Small painting signed de Kooning Gauche on paper

[greenportny]

Just wanted some opinions on this painting. It was found at a yard sale on the East End of Long Island, New York on the North Fork. Looks like the signature is W Kooning. It looks like gauche or tempera on paper. On the back of the painting the paper is darkened from age. The paper size is 9 1/8" wide by 9 3/8". I read in "DE KOONING" by Barbara Hess that de Kooning painted in tempera early in his career as he couldn't afford more expensive supplies. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks in advance for having a look. 

[greenportny]

Here are a couple signed only "Kooning" These are all early works from the late 1930s

[maxine*j]

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@greenportny wrote:

Ah, gouache. Dammit, I hate when my ignorance shines through. Thanks!!!

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I assumed it was a typo.  Like the "Sohteby's" in my post. 

I still say try one of the major auction houses.  They didn't get where they are by using the word "impossible" a lot. 

[little.font.lord.leroy]

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@greenportny wrote:

Thanks, I did contact the Foundation. No response yet. I've heard that unknown works are impossible to authenticate. Also thinking this is an early work and perhaps experimental in style and in signing. He was very conscious of his illegal immigration status so maybe eliminated the "de" from signature?

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Not impossible, and we haven't established that it's "unknown". Provenance, if you know who owned it before you. It's possible that the work is recorded, in a catalog or flyer, say, even a letter.

Besides the signature, the foundation would compare it to similar known works at the time and the type of paper, your paper seems cheap, but that could be a good thing as far as authenticating. Some works have been authenticated by fingerprints left in the margins (from ink or paint). Even torn edges might line up to a drawing pad or other known works. so you never know.

Usually the early works, and works on paper aren't as valuable. People want the famous style. It's places like a foundation or museum that want to preserve the early work.

[greenportny]

Lol, thanks LLF. I will send it off to them when I have the time. I thought that the subject matter was interesting; Women figures.

My thought (hope) is that it could be an early study for "Woman", possibly making it more desirable. I like it regardless.

[little.font.lord.leroy]

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@maxine*j wrote:

If it is authentic, you will naturally want to put it in the hands of the auction house for sale, anyhow, as you would get a far  better price, at far less risk.

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I wonder if that is hard to predict. That's is assuming there is a non-institutional buyer out there. A Museum might end up being the highest buyer, and the Auction house takes a cut. So, A museum would be tempted to offer the owner the same price they would bid, and there is also the possibility of getting credit as a "partial donor" by foregoing the auction cut and selling to a museum at that price.

If a 1950s, small, De Kooning, painting on paper, in the "de Kooning style" sells for $100,000, his early 1940s "non de Kooing" work might be valued at $10,00. If the auction house takes 40%, you're only getting $6,000 and at that point you might do as well selling it directly to a museum at that price.

[greenportny]

And, as mentioned, I did contact the foundation but not holding my breath expecting a response.

I had a hard enough time finding an email address I could send pictures to. There is none listed on the foundation's website.

[greenportny]

My experience with auction fees is more in the 15% to 20% range.

[sonomabarn67]

Seems like a bit of misinformation regarding the auction process and the numbers involved taking place here. My advice is to do as Maxine suggested (and send a few well lit shots with macro close-ups) to the major houses. If this is real, it may have details that a smaller house might miss. I've successfully sent a number of high end paintings/objects thru auction and know this information first hand. Start at the top and work your way down, not the other way around.

[greenportny]

Excellent advice. Thanks for the info.

[sonomabarn67]

And why is that mat so thin on the front and so wide on the back?

Get some well lit photos going before you contact.

[greenportny]

I thought the matting was funny too. No clue as to why.

[little.font.lord.leroy]

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@greenportny wrote:

I thought the matting was funny too. No clue as to why.

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The painting appears to be done on brown paper grocery bag. The window cut in the back of the sandwiched mats appears to be made to create a masking tape "hinge" , but maybe it was recycled from an old mat job. Also seems like at one time it was glued to another backing of some sort.

It's the kind of thing somebody does themselves on the kitchen table (after wiping up last nights spilled beer, of course) So, maybe de Kooning matted it himself?

[little.font.lord.leroy]

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@greenportny wrote:

My experience with auction fees is more in the 15% to 20% range.

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Yes, do forgive me for suggesting you might sell it directly to a museum. What was I thinking?

[sonomabarn67]

OK, well whatever you do DON'T dissamble any of this. The brown paper seen thru the back mat just might be the paper that the artist painted upon. Trying to remove the two pieces of masking tape (which appear to have caused tension/buckling) could cause the painting to tear.