Art highlight: Tom Wesselmann’s steel drawing ‘Monica Sitting Undressing’

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – On Saturday, June 15, 2013 Quinn & Farmer Auctioneers will host their monthly gallery auction, with Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com. A featured highlight of the 380-lot auction is a selection of items from the estate of saxophonist LeRoi Moore, who was a founding member of the Dave Matthews Band. The sale also includes items from the luxurious Boar’s Head Inn in Charlottesville, Va.; a collection of US Presidential memorabilia, Inuit sculpture and an exceptional Tom Wesselmann steel drawing titled “Monica Sitting Undressed.”

The LeRoi Moore articles include speakers, subwoofers, instruments, and other musical production equipment of the highest quality, as well as custom furniture by Jaeger & Ernst. A stellar lot is a pair of model 802 Diamond Bowers and Wilkins speakers that feature free-mounted diamond dome tweeters, Nautilus™ tube tweeter loadings, Quad magnet tweeter motors, Kevlar® brand fibre-cone FST™ mid-ranges, Sphere/tube midrange enclosures, Rohacell® cone basses, Dual magnet bass driver motors, and Matrix™ cabinets. The speakers have been estimated at $5,000-$15,000 the pair.

An array of fine prints, engravings, and paintings of portraiture and hunting scenes comes to auction from the Boar’s Head Inn. These highly sought-after pieces were displayed at the famous resort, which is owned by the local University of Virginia and has hosted many dignitaries and celebrities alike. Featured items include a hand-colored engraving by H. Alkin, Clark & Debourg; numerous hunt scenes, architectural accents and a large oil-on-canvas portrait of James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde. The portrait stands nearly 4ft tall and over 3ft wide, and its regal subject is dressed in fine 18th-century period attire.

Quinn & Farmer Auctions image.

Pop art will be well represented by Lot 271, Tom Wesselmann’s steel drawing titled “Monica Sitting Undressing.” The piece is number 5 of 25 steel cuttings created in 1986. The alkyd oil on cut-out steel drawing depicts the simple nude image of his wife Monica, one of his most prominent muses. Wesselmann’s signature “Tom Wesselmann 1986/98 Steel Drawing Edition/ Monica Sitting Undressing 5/25” appears on verso. Also included are photocopied directions that Tom Wesselmann hand-wrote regarding the piece’s preferred installation.

Quinn & Farmer’s June 15th gallery auction will begin at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. To contact the auction house for additional information, call 434-293-2904 or email info@quinnfarmer.com.

View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.