Armstrong Fine Art

Armstrong Fine Art Art Gallery

Art dealership committed to showing the most beautiful works on paper from the 19th and 20th centuries, from Europe, the United States, and increasingly from beyond.

This is what an art dealer's Sunday looks like. Three very recent acquisitions simply had to be added to our shipment go...
03/03/2026

This is what an art dealer's Sunday looks like. Three very recent acquisitions simply had to be added to our shipment going to San Antonio print fair this coming weekend. So, we had to do a bit of last minute matting. It so happens that each of these was an oblong format... Funny how that happens sometimes. Anyway, working 7 days a week isn't my favorite, but with matting there are these small gratifying moments, like when a clean mat enhances the beauty of an attractive composition. And cutting a crisp bevel into a sheet of mat board, with a sharp blade gliding down the cutter's rail, is one of those Zen experiences that never gets old. Anyway, come and see these new beauties in San Antonio, if you happen to live nearby. Or message us if interested to find out more. These aren't even on our website yet.

In the 1980s, under the influence of Japanese artists, who had rediscovered the mezzotint technique, European and Americ...
12/04/2025

In the 1980s, under the influence of Japanese artists, who had rediscovered the mezzotint technique, European and American printmakers got in on the action. Joop Vegter, a Dutch artist, created a couple hundred compositions, many small or very small. These two are part of his main oeuvre, somewhat larger (7 3/4 inches / 20 cm tall). Vegter always invites the viewer in a diminutive world, suspended into a timeless dark background, where a little bit of natural beauty is displayed in vivid colors. His work is a great escape from the loudness of today. These two color mezzotints are available (link to our site in the bio).

Georges de Feure (1868-1943) was one of Europe’s most important Art Nouveau artists. A painter and printmaker at heart,...
10/30/2025

Georges de Feure (1868-1943) was one of Europe’s most important Art Nouveau artists. A painter and printmaker at heart, de Feure also dabbled in decorative arts, designing furniture, vases, candle sticks, etc. After some art studies in Amsterdam, where he had mostly grown up, he launched a visible career in Paris by designing colorful posters. Associated early on with the symbolist movement, which he never repudiated, he was soon approached by Siegfried Bing to help him design the Art Nouveau pavilion of the 1900 exposition. His career was launched. For decades he was a force in European arts, painting, making prints, and designing decorative arts.

This is the most elaborate Art Nouveau color lithograph by the artist which we have ever encountered, and it is in excellent condition. This is also one of the finest examples of a fine art print in the Art Nouveau style (as opposed to posters, which are more common).

Georges de FEURE (French, 1868-1943)
Profil de Femme à la Boucle d’Oreille Art Nouveau (French title)
Profile of a Woman with an Art Nouveau Earring
Color lithograph on smooth wove paper, circa 1898.
No known edition. We have yet to find another impression of this subject; exceedingly scarce.
Signed and numbered in black pencil.
Provenance: Michel Romand (1929-2013), great-grandson of Edmond Sagot (1857-1917).
Image size: 15 ½ x 10 ¾ inches.

Georges de Feure (1868-1943) was one of Europe’s most important Art Nouveau artists. A painter and printmaker at heart,...
10/30/2025

Georges de Feure (1868-1943) was one of Europe’s most important Art Nouveau artists. A painter and printmaker at heart, de Feure also dabbled in decorative arts, designing furniture, vases, candle sticks, etc. After some art studies in Amsterdam, where he had mostly grown up, he launched a visible career in Paris by designing colorful posters. Associated early on with the symbolist movement, which he never repudiated, he was soon approached by Siegfried Bing to help him design the Art Nouveau pavilion of the 1900 exposition. His career was launched. For decades he was a force in European arts, painting, making prints, and designing decorative arts.

This is the most elaborate Art Nouveau color lithograph by the artist which we have ever encountered, and it is in excellent condition. This is also one of the finest examples of a fine art print in the Art Nouveau style (as opposed to posters, which are more common).

Georges de FEURE (French, 1868-1943)
Profil de Femme à la Boucle d’Oreille Art Nouveau (French title)
Profile of a Woman with an Art Nouveau Earring
Color lithograph on smooth wove paper, circa 1898.
No known edition. We have yet to find another impression of this subject; exceedingly scarce.
Signed and numbered in black pencil.
Provenance: Michel Romand (1929-2013), great-grandson of Edmond Sagot (1857-1917).
Image size: 15 ½ x 10 ¾ inches.

Resting on one leg, a white heron strikes an elegant pose against a pitch-dark background, while the rain falls. A drama...
10/19/2025

Resting on one leg, a white heron strikes an elegant pose against a pitch-dark background, while the rain falls. A dramatically beautiful image, one of Gakusui’s most famous, in which some feather outlines are “blind embossed”, outlined only thanks to their pressure; no ink needed!

