Edward Weston (1886-1958); Margrethe Mather (Nude and Pine Branch);

Edward Weston (1886-1958) Margrethe Mather (Nude and Pine Branch), 1923 Gelatin silver print; signed 'Weston' in pencil on the image, mounted. 6 1/8 x 8 1/2 in. (15.6 x 21.6 cm.) mount 11 1/8 x 14 1/8 in. (28.3 x 35.9 cm.) Footnotes: Provenance Acquired from the photographer by artist Tokio Ueyama (1889-1954) in 1925, 1927, or 1931 By descent to Suye Ueyama, wife of the above, in 1954 By descent to the brother of the above, in 1969 By descent to Irene Tsukada Simonian, daughter of the above and niece of Tokio Ueyama, in 2006 Literature Conger 90 and 91 (variant images) Beth Gates Warren, Margrethe Mather & Edward Weston: A Passionate Collaboration (Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 2001), pl. 63 Exhibitions Museum of Modern Art, Wakayama, Japan, Transbordering: Migration and Art Across Wakayama and the U.S.A., 30 September - 30 November 2023 Note The artist Tokio Ueyama (1889-1954) acquired this remarkable group of photographs (Lots 11-13) directly from Edward Weston's solo exhibitions held in Los Angeles in 1925, 1927, and/or 1931. This trio of works has been treasured by the Ueyama family for nearly a century. Ueyama, whose painting retrospective is currently on view at the Denver Art Museum, emigrated from Japan to the United States in 1908 and spent much of his life in Southern California until his death in 1954. He earned a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Southern California, studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and subsequently explored Europe and Mexico on a Cresson Traveling Scholarship, during which time he developed a lifelong friendship with Diego Rivera. When Ueyama returned home to Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, he co-founded Shaku-do-Sha, a multi-disciplinary art association which hosted events and installations, including Weston's 1927 solo exhibition. According to Amy Conger's exhibition chronology in Edward Weston: Photographs, the first of these three installations was held at a Japanese Club on East First Street in August 1925. Weston memorialized the event in his Daybook: 'The exhibition is over. Though weary, I am happy. In the three days I sold prints to the amount of $140.-- American Club Women bought in two weeks $00.00--Japanese men in three days bought $140.00! . . . It has been outside of Mexico my most interesting exhibit. I was continually reminded of Mexico, for it was a man's show. What a relief to show before a group of intelligent men! If Los Angeles society wishes to see my work after this, they must come to the Japanese quarter and rub elbows with their peers—or no—I should say their superiors!' (The Daybooks of Edward Weston, Part I, pp. 121-22.) Following up on the success of this initial exhibition in L.A., a second show was presented from 3 - 10 July 1927 at Shaku-do-Sha. On July 13 Weston noted in his Daybook: '. . . I am stimulated with many thoughts after the long considered Japanese exhibit which took place last week. Financially, it was the most successful showing I have had.' (Part II, p. 29). The last exhibition occurred on 14 November 1931 in the Japanese Quarter in Los Angeles. Weston's Daybook entry for this date reads: 'Today under Ramiel's direction I open in the Japanese quarter, Los Angeles. He sent me an S.O.S. for nudes. In disgust, I picked out thirteen old negatives, as far back as 1920, and printed fifty prints in two hours.' (Part II, p. 233). While it remains unknown from which of these exhibitions that Ueyama acquired these photographs, purchase prices are included on two of the three works. Lot 11 (Neck) has a torn and illegible price sticker on the lower left corner of its mount. A price sticker of the same design, annotated '2.00' in pencil, is adhered to the mount of Lot 12 (Bertha Wardell), and the same figure is written on its reverse. On the reverse of the present work, '3.00' is written in pencil. Other physical aspects of these works are noteworthy: * Given that the mount sizes and price stickers adhered to Lots 11 and 12 are nearly identical, it is conceivable that both works were purchased from the same sale - either in 1927 or 1931, given that the Wardell image was taken in 1927. * The present work is hinged to its mount rather than dry-mounted, indicating that it may have been prepared for exhibition at a different time. Its image date of 1923 indicates that it could have purchased at the 1925, 1927, or 1931 exhibitions. Bonhams is honored to bring these three photographs to market for the first time. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing