Lot 43

Avel De Knight, Group of 4 drawings. Circa 1940s.

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Avel De Knight, Group of 4 drawings. Circa 1940s.

Estimate: $1,500 - $2,000

Starting Bid: $1,100

(0 Bids)

by Swann Auction Galleries
August 13, 2026 10:30 AM EDT
Live Auction
104 East 25th Street
New York, NY, US 10010

Avel De Knight
1933-1996
Group of 4 drawings. Circa 1940s.
Charcoal and pastel on tracing paper.
i) 6 1/4 x 8 7/8 in. (15.9 x 22.5 cm.)
ii) 10 3/4 x 7 3/8 in. (27.3 x 18.7 cm.)
iii) 12 7/8 x 9 3/4 in. (32.7 x 24.8 cm.)
iv) 12 7/8 x 17 1/8 in. (32.7 x 43.5 cm.)

  • Provenance:
    Estate of Julien Outin (1923-2005), Paris.
    Acquired from the above by private collection, Virginia.

    Notes:
    Raised in New York City by Caribbean parents, Avel de Knight studied art through his teenage years and high school. After enlisting in the U.S. Army during World War II, he continued his studies at the École des Beaux-Arts, the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and the Académie Julian in Paris with other artists such as Herbert Gentry and Romare Bearden. Once he returned to the United States in the 1960s, he taught at the Art Students League of New York. At this time, de Knight began his Mirage series where he visually recorded his appreciation for the power and wisdom of the collective unconscious through his art. His work is found in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, National Academy of Design, New York, the Chrysler Museum of Art in Virginia, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York and the Robert Hull Fleming Museum in Vermont.
  • Medium: Charcoal and pastel on tracing paper.
  • Condition: Please contact the Specialist for the auction to request a condition report.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $149 $10
$150 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $5,999 $200
$6,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 $499,999 $20,000
$500,000 + $50,000