Federico Castellòn (1914 - 1971)
Printmaker, painter, and illustrator Federico Castellòn was born in Almeria, Spain. His family emigrated to the United States in 1921 and settled in Brooklyn. His interest in art, reinforced by frequent visits to nearby museums, fueled his own creative efforts, further enhanced by the generally high quality of public education in that era. His talent was recognized and encouraged by many of his grammar school teachers, and Castellòn was later awarded the Art Medal at Brooklyn's rigorous Erasmus Hall High School, which he attended. He was invited to create a mural for the school, which was exhibited prior to its installation at Raymond Galleries in New York, drawing widespread critical acclaim.
Castellòn was greatly influenced by Diego Rivera. The two met at the installation ceremony for Rivera's murals for Rockefeller Center. The older artist mentored the young man and introduced him to Carl Zigrosser, director of Weyhe Gallery, where Castellòn's first solo exhibition was mounted. Under Rivera's influence, he received a four-year traveling fellowship, which funded further study in Europe and especially in Paris; back in New York in 1938 he met print maker George Miller, in whose workshop he began learning lithography. In 1940 he received the first of two Guggenheim Fellowships, which allowed him to travel and study throughout the United States.
In 1946 Castellòn was invited to teach summer courses at Columbia University, and returned every summer thereafter for fourteen years. In addition, he also taught at the Pratt Institute and Queens College. In 1952, a major exhibition at Weyhe Gallery gained him a second Guggenheim Fellowship, enabling him to again study in Europe. After his return, Castellòn was sent by the U.S. State Department on a lecture tour of South America. He continued to teach, study, and exhibit throughout the 1960s, was elected a Member of the National Academy of Design in New York, and was a member of the Society of American Graphic Artists. He was the recipient of First Prize from the Library of Congress, and of the Mary Collins Prize of the Philadelphia Print Club. Federico Castellon died in New York.
Portrait of the Gene / The Birth of a Gene
Etching, ca. 1960; edition of 100. Image size 10¾” x 9¼”; sheet size 20¾” x 15”. Numbered 9/100, Titled, and signed in pencil by the artist in the lower margin. Fine. Freundlich 130.
$575
Lady of the Ravens
Etching, ca. 1965; edition of 100. Image size 9-1/8” x 10-11/16”; sheet size 14¾” x 20½”. Numbered, titled, and signed in pencil by the artist in the lower margin. Fine. Freundlich
$525
Memories
Lithograph, 1940; edition of 250. Image size 9-3/8" x 12-5/8"; sheet size 12-5/8" x 17". Published by Associated American Artists, New York. Signed in pencil by Castellon in the lower margin. A beautiful, nuanced impression in fine condition.
$400
The Nymphs and Satyr
Etching and aquatint, ca. 1965; edition of 100. Image size 11-7/8” x 14-3/4”; sheet size 17-1/8” x 20-3/4”. Titled, numbered 28/100, and signed by Castellòn in pencil in the lower margin. A fine, well-inked impression in fine condition. Museum-quality archival mat and mount.
$450
Siege on Via Veneto
Etching, 1967; edition of 110; Image size 6” x 11-7/8”; sheet size 12-7/8” x 19¾”. Trial proof for the portfolio Six Etchings, published by Associated American Artists, New York and printed by Atelier Lacouriere, Paris, on BFK Rives heavy weight paper. Numbered and signed in pencil by Castellon in the lower margin. Fine. Freundlich 187.
$350
Conversation (Two Women)
Etching, 1967; edition of 110; Image size 7¾" x 9-7/8”; sheet size 12-7/8” x 19¾”. Trial proof for the portfolio Six Etchings, published by Associated American Artists, New York and printed by Atelier Lacouriere, Paris, on BFK Rives heavy weight paper. Numbered and signed in pencil by Castellon in the lower margin. Fine. Freundlich 182.
$325
Les Deux à Deux Magots
Etching, 1967; edition of 110; Image size 9-1/8" x 10-7/8”; sheet size 12-7/8” x 19¾”. Trial proof for the portfolio Six Etchings, published by Associated American Artists, New York and printed by Atelier Lacouriere, Paris, on BFK Rives heavy weight paper. Numbered and signed in pencil by Castellon in the lower margin. Fine. Freundlich 184.
$375
Oggi
Etching, 1967; edition of 110; Image size 7¾" x 9-13/16”; sheet size 12-7/8” x 19¾”. Trial proof for the portfolio Six Etchings, published by Associated American Artists, New York and printed by Atelier Lacouriere, Paris, on BFK Rives heavy weight paper. Numbered and signed in pencil by Castellon in the lower margin. Fine. Freundlich 185.
$325
Rome, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Etching, 1967; edition of 110; Image size 7¾" x 11-7/8”; sheet size 12-7/8” x 19¾”. Trial proof for the portfolio Six Etchings, published by Associated American Artists, New York and printed by Atelier Lacouriere, Paris, on BFK Rives heavy weight paper. Numbered and signed in pencil by Castellon in the lower margin. Fine. Freundlich 186.
$325
Bengalese Sisters
Lithograph, 1949; edition of 150. Image size 12-7/8” x 9-7/8”; sheet size 14-5/8” x 18”. Published by the Print Club of Albany. Singed in pencil by the artist in the lower margin. Freundlich 33. A fine impression. Small tape remnants verso, else fine overall condition.
$275
Women By The Sea
Lithograph, ca. 1950; edition of 250. Image size 11-7/8” x 8-13/16”; sheet size 15-3/8” x 11¾”. Signed on the stone and in pencil in the lower margin by Castellon. A fine impression overall, with small losses at the upper corners of the sheet.
$375