Something a bit unusual for this site and what follows will describe said image in detail. You will note that a blown up version of this work of art is currently displayed as the background image for Sierra Madre Precious Metals. Do not misunderstand… I am not a fan nor supporter of Stock Exchanges, but I am a lover of history and art, and as my Grandfather was also a noted architect and renowned designer of furniture and lighting fixtures (for the Stiffel Lamp Company of Chicago) – I grew up in this world.
The first image referenced above and described below will be presented in the upcoming October 2020 auction by Heritage Auctions. The estimated value – $50,000 to $70,000. ~ Ed.
Louis H. Sullivan (American, 1856-1924)
Important Stencil from the Face of the Main Trusses of the Chicago Stock Exchange Trading Room, 1893-1894, Adler & Sullivan
Executed by Healy and Millet, Oil on canvas
57-1/4 x 99-1/4 x 2 inches (145.4 x 252.1 x 5.1 cm)
Provenance: The Art Institute of Chicago; Acquired directly from same
~ The Artist’s Story ~
Louis Sullivan holds a unique position in the history American architecture, not only for his accomplishments as a builder, but also for casting a long shadow of influence over many of the leading proponents of modernism, many through the figure of Frank Lloyd Wright whom he mentored early in his career. Heritage is pleased to present a collection of rare works by Louis Sullivan, one of American’s most important architects, in the upcoming October 13 Design Auction.
Among his major accomplishments were several buildings, most notably, the Chicago Stock Exchange, built in 1893 at a time when Chicago hosted the World’s Fair and became known on a more international scale. Sullivan guided the overall design of the project, working with his business partner Dankmer Adler, and they created a masterpiece of intricate detail from the floor to the ceiling, following Sullivan’s concept of organic ornamentation. The trading room of the Stock Exchange was a particularly significant space, and Sullivan conceived of oil painted stencils to line the walls in order to give depth of color and space through use of complex Celtic revival patterns.
…a second image from the same collection.
Stencil from the Trading Room of the Chicago Stock Exchange Building, 1893-1894, Adler & Sullivan
Executed by Healy and Millet, Oil on canvas
16-5/8 x 48-1/8 inches (42.2 x 122.2 cm)
The building was demolished in the 1970s and many of the works were salvaged and are today represented in important public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Art Institute, Chicago and the Seattle Art Museum among others. The largest of the stencils in this sale was formerly in the collection of the Art Institute.
Other works from the collection include works from other remarkable Sullivan and Adler buildings, though the focal point, are rare works from the Chicago Stock Exchange, their most important achievement.
