African Art from the Karl Stirner Collection
By Ray's Premier Auction
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Karl Stirner (1923 - 2016) was an internationally recognized sculptor. Born in Germany during the Weimar Republic, his family immigrated to America in 1927, settling in Pennsylvania. Karl developed an interest in metal that stemmed from his father's work as a fine jeweler. By 1948, Karl had opened a metal arts studio, and by 1955 he was teaching art at Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia.
Over the decades to follow, Karl developed an international reputation for his abstract metal sculpture, and was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, NY, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Corcoran Gallery, among many others.
Like notable artists that preceded him (Picasso, Derain, Matisse), Karl's fascination with tribal art, and particularly traditional African art, was substantive. He amassed a remarkable personal collection, which occupied every corner of his living space, from which around 100 pieces have been selected to present at this auction. These pieces are coming to market for the first time in many decades. Take advantage of this opportunity to acquire some excellent examples of African tribal art, each of which was carefully selected by the eye of one of America's finest post-war metal sculptors.
