Alvin Carl Hollingsworth Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Alvin Carl Hollingsworth Art Value Price Guide

Mar. 20, 2025
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth (1928 - 2000) Oil
Est: $600 - $900
16" x 20" Woman in a Forest. Signed Lower Right This lot is being offered on behalf of the New York County Public Administrators office from the Estate of Clara Skipworth Burgess #230813.
Weiss Auctions
Mar. 20, 2025
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth (1928 - 2000) Oil
Est: $400 - $600
11 1/2" x 15 1/2" Woman and Child signed lower left. This lot is being offered on behalf of the New York County Public Administrators office from the Estate of Clara Skipworth Burgess #230813.
Weiss Auctions
Mar. 20, 2025
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth (1928 - 2000) Oil
Est: $800 - $1,200
17 1/2" x 24" Woman and Child". Oil on Canvas. Signed lower left. This lot is being offered on behalf of the New York County Public Administrators office from the Estate of Clara Skipworth Burgess #230813.
Weiss Auctions
Mar. 20, 2025
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth (1928 - 2000) Oil
Est: $300 - $600
15 1/2" x 19 1/2" Titled "Morocco" Signed lower left. This lot is being offered on behalf of the New York County Public Administrators office from the Estate of Clara Skipworth Burgess #230813.
Weiss Auctions
Mar. 20, 2025
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth (1928 - 2000) Oil
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
17 1/2" x 23 /2" "And the Lord Spoke" signed lower left with the Artists business card attached to back. This lot is being offered on behalf of the New York County Public Administrators office from the Estate of Clara Skipworth Burgess #230813.
Weiss Auctions
Mar. 20, 2025
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth (1928 - 2000) Oil
Est: $400 - $700
12 1/2" x 24 1/2" "Exaltation Rojo" (Prophet Series). Artist business card attached to back. Signed lower right. This lot is being offered on behalf of the New York County Public Administrators office from the Estate of Clara Skipworth Burgess #230813.
Weiss Auctions
Mar. 20, 2025
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth (1928 - 2000) Oil
Est: $5,000 - $8,000
36" x 36" Oil on Canvas. Signed bottom middle. "Dancing Around the Sun" Fabulous Work. This lot is being offered on behalf of the New York County Public Administrators office from the Estate of Clara Skipworth Burgess #230813.
Weiss Auctions
Mar. 15, 2025
Alvin C. Hollingsworth, 1928-2000, Head of a Man
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
Alvin C. Hollingsworth 1928-2000 Head of a Man 1980 acrylic on board 22-3/4 x 22-3/4 inches signed Provenance: private collection, Harlem, NY
Black Art Auction
Mar. 15, 2025
Alvin C. Hollingsworth, 1928-2000, Golden Dream
Est: $700 - $900
Alvin C. Hollingsworth 1928-2000 Golden Dream 1988 color lithograph 22-1/2 x 18-1/2 inches signed, titled and dated, with A/P; inscription on verso reads: To Skippy Burgess, the finest and most sensitive person I have had the honor of knowing. Much Love, Al Hollingsworth. Provenance: private collection, Harlem, NY
Black Art Auction
Mar. 13, 2025
ALVIN CARL HOLLINGSWORTH, DON QUIXOTE 2, LITHOGRAPH
Est: $350 - $450
Artist: Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, American (1928 - 2000) Title: Don Quixote 2 Year: circa 1979 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 1000 Image Size: 22 x 13 inches Size: 26 in. x 19.5 in. (66.04 cm x 49.53 cm)
RoGallery
Jan. 01, 2025
ALVIN CARL HOLLINGSWORTH, RADIANT SUN, CAST RESIN MEDALLION
Est: $350 - $450
Artist: Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, American (1928 - 2000) Title: Radiant Sun Year: 1977 Medium: Cast Resin Medallion Size: 2 x 2 in. (5.08 x 5.08 cm) Publisher: Art Necko Description: Medallion with a radiant sun face designed by African American artist Alvin Carl Hollingsworth.
