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Estimate: $ 2,000 - $ 3,000
AL HIRSCHFELD Bali.
Watercolor and pencil on white wove paper mounted on board, 1932. 355x510 mm; 14x20 inches. Signed, dated and titled in ink, lower right recto.
Considered a child prodigy, Al Hirschfeld's parents relocated to New York City in his early teens so he could pursue studies at The Art Students League. At just 17, he become Art Director at Selznick pictures, which ended abruptly, only to lead him to Paris to study painting with a stipend of $500 from his uncle to encourage his artistic pursuits. In 1925, after six months in Paris, living a Bohemian lifestyle steeped in theater and art, having developed his signature beard, never again to shave it, he returned to New York. Soon after his theatrical illustrations gained popularity in newspapers such as the Herald Tribune and The New York Times. Hirschfeld embraced the New York theater scene, producing numerous illustrations in order to finance frequent visits to Paris and abroad, including a 1932 voyage to Bali which was the genesis for the current work.
