Photo Credit: Fred Silberman
Edward Winter Mid-Century Modern Enamel Panel
Buy It Now Price: $1,000 (price as of 2019; item no longer available)
Pros:
-The artist Edward Winter crafted this beautifully abstract Mid-Century Modern artwork from opaque gold and white enamel layered over a steel base.
-This vintage 1950s enamel panel measures 14 inches (35.6 cm) wide by 14 inches (35.6 cm) tall, an impressive size for a piece of enamel wall art.
-American artist Edward Winter was active from 1932 to until his death in 1976. He graduated from the Cleveland School of Art in 1931 before traveling to Vienna for a year to study European enamel, ceramic and metalworking techniques.
-Edward Winter’s primary medium was enamel, where he made groundbreaking enamel artwork that was sometimes on the scale of conventional paintings and prints.
-Enamel is glass that has been melted onto metal, forming a permanent bond. Enamelwork is a very demanding artistic endeavor because of the high firing temperatures needed (usually between 750 and 850 °C or 1,380 and 1,560 °F) and the process’ sensitivity to any mistakes.
-Industrial enameling for signs, appliances, sinks and other manufactured items was fairly common during the middle of the 20th century, but eventually died out as cheaper materials (like plastics) were adopted. Although enamel-centric artists like Edward Winter were often associated with the enameling industry, the works these virtuosos created were pure art.
-I love the contrasting use of disparate textures, shapes and colors on this enamel panel. The vertical white enamel stripes boldly set the orientation of the work while the gold enamelwork really pops against the exposed steel substrate.
-Edward Winter, along with his contemporary enamellist Kay Whitcomb, is a forgotten artistic master of the 20th century. It is dumbfounding to me that one of his important works is available for so little money!
-Given that this abstract masterpiece perfectly encapsulates the zeitgeist of Mid-Century Modern style, I find the asking price of $1,000 to be fair. I also firmly believe this gorgeous piece would be a smart investment for the aspiring tangible asset investor.
Cons:
-It is possible to find other works by Edward Winter for substantially less money, but these will often be enameled bowls, boxes or other smaller pieces. This abstract Mid-Century Modern enamel panel stands above them all in terms of scale. It is also important to remember that good art – especially good one-of-a-kind art – is always expensive.
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