Arthur B. Davies Rare Original Pencil Signed Zinc Lithograph Nude Studies Poppy 1919-1920

Poppy is an original pencil signed zinc lithograph drawn on the plate by Arthur B. Davies and printed in a small Limited Edition of 25 or less by master New York printer George C. Miller. It was published by the Weyhe Gallery in 1920.

Title: Poppy
Artist: Arthur B. Davies - (1862-1928) - American artist
Technique: Original Zinc Lithograph
Date Published: 1920
Signature: Signed and titled in pencil by the artist.
Edition Size: From a small Limited Edition of 25 or less.
Dimensions: Sheet size - 15 x 20-1/2 inches, Image size - 10-3/4 x 15-7/8 inches.
References: Arthur B. Davies: A Catalogue Raisonne of the Prints (1987) by Joseph S. Czestochowski. In the catalog Poppy is Print No. 154. This was the only state.
This print is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and can be seen on their website.
Condition: Very Good condition with some old adhesive residue in the bottom left and right corners. The image is in Excellent Condition.
Printing: A strong impression printed in black ink on cream Italian Umbria paper by George C. Miller.
Presentation: Unmatted and unframed. Blank on the back, not laid down. Ships in a plastic archival sleeve.
Description: Poppy is an excellent example of the nude studies made by American artist Arthur B. Davies (1862-1928) in several techniques including painting, etchings and lithographs. This lithograph shows three nude models gracefully and beautifully posed. The one in the center holds a small poppy flower, the title of the lithograph.

Davies worked directly on the zinc lithograph plate which allowed him to create the effect of a wash drawing. This is a rare work that is seldom seen at auction. It is a masterpiece of technique and printing.

Arthur Bowen Davies was born in Utica, New York. He studied at the Chicago Academy of Design from 1879 to 1882, and later briefly at the Chicago Art Institute. In 1885, he relocated to New York City where he enrolled at the Art Students League and the Gotham Art Students League, supporting himself as a billboard painter, engineering draftsman and magazine illustrator. He made the first of many trips to Europe in 1893, visiting Holland, Paris and London. Upon returning to the United States, he settled in Congers, New York. His style combined elements of Symbolism, Tonalism, Art Nouveau and Cubism. He began making prints in the 1880s and produced about 220 graphic works between 1916 and 1928, when he died at his studio in Florence, Italy.