 
Japanese nihonga-trained artist Ide Gakusui (1899–1978) worked in post-war Japan to produce a small but striking series of kachō-e (bird-and-flower prints) for Watanabe Shōsaburō from 1949 to the mid-1950s. His best-known woodblocks—such as Two Herons in Snow, Heron in Rain, and Two Cranes are composed in a graceful, understated style, with natural subjects distilled into elegant line and form.
Gakusui’s prints reflect a deep mastery of shin‑hanga principles: tonal subtlety, compositional restraint, and a serene presence. Owing to their refined beauty and rarity, these prints continue to attract collectors of Japanese modern printmaking.

 
GAKUSUI Ide (Japanese, 1899-1982)
White Heron in the Rain
Woodblock print (color woodcut), with embossing throughout the feathers, on Japan paper, circa 1950.
First edition, published by Watanabe.
With the signature in the block and with the red seal. There also seems to be an unidentified round stamp (collector's?) in the lower left image corner.
Sheet size: 15 ½ x 10 ¼ inches.

Richard Ranft (Swiss-French, 1862-1931) always liked to depict the more enjoyable side of life: parties, sunny landscape...
10/16/2025

Richard Ranft (Swiss-French, 1862-1931) always liked to depict the more enjoyable side of life: parties, sunny landscapes, elegant women. He didn't shy away from images of labor, but even those images convey a refined dignity. In "Promenade Matinale" Ranft gives us a snapshot of just how good life can get. Two beautifully dressed women are donning fine summer dresses on their morning walk. This is not a quick casual outing to have the dog go and do his business. The redheaded woman has taken the time to tie a black ribbon choker around her neck, while the black-haired woman slipped into a fitted and arresting red dress and took her fancy umbrella along. Puffy clouds suggest a lazy breeze. The blue-green water suggests the sun striking the water's surface. The umbrella and the light white dress evoke the possibility of summer heat. At their feet, a Belgian Malinois (Malinois noir) is trying to decide what comes next. Did he just come from a run, or is he about the take off? The elegant white cross is prominently displayed in this print. This dog was their owner's pride. This is the start of good day...

Richard RANFT (1862-1931): Morning Walk
Promenade Matinale (original French title)
Etching and aquatint printed in color on wove paper, circa 1900.
Edition of 50.
Signed and numbered in pencil.
Plate size: 22 x 10 inches.

An atmospheric, quiet, and sorrowful composition by Frank Utpatel. A man, book in hand, is speaking his eulogy. This fig...
10/12/2025

An atmospheric, quiet, and sorrowful composition by Frank Utpatel. A man, book in hand, is speaking his eulogy. This figure is inked more darkly than the mourners, or the horse-drawn hearse and clouds in the background. The focal point is further accentuated by the trees behind the standing figure and the fact that the clouds, the fence, as well as the lines in the snow all seem to run from him towards the edges of the composition.

A Wisconsin-based printmaker and illustrator, Frank Utpatel (1905-1980) created haunting woodcuts and engravings, including book covers for the Arkham House editions of notable authors such as H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and William Hope Hodgson. His work, rooted in the WPA era, blends fine woodcut precision with atmospheric tension.

"Funeral in the Snow"
Wood engraving on very thin Japan wove paper, no date.
No stated edition. Seemingly scarce.
Signed in pencil.
Image size: 8 x 12 inches. $275.

If you live in the Saint Louis area, please mark your calendar for next weeks’ inaugural St. Louis Rare Book Fair. This ...
10/03/2025

If you live in the Saint Louis area, please mark your calendar for next weeks’ inaugural St. Louis Rare Book Fair. This is a one-day-only show, Saturday, October 11th (10 AM - 6 PM), with a preview the night before, Friday, October 10th (4 - 8 PM). I hope you can join us downtown at the Missouri Athletic Club (405 Washington Ave, St Louis, MO 63102).

As the name suggests, this is mostly a collectible book fair, but three print and art dealers will be in attendance. We will show original prints from the 19th century to today: we’ll have something for every taste!

We still have two free tickets available for the preview. And if you email us ahead of time, we’ll cover admission for Saturday. I look forward to seeing you. Please spread the word! Bernard

The subject is reminiscent of depression-era compositions that were still fresh in people’s minds as the war took young ...
10/01/2025

The subject is reminiscent of depression-era compositions that were still fresh in people’s minds as the war took young man into battle. The melancholy in this sunset encounter of the famer’s wife bringing supper to her husband toiling in the field late into the evening is contrasted with their togetherness, echoed by the pair of horses standing side-by-side in the background. Such a moment certainly resonated with parents who had seen their sons off, headed for the faraway conflict.

Lithograph on wove paper, 1943.
Reference: Windisch, Cole, and Herbaugh 546.
Stated edition of 250, which is either an error, was never printed in those numbers, or has been lost in large part. Given it was published during World War II, any of these possibilities is likely. This composition is scarce. We have found just four in public collections and only two impressions seem to have come up for auction in the past 30 years. Very scarce.
Signed in pencil.
Image size: 13 1/8 x 9 3/4 inches. $650.