RoGallery
Dec. 18, 2024
ALVIN CARL HOLLINGSWORTH, DON QUIXOTE 2, LITHOGRAPH
Est: $350 - $450
Artist: Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, American (1928 - 2000) Title: Don Quixote 2 Year: circa 1979 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 1000 Image Size: 22 x 13 inches Size: 26 in. x 19.5 in. (66.04 cm x 49.53 cm)
RoGallery
Dec. 18, 2024
ALVIN CARL HOLLINGSWORTH, DON QUIXOTE 1, LITHOGRAPH
Est: $350 - $450
Artist: Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, American (1928 - 2000) Title: Don Quixote 1 Year: circa 1979 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 1000 Image Size: 13 x 22 inches Size: 19.5 in. x 26 in. (49.53 cm x 66.04 cm)
RoGallery
Dec. 18, 2024
ALVIN CARL HOLLINGSWORTH, DON QUIXOTE 3, LITHOGRAPH
Est: $350 - $450
Artist: Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, American (1928 - 2000) Title: Don Quixote 3 Year: circa 1979 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 1000 Image Size: 13 x 22 inches Size: 19.5 in. x 26 in. (49.53 cm x 66.04 cm)
RoGallery
Dec. 08, 2024
ALVIN HOLLINGSWORTH (AFRICAN-AMERICAN, 1928-2000).
Est: $600 - $900
'Exodus No. 3'. Oil on board. Signed lower left corner. Provenance: Harbor Gallery, Cold Springs Harbor, NY. Property from a New Jersey estate. Dimensions: 7" h x 45" w. Frame: 9.50" h x 45" w.
Clarke Auction Gallery
Oct. 08, 2024
Two Alvin Carl Hollingsworth Lithographs
Est: $400 - $600
Two Alvin Carl Hollingsworth Lithographs, American 1928 - 2000, pencil signed, color lithographs on paper, includes: Don Quixote 11/375, 35" x 23". CONDITION: Very fine.
Barry S. Slosberg Inc
May. 18, 2024
Alvin Hollingsworth, 1928-2000, untitled, Three Figures
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
Alvin Hollingsworth 1928-2000 untitled, Three Figures c.1970 oil on board 24 x 18 inches signed
Black Art Auction
Jan. 10, 2024
2 Alvin Carl Hollingsworth Lithographs
Est: $400 - $600
Two Alvin Carl Hollingsworth Lithographs, American 1928 - 2000, pencil signed, color lithographs on paper, includes: Don Quixote 11/375, 35" x 23". CONDITION: Very fine.
Barry S. Slosberg Inc
Dec. 06, 2023
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, Don Quixote 1, Lithograph
Est: $350 - $450
Artist: Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, American (1928 - 2000) Title: Don Quixote 1 Year: circa 1979 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 1000 Image Size: 13 x 22 inches Size: 19.5 in. x 26 in. (49.53 cm x 66.04 cm)
RoGallery
Oct. 14, 2023
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, American 1928-2000, Drummer
Est: $600 - $800
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth American, 1928-2000 Drummer c. 1965 oil on masonite 30 x 10-3/4 inches signed
Black Art Auction
Sep. 14, 2023
ALVIN CARL HOLLINGSWORTH, DON QUIXOTE 1, LITHOGRAPH
Est: $900 - $1,200
Artist: Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, American (1928 - 2000) Title: Don Quixote 1 Year: circa 1979 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: AP Image Size: 17 x 29.5 inches Size: 23 x 35 in. (58.42 x 88.9 cm) Description: Lithograph depicting a scene out of the famous literature "Don Quixote"
RoGallery
Aug. 31, 2023
ALVIN CARL HOLLINGSWORTH, DON QUIXOTE 2, LITHOGRAPH
Est: $350 - $450
Artist: Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, American (1928 - 2000) Title: Don Quixote 2 Year: circa 1979 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 1000 Image Size: 22 x 13 inches Size: 26 in. x 19.5 in. (66.04 cm x 49.53 cm) Reference:
RoGallery
Aug. 31, 2023
ALVIN CARL HOLLINGSWORTH, DON QUIXOTE 3, LITHOGRAPH
Est: $350 - $450
Artist: Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, American (1928 - 2000) Title: Don Quixote 3 Year: circa 1979 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 1000 Image Size: 13 x 22 inches Size: 19.5 in. x 26 in. (49.53 cm x 66.04 cm) Reference:
RoGallery
Jul. 27, 2023
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, Radiant Sun, Cast Resin Medallion
Est: $350 - $450
Artist: Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, American (1928 - 2000) Title: Radiant Sun Year: 1977 Medium: Cast Resin Medallion Size: 2 x 2 in. (5.08 x 5.08 cm) Publisher: Art Necko Description: Medallion with a radiant sun face designed by African American artist Alvin Carl Hollingsworth.
