du Vall (1940 - )
We are proud to be the primary representative for du Vall, both in the U.S. and Internationally.
du Vall is the alter ego of a successful financial writer and novelist who, at the age of 50, celebrated his ‘’mid-life crisis'’ by fulfilling several lifelong dreams, starting with a major tour of Europe and Asia.
Upon his return, he delved into another passion - abstract expressionism - first, via acquisitions of other artist’s works, and ultimately, by building a studio of his own and picking up what he calls ‘’Pollock Tools'’ - most any device OTHER than a paint brush used to apply paint to any surface - and not necessarily limited to canvas.
Indeed, his first works were executed on solid wood with either a minimalist frame or more elaborate frame built INTO the work and at times, even as a part of it, as with ‘’Critical Acclaim,'’ which was a favorite amongst children and others of a whimsical mind who thought it a neat idea that perhaps, someone had looked at the painting displayed in the gallery, did not like it and splattered it with paint of their own!
He has worked with a variety of medium including oil, acrylic, impasto, bas relief and even small objects, such as used in the piece created for famed motion picture actor, Dennis Hopper called ‘’Whorehol.'’ It is a tribute to Hopper who owned the original famous Worhol Campbell Soup can painting which Hopper later lost in a divorce settlement. Married four times himself, du Vall considered the work a strictly tongue-in-cheek endeavor, and when asked why the can of lentil soup instead of tomato, he responded, ‘’Because I hate tomato soup - love lentil.'’
In the beginning, du Vall merely churned out pieces for his own amusement and that of friends, but at the urging of one of those friends - an established artist - he agreed to ‘’test the waters'’ and held his first official showing, at which virtually all his works were spoken for.
Next, he had a full color brochure produced and sent copies to his many friends and business associates worldwide - many of whom are household names. Immediately, the remaining inventory of painting were snapped up and he went back to the studio to produce more.
In time, he experimented with various sizes, and kinds of medium and ultimately settled on a traditional high-grade, stretched canvas, with most finished works not exceeding 36 ” X 48″. A group of smaller paintings in the range of 22″ X 28″ were offered to a select number of longtime supporters of his publishing business and were sold within 72 hours.
An even smaller batch of paintings - experimental works that du Vall created before undertaking the larger painting version that each represented (and in some cases, he decided NOT to produce) have been especially sought-after do to their size and perceievd lower price. These are very rare on the secondary market, and we have but one such available at this time. It has no official name, but is the precursor of a much larger work called ‘’Impetus.'’
du Vall ascended to his peek of popularity internationally when it was reported by New York Post columnist, Cindy Adams (herself a du Vall devotee - having acquired ‘’Movers ‘n Shakers'’) that Tom Arnold had purchased for $18,000.00 a rather smallish wood painting called P.M.S. for his then-wife, Roseanne.
Subsequently, other works were created for various celebrities including the late Vincent Price ('’Spectre Noir'’), Red Skelton ('’Clown Barf'’), Jonathan Winters ('’Leaking Mind'’), Richard ‘’Ace ‘’ Faulk ( Salvador Dali’s initial PR agent when he first came to the U.S.) and others.
But for the most part, du Vall’s limited output was acquired by astute investors who sensed that his worldwide popularity as a writer might someday translate into increased value of the pieces they owned.
Little did they know that day would come sooner than expected, as du vall was struck down by a horrble allergic recation to PAINT which resulted in one of the worst cases of Lichen Planus the medical community had seen. Thus, there have been no new du Vall paintings since 2000 and only a single one that year - for his youngest daughter’s 30th birthday.
We present for your pleasure several du Vall paintings that are unavailable as well as the few which are. For purchase information, please email: SMHeadley@4-ArtSake.com
THE FIRST GROUP OF PAINTINGS ILLUSTRATED HAVE BEEN ACQUIRED AND ARE NOT AVAILABLE.
‘’Leaking Mind”
23″ X 12″, Solid Wood, Minimalist Frame, Oil (Placed)
36″ X 24″, Wood/Pulp/Steel/Oil/Acrylic, Minimalist Frame (Placed)
“Spectre Noir” (1990)
30″ X 36″, Oil/Acrylic On Solid Wood With Minimalist Frame (Placed)
“Movers & Shakers” (1992)
“40″ X 30″, Oil/Acrylic On Canvas With Brass Frame (Placed)
“Clown Barf” (1993)
61″ X 36″, Oil/Acrylic On Solid Wood, Integral Frame By Artist (Placed)
- WORKS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE NOW -
“Cacophony” (1991)
30″ X 12″, Oil/AScrylic On Solid Wood, Minimalist Frame: $4,500
“Power Play” (1992)
48″ X 36″, Oil/Acrylic With Impasto On Canvas With Brass Frame. An Interesting provenance: It first hung on display in the Kresge Art Museum, was later purchased by a well-known ‘’playboy'’ where it hung on the wall of his Jacuzzi room for many years and recently, we acquired it from his estate: $17,000 {SORRY - SOLD!}
“Critical Acclaim” (1990)
60″ X 36″, Oil/Acrylic With Impasto On Solid Wood With Gilded Wood Integral Frame By Artist. This painting was displayed in various midwest public libraries as part of a program of instruction for children on the history and types of art. They especially enjoyed what appears to be the handiwork of an irate patron who has defaced the work with black paint, hence the title. It is in remarkably pristine condition! Current owner must dispose for just $8,500!
“Impetus” (1992)
40″ X 30″, Oil/Acrylic On Canvas With Metal Frame. Has a three-dimensional quality as paint is almost of impasto thickness: $9,000. (sorry - sold!)
‘’Mini Impetus” (1992)
8″ X 10″, Oil/Acrylic On Canvas With Black Metal Frame. This is an experimental piece - the precursor of “Impetus.” Our best du Vall buy! $1,400! [Sorry - SOLD!]
For purchase procedure information on any available painting, please email: SMHeadley@4-ArtSake.com