"Les Enfants de L'Artiste"
Zurich: Maison Kratz, 1956. Lithographic print measuring 23 1/4 by 18 7/8 inches. One of 200 numbered copies, this one signed by the artist, with his name incorporated into a small drawing of a bull's head, and inscribed vertically, "For Martin Oberstein cordially 30 12 56." The lithograph is printed in five colors on a black background and shows two children sitting next to a wagon wheel. One child wears a blue sweater and holds a doll, while the other wears a black sweater over a yellow outfit. Hans Erni was an extremely prolific Swiss contemporary artist, who designed everything from postage stamps to wall murals, as well as sculptures, book illustrations, and more, right up until his death in 2015 at the age of 106. Erni admired Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, and their influence can be seen in this depiction of Erni's children, including in the use of negative space on the black background and in the color palette. Lithographs by Erni come up for auction regularly, but this particular print has not appeared for several decades. Inscribed to Martin Oberstein, a professional calligrapher who worked for Tiffany's and taught calligraphy at a number of schools and workshops in New York. Print adhered to a card board and framed in a gilded wood frame, measuring 32 by 28 1/4 inches. Item #27503
(Cailler, Hans Erni catalogue raisonné, no. 173).
Price: $650.00