RoGallery
Jun. 16, 2023
ALVIN CARL HOLLINGSWORTH, CELEBRATION, OIL ON MASONITE
Est: $18,000 - $20,000
Artist: Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, American (1928 - 2000) Title: Celebration Year: circa 1960 Medium: Oil on Masonite, signed lower left Size: 15 x 57.5 in. (38.1 x 146.05 cm) Frame Size: 16 x 58.5 inches Description: Alvin Carl Hollingsworth was an American painter and one of the first 5 African American artists working in the comic book industry. This painting is signed lower left.
RoGallery
Apr. 30, 2023
Alvin Hollingsworth (American, 1928-2000) Painting
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth (American, 1928-2000) Painting. Title - Women and Children Amarillo Landscape. Signed lower right A.C. Hollingsworth. Painting has multiple artist stamps on the back with an artist signed card. African American artist. The painting measures 24 inches high, 30 inches wide. Frame measures 29.6 inches high, 35.5 inches wide. In good condition. Biography from Broward Auction Gallery: Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, Black American artist, comic-strip illustrator and painter, was born in New York City in 1928. Alvin began drawing at the age of four, and by the time he was twelve, he was an artist assistant at Holyoke Publishing Company for Catman's Comics. A year later he was doing illustrations for Crime Comics. Hollingsorth's paintings dealt with themes of contemporary social issues such as the Civil Rights Movement, women's struggles, spiritual concepts, jazz, city life, time and space and dance. He was also a mural designer, author, poet, and lecturer. Hollingsworth graduated from the High School of Music and Art in New York City and then graduated Phi Beta Kappa from City College of New York with a fine arts degree. He later did graduate work. NBC network hired him to tour the East Coast lecturing and demonstrating painting and to host a ten-part series, You're Part of Art. As a result, he became a widely known figure in the art world. By 1953, he was creating his own comic strip that was nationally syndicated by the Associated Press in one-hundred forty newspapers. From 1980 until his retirement in 1998, Hollingsworth was a full Professor of Art at Hostos Community College of the City University of New York. Alvin Carl Hollingsworth passed away in 2000.
