Woodard Lipe’s September 14, 2024 Auction features a lithograph by Alexander Calder called Le Bateau Lavoir (The Laundry Boat),1969. A bold graphic piece reminiscent of Calder’s famous kinetic art mobiles, it combines geometric triangles and circles in bold primary colors of red, yellow, black with a gray background. When compared to an earlier painting “The Laundry Boat on the
Seine” by Vincent van Gogh, we clearly see Calder’s minimalist modern approach to his subject.
This piece is a lithograph in colors, on wove paper. Lithographs are made from a complex printing process in which the artist draws the image directly onto a flat stone or metal plate in ink, which is then coated with a water-based liquid. The ink adheres to only the areas the artist intended, so that when paper is applied to the stone or plate a mirror image is transferred to the paper. Lithographs containing multiple colors use this process for each color of the image.
Limited edition lithographs are marked with a numerical notation indicating the total number of editions made. For example, a marking of 22/50 indicates that the specific print in question is the 22nd of a total of 50 lithographs run off the plate. Generally speaking, the lower the total number of editions, the more valuable the art can become.
Artists make at least several prints that are meant to be shown to dealers and galleries as examples of his or her work. These prints are called Hors Commerce or Hors d’Commerce proofs, which translated from French means “do not sell” and are labelled with “H.C.” on the bottom of the print. Despite their name, H.C. prints occasionally find their way to the art market where they are in high demand due to their scarcity.
Calder’s Le Bateau Lavoir offered at auction on September 14th is such a print, designated with “HC” rather than a numerical identification. As such, it is a rarer than a numbered work and will hold a special place in the owner's collection.