broken rods on 1 chair, 1 broken rod on the other...typical and common to this design.
Repairable by brazing or TIG welding, or use as is. Asking $295 for BOTH. Fair offers considered. Local p/u preferred. Shipping possible at Buyers expense. DM for ship quote.

03/03/2023

knockin’ on doors “with expected wear and patina consistent with age and regular use.”

02/26/2023

really really good crystalline glaze Laura Andreson.
so good the sun came out....going....going and😉