Myers Fine Art
Apr. 22, 2023
ALVIN CARL HOLLINGSWORTH, DON QUIXOTE 3, LITHOGRAPH
Est: $350 - $450
Artist: Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, American (1928 - 2000) Title: Don Quixote 3 Year: circa 1979 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 1000 Image Size: 13 x 22 inches Size: 19.5 in. x 26 in. (49.53 cm x 66.04 cm)
RoGallery
Feb. 04, 2023
ALVIN CARL HOLLINGSWORTH, DON QUIXOTE 3, LITHOGRAPH
Est: $250 - $450
Artist: Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, American (1928 - 2000) Title: Don Quixote 3 Year: circa 1979 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 1000 Image Size: 13 x 22 inches Size: 19.5 in. x 26 in. (49.53 cm x 66.04 cm)
RoGallery
Feb. 04, 2023
ALVIN CARL HOLLINGSWORTH, DON QUIXOTE 2, LITHOGRAPH
Est: $250 - $450
Artist: Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, American (1928 - 2000) Title: Don Quixote 2 Year: circa 1979 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 1000 Image Size: 22 x 13 inches Size: 26 in. x 19.5 in. (66.04 cm x 49.53 cm)
RoGallery
Jan. 31, 2023
ALVIN CARL HOLLINGSWORTH, DON QUIXOTE 1, LITHOGRAPH
Est: $400 - $600
Artist: Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, American (1928 - 2000) Title: Don Quixote 1 Year: circa 1979 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 1000 Image Size: 13 x 22 inches Size: 19.5 in. x 26 in. (49.53 cm x 66.04 cm)
RoGallery
Jan. 19, 2023
ALVIN CARL HOLLINGSWORTH, American (1928-2000), “Statue of Liberty”, oil, acrylic and collage on canvasboard, 18 x 24 inches
Est: $800 - $1,200
ALVIN CARL HOLLINGSWORTH American, (1928-2000) "Statue of Liberty" oil, acrylic and collage on canvasboard signed and titled on the reverse
Shannon's
Jan. 19, 2023
ALVIN CARL HOLLINGSWORTH, American (1928-2000), Two Women in a Landscape, oil on canvasboard, 14 x 18 inches
Est: $600 - $800
ALVIN CARL HOLLINGSWORTH American, (1928-2000) Two Women in a Landscape oil on canvasboard signed lower right "A.C. Hollingsworth"
Shannon's
Dec. 16, 2022
COLLECTION OF ALVIN HOLLINGSWORTH (AMERICAN 1928-2000) EPHEMERA
Est: $500 - $700
COLLECTION OF ALVIN HOLLINGSWORTH (AMERICAN 1928-2000) EPHEMERA The collection of ephemera includes: a) signed and dedicated sketch book b) brass and enamel medallions (Sun and Moon) c) Visions of Visionaries poster signed by the artist Ultra Christ, A.C. Hollingsworth; d) two handmade and signed postcards; e)A.C. Hollingsworth monograph; f)a signed book Erotic Art
Shapiro Auctions LLC
Dec. 16, 2022
ALVIN HOLLINGSWORTH (AMERICAN 1928-2000)
Est: $200 - $300
ALVIN HOLLINGSWORTH (AMERICAN 1928-2000) Alas, the Monster!, circa 1979 lithograph 57 x 90 cm (22 1/2 x 35 3/8 in.) unframed signed lower right. inscribed artist proof lower left. PROVENANCE Gifted by the artist to the current owner, long-term family friend of Hollingsworth.
Shapiro Auctions LLC
Dec. 16, 2022
ALVIN HOLLINGSWORTH (AMERICAN 1928-2000)
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
ALVIN HOLLINGSWORTH (AMERICAN 1928-2000) Two Women and a Child, acrylic on board 60.9 x 45.7 cm (24 x 18 in.) unframed signed lower left PROVENANCE Gifted by the artist to the current owner, long-term family friend of Hollingsworth.
