Leonard Baskin (American, 1922-2000). "Las Volk des dichter und denker und merder und Hencker" mixed media woodcut on paper, 1987. Signed in red on lower right. "For David From Leonard" written in red in lower left. Title, artist, and date handwritten on verso. "VERITABLE PAPIER / D'ARCHES / FIN" blind stamped in lower right. A startling mixed media woodcut by legendary Leonard Baskin entitled "Las Volk des dichter und denker und merder und Hencker" (roughly translating to "The people of poets and thinkers and murderers and executioners") depicting a huge gluttonous figure grasping at his corpulent body with claw-like hands, his haunting visage facing skyward with hollowed eyes, a pointed nose, and a Jack-O-Lantern mouth, all crowned by the traditional laurel wreath of a poet laureate. Characteristic Baskin, this gargantuan image exudes with intense, emotional energy, appearing almost grotesque. Size of image: 22.75" W x 30" H (57.8 cm x 76.2 cm) Size of frame: 34.25" W x 41.5" H (87 cm x 105.4 cm)

Here, Baskin employs a diverse set of mediums: coarse chisels and dense cross-hatching of the woodblock articulate each detail of the hands, almost hyperbolically outlining the fleshy folds of the chin, mottled watercolors of tan and peach form the bulbous body with soft brushstrokes of verdant green creating the lush foliage of the laurel crown, smudged charcoal accentuates the dark shadowing on the chest, and sporadic striations of paint and charcoal accentuate that chaos of the body. A line of Yiddish is inscribed at the bottom of the piece, possibly stating the title or adding commentary to the piece.

Leonard Baskin was a 20th century "Renaissance Man" - a highly respected sculptor, printmaker, writer, and watercolorist. His prints included mythological, classical, and biblical scenes as well as portraits and floral studies. Baskin studied at Yale University from 1941 to 1943 and received his B.A. at the New School for Social Research in 1949. He also founded Gehenna Press which specialized in fine book production and taught printmaking and sculpture at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts as well as Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts from 1953 until 1974. Baskin's artworks are in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, the Vatican Museum, the Smithsonian Institute, the Tate Gallery in London, and other elite institutions. "Angel of Death" has been collected by the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art among others (accession numbers 1971.300, 1971.25, and 1961-157-4 respectively). His noted public sculptural commissions include pieces for the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial as well as the Holocaust Memorial in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Baskin also received many prestigious honors, such as a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Gold Medal of the National Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Jewish Cultural Achievement Award. He was also honored with numerous retrospective exhibitions at institutions including the Smithsonian Museum, the Albertina Museum, and the Library of Congress.

Provenance: ex-private Bishop Family Trust collection, the Trust of the late Bill Bishop, a noted antiquarian with shops in Scottsdale, Arizona and Allenspark, Colorado, USA, acquired before 2010

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#173161

Signed in red on lower right. "For David From Leonard" written in red in lower left. Title, artist, and date handwritten on label on verso. "VERITABLE PAPIER / D'ARCHES / FIN" blind stamped in lower right. Set in custom matte and frame with suspension wire on verso for display. A few minor nicks to frame; none of which affect the artwork. Image has not been examined outside of frame, but appears to be in excellent overall condition.