When you touch what was once in the hands of an artist, the things he cared for and preserved, are you also feeling a part of him?
That’s what I was wondering this week as I handled the artwork, flyers and other ephemera that had belonged to Philadelphia artist Earl A.T. Wilkie. A large array of his flyers and posters from exhibitions – along with ones from some of his best artist friends, such as Ellen Powell and Joe Tiberino – were displayed on long tables at one of my favorite auction houses.
There were nine magic marker and crayon drawings by Wilkie, and what looked like an early sculpture (he later sculpted using laminated wood). His family had also included pieces from his collection, including a drawing by famed artist Elizabeth Catlett.
When the bidding started on Wilkie’s own artwork, I knew the one that I would go after. It was a magic marker drawing of a woman’s face, and it resembled the style of Picasso (who influenced him, according to his son David Raine) but was just as much Wilkie’s interpretation of the geometry of African carvings (another influence). You can just about see the shapes in the woman’s face.
Wilkie was a member of a group of artists who hung out in Powellton Village in Philadelphia and exhibited in the city. He, though, retreated into his art, his faith and his books for much of the last few decades of his life, exhibiting less often. He died in 2009, and now his family is seeking to revive his art and his legacy.
This auction was part of their plans. A couple weeks ago, the family donated a sculpture by the artist to Elwyn, an organization that assists people with special needs. Wilkie had worked there for more than 30 years.
The highest-priced artwork at this week’s auction was a special piece from Wilkie’s collection: A pencil and pastel drawing by Catlett with the message “For our friends Earl and Nancy. E. Catlett ’74.” It sold for $4,500 to a bidder who snatched up most of the artwork. He said later that he was buying the pieces to hang on his walls. (The Catlett drawing is above.)
He also pushed my choice higher than it should have gone. I was ready to show my bid number at $80 when the bidder, sitting behind me to my left, decided that he also liked what he called “a sweet little piece.” I couldn’t argue with that because it was the one that caught my eye among the others.
By the time he decided to stop bidding, the price was $140 – which wasn’t bad for an original. (It is in the photo above.)
Here is a sampling of the prices for both Wilkie’s works and others from his collection (these do not include the 15 percent premium and sales tax):
Carved wood sculpture of female torso, $275.
Crayon drawing from “Face Series,” $225. (Shown above.)
Sharpie magic marker figure, dancing female form, $250. (Shown below.)
“Civial Rights,” magic marker drawing, $210.
Sharpie magic marker drawing, facial features and hands, $175
“Marital Despair,” $150
Crayon drawing from “Face Series,” $125.
Wilkie pen & ink portrait by Ellen Powell Tiberino, $225.
Ellen Powell Tiberino, large oil on canvas, $3,000. This was a huge piece with two nude females; one auctioneer wondered if they were the artist before and after she was diagnosed with cancer. She died in 1992.
Ed Jones, oil on canvas of a Philadelphia street car, $550. An excellent large painting; my auction buddy Janet loved the painting but not the price. She did buy a piece by an artist named J. Harris, a watercolor of a man playing a guitar for $80. The auctioneer said that Harris taught art at Cheyney University, just outside Philadelphia.
Posters, flyers and other ephemera. Most went for less than $20.
One of the interesting flyers was from a 1969 juried exhibit by the Philadelphia School District and the Museum of the Philadelphia Civic Center. The exhibit was called “Afro American Artists 1800-1969.” It included more than 100 artists, including Wilkie, Alvin Hollingsworth, Reginald Gammon and Louis Sloan. (Poster is shown at right.)
Other papers included exhibitions at local galleries and one was a reception at which Wilkie and 10 other artists (including Charles Searles, Walter Edmonds and the Tiberinos) created works of art on the spot, according to the poster. Another showed an exhibit with artist Nicholas Sperakis in 1974.
On one of the posters, for a 1991 exhibit at Galerie Nadeau, Wilkie wrote about how the Book of Genesis was inspiration for one of his sculptures.
“In 1968 while attending a professional sculptor’s workshop, it was suggested that I consider using plywood and lamination as a sculpture medium and technique,” he wrote. “This exploration culminated in a major exhibition with graphic artist Nicholas Sperakis at the Building Gallery (Rambla Art Group Co-op) in 1974. The sculpture was called ‘Afro-American Genesis Series’ and explored the developmental stages of a people removed from their homeland and sold into bondage, and their struggle for freedom.” (The sculpture below is part of the series.)