Shapiro Auctions LLC
Nov. 25, 2022
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, Don Quixote 2, Lithograph
Est: $400 - $500
Artist: Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, American (1928 - 2000) Title: Don Quixote 2 Year: circa 1979 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 1000 Image Size: 22 x 13 inches Size: 26 in. x 19.5 in. (66.04 cm x 49.53 cm)
RoGallery
Nov. 25, 2022
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, Don Quixote 1, Lithograph
Est: $400 - $500
Artist: Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, American (1928 - 2000) Title: Don Quixote 1 Year: circa 1979 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 1000 Image Size: 13 x 22 inches Size: 19.5 in. x 26 in. (49.53 cm x 66.04 cm)
RoGallery
Nov. 19, 2022
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, 1928-2000, untitled, Saxophonist
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth 1928-2000 untitled, Saxophonist c. 1965 pastel and ink on blue paper 18 x 12 inches signed
Black Art Auction
Nov. 17, 2022
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, Don Quixote 2, Lithograph
Est: $300 - $500
Artist: Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, American (1928 - 2000) Title: Don Quixote 2 Year: circa 1979 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 1000 Image Size: 22 x 13 inches Size: 26 in. x 19.5 in. (66.04 cm x 49.53 cm)
RoGallery
Nov. 17, 2022
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, Don Quixote 1, Lithograph
Est: $400 - $600
Artist: Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, American (1928 - 2000) Title: Don Quixote 1 Year: circa 1979 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 1000 Image Size: 13 x 22 inches Size: 19.5 in. x 26 in. (49.53 cm x 66.04 cm)
RoGallery
Nov. 17, 2022
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, Don Quixote 3, Lithograph
Est: $300 - $500
Artist: Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, American (1928 - 2000) Title: Don Quixote 3 Year: circa 1979 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 1000 Image Size: 13 x 22 inches Size: 19.5 in. x 26 in. (49.53 cm x 66.04 cm)
RoGallery
Oct. 22, 2022
ALVIN CARL HOLLINGSWORTH (American, 1928-2000)
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
ALVIN CARL HOLLINGSWORTH (American, 1928-2000), ''The Message'', acrylic, oil and collage on canvas, signed lower left, titled on label adhered to strainer verso. Small abrasions and areas of lifting to paper. Canvas 30''h, 24''w. Provenance: Acquired by present owner from a Manhattan estate.
South Bay Auctions Inc
Sep. 17, 2022
ALVIN CARL HOLLINGSWORTH (American, 1928-2000)
Est: $800 - $1,200
ALVIN CARL HOLLINGSWORTH (American, 1928-2000), New York City skyline, watercolor and gouache on paperboard, signed ''A.C. Hollingsworth'' lower right, unframed. Matstain, laid down to paperboard. 8-1/2''h, 30''w.
South Bay Auctions Inc
Jul. 28, 2022
Alvin Hollingsworth (American, 1928-2000) The Picture Exhibition
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
Alvin Hollingsworth (American, 1928-2000) The Picture Exhibition acrylic on canvas signed A.C. Hollingsworth (lower left); signed, titled and dated (verso) 16 x 48 inches. Property from the Estate of Leona Chanin
Hindman
May. 14, 2022
ALVIN HOLLINGSWORTH (AMERICAN 1928-2000)
Est: $4,000 - $5,000
Equality circa 1965 oil on canvas 76 x 92 cm (29 7/8 x 36 1/4 in.) framed dimensions: 90 x 105 cm (35 3/8 x 41 3/8 in.) signed on stretcher, possibly in another hand LOT ESSAY The pioneering Afro-American comic-book illustrator, poet, painter and educator Alvin Carl Hollingsworth was born in Harlem in 1928 to Barbadian emigrants. He began his career, aged twelve, as an artist assistant at Holyoke Publishing Company for Catman's Comics. He continued working in comics throughout the 1940s and 50s before transitioning to painting and printmaking. With his background in commercial illustration, Hollingsworth was an experienced draftsman with an eye for bold colors and compositions, who oscillated seamlessly between styles, genres, media, and influences as diverse as Henry Ossawa Tanner and Gustave Dore to contemporaries Salvador Dali, Tom Wesselman and Nicholas de Stael. Equality evidently dates to Hollingsworths early painting years, characterized by naturalistic modelling and earthy color palettes with