DEAR HENRY -
CAN YOU HAVE DINNER WITH US TONITE ABOUT 7:15 P.M. LEAVE GOAT. TABLE TOO SMALL -
LOVE TENNESSEE.
Henry Lawrence Faulkner Artist, Poet, Personality The Lifetime Collection of Lawrence Lewis A special exhibit and sale of works by Henry Lawrence Faulkner (1924-1981)
From cover: Letter from Tennessee Williams to Henry Faulkner, undated
Henry Lawrence Faulkner (1924-1981) and beloved goat, Alice
For more information on this sale, or to learn about future auctions and fine art services, visit CazaSikes.com
presents
Henry Lawrence Faulkner Artist, Poet, Personality The Lifetime Collection of Lawrence Lewis Opening Saturday, December 7 | 4PM - 8PM Exhibit runs through January 14, 2020 It is with great privilege that Caza Sikes presents this major exhibit and sale of the work of Henry Lawrence Faulkner (Kentucky, 1924-1981), from the Private Collection of Lawrence Lewis. Comprised of 21 paintings and one group of ephemera related to Faulkner’s friend, playwright Tennessee Williams (1911-1983), this Collection is among the largest to have ever been offered for special exhibition and sale since the artist’s death in 1981. Today Henry Faulkner is still remembered by his collectors, acquaintances, and enthusiasts for countless anecdotes or chance encounters. His legacy, left in the form of his poetry and visual work, is scattered across the country and continental Europefrom Taormina, Italy to the Bluegrass, in Florida where he’d shown work and spent time in Key West, in New York where he lived, studied and matured, and elsewhere where a collector may have moved after picking up a painting at a Closson’s Gallery show or another purveyor who fell in love with the energetic and quirky artist/intellectual and gave him a chance. In recent years, Henry Faulkner’s work has begun to attract significant attention on the market, as well as in exhibitions and
scholarly endeavors. A major effort to catalog known works and supplement the current biographical information about Faulkner came to pass in the form of “The Gift of Color: Henry Lawrence Faulkner” (Hockensmith, 2015). Currently, production is underway for a documentary film around Faulkner the artist and poet. Undiscovered or unknown works occasionally surface across a wide swath of geographical territory, indicating the many eyes that were drawn to his work during his lifetime. Often these “acquisition stories” include a personal interaction- perhaps a gift, a chance gallery show, a spur of the moment commission. The Lawrence Lewis Collection was born from this serendipitous draw toward Faulkner that we often hear about. Mr. Lewis spent much of his upbringing in Florida, where his parents became familiar with the artist. Lawrence recalls going to a gallery show in Coconut Grove, where a one-man show was suddenly closed at the last moment. Through the years, he would pick up examples of Faulkner’s caseins, both during Faulkner’s lifetime and afterward. Today, they are almost entirely presented here for sale, to be disbursed to new homes, produce new stories, and to bring back memories of an artist that has given so many enthusiasts joy.
Gratz Park and Fayette County Courthouse Lexington, KY
A substantial, vibrant, and condensed view of Gratz Park and its surrounds, including the Fayette County Courthouse in the background with its notable Romanesque architecture.
Oil and casein on masonite housed in the artist’s original frame 26” x 33.75”
Egypt, Kentucky
Oil and casein on masonite 9.5” x 11.5”
Still Life with Vase of Flowers
Oil and casein on masonite Housed in the artist’s original frame 22” x 17.25”
Lemon and Lime in a Canton Bowl
Oil and casein on masonite Housed in the artist’s original frame 13.25” x 15”
Lemon, Box, and Bust
Oil and casein on masonite Housed in artist’s original frame 9.5” x 11”
Strawberries
Oil and casein on masonite Housed in the artist’s original frame 15.25” x 12”
Alice Flying
Oil and casein on masonite Housed in the artist’s original frame 17” x 15.25”
Portrait with Alice
Oil and casein on masonite 14.5� x 12�
Edith Sitwell Taming the Beasts
Edith Sitwell (British, 18871964) was an acclaimed and controversial poet of the 20th century. Faulkner would have been acquainted with or a distant admirer of Sitwell, given his poetic interests (among his other poet friends and acquaintances were Ezra Pound, and through Pound, T.S. Eliot, E.E. Cummings, and Thornton Wilder). Sitwell is seated here with halo and harp, and a pair of beasts before her. It is difficult to infer the artists meaning behind the subject, though it may relate to her poetry.
Oil and casein on masonite Housed in artist’s original frame 10” x 12”
Ephemera relating to Faulkner’s relationship with Tennessee Williams
Henry Faulkner and Tennessee Williams were very close friends, and there is much evidence and anecdote to suggest that theirs was beyond a platonic relationship. Seen here is a telegram written to Henry Faulkner with an invitation to dinner, as well as a purported watercolor by Williams himself.
Watercolor, Dinner Invitation, and Telegraph
Nude in Water
Oil and casein on masonite Housed in artist’s original frame 22” x 26”
Jack of Spades
Oil and casein on masonite Housed in artist’s original frame 13” x 10.25”
Christ the Fisherman
Oil and casein on masonite Housed in artist’s original frame 11” x 8.75”
Two Women Sailing Under Moonlight
Oil and casein on masonite Housed in artist’s original frame 14” x 12”
Two Figures Riding Whale Gondola
Oil and casein on masonite Housed in artist’s original frame 13.5” x 15.5”
The Baptismal
Oil and casein on masonite Housed in artist’s original frame 11.5” x 13.5”
Taormina Street
Oil and casein on masonite Housed in artist’s original frame 13.75” x 20”
Taormina Street
Title inscribed on reverse paper. The view is almost undoubtedly that of Main Street Winchester, a wide avenue with historical facades and towers.
Oil and casein on masonite Housed in artist’s original frame, painted 11.5” x 13.75”
Night Scene
Oil and casein on masonite Housed in original painted frame 11.75� x 13�
Egypt, Kentucky
Oil and casein on masonite 13” x 15.75”
Woman and Gothic Chair
Oil and casein on masonite 21� x 15.75�
Woman, Cat, Bird and Chair
Oil and casein on masonite Housed in artist’s original painted frame 19.25” x 15.25”
For more information on this sale, or to learn about future auctions and fine art services, visit CazaSikes.com About Caza Sikes Caza Sikes is proud and honored to present this major exhibit and sale of the work of Henry Lawrence Faulkner. Housed in a reinvented storefront on historic Oakley Square in Cincinnati, Caza Sikes is a unique space offering collectors exceptional fine art and fine craft from acclaimed national artists. A family business from the start, the collective proprieters bring decades of experience and expertise in assisting museums, institutions, corporations and individuals with their pursuit of beautiful and timeless pieces. We are committed to excellence and knowledge that makes fine art approachable, attainable and manageable. Caza offers USPAP approved appraisal services for estate and insurance purposes, a carefully curated gallery for collectors of all interests, and auctions filled with fine pieces from reputable consigners. What’s up with the logo? We know you wanted to ask. The four heads represent the co-founder and his three sons, who all have a hand (or a head) in the business.
For all appraisal, auction, or gallery inquiries:
Evan Sikes 513-818-9527 evan@cazasikes.com Caza Sikes 3078 Madison Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45209