David Dike Fine Art Announces Fall Auction

Lot 174. Olin Travis (1888-1975) Entrance to Chicago - Evening, 1961, oil on masonite 23.74” x 35.75” Estimate: $25,000 - $50,000 

An important artist and teacher, Travis’s influence was significant in the Dallas Nine group of artists and beyond. A Dallas born artist, he began painting at an early age, studying under Frank Reaugh and Vivian Aunspaugh. In 1909, he left Dallas to study at the Art Institute of Chicago and later became an associate instructor. He also became an instructor and the director of the Chicago Commercial Art School and worked as a commercial artist before returning to Dallas with his wife, Kathryne Hail Travis, in 1923. Together, he and Kathryne founded the Dallas Art Institute in 1926. 

Lot 158. Florence McClung (1894-1992) Old Dairy - Denison, Texas, Preston Rd. Dairy, oil on canvas 24” x 30” Estimate: $15,000 - $25,000

Painter and printmaker, Florence McClung was born in St. Louis and, at the young age of three, moved to Texas with her family. As a child she took drawing lessons from Frank Reaugh and a budding interest in art was formed. In 1917 she married Rufus A. McClung and together they had a son, Elliott McClung. As a young wife and mother, her keen interest in art did not wane. McClung continued her studies at the Art Institute of Dallas with Olin Travis and Thomas Stell. 

McClung exhibited her art throughout Texas and nationally, receiving awards and recognition. Her work rose in the ranks of the Texas Regionalists, and beyond, despite working in a time that was marked by discriminatory practices towards women artists.  Early in 1940, one of her paintings, Lancaster Valley, 1936, was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her Triple Underpass, 1945 painting came up for sale in the 2018 David Dike Fine Art Auction. Selling for $252,000, it set a new auction record for her work and doubled and, in some cases, tripled the auction records of her male contemporaries. 

Lot 194. George Grammer (1928-2019) Night Flight, oil on canvas 50” x 32”, Estimate: $4,000 - $8,000 

Fort Worth born artist George Grammer is recognized as an important post-World War II modernist painter. He was awarded a scholarship to Texas Wesleyan College, where he studied with Kelly Fearing, and subsequently was introduced to Dickson Reeder and the Fort Worth Circle group of artists. Later on, he became the youngest member of that group which embraced modernism and abstraction in contrast to realism, which was prioritized by the Dallas Nine and their circle. Night Flight depicts the view flying into LaGuardia Airport, Queens, New York.

Lot 220. Ben L. Culwell (1918-1992) Opening, No. 56-4, 1956-75, oil, lacquer, and glass on masonite 24” x 48”, Estimate: $25,000 - $35,000 

San Antonio born; Ben Culwell was a major artist within the first generation of Abstract Expressionism. He had nineteen paintings shown in the important 1946 exhibition Fourteen Americans at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Culwell, along with Robert Preusser and Seymour Fogel, was one of the leading non-objective abstract artists in Texas. Opening, No. 56-4, 1956-75 embodies Culwell’s abstract and bold non-objective style. The surface of the painting has been built up with layers of lacquer and thick paint application. Buried in the layers are pieces of glass. At times, the texture of the surface protrudes nearly a half of an inch from the painting’s structure. 

This sale will be conducted live by auctioneer, Jason Brooks TXS 16216. There will be In-Person Bidding, Live On-line Bidding, Phone, and Absentee Bidding. Auction guests will enjoy Bubbles and Bites, catered by Rodeo Goat.

Auction preview is anytime between October 6 – 24, Monday – Friday, at David Dike Fine Art located in Alpha Plaza at 4887 Alpha Rd., Suite 210, Farmers Branch, TX 75244. Hours of preview: 10 AM – 5 PM. Auction Date: Saturday, October 25 – Doors open at 9:00 AM; Bidding starts promptly at 10:00 AM, CST

For answers to frequently asked questions, to view the catalogue online, and for phone/absentee bid forms, please visit: www.daviddike.com