fluorescent accents, as well as an interest in found materials and urban life (or, the social inequalities it perpetuates). It is closely related to the artists most notable body of work from the period: a series entitled Cry City, the subject of a solo exhibition at Terry Dintenfass Gallery. Using material salvaged from the streets tar paper the artist found on tenement roofs; fishbones, broken cement, stones, teeth and bits of glass Hollingsworth presented the city as a psychologically and physically difficult terrain (John H. Hewitt, The Themes of Alvin C. Hollingsworth, Black Art An International Quarterly 2:1 (1977): 5). Compared with the sober, alienated character of many paintings from this time, Equality is rather more emotionally inscrutable. Here, the blackboard evidently bearing a lesson on the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution has already been partly erased, and class appears to be in recess. Space is collapsed, figures disjointed. Superimposed over the right side of the board is a portrait of a 19th century man in a European military uniform, whose implied gaze looms over the sea of racially ambiguous but pale faces streaming this way and that. The frontality of the mans portrait is repeated by the two boys at the lower corners of the frame, but they too don't make direct eye contact with the viewer or the figures around them. (Hollingsworth used a similar composition and narrative device in Group of Children, also circa 1965, sold by Swann Galleries, October 8, 2009, lot 55). Equality, however, shares in the dynamism of Jacob Lawrences Migration Series, and perhaps also its reticent optimism for the future. Hollingsworth attributes the crystallizing of social issues in works from the 1960s to his involvement with Spiral, a Black artists collective founded by Romare Bearden, Norman Lewis, Hale Woodruff and James Yeargans. A dozen or so members initially gathered in Beardens and Charles Alsons shared Greenwich Village studio in July 1963 to discuss the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, planned for August 28th. Realizing their galvanizing potential went beyond the scope of the march, the group began planning their first (and only) group exhibition: Spiral: First Group Showing (works in black and white), which ran in May-June 1965 at a rented Christopher St. storefront. (Black and white was chosen both as a universal political appeal and an organizing principle, since Spirals members did not share any specific aesthetic sensibility). Though the group was active for some two and a half years, their praxis and unifying outlook were enormously influential on future generations of artists. (This contribution was the subject of a 2011 show, Spiral: Perspectives on an African-American Art Collective, at the Studio Museum in Harlem). Between 1960 and 1970, Hollingsworth expanded his reach to muralism and lithography, as well as hosted a popular ten-part series for NBC titled "You're Part of Art". From 1980 until his retirement in 1998, he was a full Professor of Art at Hostos Community College of the City University of New York. Hollingsworths role during the Golden Age of Comic Books has recently been covered by Ken Quattro in Invisible Men: The Trailblazing Black Artists of Comic Books (San Diego: YOE Books/IDW Publishing, 2020). CONDITION Observed in frame, the painting is in good condition. Inspection under UV shows no apparent sign of restoration. N.B. All lots are sold in as-is condition at the time of sale. Please note that any condition statement regarding works of art is given as a courtesy to our clients in order to assist them in assessing the condition. The report is a genuine opinion held by Shapiro Auctions and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report or a photograph does not preclude the absence of defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Shapiro Auctions, LLC., including its consultants and agents, shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.
Shapiro Auctions LLC
Apr. 28, 2022
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth Lithograph
Est: $100 - $200
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth (American, 1928-2000) lithograph "Dream the Impossible Dream". Edition 6 out of 250 lower left. Signed in pencil lower right. Sight: 22" x 17". Frame: 31" x 25 1/2".
