Composition in Red and Black I (Kompositie rood-zwart I)
Woodcut printed in colors, 1925, Bool / Petersen G31, edition 40. 6 x 3 7/8 in. Signed dated and titled in pencil. This is a fine impression printed on cream wove paper. The margins are full. The condition is very good apart from slight light toning within a previous mat opening. This important woodcut is from the 1976 edition of 40 impresssion printed by Emile Puettmann for the deluxe edition of "Wobbe Alkema, Lino et Houtsneden 1923-1927." Early impressions of Alkema woodcuts are exceedingly rare as they were not formally editioned. This print is featured on the cover of Adriaan Venema's landmark book, "De Ploeg 1918-1930,"(1978). Alkema was originally trained as a cabinetmaker and he eventually worked with an architectural firm in Groningen. He joined De Ploeg and produced many remarkable works of geometric abstraction in painting as well as printmaking. His paintings from the 1920s are important today and his prints are equally desirable. Alkema was also associated with the Belgian Constructivists including Jozef Peeters and the writer, Paul van Ostaijen.
SOLD

Composition with Blue and Red
Linocut, 1926, Bool / Petersen G33, edition 75. 8 x 6 in. Signed and dated "26/78" in pencil. This is a fine impression in fine condition. The margins are full. According to the catalogue "Het Vroege Werk van Wobbe Alkema,"(page 16), early proofs are rare and a few proofs were printed in 1958. These 1978 impressions are quite fine and the blocks are known to have been destroyed. This work, along with Composition in Red and Green, are from an important Dutch private collection.
SOLD

Composition with Green and Red
Linoleum cut, 1926, Bool/Petersen G34, edition 75. 8 x 5 1/2 in. Signed and dated in pencil "26/78" and numbered "18/75." This is a fine impression with full margins. The condition is excellent. According to the raisonné, there was no edition printed in 1926 and eight proofs were pulled in 1958. This impression is from the 1978 edition of seventy-five. Even these 1978 impressions are not common today. Alkema was originally trained as a cabinetmaker and he eventually worked with an architectural firm in Groningen. He joined De Ploeg (albeit for a brief period) and produced many remarkable works of geometric abstraction in painting as well as printmaking. His paintings from the 1920s are important today and his prints are equally desirable. Alkema was primarily associated with the Belgian modernists such as Josef Peeters.
SOLD

Directed Movement (Gerichte Beweging)
Etching and aquatint, 1931, Bool/Petersen G42; small edition. 5 1/4 x 5 5/8 in. Signed in pencil and also inscribed, "Aug. 1931." This is a fine impression of this rare and exceptional print. The margins are wide and the condition is fine. Apart from a few early printings as we have here, the plate was reprinted in 1974 with different colors across about thirty-seven impressions. Alkema is best known for his connections with the Belgian constructivist artists including Jozef Peeters and Felix de Boeck. Stylistically here, Kandinsky comes to mind.
$1,800

Geometric Abstraction
Linoleum cut highlighted with white, circa 1958, edition unknown. 4 3/8 x 5 3/8 in. Initialed in ink, lower right. This is a fine impression printed on gray paper and attached to a blue support sheet. The margins are trimmed to just outside the image most likely by the artist. The condition is fine. Throughout his career Alkema remained focused on the art of geometric abstraction in painting as well as printmaking. Alkema was a member of de Ploeg for only a a year or so. He was more aligned with the Belgian artists who worked in his style.
$1,100

Untitled (Zonder Titel)
Drypoint, 1930, Bool/Petersen G39; edition only 6 plus a few proofs. 4 x 4 1/8 in. Signed and dated in pencil. This is a fine impression printed on a sturdy cream wove paper. The margins are full and the condition is fine apart from a couple of printing creases in the lower margin and occasional soiling. Ex-collection: Jan Altink (1885-1971), the prominent de Ploeg artist.
$1,400