A rare
early 1940s relief print of a Jim Flora woodcut, printed by the artist over 60 years ago, is
now being auctioned on eBay by the late artist's family. The
auction closes on
May 25.
The untitled, unsigned and undated work reflects Flora's early 1940s style, when many of his paintings, sketches and commercial illustrations featured
disconnected body parts and pulled-apart faces linked with pin-lines, like a
Calder mobile. Flora learned woodcutting at the
Art Academy of Cincinnati in the late 1930s, and carved
dozens of blocks over the ensuing decades.
Seven black-on-white copies of this print are in the Flora archives, but only one will be auctioned for now. Unlike dozens of vintage Flora prints for which blocks cannot be found, the original block for this print is in the family archive. However, because of a split in the aged wood, the block might not be serviceable for further prints.
Update: bidding ended at $415.00.