109 - EDWARD MUEGGE BUCK SCHIWETZ (AMERICAN, 1898-1984)

EDWARD MUEGGE BUCK SCHIWETZ (AMERICAN, 1898-1984) Italian Harbor Village with Campanile, 1966 44.4 x 57.8 cm (17 1/2 x 22 3/4 in.) [sight] framed dimensions: 62 x 76 cm (24 3/8 x 30 in.) Signed and dated lower right “EM Schiwetz 66” PROVENANCE Collection of Robert Kurtz, Houston, TX thence by descent CONDITION Observed in frame and under UV light. There is toning present throughout. Signs of slight discoloration and matte burn around the edges of the artwork closer to the linen matte. LOT NOTES A lively waterfront view of stacked, laundry-hung houses, an arcaded quay, a brick bell tower and a standing oarsman in a red boat, all rendered in Schiwetz’s nervous pen line over loose washes. The date is significant: in 1966 Schiwetz retired as an advertising consultant to devote himself to his art, and a visit to his brother Berthold “Tex” Schiwetz, a sculptor working in Rome, gave him the chance to sketch the Italian countryside and visit Rome, Venice, and Florence. This sheet belongs to that campaign. Schiwetz grew up in Cuero, learned to draw from his mother, graduated from Cuero High School in 1916 and took an architecture degree from Texas A&M in 1921. In New York he studied etching and lithography at the Art Students League by night and sold sketches by day to House Beautiful, Scribner’s, Pencil Points and Pictorial Review. His 1960 book Buck Schiwetz’ Texas carried an introduction by his former teacher Walter Prescott Webb, and his drawings of old courthouses and buildings often helped save them from demolition. He was named official state artist of Texas for 1977-78. His work is in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Keywords: Buck Schiwetz, Texas State Artist, Italian Harbor Watercolor, Mid-Century Ink and Watercolor, Italian Village Bell Tower, American Regionalist Watercolor N.B. All lots are sold in as-is condition at the time of sale. Please note that any condition statement regarding works of art is given as a courtesy to our clients in order to assist them in assessing the condition. The report is a genuine opinion held by Shapiro Auctions & Appraisals LLC and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report or a photograph does not preclude the absence of defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Shapiro Auctions & Appraisals, LLC., including its consultants and agents, shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.