Dear Friends of Armstrong Fine Art and Mesh Art Gallery, we are thrilled to announce our participation in theMcNay Print...
05/01/2025

Dear Friends of Armstrong Fine Art and Mesh Art Gallery, we are thrilled to announce our participation in the
McNay Print Fair. Held once again in the beautiful Leeper Auditorium, it will be a joy to see you and for all to browse art in
person. We look forward to showing you the many amazing works of art that have been added to both our inventories in the past year.

McNay Art Museum - 6000 N New Braunfels Ave, San Antonio, TX 78209

Preview, Friday, May 2 5.30 pm to 8.30 pm

(free attendance exclusively for the first 20 patrons to RSVP to me by email)

Saturday, May 3 from 10 am to 5 pm - Sunday, Mary 4 from noon to 5 pm

You can browse our inventories ahead of time at
ARMSTRONGFINEART.COM & MESHARTGALLERY.COM

Photo no.1

In the Stairwell
René G. HERMANN-PAUL
1900
Femme Descendant un Escalier or Dans l’Escalier (original French title)
Color lithograph on tan wove paper.
References: BN-IFF 83-2.
Likely from an edition of 20 or 25 impression, perhaps less. Extremely scarce. This is the first time we have seen this print become available in 25 years. Until now we only knew of it thanks to the Bibliothèque Nationale’s inventory, but we had never seen it reproduced, let alone offered for sale.
 
10 1/4 x 6 1/4 inches
$1,300

Photo no.2

The Shop Window of Print Dealer Edmond Sagot
George BOTTINI
1898

La Vitrine de Sagot or Adresse Sagot (original French titles) 
Also titled The Sagot Address or Sagot’s Lithography Gallery  (original French titles)
Color lithograph on smooth wove paper.
Reference: Southard 27. 
This is an impression from the deluxe edition with the remarque in the lower right sheet corner, which is pencil signed. These deluxe impressions are scarce and the charm of the remarque has historically made them very sought-after. 
There is an unsigned edition without the remarque which is somewhat more common.  Exact editions are not known for either state. 
Signed in pencil. 
 
11 3/8 x 7 1/4 inches
$4,250

photo no.3

White Heron in the Rain
Ide GAKUSUI

Woodblock print (color woodcut), with embossing throughout the feathers, on Japan paper, circa 1950.
 
15 1/2 x 10 1/4 inches
Price
$600

Dear Friends of Armstrong Fine Art and Mesh Art Gallery, We are thrilled to once again announceour participation in the ...
04/24/2025

Dear Friends of Armstrong Fine Art and Mesh Art Gallery, We are thrilled to once again announce
our participation in the Cleveland Print Fair. Held in the beautiful and vast atrium of the Cleveland Museum
of Art, one couldn’t dream of a more elegant place to browse artwork one gets to take home. We look forward
to showing you personally the amazing works of art that have been added to both inventories.

Fundraising Preview, Thursday, April 24th 5.30 pm to 8.00 pm ($90 advance purchase)

Friday April 25th from 10 am to 6 pm
Saturday April 26th from 10 am to 5 pm
Sunday April 27th from 10 am to 5 pm
(free admission Friday through Sunday)

www.armstrongfineart.com www.meshartgallery.com

photo no.1
Persimmon M-B
Haku MAKI
1979

Color woodcut, with some mica ink, and with raised embossed elements on white chine-collé paper.
Reference: Maki catalog - Tretiak #195. This print uses the same blocks as „Persimmon M“, which was created the same year, but printed with a black background and black shiny leaves, instead of with this white background and silver foliage. The black backgrounds are typical for Haku Maki’s persimmons, of which there are dozens.
Edition of 160.

Signed, titled, and numbered in pencil, and also bearing the artist’s red ink seal.
Very faint foxing on the verso, only showing through very lightly in the left margin.

10 3/4 x 9 1/2 inches
Price
$525

photo no.2
Rimmed Pale Blue Campanulas
Hugo NOSKE

Color woodcut on thin laid Japan paper, no date.

Edition unknown. Seemingly scarce. 
Signed in pencil.
Very small rip in the top right sheet edge; minor and unnoticeable once matted.
 
10 3/8 x 8 1/4 inches
Price
$290

photo no.3

White Heron in the Rain
Ide GAKUSUI

Woodblock print (color woodcut), with embossing throughout the feathers, on Japan paper, circa 1950.
First edition, published by Watanabe.
With the signature in the block and with the red seal. There also seems to be an unidentified round stamp (collector’s?) in the lower left image corner.
 
15 1/2 x 10 1/4 inches
Price
$600

Address

1200 West 35th Street
Chicago, IL
60609

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+13126649312

Website

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