Dear ARLIS/NA members,

For provenance research on two signed watercolors dated 1923 and 1924, I wonder who out there can give me some leads.  The present owner acquired them recently from a dealer in Florida and Long Island who acquired them from the previous owner about 4 years ago.  The dealer wishes to maintain the previous owner's privacy, at the previous owner's request.  However, the dealer did indicate that the previous owner lives in St. Augustine, Florida, and that the great grandfather was a president of Bolivia.  These watercolors could have been a gift to that president of Bolivia, or they could have entered the family some other way.

The watercolors are signed "Xul" (for Xul Solar).  Xul Solar was Argentinian but worked in Paris for most of 1912-24.  He returned to Buenos Aires in 1924.  The dealer (and most likely the previous owner) were not familiar with the artist, because they were sold to the present owner as watercolors signed XL.  The U is very tiny and could be mistaken for a period.  The authenticity is at this point a question mark.

The present owner has consulted the bilingual catalog of the Xul Solar exhibit that traveled to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and other venues a few years ago.  One watercolor appears to be a companion piece to "La drola" in that catalog.  The present owner also knows that the Museo Xul Solar in Buenos Aires has a fine website and could be of help.

What would help is a complete listing and images of the works Xul Solar made and/or exhibited in 1923 and 1924. Also, who bought those works?  Or if anyone knows of someone in St. Augustine whose great grandfather might have been president of Bolivia, we could work from that direction.  Please respond privately.  Thanks!

Craig Bunch
Houston
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