Willow Auction House
Jul. 31, 2021
ALVIN HOLLINGSWORTH (AMERICAN 1928-2000)
Est: $8,000 - $10,000
ALVIN HOLLINGSWORTH (AMERICAN 1928-2000) Equality, circa 1965 oil on canvas 76 x 92 cm (29 7/8 x 36 1/4 in.) signed on stretcher, possibly in another hand LOT NOTES The pioneering Afro-American comic-book illustrator, poet, painter and educator Alvin Carl Hollingsworth was born in Harlem in 1928 to Barbadian emigrants. He began his career, aged twelve, as an artist assistant at Holyoke Publishing Company for Catman's Comics. He continued working in comics throughout the 1940s and 50s before transitioning to painting and printmaking. With his background in commercial illustration, Hollingsworth was an experienced draftsman with an eye for bold colors and compositions, who oscillated seamlessly between styles, genres, media, and influences as diverse as Henry Ossawa Tanner and Gustave Dore to contemporaries Salvador Dali, Tom Wesselmann and Nicholas de Stael. Equality evidently dates to Hollingsworth’s early painting years, characterized by naturalistic modelling and earthy color palettes with fluorescent accents, as well as an interest in found materials and urban life (or, the social inequalities it perpetuates). It is closely related to the artist’s most notable body of work from the period: a series entitled Cry City, the subject of a solo exhibition at Terry Dintenfass Gallery. Using material salvaged from the streets -- tar paper the artist found on tenement roofs; fishbones, broken cement, stones, teeth and bits of glass -- Hollingsworth presented the city as a psychologically and physically difficult terrain (John H. Hewitt, “The Themes of Alvin C. Hollingsworth,” Black Art – An International Quarterly 2:1 (1977): 5). Compared with the sober, alienated character of many paintings from this time, Equality is rather more emotionally inscrutable. Here, the blackboard -- evidently bearing a lesson on the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution -- has already been partly erased, and class appears to be in recess. Space is collapsed, figures disjointed. Superimposed over the right side of the board is a portrait of a 19th century man in a European military uniform, whose implied gaze looms over the sea of racially ambiguous but pale faces streaming this way and that. The frontality of the man’s portrait is repeated by the two boys at the lower corners of the frame, but they too don’t make direct eye contact with the viewer or the figures around them. (Hollingsworth used a similar composition and narrative device in Group of Children, also circa 1965, sold by Swann Galleries, October 8, 2009, lot 55). Equality, however, shares in the dynamism of Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series, and perhaps also its reticent optimism for the future. Hollingsworth attributes the crystallizing of social issues in works from the 1960s to his involvement with Spiral, a Black artist’s collective founded by Romare Bearden, Norman Lewis, Hale Woodruff and James Yeargans. A dozen or so members initially gathered in Bearden’s and Charles Alson’s shared Greenwich Village studio in July 1963 to discuss the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, planned for August 28th. Realizing their galvanizing potential went beyond the scope of the march, the group began planning their first (and only) group exhibition: “Spiral: First Group Showing (works in black and white)”, which ran in May-June 1965 at a rented Christopher St. storefront. (Black and white was chosen both as a universal political appeal and an organizing principle, since Spiral’s members did not share any specific aesthetic sensibility). Though the group was active for some two and a half years, their praxis and unifying outlook were enormously influential on future generations of artists. (This contribution was the subject of a 2011 show, Spiral: Perspectives on an African-American Art Collective, at the Studio Museum in Harlem). Between 1960 and 1970, Hollingsworth expanded his reach to muralism and lithography, as well as hosted a popular ten-part series for NBC titled "You're Part of Art". From 1980 until his retirement in 1998, he was a full Professor of Art at Hostos Community College of the City University of New York. Hollingsworth’s role during the Golden Age of Comic Books has recently been covered by Ken Quattro in Invisible Men: The Trailblazing Black Artists of Comic Books (San Diego: YOE Books/IDW Publishing, 2020). CONDITION Observed in frame, the painting appears in good condition. No apparent issues visible to the naked eye with no significant issues to report. Inspection under UV shows no apparent sign of restoration. framed dimensions: 90 x 105 cm (35 3/8 x 41 3/8 in.) N.B. All lots are sold in as-is condition at the time of sale. Please note that any condition statement regarding works of art is given as a courtesy to our clients in order to assist them in assessing the condition. The report is a genuine opinion held by Shapiro Auctions and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report or a photograph does not preclude the absence of defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Shapiro Auctions, LLC., including its consultants and agents, shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.
Shapiro Auctions LLC
Jul. 17, 2021
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, 1928-2000, Expansive City and Landscape (untitled)
Est: $1,500 - $2,000
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth 1928-2000 Expansive City and Landscape (untitled) c. 1960 mixed media on board 18 x 24 inches signed
Black Art Auction