Nude depictions of men and male erotic art are scarce in art history, often not reproduced, and in some cases, censored from an artist's oeuvre. Nevertheless, some of the most celebrated and important works of art include naked male depictions (e.g., Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel). This auction encompasses the estate collection formerly at 76 Commercial Street, Provincetown, Massachusetts. The auction includes classical erotic male depictions, such as Campbell G. Paxton's Hercules, and some works that are homoerotically coded, such as representations of St. Sebastian (Christian saint), Ganymede (Greek legend), and Antinous (the deified lover of the Roman Emperor Hadrian). The estate collection from 76 Commercial Street also includes rare male erotic examples of work by artists whose oeuvre is not known to contain such representations, such as a painting by the acclaimed WPA muralist Harold Lehman and other artists who likely self-censored or went underground during the Lavender Scare, like Arthur B. Long. Then there were later queer artists who had the freedom to paint as they wished, like Joseph Radoccia and Sonia Melara. Other lots encompass the ephemera or commercial production of artists like Tom of Finland, James Bidgood, and George Quaintance. Some lots offer rare clues about artists whose bodies of work are now largely missing, such as a painting by the East Village (NYC) artist Wong Dowling (1978 - 2007), and the voodoo scratchboard ithyphallic works of the Haitian-American artist Phillip Nerestan (1965 - 2023). Other examples include artists who worked under assumed names, such as "W. Douglas" circa the 1980s. Vallot Auctioneers is pleased to bring this collection, assembled over decades, to auction. We have added as much information as possible about these works and artists to the catalog; in the event viewers have additional information to add, we welcome their contributions.
