René d'Harnoncourt (1901-1968)
Eight sheets of multicolored paper with nineteen works tipped or affixed to the paper mounts with depictions of toys and artifacts, with the artist's bookplate affixed to one sheet
Each: Unsigned
Largest sheet: 14.25" H x 11.5" W; Smallest sheet: 13.5" H x 9.75" W
Provenance: The Collection of Frederick W. Davis
Private Collection, Southern California, by descent from the above

Other Notes: in 1926 René d'Harnoncourt moved to Mexico, and the following year began working for Frederick Davis at his antiquities and folk art shop in Mexico City. Davis was among the first to collect, display, and sell the work of emerging Mexican artists such as Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and Rufino Tamayo. d'Harnoncourt assisted in buying and selling antiques and contemporary works and also organized displays and exhibits in the showroom.

In 1929 and 1930 d'Harnoncourt organized an exhibition of Mexican fine and applied arts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, which then traveled to other American cities. d'Harnoncourt left Davis's shop in 1933 and moved to the United States. d'Harnoncourt served as Director of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, from 1949 to 1967.

Each: Overall good condition. One image with a 2" and 0.75" diagonal folds in the lower right corner. One image with a 0.75" tear in the upper left edge. Each mount with various degrees of soiling and staining. Each sheet is loose and not matted.

Each: Unframed Condition reports are offered as a courtesy and are typically published in Moran's catalogue or can be made available upon request. The absence of a condition report does not imply that an item is free from defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of others. Buyers are responsible for determining to their own satisfaction the true nature and condition of any lot prior to bidding. Though buyers are not legally required to inspect lots prior to purchase, failure to do so may constitute a waiver of complaint that an item was not delivered in a condition equal to the existent condition at the auction.