Richard Wyatt Jr. (b. 1955), "Barbara" or "Woman Holding a Sock and a Rock for No Apparent Reason,"

Richard Wyatt Jr.
(b. 1955)
"Barbara" or "Woman Holding a Sock and a Rock for No Apparent Reason," 1982
Graphite on cream-colored paper
Signed and dated in pencil along the lower edge, at right: Wyatt Jr.; titled in pencil in the lower margin, at center
Image/Sheet: 29.75" H x 43.875" W
Provenance: The Estate of Oscar and Barbara Leidenfrost

Other Notes: Proceeds to benefit non-profit organizations and educational institutions.

According to the artist, this drawing is a portrait of Barbara Leidenfrost. We are grateful to the artist for his assistance in cataloguing this work.

Born and raised in Southern California, the artist Richard Wyatt Jr. has been active in the Los Angeles area art scene since the age of twelve. Known primarily for creating public art in and around Los Angeles, Wyatt pursued his artistic studies at the Otis Art Institute and under the tutelage of the renowned contemporary figurative artist Charles White.

Wyatt, who completed his undergraduate studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, has since taught painting at the University of California Irvine, Otis College of Art and Design, and at the Watts Towers Art Center in Los Angeles. He is perhaps best known for his "City of Dreams, River of History" mural, created in 1996, which is located at Union Station in Los Angeles. Other examples of his public artwork include a commission created in collaboration with May Sun for the Robert F. Kennedy Monument at the former Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire Blvd. and his "Hollywood Jazz: 1945-1972" mural located at the Capitol Records Building in Hollywood.

In 2015, Wyatt's work was included in "Black SoCal: Art and Practice in an Evolving Landscape" at the Venice Biennale. More recently, Wyatt's work was also included in "Black American Portraits," a landmark exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 2022.

Three works by Richard Wyatt, Jr. were included in the Collection of Oscar and Barbara Leidenfrost, among his earliest collectors.

Related artists include Nina Chanel Abney, Bisa Butler, Jordan Casteel, Elizabeth Catlett, David Hammons, Ernie Eugene Barnes Jr., Hughie Lee-Smith, Kerry James Marshall, Jennifer Packer, Faith Ringgold, Deborah Roberts, Betye Saar, Charles Robert Searles, Tschabalala Self, Amy Sherald, Henry Taylor, Mickalene Thomas, Hank Willis Thomas, Genesis Tramaine, Kara Walker, Carrie Mae Weems, Charles White, Kehinde Wiley, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye.
Condition Report: Overall good condition. With margins. Minor toning to the paper and mat burn along all four margin edges. A 3.5" H x 1" W paper abrasion possibly from a former piece of tape. Handling creases scattered throughout, primarily in the background and outer edges, the largest measuring 5" W near the upper edge, at left. Hinged to the over mat in two places at the recto of the upper margin edge.Framed under Plexiglas: 33" H x 47.75" W x 1" D Condition reports are offered as a courtesy and are typically published in Moran's catalogue or can be made available upon request. The absence of a condition report does not imply that an item is free from defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of others. Buyers are responsible for determining to their own satisfaction the true nature and condition of any lot prior to bidding. Though buyers are not legally required to inspect lots prior to purchase, failure to do so may constitute a waiver of complaint that an item was not delivered in a condition equal to the existent condition at the auction.